If we understand revival to mean an awakening and that awakening refers to people experiencing a “re-kindling” of their first love for Jesus, then ABSOLUTELY this happens… In fact, many people who have “woken up” from their spiritual slumber in church world and stepped outside of their former mindset to follow the Lord free and unfettered by religion have experienced what I would regard as a genuine revival or rekindling of their relationship with the Lord.

If we also understand revival to mean the event of people turning to Christ Jesus and believing the Gospel, then this too happens all the time. It’s really nothing new, though so many people (particularly those who have been influenced by institutionalized religion) tend to see “revival” as something that needs to be worked for. Worked for how? By engaging in special prayer meetings, extra church services, 24-hour worship services, extensive Bible study routines, etc. These often take good things and make labor, legalism (and almost witchcraft) of them, supposing that this will move the hand of God to work a “new thing” in their organization.

On the one hand, this response reveals a weariness that many people are experiencing with religion, yet they haven’t necessarily connected all the dots yet. They are feeling the deadness and futility of their religion and they become ever more desperate to experience something alive and fresh. They know in their heart there must be more and so they crave what they feel is lacking. The problem is, they often have no idea how to get it… They are often so infected by religion that the only thing they know to do is to employ more religion in hopes that God will respond. Still, a few reach out to God and God is found by them.

Many have no idea how to recognize true revival and falsely presume that it is represented by a grand emotional experience. So when something seemingly new and exciting comes along, they feel the winds of emotion and think it must be a move of God. They use words like “feeling the anointing” but really have no idea what that means. To most those words are just ways of describing exuberant emotion. They hear a preacher preach a lively sermon and they say, “Oh, that man is so anointed.” Many label movements that create these kinds of emotional hype as being “revival”, yet they are often little more than a passing religious fad. Often times manifestations and wild experiences are talked about, but no real conversions are realized. No repentance from sin. No spiritual fruit. No lasting joy in the Spirit.

During the Toronto Blessing I witnessed many people talking about “revival” (myself included) and there was a lot of excitement. People were going on about wild manifestations and all kind of spiritual buzz words were used. And while I can honestly tell you that I believe some people did experience a genuine revival of faith and a rekindling of their love for Jesus, many were simply caught up in spiritualized hype. There were people who talked about “God moving” constantly, but meanwhile their marriages were falling apart and their relationships with other friends and family were dissolving. Some became so smug about their “enlightenment” that they arrogantly labeled those who questioned things as being “religious”.

How different this mindset was from what the Bible presents; such as when we read about Paul and Silas visiting the city of Berea and proclaiming the Gospel. The Bible says that these people had open hearts but searched the Scriptures to see whether the things Paul and Silas were teaching them were true. The Bible commends the Bereans for being diligent to search the Scriptures, whereas many in the Toronto revival’s leadership condemned people for searching the Scriptures.

All of that aside, “revival”, to my perspective, has NOTHING to do with scheduled church meetings or even “movements” which are often referred to as such. It is simply the reality that occurs when a life genuinely submits to the Father.

It is encouraging to note that there have been a number of occasions throughout history where God has revealed His presence in incredible ways as people prayed and witnessed a unique and powerful move of God by His Spirit. There are some marvelous accounts where hundreds of people have experienced a conviction of sin and repentance and turned their hearts to Christ. Sometimes people were delivered from all kind of illness and addictions. Other times the transformation of people’s lives spread throughout the town and abroad and many others were touched as well.

One thing that is most frequently recorded about these kinds of genuine “revivals” is that THEY WERE NOT THE PRODUCT OF ANY HUMAN ORGANIZATION OR EFFORT! God moved sovereignly! They did not happen because some church decided to have a “revival meeting”. In fact, they didn’t always even happen in church! Sometimes people fell on their knees in repentance in bars and jail cells!

The following video is an account by a brother in Christ by the name of Duncan Campbell. This brother from Scotland tells of a revival that broke out in Hebrides in 1949. Duncan remarks that no religious organizing brought about the revival and no human effort. It was totally a work of God. The full story is remarkable. I will not chronicle all of that story here, but I will share that the revival began after two elderly ladies (one blind and the other suffering from severe arthritis) had been praying for God to touch the young people of their city for some time. These two ladies were not church attenders (in large part because their infirmities prohibited them), but they were lovers of Christ and prayed for their city earnestly. At one point, God revealed to them that a certain man (Duncan Campbell) would be used of God to come to their town and preach the Gospel and that, at this time, there would be an outpouring of God’s Spirit. They sent word, inviting him to come, but received a refusal. They were told he would not be able to come, yet they boldly disregarded this reply believing that it was still God’s will. Their response was to say, “That’s what man says. God has said otherwise. He shall be here within a fortnight!” To everyone’s surprise, this is exactly what happened! Duncan came to preach, intending to stay for only ten days, but after the revival hit he stayed for 2 years!

Duncan remarked that 75% of the salvations occurred before anyone even set foot in a church! People were getting saved right where they were, wherever they were. God supernaturally started touching lives all over the city. No preacher had a chance to get to them… No church program reached them… No religious influence whatsoever! Just the power of God! The only thing we know about human involvement that helped to bring about the revival was that there were people who prayed, asking God for mercy to draw souls to Himself… and that He did!

Now, you’ll note that brother Duncan was a preacher and a church man, but his life was so dramatically affected by what he witnessed in this revival that he spent the next many years telling his testimony of how God sovereignly brought revival and how religion had NOTHING to do with it. People ran from the bars and dance halls to the churches because they didn’t know where else to go. They were sensing the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the only thing many of them knew of God was that churches were supposed to be places where people went to worship God. They did not go to these churches because there were special meetings advertised or because there was some big shot revival preacher there or healing evangelist. They went because they were groping in the dark for God. God met them!

Which brings me to my next point… Do I believe God touches churches with revival… No! I believe He touches PEOPLE with revival. If those people happen to be gathering in a church or part of a religious organization, that is no matter to God. His interest is when people reach out to Him and when God moves by His Spirit, not even church can get in the way. There are many stories of churches having their entire religious program upset by a move of God… and in my own case, when God got a hold of my life (even through the midst of the Toronto craziness) He led me OUT of that environment and set me totally free of religion! So don’t be surprised if God chooses to move on people who attend church! Don’t be critical when you see God at work in the lives of people who may attend religious meetings. Who cares where it happens! I pray that God would even move right into the Mormon Church! What a place for revival to happen!!! Could you fathom it happening? Would it offend you if it happened there? Do you know that it has happened before? There is a great video about the former cult known as the World Wide Church of God (the video is called “Called To Be Free”). God saved the leaders of this organization and they renounced their former cult leader and doctrine and turned to Jesus. It completely upset the organization and they lost many members, but MANY people came to Christ.

If you are a Jesus-follower (like myself) who is “out of church world”, please don’t let the fact that Duncan (in this video) was a church man bother you. Please know that, by sharing this video, I am NOT endorsing church or religion of any kind. I think that will be obvious when you listen to this testimony. Instead I pray you will be greatly encouraged that miracles can and do still happen. I hope it will boost your faith and cause hope to well up in your heart that God still desires to draw souls to Himself. Pray with me that we will see this yet in our day!

