Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all follow the Lord and let Him lead us, without being hindered, or distracted, or held back, or intimidated, or fearful, because of something that the Church taught us, or something the preacher said?
That would be great. But you know, it’s fairly easy to come out of the system… it takes a bit longer for the system to come out of you.
The religious system uses fear to control its people. It’s their weapon of choice. Fear. The religious system uses fear to get people saved. You look at many of those cathedrals in Europe, and a lot of them have murals on the wall. The people couldn’t read, so the Churches would get artists to come in and paint murals on the wall. And you see a lot of beautiful depictions of heaven and creation and the angels and so forth, but also, very prominent, are illustrations of people being thrown into hell, and the devil and his demons tormenting the Lost. You wonder why they would put such disgusting, terrifying images on the walls of their cathedral, but the reason is simple: they’re trying to get a message across to people visually. What’s the message? Turn or burn, baby!
The Church had great power by aligning itself with God and getting people to believe that if you are in favor with the Church, you are in favor with God, and would enjoy an eternity of heavenly bliss. But, on the other hand, if you fell out of favor with the Church, you would fall out of favor with God, and you would be doomed to an eternity of hellfire and brimstone, everlasting torture and torment. And when you can’t read, seeing is believing. So the common folk would go to Church, and see these murals on the wall, and it kept them in line. Even the kings of the time were to some degree under the spell of the Church, and they tried to cooperate with the Church more times than not, because they didn’t want to make the Pope mad and get excommunicated – that would mean going to hell!
So just the threat of excommunication and eternal damnation would be enough to keep people in obedience to the religious system, even the kings and rulers who would otherwise just do whatever they felt like doing.
So religion is based on fear. Fear is how you attract people to Church, fear is how you keep them going to Church. Now, you might wonder why someone would be attracted to going to Church through fear. Usually they grew up in a religious, Church-going family with a mother or father who dragged them to Church every time the doors were open. Maybe they grew up and rebelled against that and decided Church wasn’t for them. So they go out into the world and go their own way. Meanwhile, mom and dad are worried about them and concerned for their soul, and they keep bugging them to go to Church. Nothing seems to work. Until there is an accident, or a sickness or illness, or something goes wrong in life. Then mom and dad say, “Well, you know, if you had stayed in Church, this might not have happened. You need to stop fighting against God and get back into Church.” And the person is in a weakened condition, they are worried or depressed or looking for whatever help they can get, and they think, “You know, maybe mom and dad are right. My life is a real mess. I think I’ll try this Church thing out again. Maybe it will help me.” So they go to Church, and their life is a mess, so when it comes time to get prayed over, they usually wind up going to the altar and breaking down, and everyone gathers around and prays, and there’s more crying. But just the process of crying and expressing your feelings is therapeutic… all that emotion comes out, and you’re in an environment that seems welcoming and comforting. People are praying for you, and they seem nice and supportive. And mom and dad are overjoyed that you’ve come back to Church. So you begin to think, “You know, Church isn’t that bad after all.” So you start going to Church.
Now that’s a fairly typical pattern of behavior. I’ve seen that scenario play itself out in hundreds and hundreds of people’s lives (if not thousands). I just want to point out that the whole story I just shared didn’t involve the Lord. Not one bit. It’s all Church-Centered. It’s not Christ-Centered. It’s about whether or not you’re going to Church, and the idea is, if you don’t go, bad things will happen; but if you do go, good things will happen, or at least, it will make the bad things easier to deal with. But the whole thing is based on attending Church, and it’s based on fear. It’s not based on where you are with the Lord, it’s based on where you are with the Church.
And you might say, “Well yeah, but the whole point is if they start going to Church then that’s going to lead them into a deeper relationship with God.” Not necessarily. Oh yes, that sounds like justification enough. But in my experience it rarely happens. The whole approach is wrong. I mean, if you want apples, you have to plant apple seeds. You can’t plant tomato seeds and think you’re going to get apples from it. So if you get people to go to Church through fear then they aren’t going to suddenly start going to the Lord in a love relationship. Fear doesn’t lead to love. Religion doesn’t lead to Relationship. It just doesn’t. The tree is known by the fruit. So the religious system is rooted in fear, and it can’t produce a love-relationship with God. It’s impossible.
