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Christianity
Or Religion?
By Grant Phillips
Have you ever
noticed, at least in
the South, that
there is a church on
every corner? Any
county may have
several hundred
churches of various
types. At the same
time, the jails are
over-flowing,
lawyers outnumber
fleas on a dog’s
back, and new court
houses keep going
up. This puzzles me.
(I’m being facetious
of course.)
Isn’t it amazing
that the apostle
Paul and the other
apostles turned
their world upside
down for Jesus
Christ, while ours
is being flushed
down the toilet?
Yes, I know that
crime and decadence
were rampant back
then too, but are we
today having the
impact on our
society for Jesus
that they did? If
you look at what is
on the outside,
maybe we are, but
when you look past
that to what is on
the inside, you
realize we are not.
Jesus said,
“"Woe to you,
scribes and
Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you
clean the outside of
the cup and of the
dish, but inside
they are full of
robbery and
self-indulgence.
"You blind Pharisee,
first clean the
inside of the cup
and of the dish, so
that the outside of
it may become clean
also. "Woe to you,
scribes and
Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you
are like whitewashed
tombs which on the
outside appear
beautiful, but
inside they are full
of dead men's bones
and all uncleanness.
"So you, too,
outwardly appear
righteous to men,
but inwardly you are
full of hypocrisy
and lawlessness.”
(Matthew 23:25-28)
Is it possible that
these words of Jesus
could be directed to
us also? Without a
doubt, they are.
Exactly what is the
difference between
“Christianity” and
“religion”? We could
go on all day about
the differences, but
simply put, religion
rests its essence in
the efforts of man,
while Christianity
is a relationship
with Jesus Christ.
Christianity is not
a religion, and
never can be.
Neither can religion
be Christianity.
They cannot co-exist
under the same hat,
and the time is soon
coming when Jesus
Christ will separate
the sheep
(Christianity) from
the goats
(religion).
There is much
activity being
displayed
religiously, but
that is about it.
Pool parties,
walking tracks,
gyms, picnics, pizza
parties, fireworks,
sports events … pick
your poison. This is
only a wee sampling.
Entertainment seems
to be the norm.
Everybody wants to
get in on the act,
and that’s just what
it is … an act.
Instead of sermons
that convict the
heart of sin and
bring one to true
repentance, the
pulpit masseur
soothes the guilty
conscience bringing
sighs of relief. The
aisles are no longer
filled with those
who come to Christ,
but now make room
for dancing. Some
have their own
special seating
area, and you had
better not sit
there. The poor and
uneducated are
shunned, while the
affluent and special
ones are welcomed.
Anger rises in the
business meetings,
usually over
nothing. Tears of
conviction and
repentance have been
turned to tears of
convenience. The
uplifting of Jesus,
the Savior and Lord,
is now reserved for
self, while long,
sad faces sing
“Jesus Saves” and
“Victory in Jesus”.
Is the
air-conditioner
working? The seats
are too hard! I’m
going to lose my
seat at the
restaurant, if we
don’t get out of
here! Her hat is in
my way! Wasn’t that
message wonderful …
whatever it was? The
game is going to
start any minute!
"So you, too,
outwardly appear
righteous to men,
but inwardly you are
full of hypocrisy
and lawlessness.”
Most of what is seen
in the religious
community today does
appear righteous to
men, but is it?
Jesus didn’t think
so, and He is the
final authority.
Yes, religion is on
the rise, probably
as fast as the
national debt.
Christianity is
rapidly declining,
but here is the good
news, “And
I say also unto
thee, That thou art
Peter, and upon this
rock I will build my
church; and the
gates of hell shall
not prevail against
it.” (Matthew
16:18) Satan is
throwing all he has
at trying to smother
out the true Church,
and it seems success
is in sight. It
isn’t going to
happen though,
because Jesus said
Satan will not
prevail against His
Church. There will
always be the
faithful few, the
true Church, until
Jesus comes for them
and takes them home.
Atheists say they
have no religion,
but they are a
religion unto
themselves. They
actually get very
anger at people who
believe in what they
say they do not
believe in. So why
get angry, if you
don’t believe it
anyway? It doesn’t
make sense. I
believe that God
created the world.
You do not. So why
should that bother
you? I believe that
the same God who
created the world,
dwelt in the flesh
among man, and His
name is Jesus. You
do not. So how is
that hurting you?
Are you a person of
faith? What does
that mean?
Unfortunately today,
it is primarily used
as a politically
correct term to cop
out on faith in
Jesus Christ. It is
used liberally by
those who want to
sound nice, but not
affirm any faith in
Jesus. Their faith
is in faith. Now
that makes sense.
And again, their
faith is often in
themselves. All of
this is religion. It
couldn’t be further
from true
Christianity.
I do not know when
Jesus will return
for us (the Church),
but I do know that
many signs are upon
us today. They are
swarming around us
like bees on a hive,
and the sign of the
false church
(Laodicea) is very
prominent. Religion
is encompassing this
earth in many forms,
as it has so often
before in time. The
number of those who
seek Christianity
over religion is
dwindling down to a
trickle. It could be
any day that the
last person will
come to Christ to
complete His Church.
Then we will hear
His shout to go to
Him. The dead in
Christ will rise
first, and we will
meet them in the air
to meet our precious
Savior. In a flash,
in the twinkling of
an eye, Christianity
will be removed from
the earth and
religion will be
allowed to have its
way. But it doesn’t
end there. God will
draw to Himself a
new class of
Christians called
Tribulation Saints
from the muck and
mire of religion
during a period
called the
Tribulation. Sadly,
it will be a
thousand times more
difficult then to be
a Christian than it
is now. They are
tribulation Saints
indeed.
So why not shed your
religion now, and
put on the cloak of
Christianity
provided by Jesus
Christ, while it is
much easier to do
so? He is the only
way … period. You
may try all the
religions you want,
but the gaping mouth
of Hell will still
swallow you whole.
Grant Phillips
grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture
Commentary
http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
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