In many places God is presently touching lives in amazing ways. I actually believe the exodus from organized religion is one evidence of that. Of course the organized church doesn’t see it that way and they speak negatively about this in their publications. They quote the statistics and talk about how terrible it is that people seem to be leaving the church in droves. They see it as a sign of godlessness increasing, not even acknowledging the possibility that it could very well be plain evidence of a genuine move of God.

I can tell you that, with all the email testimonies I have received over the last 10 years because of this website, I am CONVINCED that God is moving through the massive exodus from churchianity! Some of you may not even know that one of the reasons my own wife first heard the Gospel and came to believe in Jesus was because God first had to take me out of religion to prepare my heart for my relationship with her and the testimony of Christ that I would end up sharing with her and the fruit that it would eventually bring and continues to bring. God is AWESOME!!! Be encouraged my friends! Revival fires have never stopped burning and I will continue to pray that God will continue to keep them burning until all is said and done! This is a good time to be alive!

BACK TO EDEN shares the story of one man’s lifelong journey, walking with God and learning how to get back to the simple, productive methods of sustainable provision that were given to man in the garden of Eden. The organic growing system that has resulted from Paul Gautschi’s incredible experiences has garnered the interest of visitors from around the world. However, never until now have Paul’s methods been documented and shared like this!

The movie is also available in Spanish on the Back to Eden website.
 

I wonder how many of you have run across religious organizations that like to use this phrase (or some variation of it) as their “outreach slogan”. A few weeks ago I received a flyer in the mail from a “new” church in the area that proposes to be a “church for people who don’t like going to church.” This reminds me of a pastor friend who said to me a few years back, “Dave, I hope to one day build the kind of church that even you would want to attend.”

Most of you will recall how I have mentioned this subject before and most of you know how much of an utterly ignorant and ridiculous a statement I think this is… My sincere apologies if I have offended anyone who is really jazzed about attending one of these post-modernistic church organizations that thrives on this logic. But if I have just pushed a button, I hope you’ll hang on and hear me out. If you’re really interested in reaching people who aren’t into church, then it might help you to understand our mindset a bit more before you set off with big intentions to try and pull us all back into “the fold”.

I guess then, as it turns out, this blog post today is for those of you I have just described; Those of you who really think a hip new church program is the answer and the way to reach people who could care less about hip new church programs.

Please know that I previously spent 30 years of my life in church world and I am very familiar with the thought-process of the typical church-goer, not to mention that of many pastors who often lead these kind of endeavors.

I remember discussions with friends back in my church-going days about how it would be cool to try something like this (a post-modern, non-churchy church endeavor)… You see, even then, there were things about typical church that annoyed me (and a number of the rest of us) and I was also able to see back then how so many of our religious practices stemmed from stale traditions, were badly outdated, unbiblical, and tended toward legalism. We knew then that so many of these things were part of what turned off a lot of folks outside our walls and they even embarrassed many of us in the church system. I’m quite sure that plenty of folks who attend church today could probably find some agreement with this.

Our instinct seemed to be a cry for reform! We wanted to see things change! We too were tired of the boring weekly routine. We were secretly asking the question we’d never dare admit out loud… Is this really all there is? It can’t be… and we certainly can’t let it be, so we have to do something to make it not be. We thought we wanted to be part of a church that was relevant, unique, fun, on the cutting edge, and totally in harmony with Jesus. Is there an honest person out there who can relate to some of these feelings?

As a side note, I really believe that this is a large part of the reason I welcomed the Toronto movement when it hit. Though I was hesitant at first, because it appeared so unusual, I eventually gave myself to it. It was refreshing to see the old stale routine busted up and nothing appeared to be business as usual anymore. People were finally starting to recognize the deadness of religion and legalism… and more people were talking about Jesus than they were about church programs or pastor’s sermons. But, as I’ve written before, the devil was in the details and a lot of corrupt doctrines and concept eventually crept in. Thought I’m embarrassed to admit some of the things I once embraced, I thank God that He delivered me from those errors and the experience has caused me to be more discerning as I look forward. One very interesting thing I noticed about the Toronto thing when it happened… Despite the good that transpired a midst the crazy, there was a season of that whole experience that produced a real hunger in my heart for truth. The more I yielded to the Lord, the more freedom I experienced from the bondage of religion and the more I began to recognize the amount of religion I was still captivated by and infected with. The more I began to read God’s Word, the more I realized the gross deviations from it that were being taught by many in the movement. Eventually, I withdrew myself from the environment entirely… Not just the “revival” but “church world” itself. I also watched as those whom I once thought had left behind religion to embrace the “new thing” God was doing, actually just digressed into further religion and more and more false doctrine. Churchianity took an even stronger hold on many (even though those captivated by it thought they were breaking free from religion). Even some of my very close friends thought I had become totally deceived because I was pulling away from this environment. I mention all of this to illustrate how though there was a time many of us thought we had broken free from religion (because of this new distraction of so-called “revival” or “renewal”), it was a setup of the enemy in many ways.

I remember the conversations we used to have about how free church was going to be now that we were no longer blinded by religion; no longer trying to put new wine into an old wineskin. Sigh… We really thought we had it all figured out.

The funny thing is, the way we always set out to accomplish this well-meaning ideal was by applying the same stale solutions to the problem, which (obviously) was no real solution at all… just a lot more of the same old thing in different clothes. It is hardly any wonder that we’d see a lot of excitement about “new directions” or (in other words) “slight alterations to the program” at the beginning, and then experience a degeneration over time to another lifeless routine, which again became hum-drum church as usual. We had to always figure out some new way to keep things interesting because… well… apparently God just wasn’t quite interesting enough. It must be our church program that keeps people interested in following God and without a good program, people just won’t be interested in God… so we have to get this right! The program became a major part of what defined us as Believers… and we allowed it to gauge our spirituality, to qualify it, to control it, and to influence everybody else with it.

Sad that the whole thing really avoided the most important thing of all; a resolution to give it all up to Jesus and let His Holy Spirit be the Leader of our lives… even if that meant it might lead us completely away from “business-as-usual” churchianity. The very idea was out of the question! We simply could not envision a Church (i.e. the body of Christ) without “church” (i.e. a religious organization)!