Now people will say, “Oh, I know plenty of people who go to Church and they love Jesus with all their heart, and that contradicts what you’re saying.” No it doesn’t. If people happen to find God in Church, it’s not because of Church, it’s in spite of Church. It’s not because the Church is so powerful, it’s because God is so merciful. And if you’re honestly, truly seeking Him with all your heart, He says, “When you seek Me, you will find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” I have no doubt that people who are honestly seeking God usually end up in Church. I mean, that’s what they’ve been taught, right? They’ve been trained: “If you want to find God, go to Church.” So that’s where they go, because the religious system has for thousands of years trained people to think that God and the Church are one. So if you want to find God, go to Church. And that’s what people do.
But if they knew how, they could find God in Wal-Mart. They could find God at home in their broom closet. They could find Him in the cafeteria at work. They could find Him sitting on a beach. Do you understand what I’m saying? People go to Church to find God because that’s where they expect to find Him. People find God in Church because they are looking for God in Church. God honors those who seek Him, and He reveals Himself to them, wherever they are. That’s not an endorsement of the religious system. Often the religious system gets in the way of those honestly seeking God, and sometimes it does such a poor job that people don’t find God at Church. They just give up looking. Or, they figure if God exists at all, they won’t find Him in Church.
So my mission in life is to let people know that you don’t have to go to Church to find God. God’s favor doesn’t depend upon the Church’s favor. It just doesn’t. Religion is fear-based, and Relationship is love-based, and you can have that relationship right now. You know, that’s a revolutionary concept for most people. They can’t fathom it. But once they think about it, it makes total sense. And you don’t have to defend the religious system anymore. You can just separate all that from the Lord. The problem comes when you can’t separate it. You look at the Church and say, “If that’s what Jesus is all about, I don’t want Him.” No, that’s NOT what Jesus is all about – that’s the whole point. Are you disgusted by the hypocrisy and the greed and the crazy stuff going on? Great! Because it disgusts God too. That’s the message. People hear that for the first time, and they blink and go speechless. They expect you to defend Church, and you’re not defending, you’re not arguing, you’re agreeing. Yep, the religious system is a mess. But we’re not talking about Religion about Jesus, we’re talking about a Relationship with Jesus. That’s the message.
Now it’s easy to take those words – Religion and Relationship, because I use them all the time – and it becomes very passé, very much like a slogan. I’ve seen Church people talk about Religion and Relationship and then try to get people to go to Church. They’ve got the phraseology down but they missed the point. If you get the point then you won’t use these words and then talk about coming to Church. Your whole conversation shifts to coming to Jesus – not coming to Church. So you can’t just use these words and not live it. You have to live it. People have to see it. “Oh yeah, that’s the guy I was telling you about. Strange guy – he talks about Jesus but he doesn’t go to Church. Hmmm. Got to learn more. Got to see where this guy is coming from. That’s the kind of Jesus I can believe in.” See how it works? It’s fun.
I used to knock on doors, and we called it “witnessing” but really it was just inviting people to come to our Church. The motives were good, but it wasn’t pure. We honestly thought that if they came to our Church, they would meet the Lord in a powerful way. But that isn’t exactly the way it worked in the Book of Acts, is it? They didn’t talk about joining the Church, they talked about Jesus, and people believed on Him, they came to the Lord, and things just grew. Sure, they got together with one another, but that wasn’t the thrust of their message. Over the centuries it’s gone from “come to the Lord” to “come to Church.” Well, I’m just saying, Religion is based on Fear. That should be self-evident.
So everything Religion touches produces fear. The fear touches everything. It touches your finances. I had a couple who came up to me while the Church was kicking me out, and they said, “We don’t agree with what’s going on here, but we have to keep paying our tithes because we don’t want our finances to be cursed.” What do you say to something like that? What amazing ignorance – that you would actually give money to something you don’t support because you’re afraid to stop tithing. Where does that fear come from? Doesn’t come from God. It comes from a Church-Centered Faith, which is really just a Self-Centered Faith. We’re going to do what is in our own best interest, and we believe it is in our best interest to keep tithing because we’re afraid of what might happen if we don’t. That’s a Self-Centered Faith. That’s a Church-Centered Faith. It’s not a Christ-centered faith based on love. The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.”
There’s the fear of not attending Church. Why is it such a struggle for people? They see the truth, they certainly hear the truth if they listen to this program, but there’s this ongoing struggle. They just can’t let go of the idea that if they stop going to Church, something bad is going to happen to them. Maybe they’ll backslide. Maybe their family won’t approve. Maybe they will lose their friends. Maybe the devil will catch them somewhere else on Sunday morning and make something bad happen to them. All kinds of strange things and excuses why people still cling to something that God has already judged and told us to come out of. But they don’t come out. One reason: FEAR. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what might happen to them.
