Do you know Jesus? Which Jesus do you know, the religious one or the real one? The religious Jesus can be seen in many pictures and images found in most church buildings. Not to say that the pictures or images are meant to be religious; they have become religious over the years.
This is what confuses so many because religion and relationships are not synonymous. The religious Jesus is filled with all the rules, regulations, and stipulations about being a son or daughter of God. Not to say that rules, regulations, and stipulations do not have their place, they do; but not at the expense of a relationship with Jesus, God the Son.
Back in the day, Missouri had the tag line as the Show-Me state. People today may well be from Missouri because they are saying show me something that is real. This is so important to grasp because I am seeing more-and-more people who used to believe in God but who have walked away.
Religion is a manmade (fallen from God) attempt to get back to God. As admirable as the effort is, it only creates a set of rules, regulations, and restrictions that drive a “show me” person away from God. The evidence of this is the dwindling attendance in traditional churches and a growing number of people that once believed.
The real Jesus certainly did the things depicted in the pictures and images that hang on the walls of most church buildings. He did live, suffer a horrible death, return from the dead, and physically left the gravitational bonds of this earth by rising up into the sky. The evidence of this is recorded in a book called the Holy Bible. Real people saw what he did and reported it in written fashion.
I am amazed that people have a difficult time believing this. It is said in history that Christopher Columbus discovered America. How does anyone know? They know because people saw him and recorded it in ledgers that became books used to write history. Can anyone alive today say with certainty that this happened? No, there is no one. It is accepted because it has been written down.
Why would historical accounts of Jesus be any different? The answer to that question is found in the god of this world, Lucifer. The fallen angel of worship (as stated by scholars) led an attempted insurrection in heaven only to be banished to the realm of earth.
Who do you think invented religion? It came from a thought to get back to God. Where did the thought come from? It came from the heart of God who wanted to have his creation—humanity—return to him. The challenge was (and remains) that the god of this world was not about to roll over and play dead. Since Lucifer could not prevent humanity from reaching out to God, he devised a plan to ensnare them in that attempt—religion—full of rules, regulations, and restrictions.
It was enough satisfying for the mass of people whatever desire to get back to God was in them. For some, it became a way of control and personal gain. For the mass of people, the control could be tolerated, so they went along with it. For some, the control was too restrictive and they rebelled, some walking away—to Lucifer’s delight—while others sought to get closer to God; this is what a close personal relationship with the godhead is all about. This is why religion is so dangerous.
The people wrapped up in religion are not dangerous—although some can be. When I began this writing, The Matrix was a popular movie. It depicted the broad mass of humanity in a REM state of sleep dreaming about their lives. Nothing about their existence was real but rather was fed to them by machines who them for their own purpose. The hero, Neo, came along to deliver them from their deception and awaken them to reality.
Most were comfortable with living in such a state of delusion—and they were left alone. However, those with the gnawing feeling that something was not right, were targeted for help. The movie paints such a powerful picture of religion over relationships. Coming out of religion is like being awakened from the matrix. Life is different, difficult, and debilitating (in its present state). Compared to life in the matrix, this new life was horrible. So, why would anyone want to be awakened? They wanted to be awakened to gain the knowledge of freedom and hope for a better way of life. This is what a close personal relationship with the godhead is all about.
Are you interested?