Today, the same mindset plagues so many Christian people. And when they hear someone like me talk this way about church world, all they think is that I’m against Christians meeting together or even organizing for various purposes, but that’s actually not true at all. The big problem I see is that most (church-attending) Christians don’t really know how to differentiate between a man-made organization as opposed to that which the Bible calls the “ecclesia” (the Church of the Firstborn – those who have been called out of darkness into His marvelous Light)… Note I said most, not all. If they were able to see their little organization as nothing more than that, a lifeless building and a man-made set of organizational processes that has NOTHING to do with actually being a follower of Jesus or being saved into the Family of God, then maybe they would just take it for what it is and stop throwing it in everyone’s face as though it were the be-all and end-all of the Christian life. If they really thought that their meeting hall was ONLY a meeting hall, then maybe they really could BE the Church. But they DON’T usually see it that way. They see the meeting hall as an essential part of Christianity itself. Simply put, you cannot really be thought of as being a Christian if you don’t go to a church! And, therefore, if you don’t go to church and yet dare to call yourself a follower of Jesus, then you really need to be convinced of the importance of the church building and program. But (their thinking goes), we don’t want to scare you off, so we’re gonna pose a clever approach that is sure to win you over… The logic basically goes like this:

“Hey, we want to reach people that are burned out on church……. Hmmm…. I wonder how we can accomplish that….. Hey, I know! Let’s start another church!”

Forgive me for laughing out loud there, but that’s the basic idea… Yet it seems that none of these groups have any clue about how (pardon me) stupid that kind of logic sounds, especially to those that are burned out on church. In case you’re reading this and still aren’t catching the hint…

Definition of Stupid: “Lacking in common sense or perception. Characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness, foolish; senseless. Tediously dull, especially due to lack of meaning or sense; inane, pointless.”

If you’re trying to reach someone who isn’t interested in church… STARTING ANOTHER CHURCH ISN’T GOING TO WORK!

In my town there are a number of churches who have started re-vamping their routine; trying desperately to make themselves more relevant. Time and again I hear the same old rhetoric used: “Are you one of those people who doesn’t like going to church? Are you looking for a place where you can belong, find fellowship, encouragement, that doesn’t feel churchy? Try our church… We’re different. We get it… We have an espresso machine and our pastor skydives.” Ok, maybe not those exact words, but you get the idea… Then, 5 minutes after you’re there you realize as you look around that they still have 4 fast songs and 3 slow ones, a benediction, announcements (usually by video with plucky comic relief by witty church volunteers), collection of tithes and offerings (bla bla bla), a sermon, prayer, and coffee and donuts in the foyer (or a lounge room with couches). Virtually every single church group I’ve seen that claims to be a “church for those who don’t like church” are nothing more than just another church… and, guess what? Those of us who don’t like church…. STILL don’t like it.

Please, someone in church world explain to me, HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK THIS WILL EVER APPEAL TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE CHURCH?

My point is, if you’re really interested in “gathering the body of Christ”, then do it and stop getting clever about it and, even worse, manipulative. If you want to get together, then get together… Whether you do it at home, at the park, at a theater, or (surprise surprise) a church building, just meet. Who cares if there’s 100 of you or 3. Stop trying to fool the rest of us. We know what you’re up with the whole “church growth” thing and it’s nothing new. Remember, unless THE LORD builds the House, they which labor, do so in vain.

NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT… What is that “house” that the Scripture is talking about… The house of God is the HOUSEHOLD. It’s a spiritual thing. The apostle Paul described it as a SPIRITUAL house of LIVING STONES (i.e. PEOPLE); 1 Peter 2:5. It has nothing to do with a building. The apostle Paul declared that WE are that house (that “temple”), NOT A BUILDING! So flush the whole “house of God” idea as being a church building you attend, because Jesus never taught such nonsense! …and I dare say to you this… HE’S STILL NOT TEACHING SUCH NONSENSE!

If you really want to reach out to people who don’t like church, may I please first ask you WHY? What is your motive for “reaching” us? Is it because you think we cannot have a relationship with Christ without attending an organization? Stop trying to deceive us with your false evangelism ploy. When you come at us going, “Hey, we don’t like church as usual either and we understand you…” but then you go right ahead and say, “But come try our church,” PLEASE! Please get a clue! You are talking nonsense!

Secondly, if your motive to “reach us” is not about concern over our relationship with Christ or thinking that we must be backsliding and need church to be saved, then why can’t you just come to us as a brother or sister in Jesus and let that be enough? Why does a church organization ever have to be part of the conversation? WE DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR COOL CHURCH PROGRAM! But we might just appreciate your friendship, if it’s sincere and genuine. We might just appreciate you hanging at our place for dinner or doing some mutually-enjoyable activity together as friends, where conversation is free and unfettered by some ulterior agenda to try and work some religious order into everything. It utterly frustrates me that even some of the coolest people who happen to gather in a church environment (even a really cool church environment with all the exciting bells and whistles that make that kind of thing attractive to some people), FAIL so often on the point of relationships, when it comes to maintaining those relationships outside the church environment. They use all the right lingo… they talk about loving people… but just try to have a regular friendship with any number of them. Unless your butt sits in the pews, you won’t usually see much of them. Unless you’re involved in the same church programs they are, they won’t often have time for hanging with you. Everything revolves around church first. Of course, not everyone fits the stereotype, but I’m sad to say that the stereotype fits most! So again, we don’t care about your church program… but we’d like to care about you and feel like maybe you really cared about us too.

The thing is, many of us sincerely crave fellowship (yes, we actually want to hang out with you). We love God’s people. We already know that in Christ we ARE part of THE Fellowship! Anyone who belongs to Him, belongs to His Family and are IN the Fellowship! But we also crave the tangible expression of this. We desire to have friends too and to socially interact as well as enjoy the benefit of sharing Christ together. The difficult thing is, many of us don’t want friends that are only friends if “church” must be at the center of the relationship (rather than Christ). We also aren’t usually fans of all the other junk that comes associated with religion (that has nothing to do with biblical Christianity). To put it another way, we want YOU we just don’t want your club. The problem is that many who have decided to disconnect from church world worry that church is the only place to find you. Some of us make compromises and go “back to church” because we so desperately want to fellowship with you, but you have no idea what kind of internal conflict this presents for us.

I think of all those Christmas Hallmark movies where the dad works too hard and neglects his family and friends because he’s married to his job… They should make a movie about church people who are blind to the relationships around them because they are married to their church! It happens all the time and I almost dare say a lot more often than a dad who is married to his job. I think this is a much bigger problem that is created and maintained BY THE CHURCH! So, of course, I’m not interested!

Thirdly, if your motive to “reach us” is very simplistic, because you just think the organization you are part of is cool, then just try to understand, we aren’t impressed by it so stop dangling it like a rotten carrot in front of our face. We don’t feel any need or desire to be entertained by it. We don’t feel any obligation to attend such a thing. We actually see it as a distraction of more important things. We’re not going to be enamored by the awesomeness of your cool, motorbike riding preacher. We’re not likely to be interested in your song service that plays the same old mediocre emotion-based sing-song tunes over and over again, week after week, in the name of “worship”, where one person tells us how to “enter God’s throne room”… We know how to enter God’s throne room, and we know it doesn’t require a groovy religious rock band singing “Open Up The Heavens” on Sunday morning to accomplish it (and constantly being told when to stand up, raise our hands, dance, shout, sit down, clap, etc.). We don’t need your organization “encouraging” us about how “giving money to the church is worship”. We know this is just more religious mumbo jumbo to get money to pay for your cool program and really has virtually no actual spiritual element to it. We already know that giving is a matter of relationship with the Father and we believe it is His Spirit that leads us how and where and when to give… and that giving isn’t necessarily always money and it’s NEVER anyone else’s business unless we chose to make it so or the Father leads us to let someone else know.