They are like the fellow in The Shawshank Redemption – the guy is so afraid of getting his freedom after a lifetime of prison that he ends up killing himself a few days after his release. Why? One guy said it’s because he’s been institutionalized. What’s that mean, they asked. He said when you first come into prison, you hate the walls, then you get used to them, then you can’t live without them. That, he said, is institutionalized. Well, that’s a very fitting description of the Institutional Church. People think they can’t live without it. That just goes to show you where they think their life is. Those with a Christ-centered Faith know that their life is in Christ, it’s not in a religious system.
So here’s the fear in the question: will I miss the Rapture? That’s another example of fear. Instead of love and hope and joyful expectation for the return of Christ, Religion has produced this fear in you. It’s like a black cloud hanging over your head, turning what should be a joyful thing into a fearful thing. I don’t blame you, I blame the religious system. Fear is the fruit of that religious system.
Now I don’t know you other than what you’ve written, and in the last part of your question you said, “I LOVE JESUS WITH ALL MY HEART AND ONLY WANT TO FOLLOW WHAT HE ASKS ME TO DO.” Well, there you go. It sounds to me that you are in a good place with the Lord. Loving God and only wanting to follow His Will – it doesn’t get any better than that. According to Scripture, if we are faithful servants, we will not be surprised or frightened by the sudden return of the Master. The only ones who have something to fear are the lazy, the lukewarm, the hypocritical, the slothful, unfaithful servants. You don’t sound that way to me.
So, provided your heart is in the right place, I think you can just recognize that fear of being “left behind” for what it is – just another symptom of the religious addiction you’re getting over. It’s like a headache from a hangover. You stopped drinking the night before, but the headache still lingers. It takes some time to get over that religious hangover, and the headaches can last a lot longer than one or two days. But you’ll grow out of it soon enough.
And I’d like you to find a new place of faith, trust, and love through this experience. There are many different interpretations of the Rapture – will it be before, during, or after the Tribulation. I’m sure you’ve got ideas about that based on what you learned in Church. But that’s not important, and knowing if Jesus will return before, during, or after the Tribulation isn’t important. What’s important is that you love Him, and you look forward to His return, and it’s a time of joyful expectation. And my hope for you would be, that you don’t care when He returns, whether it’s before, during, or after the Tribulation – you’ll be ready for Him, and you’ll be faithful. But regardless of how all that works out, the important thing is that you are motivated, not by fear, but by love. And love has a way of working things out for good in the end.
I really enjoyed your excerpt which says”And my hope for you would be, that you don’t care when He returns, whether it’s before, during, or after the Tribulation – you’ll be ready for Him, and you’ll be faithful. But regardless of how all that works out, the important thing is that you are motivated, not by fear, but by love. And love has a way of working things out for good in the end.
Much grace to you Chip.
I have not attended church in about 8 yrs. my life is still a mess according to me. I seek him alone, I seek him all day, everyday. But, to be honest I’ve not found him yet or he’s not found me. I believe when that happens I WILL know the difference. I attended church regularly for around 20 yrs. the whole time I knew deep inside that He was not there. I stayed because of the reasons you mentioned. I felt I was required to attend and it was ALL based in fear. I will say that it is true all religion produces dear but for some of us we grew up in fear without ever stepping foot in a church. I never attended church till I was 11. My dad hated church people. When we moved I was 11 and mom said, “ when we get to Texas I’m taking the boys to church “! My brother went to camp, came home a happy chnged young boy and my father noticed it and called the pastor to find out what they did to his son. The pastor offered to come visit with my dad. The only real reason my dad allowed him over was because it was the first time in his life that a religious person actually asked to come to our house. It shocked my dad because he was used to “them” just showing up. The last time a pastor showed up on our property without asking my dad had an axe in his hand and told the pastor if he ever did it again my dad would cut his head off.! My dad perpetuated an environment of fear my whole life. Then he decided to try a dose of religion for himself and he attended for a short while. All four of us boys fell into drugs and alcohol. My dad stopped going so everyone else did too. But, I was the only one that returned and stayed for all those years. My dad is 81 now and hasn’t attended church for over 30 yrs and won’t ever go back again. He was lead and still is lead to meet the Lord in his everyday life, moment by moment. I hope to KNOW Jesus and HIM alone. I don’t know if I’m farther away or closer each day. Every day is a battle for me just to continue to trust In Him. I hope to never return to church and I hope if the Lord allows, to be like my dad, no fear, peacefully working his garden and loving Jesus and knowing that Jesus loves him. My prayer for all of us is that we will finish the race and be able stand and not shrink away in shame at His coming. May the Lord Jesus be glorified in ALL THINGS FOR ALL ETERNITY even if I’m not with him. I don’t “deserve” to be happy, peaceful, joyful or anything else that is good and lovely. I deserve the exact opposite and I know it. I’m thankful that in my mind I know Him to be true in this manner and I’m thankful that Jesus said blessed are those that are poor in spirit, meek, persecuted..etc. I’m thankful he never said blessed are those that seek to be blessed. For the rest of the time Jesus permits me to tarry I will continue to seek Him alone and if need be I’ll be alone while I do it.
I attend a wonderful campus fellowship here in school,where we don’t even have awareness like other churches do to try and recruit new members..I started attending when I was new to Christ because I never had any believers around me,I wanted to be around people who we had something in common-Christ..I feel like I’m with true brothers and sisters who have been in the same position I am,who don’t judge but encourage and pray and show you love.I felt like wow!,so this how living in Christ is like,well this how I wanna live.I believe churches were started in the days of the apostles to foster love and support between Christians..there are still churches around who do exactly just that..I do not see Christianity as a religion but a way of life…the problem with the system is that the church-as a building takes more importance than the church-as the body of Christ..your praises and communion with God doesn’t cover up for the rest of the week..we carry Christ and a combination of us who are Christ filled make up the church bound in love unity..Keep walking in Christ and if your church actually truly helps with that then go ahead,but if its actually drawing you back and making you miserable,then you better back out,because on the day our Lord comes,its not gonna be about what church you attended but your walk in Christ,,remember our Faith is in Jesus and not the church..shalom
I’m new to this website I loved the two articles I have read. Oddly enough this neither adds to or takes away from your article. I sat under a pastor for years that said don’t fear God. Your article addresses that much better than He ever did. However I must add this there are two words in the original language for fear both used by Paul and Jesus if memory serves. The Word fear that means fear the way we define fear. Is used in Jude some may be saved with Fear. Oddly enough the entire passage of Jude is written to believers and concerning them.
The six foundational doctrines of Hebrews come into play as two are reflected here repentance and judgment Might I ask you to do an article on Jude ? I am looking for input you really did an outstanding job of defining a prophet and exemplary job of expanding here on the relationship God desires as Paul and Jesus define it as JESUS SAID THIS IS LIFE ETERNAL THAT THEY MAY KNOW THE ONE TRUE GOD John 17:3 ! PAUL SAID Philippians 3:10-11
It seems however Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the Father and although many acknowledge Gods love well many more refuse to acknowledge many of His other attributes.
I think many of you are not considering that it is not about if you gather in a building or in home it’s about His life in you and through you and that life being shared with others.
I love my alone time with the Lord, praying for hours seeking nothing but His face but how when I spend time with Him I desire to be with my brothers and sisters in Christ! It’s so much easier to be alone and not have to be involved in difficult relationships but those relationships often are God helping us to grow and love one another with an agape love that can only come from Him.
How I love the church in all different shapes and sizes. Yes I hate the religious system but the church is His people, His bride. I love to with them, my goal is not to be with 2 or 3 but be a part of a gathering of believers an assembly where He is exalted!
So many people here I don’t want to be in a building, I don’t like this or that. I don’t care where we are in starbucks, a living room a huge church building HE is what matters! Yes the religious system stinks but there are true assemblies that gather in buildings. Maybe a small group that got too large for the living room. LOL
Thank you for this excellent essay, Chip.
I pray that all who read it will understand that the spirit behind your words is one of love for others—those who’ve had their minds held captive by teachings and ordinances that are keeping them focused on their own ‘performance’.
It’s been well over a decade since my husband and I had visited many area congregations, During the 1990s we ‘warmed the pews’ in at least 20 places—first looking for a ‘church family’ and then as members of a music group.
We came to know many believers, both the leaders and their followers.
I now work at a retail job where I come into contact with several of those people, and am often asked where I go to church.
I just tell them “no place at the moment,” and thank them for the invitation they extend—-might have explained more if I’d not been at work, or if I felt the urging.