I’m speaking bluntly for your benefit because you need to hear it. You need to hear how we feel and see how we think. This is not evidence of a bad attitude or because we are hurt or bitter. Many of us have a variety of different stories related to how we came out of the routine of religion, but those details are no longer about how we choose to live each day and to engage a genuine, awesome relationship with Jesus. We very much desire HIM to be at the center of our conversation and practice, but you keep throwing this other “thing” you call church in the middle. I’m speaking bluntly so your eyes will open and you will understand.

This reaction is not because we don’t love you or because we don’t want friends or don’t believe in fellowship with other believers. WE DO!!! We just don’t define “fellowship” any longer in terms of sitting in a chair, looking at the back of some guys head, while some guy tells us how to live (because he studied about it all week in preparation for his sermon).

The truth is that many of us have continued to darken the doors of your church buildings on occasion, because we keep hoping that someone in there really believes that Jesus is to be the center of our conversation and our relationships. Many of us have given second, third, and fourth chances in hopes that we would find evidence of a genuine expression of love by people who care more about God and each other than religion. But we keep bumping into your programs and all the rhetoric that goes along with it and you won’t allow it any other way. Even when you try to re-package it so that it’s less legalistic and more “inclusive” it still gets in the way of Jesus! We hate it because we desperately want to know who you are and how we might walk together in Christ with you. We’re not often sure how to tell you politely, with all love and grace, that we don’t give a sh** about churchianity. That has NOTHING to do with how much we desire to be among our family in Christ. We’re just tired of having to put up with the rules of the devil’s playground that we just happen to think “church” has become.

God already has a Church; His body! He doesn’t need another (i.e. your organization). In fact, I’ll say it plainly, with no apologies… HE DOESN’T HAVE ANOTHER!!!

You simply will NEVER be able to think up a style of church that is given any significant regard by people who are only interested in the One Church that Christ Himself has ALREADY established! WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT ANY OTHER!!!

Do you remember the church organization I first spoke about in this post (the one that sent me the advertisement about being the church for those that don’t like church)? Well… I wrote to them. I tried to share with them what I have shared here today… It does not appear to have been received too well. They responded only with the comment, “Sounds like you have it all figured out.” Sadly, this only confirmed to me that they really aren’t interested in those who don’t like church (despite the claims of their clever ad)… I don’t wish to be their judge, but it does make me wonder if they even belong to Christ at all, when they can so quickly reject a member of His body who attempts to reach out to them in love and speak to them as the very person they claim to have a heart to reach. If it weren’t that I have walked in similar shoes myself (before I came out of the deception of religion), I would probably conclude as much… I think of the apostle Paul, who also thought he was doing God’s service while persecuting the Lord’s people. He knew the Scriptures, was a very religious man, educated in the best religious schools, and believed that He was serving the Lord (and did so zealously)… though it was eventually revealed that He didn’t know what he was doing or who he was doing it to. Jesus showed up in his path and convicted him of truth.

Paul told the Philippian believers that, before his conversion to Christ, he was a fiery defender of the purity of his religion, even to the point of persecuting Christians; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book. But once the Lord enabled him to see his error, he completely changed his heart toward the whole thing. I do like how the Message version paraphrases this passage:

Philippians 3:7-10 – The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash–along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant–dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ–God’s righteousness. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.

That’s quite a conversion, wouldn’t you agree?! I have to say, I feel much the same way with respect toward the religion I also once embraced. I count it now as though it were manure and worthy of the trash bin. That strikes some folks as very offensive… but only because they don’t understand yet. What’s amazing is that Paul used these very strong words to describe the end of his religion… but does anyone question Paul’s devotion to Christ? They forget that the guy who wrote most of their New Testament Bible regarded his former religious life as completely without any value at all compared to the excellency of knowing Christ.

To all my church friends, past and present, I LOVE YOU! I am not against you. I am not desiring to be separated from you. I want to know you, to walk with you, to be your friend, to share Christ together with you… but I will not compete with your program and I will not be sucked into its religious grip (again). I already danced to that piper’s tune and I know where it leads. I know that “thing” was not created by Christ (for He has no substitute) and I know it is NOT His Church. Only those who have been bought by His precious blood are worthy of being called His Royal Assembly (His Church). THERE IS NO OTHER TO HAVE REGARD FOR! Your organization is only that – an organization! It is NOT the Church that Jesus established. Whether or not you continue to attend it is not my concern and that is between you and Jesus… seriously. I do not judge you because you choose to attend meetings somewhere… But if you will hold that institution in any way between us, then it is clear that you have made it your idol and we cannot enjoy any real, godly fellowship until you forsake your allegiance to the false god of churchianity and return to Christ Jesus, the Lord. Until then, I will be waiting. So many of us already are! I pray the day will soon come when many more return to Him.

With much love in Christ,
Dave Yeubanks

When I first authored this post (just a few days before this update), I turned it into a bit of rant against those who believe in Evolution; whether professing to be Christians, Atheists or Agnostics. I allowed my personal convictions about the subject to be phrased in such a way that it didn’t allow for anyone else to have a different perspective without it sounding like I was labeling everyone as stupid who didn’t agree with me. For this I sincerely apologize.

What I originally intended to convey, before my zeal and emotion got the better of me, was simply how awe-inspiring I find God’s amazing creation! To me, the evidence supporting Creation is truly overwhelming. I personally find it difficult to understand how anyone could look at a sunset, or the beauty of a mountain range, an ocean, or even a fluttering butterfly in all of its colorful splendor and not realize that the very fingerprint of God is so obvious before the eyes. When I hear people complain, “Where is God? If He really exists then why doesn’t He reveal Himself to us?” it makes me want to say, “Are you not able to see? Are you aware at all of nature’s beauty, complexity and order?” As I said before, it is as though God’s very fingerprint is evident everywhere before our eyes. Some people say, “But why doesn’t He reveal Himself in a form we can comprehend or communicate with?” To which I must respond, “He has… Ever heard of Jesus? God clothed Himself in human flesh and demonstrated His love for us…” Guess what? Many people refused to believe Him then as well… In fact, the humans He came to reveal Himself to then, killed Him. Some say, “Yes but that was 2,000 years ago… What about today? What about now? Why can’t we have a real relationship with God now? I mean a REAL one?” Sigh… Jesus answered this question when He told His disciples that after He physically departed from this Earth, He would send “another Comforter” and this is the One known as “The Holy Spirit”. Through His Spirit, Jesus promised that He would NEVER leave us or forsake us. So we have all these evidences; Creation, Christ, and the Spirit of God that comes to every person who believes the Gospel. Still today, many people refuse to believe in God. I confess that I’m not sure how else to convince them, since the most obvious examples they do not appear to be interested in. God knows.