There have been the more zealous, though, who don’t let it go at that…at work, and when we come into contact at other places.
At first, I don’t know why they are insistent….whether they are motivated by concern, or have possibly heard from another about our years of non-attendance, or maybe they want to ‘prove’ me wrong, or just plain nosiness.
I’ve been told about the need to be under the ‘mantle’ of a minister lest I be lead astray or backslide, and told about the importance of paying a tithe so that God won’t close up the windows of heaven to me. And, of course, the “fail not to assemble” is often a popular statement.
I don’t know why, but I have not felt the urging to explain that I need only the ‘mantle’ of Christ….that the Lord has given me faith, which has increased as I grew to know Him and His plan for His creation, and has caused me to know that I can trust God totally, so that a focus on faith in paying a tithe is unnecessary.
The one thing I do feel urged to ask them is,
“What can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, my Lord?”
The basis of their zeal, and extent of their knowledge of spiritual truth, can be seen by their answer.
The Words says where two or more are gathered in His name, He is in the midst. It said nothing about me having to go to a building and assemble. Guess what? He assembles me with those He has put in my path. He gave me a vision and people were coming out of a building that had a steeple by the droves. I asked why were they leaving and the Spirit told me, He was bringing them out of what we knew as the ‘church,’ and it was going to be His way or not at all. The Word also says, the people are the church. We are His body and it is not the building.. Col 1:24. It also says that it is the Spirit that will reveal the mysteries of God. Yes, some of us have to be taught the basics regarding the things of God(milk) but His people need to be taught how to hear God (Holy Spirit) for themselves, so they can start eating real solid food(Maturity in the things of God). When Jesus walked the earth, He dealt with religious spirits all the time. There was much manipulation and control which is in itself nothing but witchcraft.
When does the body of Christ learn to sit and wait on the Holy Spirit and see what God wants to do? On the Day of Pentecost, that is what they did and many were saved and they did not have to join and be a member because they became members of the body of Christ by belief upon seeing the Spirit being manifested. The ‘church’ has tried to box Him in on their time table and schedule. Just like you can’t box Him in, He lives in me, you cannot box me in. When does the church start teaching people about having a one-to-one relationship with God? When does the church start manifesting the power of God and people are raised from the dead, lame will walk and deaf will hear, etc? When do we start telling people they can hear God for themselves? The Word also says don’t take on another man’s tradition and a lot of what has been going on is tradition. Man’s tradition that he learned from someone else, just like the Sadducees and Pharisees.
When He pulled me out of the traditional church, it was hard because that was all I knew. The first Sunday I was half dressed and told Him what I was use to doing (getting up on Sundays and going to ‘church.’) and what did He want me to do. The Holy Spirit said, “Stay home with me.”(relationship and communion). He just wanted to spend time with me. The next Sunday, the same thing happened and I said and asked the same thing. He said, “You are tired. Go lie down and rest.” (Learning to trust and rest in Him.”). Guess what? I’m not going to hell and guess what? There are going to trials, tribulations and persecutions but not because I did not go the ‘church.’ I’ve learned to trust, obey and stand on His word and watch Him fight my battles and bring me through the storms.
Amen and Amen – Relationship and Communication and you Rest – Rest– Rest— Rest
i returned to my old church as i felt God lead to do so… and for a time the old pastor of my former church supported me… then others in that church felt i had left them and God and no longer wanted me to type in their prayer requests.. great so suddenly it felt like i was not trusted… yet i attend the daytime group
so in my current church, i go to maintain relationships with those i feel God has put on my heart to pray for… i am an intercessor… but GODS LOVE IS WITHIN ME AND I DO NOT NEED CHURCH ATTENDANCE TO FIND GODS LOVE, NO, I FIND GODS LOVE AT HOME IN THE DAY
i only go for i know that i am sent there for this short season
reading the article, i am not surprised at what i read… personally i was lead to a church right in the beginning of my walk who then taught me about Jesus and i then discovered that God is real and so became his disciple… but i have to say as i look back now even within that church there was issues of control that i had not seen at the time
no church can ever replace a relationship with Jesus
i attend this new church when i wish to go but NEVER as a duty… i have MS so for me i stay out more than i attend… it works well! i do love to met those people that i am connected to again outside of church… yeah who needs more than God.
so sad to read of so many that have been hurt by church… Jesus weeps. ej x uk
So glad you shared this today! What I thought a lot about this morning was the fact that so much of our time spent together in “worship” is really more self- and institutionally- centered than Christ-centered…..I had several confirmations of this today including this article.
Because of my own struggles with this very issue, I have wandered in and out of organized gatherings a couple times in the past several years. I end up seeing the same things which eventually begin to hinder my own relationship with Jesus. To a degree, I have a similar view of how a healthy group of Believers might gather-as Jessie above described….the problem is, it seems to gravitate back to the control necessary to maintain the efforts….I think it might be possible that a “leader’s” view of this structured need for appointed leadership might differ greatly from a maturing attendee’s view……
I find I am mentored spiritually in discernible ways through gifted, more mature Believers as The Lord desires to speak…..through readings, “chance” encounters, podcasts/audio teachings, etc….this just happens as I seek Him, it’s nothing I can drum up by trying to be in the right place, at the right time.
I just want to add that I believe there are times that we will hear The Lord clearest when alone….John the Baptist was one of my favorite examples of this lifestyle. I’ve learned the hard way that people can be crutches as well as idols….
Chip I can’t help but wander if coming out of the church is not by revelation also. I also wander how telling someone that revelation, tribulation, rapture or whatever just might occur in each individual when they move from fear to love. I can’t help but feel that when John wrote the book of Revelation, he was writing of his own revelation and tribulation as they occur together. It is my belief that we shouldn’t put any credence in Jesus returning. HE ALREADY HAS! The book of Revelation was exactly that, John’s revelation. Even though he may have been 90 years of age, I do not believe he knew Jesus until that very moment, even though he walked with Him 70+ years earlier. Peter knew Him for 3+ years but he didn’t KNOW Him until that early morning on the beach when Jesus asked him “do you really love me?” That is Revelation! Encountering the rise Lord! PERIOD! I think there are a whole slew of authors that never set foot in a church but they sure as hell knew their Lord. Church is the anti-christ. It is Satans gratest asset.
WHEN WE ENCOUNTER THE LIVING LORD FIRST HAND, IT IS REVELATION!!! WE THEN LIVE AND ARE WHO WE WERE CREATED TO BE. WE THEN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE HERE AND NOW! WE LIVE IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN HERE AND NOW! IN MY FATHERS HOUSE ARE MANY ROOMS!!! Chew on it for a little bit. I’ve read your writings for 5 years, I know you understand!
Hi Chip and others,
I have enjoyed much of your teaching, we have had a “home church” for a while we just wait on the Lord and eat together, teach, read, sing as the Spirit leads etc..
I also am in leadership in a fellowship where we meet in a larger building that is much more like a “typical church you describe”. However, we function with elders and not one pastor leading the flock and anyone can bring something to share with the body etc..
I haven’t heard you speak much on leadership (servant leadership) in your articles and the bible seems clear that there are elders and deacons, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers or at least men with these giftings if not titles.
I’m curious of your view on this, do you believe in meetings with leadership that has been recognized by the others (others have seen the gifting of the Spirit in lives and recognized them as such, not a seminary degree but the Life of Christ coming from them ?)
I ask because it seems like you are telling people to go and hear God without really having any form of leadership (again servants to help equip them for their life ministry) I don’t ever see Paul preaching and then sending them out to be alone and just hear God, he set up fellowships where elders were established.
Thank you for your time and I’m not attacking what you are presenting but curious on your thoughts in this regard and as I have mentioned I have enjoyed much of your teaching and am a huge believer in each of us having a personal vibrant relationship with Jesus. Leaders NEVER can take the place of this in fact are there to keep directing others to Him and to hear Him and follow Him the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
thanks,
Jesse
WOULD LIKE TO READ COPY OF CHIPS REPLY TO JESSE PAULO NOV 17 RELIGION OF FEAR ARTICLE, WHICH I AGREE WITH ,THAT IS I AGREE WITH CHIPS ARTICLE.
yea chip I have been out of churchianity now for about ten years and I do not miss it one bit–I still like having fellowship with other believers but most of the ones I know do not know what it means to have a Christian life by an indwelling lord so I just proclaim it to them and let it be–I do appreciate your ministry.
Chip
The funny thing is as I was doing my “alone time” with my Father today , I was meditating on the rapture and was getting very excited about us meeting Jesus in the air, and all the other wonderful eternal benefits, I was saying to the Lord, Father , How come I hardly hear these messages today? why is everyone so quiet about the rapture? why is everyone focus on this life now? when you clearly tell us that “We are in the world but not OF the world? what are we missing here??