I genuinely believe common sense even dictates that we are CREATED and marvelously so! Watch some or all of the videos I have posted below and see if you cannot agree. The incredible precision with which nature functions, even how it shows that there is a program written in our very makeup (DNA), indicates the obvious truth that someONE designed us! Doesn’t the evidence of design logically demand that there must be a designer? I believe so! What’s especially fascinating to me is that, just as scientists continue to discover more amazing things the further out into space they peer, so they are finding the same as they use their microscopes to look inward. The complexity, design and wonder of the human cell is truly beyond words. There are entire “factories” and complicated bio-machines and processes that completely boggle the mind in their detail and function (and their obvious elements of design). And for all that scientists currently know about the human cell, they admit that they have only scratched the surface. The information present within is staggering to even attempt comprehending. It is more complex than any computer. The human body has over 100 trillion cells and yet there is more information in just one single cell than in a space shuttle! Think about that for a moment!

Mankind’s greatest technological accomplishment cannot even come close to the marvel of the detail found in nature! It seems incredible to me that anyone could actually honestly believe that there is no God.

I love science! I love to explore and observe how things work, especially the natural processes of life in God’s magnificent creation – because they all testify so grandly that He is real! My own wife came to believe through her investigation of the evidence supporting Creation. It is absolutely true that God is made known to people through His creation. How awesome!

Romans 1:19-22 They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

The following video is called The Programming of Life and it is an exciting journey into the wonder of human DNA. I love this presentation.

This next video was put together by a YouTube user and reflects on the six days of Creation with some fantastic imagery.

Another video by “Answers In Genesis” about DNA, which testifies to the creative work of God.

A Promise God Never Made and A Prophetic Application Overlooked
 

First, the verse, 2 Chronicles 7:14:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

This verse is, first of all — as it is often presented — a promise never made.

The implication of many American websites, sermons, books, posters, songs, and bumper-stickers is that if America, or the Christians in America, will seek God’s face then He will hear their prayer and heal our country. The reason why many misconstrue this verse as having special application for America and for her revival is that they take these words out of context, focusing instead on special words and phrases that can be reloaded with other meaning. Once the text is denatured and re-natured it comes out red-white-and-blue — and totally at odds with the context. The essential points of misunderstanding are these:

“My people” = Americans. Rational: Were we not a Christian nation?

“Called by My name” = Christians. Are we not called by Christ’s name?

“I.. will heal their land” = America. God will heal our country.

As I said, these applications are arrived at by seeing this verse as self-contained. One well-meaning pastor even makes this verse part of his “single, stand-alone Scripture series”! But to see any verse — especially one like the present — as stand-alone is a recipe for exegetical disaster. Context, always helpful for understanding.

Other websites I visited — a minority of them, unfortunately — gave due credit to the rest of the passage, chapters 6 and 7 of 2nd Chronicles. As one reads the rest of the passage, one notices a recurring theme: the Temple! This whole passage is set in Solomon’s Temple, and was God’s answer in the night to Solomon. It was after Solomon’s dedication of the Temple, and in response to his prayer during that dedication, 2nd Chron. 6:1-42.

And what did Solomon pray? That God would honor prayers of His people “toward this place”. He refers to “this place”, “this temple” thirteen times: 6:18, 20 (twice), 21, 22, 24, 26, 29, 32, 33, 34, 38, and 40. God’s answer to Solomon, likewise, refers six times to “this place” or “this temple”. He also mentions four times the “name” that is associated with this temple. My point in all this enumeration is to show that God’s promise is closely associated, not only with the ancient covenant with His people, but with the Temple as well. It is revealing that those who quote 2nd Chron. 7:14 rarely quote the verses before, or those that follow immediately after (emphasis added):

“Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.”, vs. 12.”Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” vss. 15 – 16.

Looking at this context we see that God’s oft-quoted “I will hear from heaven” must be qualified with the very next verse, His ears being “attentive to prayer made in this place” [that is, the Temple]. Not prayers in America, but Jerusalem. And if one sees how important the context and setting is here then it is much easier to follow the application: the “land” spoken of which God, upon prayer and repentance, promised to heal was Israel, not America.

The whole point is that this promise was made to the only nation on the Earth that had (past tense) a national covenant with God: Israel. And, thus, the only nation that could ever have expected corporate healing per this promise is Israel. America has nothing to do with this promise. America, as a nation, has no right to this promise. American Christians have no need for it.

But what about the Principle? Surely, someone might object, there must be some application for us? Yes. One is that God is faithful in all His promises. Even in those situations that don’t apply to us.

But one principle we cannot draw out from this passage is that we are able to pull a nation out of a moral nosedive, or into a “national revival”, by the spiritual exertions of a Christian minority, however sincere. That is the promise not given. We have the proof of this in Ezekiel 14:13 – 20:

“‘Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,’ declares the Lord God.”

In this whole passage God makes it clear that the unrighteous nation — and America certainly has the right to put themselves in this verse (Ezekiel 14) — will not avoid judgment by the spiritual exertions of the righteous few.

Second Chronicles 7:14 was a promise given to national, covenantal at the height of their spiritual blessedness. It was for a limited time, as well: the age of legitimate temple worship. How ironically inappropriate and anachronistic for any nation to take this specific promise for themselves!

But the misuse of this verse not only entails a wrong application; it also covers up a Messianic truth.

A Prophetic Messianic Application Overlooked
 

“But He was speaking of the temple of His Body.” John 2:21. See also 2nd Peter 2:4 – 10.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father…”God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:21, 24

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” 2nd Cor. 1:20

There is much in the Old Testament that is prophetic of the brighter, clearer New Testament. Not only teaching and prophecy, but also types points to Christ. The Temple is one of those types that points to Christ, our Messiah. Christ is our Temple. As we abide in Christ, “a holy nation” studying His Word, worshiping in the spirit and in truth, we are also being built up (edified) into a holy building, living stones resting upon — and resting in – -the living, precious Stone of Christ. This is the point of 2nd Peter 2:4 – 10. This passage should remind us of both Matthew 7:24 – 27 (the house on the rock) and Matthew 16:18 (on this Rock I will build My church).

How does this relate to 2nd Chronicles 7:14? The whole setting and basis for God’s erstwhile promise has changed. It is not as though the Old Testament assurance has become null and void. No, rather it has been amplified in Christ our Saviour:

Prayers once made in the earthly temple are now made in Christ.
Worship once performed between temple walls, in Jerusalem, is now done in spirit and in truth — everywhere.
The holy name Solomon invoked we know now to be the name above all names, the One in whose name we pray.
And, Peter tells us, we are the holy nation — believing Jews and Gentiles — the largest nation in the world, a spiritual diaspora that will know no boundaries, nor ultimate defeat.

All of these things were wonderfully prefigured in 2nd Chronicles chapter 7. To take that one verse 14 and make it be merely about America is to cover up something comforting, gloriously prophetic, and Messianic with something transient and — by comparison — quite shoddy.
 

Do you agree or disagree with this interpretation? What do you think the verses mean?
 

Since my personal exodus from organized churchianity, I’ve discovered there are a lot of terminologies I can’t stand to use anymore. One of them is this age-old phrase (and the concept attached to it), “The Power of Prayer.” The reason I struggle with this phraseology is because it makes prayer sound like something “spooky-spiritual”; as though it were some kind of powerful magic force or incantation. It speaks nothing of the quality of relationship, which I believe is the key manifestation of prayer.

Let me just state this ever so plainly… Prayer is simply communication with our Heavenly Father. That’s it.

God is not moved by eloquent speech, or by how many Scripture verses we throw into a prayer. He’s not moved if we bow our heads, fold our hands, or squeeze our eyes shut extra tight. It doesn’t matter if we kneel or stand or pray while standing on a mountain top. Prayer, in and of itself is NOTHING! Organized religion has made it out to be almost an entity of its own; invested with supernatural power just by engaging in the activity. Sigh… The real force that gives prayer its effectiveness is our relationship with the Father. When we simply and sincerely seek Him and talk to Him just as a man talks with his friend, this is the essence of prayer.

I grow so weary of all the fuss over prayer meetings and those who think we have to utter long and regular incantations to try and manipulate God’s hand to action. A thousand times NO. What God desires is simple, genuine communication with Him. I think of the way I communicate with my wife; She not only recognizes my voice, but she knows my mannerisms and can often tell what I’m thinking just by the look on my face. I believe God is even more sensitive to these things. Throughout the day, many times, I have a song in my heart that has no words, but all the emotion and expression is there toward the Lord and I know this is a form of prayer and worship to Him. Sometimes things strike me a certain way and I feel the same connection with my Heavenly Father as when I look at my wife and she hears a heartful without me even uttering a phrase. This is relationship! I really think this is part of what the Scripture means when it talks about praying without ceasing… It’s not the number of “prayers” we utter and it’s not even the prayers themselves that have any power at all… The Scripture is talking about RELATIONSHIP with our Father. It should be more dynamic and living than any friend or spouse and it should flow naturally.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV) – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

When God simply becomes the subject of an activity we compartmentalize as part of our daily routine or (for those who do the church thing) by attending a service once or twice a week, then this (I believe) is NOT the essence of what prayer means! God became utterly ill of Israel’s speech when their lives did not back anything up. They honored Him with their lips but their heart was far from Him. The same is true for many today. Even something good like prayer has been made a doctrine out of! It was NEVER meant to be a doctrine. But religion has turned something so beautiful and sincere as relationship with the Creator into a ritual that is expected to be performed almost mindlessly at every meal, at the beginning of every church service and function, add infinity. This is NOT what our Heavenly Father had in mind for us!

Isaiah 29:13 (NLT) – And so the Lord says, “These people say they are Mine. They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And their worship of Me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.”

Matthew 15:7-9 (ISV) – “You hypocrites! How well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is empty, because they teach human rules as doctrines.’”

I think of this issue when I look at these groups who boast about all night prayer meetings or 24 hour prayer and worship, as if they will be heard for their many words and the fact that they may be uttering speech to the air in the name of prayer. Prayer is life itself, walking in daily and constant communion with the Father. It’s not simply something you schedule to perform on queue or that you get spiritual brownie points for doing on a regular basis. Only when RELATIONSHIP is transpiring can there be any value to the other mannerisms we tag along with it that simply become expressions of worship, like bowing our heads, kneeling, or conveying our hearts with beautiful words. If these do not all flow from love and utter sincerity of heart along with a daily connection with our Heavenly Father, then it’s not really prayer of any significance and just going through religious motions won’t accomplish anything!

Matthew 6:7-8 (NLT) – “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!”

It would sure seem, by the Lord Jesus’ own words that “prayer” isn’t all that important… at least not like we’ve been taught in church world. Since our Father knows what we will ask before we even ask. God rewards what is done in secret. Again, when we’re talking about prayer, I don’t even think Jesus is trying to prescribe a formula for praying; as in, “Step one, go into your closet and shut the door… Step two, whisper so that no one hears you… Step three, always start with Our Father which art in Heaven…” No, I think the clear point is – HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER! This isn’t about putting on a religious performance for anyone – EVEN HIM. It’s about being 100% transparent in your relationship with Him. THIS will amount to effective prayer because God wants relationship with us.

So, there’s my three cents on the matter. That just always comes to mind when I hear people talk about the so-called “power of prayer”. I think we err if we make too much of it and not enough of the simple yet powerful essence of relationship.

Have you ever heard anyone use this phrase? “I go to church because I need to be fed”. My answer has always been this: Helen Keller was blind, deaf and mute and still she was taught to feed herself.  Only baby birds eat regurgitated food. Stop eating another saints regurgitated revelations. The Father alone gives us our daily bread. When Jesus invites us to “Come Sup With Him”, He requires us to sit at the table like big boys and girls and feed ourselves. Go to church for fellowship, for encouragement or even for the music – but for God’s sake don’t go to be fed. My thoughts are this; if you have been following the Lord for 5 years or more and you’re still having someone feed you? You need a hospital and not a church.

I just added a cool new feature to the website… Now you can subscribe to receive free text message updates whenever the website is updated! (standard text message rates may apply) If you want to sign up for this service it’s easy, just CLICK THIS LINK and enter your mobile phone number and carrier! That’s it! You can also unsubscribe any time you like. Text messages are sent personally by TruthForFree and only occasionally.

This is the “first-run” official app for the TruthForFree.com website and I’m very excited to offer it, but it remains a work in progress. The app provides a more convenient portal to the mobile version of this site and also quick access to the TruthForFree YouTube page and Facebook page and now, best of all, GROUP MOBILE CHAT!!! This new update allows people using both the phone and the website to connect and communicate! Since this addition, I decided to remove the Envolve Chat program you used to see at the bottom of the page. I liked the Envolve chat, but it doesn’t work right on many mobile devices so I decided to better utilize the chat room on this site. Now that it connects with the app and mobile website, it’s that much easier for all of us TruthForFree-ers to connect! Well, that’s the hope anyway.

Although the app serves primarily as a portal to the mobile site (rather than being a full-featured stand alone app), it does have some unique advantages over a standard “bookmark” saved on your phone… Here’s a few worth mentioning:

For one, you can view the full TruthForFree.com website if you desire and zoom in to read the text and the app will format the page so the words wrap for easy reading (something not normally possible when viewing the site directly). In order to view the full site, you will have to choose the option on the page itself to switch to the full version of the site (this is located at the bottom of the mobile website).

There are also convenient tabs you can press to instantly take you to the TruthForFree YouTube or Facebook pages as well (and, of course, the new chat tab)!!! Press your menu button on your phone for even more options like Share (to tell your friends about the app and give them an easy link to download it) and Refresh (in case the pages stall while loading)! More tabs may be added in updated versions. I’m a totally rookie at this app stuff, so I appreciate your patience.

I sincerely hope you guys with Android phones enjoy this new app. For all you iPhone users, I would love to eventually provide an apple-friendly app as well in the future. I’m sorry, but I do not have an estimate for you at this time. Luckily, the regular TruthForFree site should be iPhone-friendly in its auto-switching mobile version already. iPhone users can easily bookmark the site on their devices and they can also use the mobile chat option! The main website should auto-convert to whatever mobile device you are using, but if you like you can try going directly to the mobile site by entering mobile.truthforfree.com into your device.

Have a great day all! God bless!

Dave

When I heard this number (50 million), I remembered that, recently, I had also listened to some debates between a prominent atheist and a Christian professor concerning the subject of the many atrocities committed in the name of religion over the centuries (a subject that atheists often love to bring up to show how terrible religion is). In defense of the positive effects of religion in society, the Christian professor argued that the number of millions (allegedly killed during the Inquisition period) is severely exaggerated and entirely false and that, in reality, recent studies have shown that the total number of people killed by the Inquisition (both of the Spanish and Medieval) was less than 7,000!  I also have close friends that have commented to me on this subject and argued against the multi-million estimation.  They agree that the Inquisition was a terrible thing, but that the number and span of atrocities have been exaggerated greatly by secularist individuals seeking to bolster support for their animosity against any recognizable Christian influence in the world.

Not being a fan of hype myself, my own examination has led me (thus far) to the opinion that the Christian professor (in the debate I made reference to) is entirely (though unfortunately) wrong in his estimation of events. Or at least he is not widely considering all the evidence. Perhaps this reflects his own personal bias and attempt to marginalize any negative connotation about religion.  While such a motive would be understandable, that doesn’t make it right and the sad fact is, I believe he is seriously wrong.  As if 7,000 people were not enough to give example of the evil that religion can sometimes deviate to, there is also plenty to warrant the conclusion that the Roman Catholic Church is clearly an ungodly and even demonic institution – whose leadership for centuries authorized the most brutal of torture and death all in the name of Jesus Christ. It leaves me wondering how anyone could regard the absolute horror of the Inquisition (in addition to all the disgusting violence done in the name of Jesus over the centuries by religious groups) and still submit themselves to it and think these institutions as being godly and righteous.

My intent in highlighting this information is not simply to demonize the Roman Catholic Institution (and certainly not the many well-intentioned people who ascribe to this religious system in ignorance of Gospel revelation).  As a matter of fact, I would rather highlight the detail that what were are really talking about here is the defective result of too much religion!  This is sadly what happens when men (whatever their religious affiliation) take advantage of people’s faith in God and make virtual kingdoms of their own by which they intend to set themselves up as authorities, rulers, experts, professionals and elitists – thus also inserting themselves between God and men as mediators and, ultimately, anti-Christs!  This deception is widespread; encompassing far more than the Roman Catholic organization.  But, for the moment, my thoughts are focused on the great horrors of the Inquisition.

First of all, I discovered that the “new findings” that have come out with the lower numbers are actually released by the very organization that committed the atrocities of the Inquisition! That’s right! Several years ago the Vatican allowed limited access to the secret files of the Inquisition… Note, I say, LIMITED ACCESS! And note I say “SECRET” files.  Why limited and why secret?  What do they continue to hide? Furthermore, the first statements suggesting that not as many as previously thought were killed during the Inquisition was released by Catholic authorities. Other non-Catholic groups have since examined the history and come to similar conclusions, but this remains a hotly debated subject.

When I look at the issue, I think there is a whole lot more than simply the technical “Inquisition” itself to consider. The horrors committed upon people by organized religion (through such entities as the Roman Catholic Church) reach far beyond just the Inquisition itself. One thing to consider is the fact that the Catholic authorities most regularly turned people over to civil authorities to be put to death, thus these (they could claim) were not “technically” murdered by the Church… to which I say, “Yeah right!” Even if not every person was murdered, countless numbers were brutally tortured at the command of Popes, Bishops, Pastors and Priests! One thing I found interesting is that, during many of the torture sessions, the authorities of the Church would place a veil over the crucifix of Jesus, so as to prohibit the eyes of Christ from witnessing the actions done in His name! Unbelievable stupidity (not to mention the use of Christ himself as an idol)!

The torture and slaughter of people by religious authorities dates back as far as 315, which is when Christianity first was “legalized”. That’s an interesting thought all on its own. Legalism indeed kills! When you read about so-called Christian priests in the fourth and fifth centuries who were known as heroes for murdering “infidels and pagans” and even children… or how about the events that took place on command of pope Innocent III (greatest single pre-nazi mass murderer in history) in 1209? Bezirs (today France) 7/22/1209 destroyed, ALL the inhabitants were slaughtered. Victims (including Catholics refusing to turn over their heretic neighbors and friends) estimated between 20,000-70,000 people… In Carcassonne, 8/15/1209, thousands were slain at the order of the Pope. Other cities followed. Over the next 20 years, nearly all the Cathars (probably half the population of the Languedoc, today southern France) were exterminated (about a million people)… or how about the “Christian” mobs who, under the leadership of a Christian minister, tor a woman to pieces with glass fragments… or the peasants of Steding (Germany) who were unwilling to pay suffocating church taxes: between 5,000 and 11,000 men, women and children were slain as a result! How about 15th century Poland, where 1019 churches and 17,987 villages were plundered by Knights of the Order? The Crusades alone claimed nearly 20 million victims! In the era of witch hunting (1484-1750) according to modern scholars several hundred thousand (about 80% of them female) were burned at the stake or hanged.  There are many documents stating that the number of people killed for witchcraft accusations numbers in the millions, though actual numbers are virtually impossible to calculate since many records have been lost, destroyed or kept secret by the Catholic Church.  The same Christian professor I mentioned earlier argued that these numbers are also severely exaggerated.  He mentioned the Salem Witch Trials actually burned no one at the stake.  Nineteen were hung and as many as thirteen people may have died in prison.  He pointed out what a small number this was, compared to what many people have the false impression of.  Fine…  However, this information completely ignores the thousands (perhaps literal millions) that were tortured, imprisoned unto death and brutally killed worldwide for the same accusation.  Highlighting the most popular occasion does not dismiss the huge atrocity in actual overall committance.

As a follower of Jesus, it is sad to have to acknowledge the facts that many “secular folks” point to considering the horrible things done in Christ’s name over the years.  I wish it were not the case.  It is understandable to me why so many are angered because of the testimony and example they have observed by those who claim to be part of the “Jesus camp”.  What I can at least say in response though is that those who have committed and even defended these acts DO NOT represent actual Christianity at all!  They are frauds, liars, deceived and damned.  What is ironic is that I think even most people who claim to want nothing to do with church-world or God, very often still speak favorably of Jesus!  They know He was kind and good… that He preached and demonstrated God’s love… and they even know that He was less than fond of the religious crowd; turning moneychangers tables on end!  They know He forgave sinners, healed the sick, and then gave His own life for the sake of others (even though they treated Him as a criminal).  How strange that they would not look at the evidence they already appear to have grasp of and make the conclusion that Jesus is worthy of following and that modern Christianity (where it so frequently fails to follow Christ) is not worthy of following (and I know plenty of church folks that would get offended at me saying that).  I hope that many more people will begin to examine the differences between so-called Christianity and Christ himself and come to see that being a Jesus follower really has nothing at all to do with attending a church or joining the “Christian religion”.  Isn’t it simple really?  I wish more people could see that it is.

When I look at the number of horrific events actuated in the name of Jesus over the centuries, it makes me mad and makes me want to herald the love and truth of Christ all the more.  These numbers of “Christian crimes” go on (and I have only scratched the surface)… All of these at the hand of “Holy Mother Church” and “grandma religion”.  And don’t even get me started talking about Hitler and his warped religious ideals and even ties to Rome and the slaughter of the Jews. Rome has had its fingers in the torture and murder of both saints and sinners alike for centuries and, I believe, they still do – although it had become far more disguised in recent years.
I’ve listened to how Catholic (and even Protestants defending Catholic) leaders try to wiggle out of the blame on these things (like the Inquisition). They say things like, “Oh it was a very different time and justice was perceived much differently than today.” Or they say, “Considering the context of the time, these punishments were not considered extreme back then.” Oh really? Tell that to the guy who was hung on a wall and had his skin ripped off down to his waste in the attempt to force a confession. Or those that had their tongues ripped out by the roots… Or their limbs tore out of their sockets. Tell that to those who were boiled alive in oil, or burned at the stake, or had their heads crushed in a vice, or their genitals punctured by various devices, or their eyes gouged out, or their intestines ripped out while conscious. Give me a break! Anyone who cannot see the clear evil that has been actuated by organized religion in the person of the Roman Catholic Church is so severely blind and deceived I have no words to describe.

Several years back, the Pope “apologized” for the Inquisition… However, the blame was not placed directly on the Popes but applied generically to the darkness and ignorance of the time period. What is most important to understand is that, for the Catholic, the Pope is the Vicar of Jesus Christ (the substitute on earth). He is the very voice and glory of God on earth. His very title is “The Holy Father”. He takes upon himself the name of God and the authority of Christ and assumes rulership over all of Christendom. He is not seen as a mere man! This is incredibly important because for a Catholic to admit that Pope after Pope sinned and did not actuate the true commands of God, means a breakdown of their entire faith system. So the Pope’s apology is no apology at all.

What’s even more interesting and curious is that the current Pope, Benedict XVI, was the head of the Inquisition before he became Pope! What, you say? How can that be? The Inquisition ended many long years ago… NO! It did not. It was merely re-named and re-commissioned! This is absolute verifiable fact. Please, look it up! Here is a direct quote from Wikipedia:

“In 1908 the name of the Congregation became “The Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office”, which in 1965 further changed to “Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith”, as retained to the present day. The Pope appoints a cardinal to preside over the Congregation, which usually includes ten other cardinals, as well as a prelate and two assistants, all chosen from the Dominican Order. The “Holy Office” also has an international group of consultants, experienced scholars in theology and canon law, who advise it on specific questions.”

“On 25 November 1981, Pope John Paul II named Ratzinger as the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly known as the “Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office”, the historical Inquisition.”

Isn’t that interesting? Well, as I said previously, I’m really not even scratching the surface with all of this, but the reason I’m sharing this today is that watching all of this got me thinking… Though there are many who proudly identify themselves as “Protestants” today and reject the Catholic doctrines, still many of the leaders in these Protestant organizations have a view of the Church of Jesus Christ that is not organic to the Scripture, but birthed in Rome and in gross deception! These believe that the Church is an organization governed (nay, ruled) by men; that it can be identified by specially designated buildings and dogmas.  They revel in legalism and liturgy.  They see the Church as an Institution of Religion rather than simply the family of God. They hold that a person must submit to religious authority in order to be “spiritually covered” by God and recognized as a “Christian”. While many of them would still say that the Church is not just a building but the family of God, yet their actions prove they believe that Christianity does not properly exist without their control (and I dare argue that they really believe it does not even need the Holy Spirit at all to be maintained). Anyone who does not regularly attend their services, or worship at their altars, or sing their songs, or pay tithes, or submit to their authority are essentially outcast as dissenters, rebels, backsliders, sinners, and lost. They are often ostracized, ridiculed, and rejected completely. They are sometimes even treated as demon possessed, cursed, or those who have been turned over to Satan. I have heard these terms and tags used myself. I have seen how condescending and arrogant these so-called Christian leaders behave concerning those who choose not to associate by their directives. The only difference between the Inquisition of Rome and so many of these modern day man-made churches is that these folks are not physically tortured or killed for their faith… yet, make no mistake, they are tortured emotionally in many ways; slandered, misrepresented, disrespected, and not treated with the Love of Christ.

All of this to say, I would be careful to not simply place judgment on the Roman Catholic Church for their crimes against humanity and especially God’s people throughout history… There are many others, separate from affiliation with Rome, that are equally void of truth and possess no love of Christ and no understanding of what the Lord’s Church truly is. As I watched these videos several weeks ago, and talked with my wife afterwards about it all, I sat there in disbelief that so many people would yet choose to identify themselves by some religious organization than to be a free child of Jesus. The Gospel is so lovely and simple. Just believe and follow Christ. God extends His amazing grace and love, and still people embrace a harlot church system, full of lies and sin.  Can you tell that my dander is up just a little bit today?

I was impressed by the stories in one of the major videos I watched (that was not produced by a Christian organization), which told of many Christian people who dared believe that salvation was possible without organized religion; without Popes and Priests, without a bunch of legalistic rituals and tithing taxes… They sought to follow Jesus simply day by day and they loved their neighbors and lived happily and full of joy. It was religion that took this away from them and tried to control them. Yet for all of the force exerted by this sinister religious monster upon the whole world, the Gospel still continued to shine brightly and these followers of Jesus were not swayed (even though some of the most horrific tortures were executed upon them). It was as though God gave them a special grace and supernatural strength to endure the harshest of suffering and even to find joy in the midst of the most horrific suffering! Truly they believed what Jesus had told them:

Luke 12:4 – And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them which kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

What joy it is to know we are free indeed because of Christ Jesus! What joy to know that no church, or false authority figure, or legalistic religious system can extinguish the fire of relationship with Jesus we hold fast to! We are truly blessed to not have to suffer in this day as many before us have had to; yet, we should count our blessings and remember to pray for those who do not know the joy and freedom we have. There are, even today, many Christians in other parts of the world, that are imprisoned and killed for their faith still. They need our prayers, and we ought to remember that there, but for God’s grace, go us as well… and may yet as these days grower darker still.

Let us continue to walk in this freedom and while we walk with wisdom, knowing the truth from lies – our eyes being awake from deception, let us not ever be arrogant but continue to walk in humility and love toward all others and pray that God’s grace and truth would ignite the flame of faith, leading them to repentance and set them free.