Then I came online and read this wonderful , well written article and was like okay Father, okay.
The Lord called me out of the religion system maybe like eight years ago or so, after that call , I had ‘Sunday worship withdrawals” as my “flesh” still wanted to dress up and go “to church”, so I started praying about this, and the Holy Spirit clearly instructed me to pray a simple prayer – He said Ask the Father to deliver you from Sunday Worship, I did , and never struggles with this again. Today I worship God in Spirit and Truth.
As Bro. Chip said its a continued process to free our minds from “wrong teaching” and build on the man himself JESUS CHRIST, but as we move aside and allow the Holy Spirit to do this, He does it beautifully and gently.
I now understand why our Lord Jesus was angry with the religious people, namely the scribes, pharisees, etc as “their leaven” is very contagious.
So I encourage my brother and sister to keep a relationship with Jesus and allow Him to daily lead the way as He always leads us in Truth., look forward with Hope for the “rapture” where by our bodies will be changed, we will see our Jesus face to face, we will always be in His love and spend eternity in his presence getting to know Him more and more. What a blessing.
(Just typing this bring me Joy)
Be Blessed
Wendy Ann
wendy, hopefully you will be comforted by these words– I too once believed in the pre trib rapture of the church but no more. what i have come to believe truly glorifies God. it is the belief in victory for the church, whereby we overcome the world and the wicked, and come into the unity of the faith, unto the stature of the fullness of Christ unto a PERFECT MAN. this is the end result of the work of the spirit–man will return to the state from which he fell in the garden and that is how the last enemy-death- shall be destroyed. as the psalmist states “the righteous shall never be removed, but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth” ( read all of Ps 37) Jesus prayed “Father do not remove them from the earth…” the only ones leaving the earth- which is the promise to the righteous to possess- are the wicked, “who will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming” the whole picture in allegory of the jews journeys through the wilderness and their commandments to go into the lands of the heathen, into the land they were promised(the meek shall inherit the earth) and destroy every soul of man, speaks of what is to come forth in these last days. of the wicked He says ” you shall diligently consider his place and IT SHALL NOT BE” . You have been deceived by the lies of the pharisees(theologians)who say the church is an after-thought and the jews are the chosen people of God( they are of the synagoge of satan who say they are jews and are not)(Jerusalem which is spiritually called SODOM AND EGYPT) No, in fact we are the SEED OF CHRIST… “Cast out the old wineskins” “the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free. We as Isaac was are…” Wendy, we are the apple of his eye. there are many books that have been written that solidly refute this errant rapture teaching. take care.
Dan – its not a question of comfort as Jesus is my only Comforter? I wish this could be taken in the Spirit its written in and that the Spirit of Love – I was just sharing my thoughts.
Dan – Please read Matthew 24; 30-30 1 Thess 4:15-18 1 Corn:15;50-55 and Rev 1 :7 .
The only Rapture (I know this word is not used in the bible) that I believe and eagerly awaits is when Jesus comes in the clouds to get His children, It does not matter if its if its pre, post, middle, or how-so-ever-man wants to label this. I truly believe the only living Book (the bible) and its contents is all that matters to me….
Thank You
Have a GREAT day
“The deception results in unwitting manipulation, pressure, and a warped view of the pastor’s authority. Very sad.”
Carina,
this quote is so true, I’ve seen it over and over again. I have very well meaning friends who are Pastors, and they just can’t get past the mindset that ‘the assembling’ has to be in someone’s (preferably their’s) church. Much like the early followers of Christ…we see in scripture that after their ‘conversion experience’ they are still going to and coming from the temple almost incessantly. When Stephen stood under an open Heaven and saw the revelation of true fellowship, things began to change. Of course, scripture also follows that change of perspective with persecution. Interestingly, that very persecution came from religion. Not much has changed, it seems.
I am in union with Christ, and that union does not, indeed cannot depend on a building, or another person. How grateful I am to the Lord for freeing me and giving me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart in union and love with Him.
Chip,
I can so relate to this and I have a recent, clear example. The other day we had an interview with our current “pastor” and we got the Hebrews verse thrown at us and explained time and time again with the “official” interpretation. You know, the Don’t forsake the assembly verse. The pastor judged that some things which are not quite right with my husband are out of order precisely because we’re attending church less often. He stressed very emphatically that if we continue like this things are going to get much worse and we’re going to backslide and fall away from the faith. The fear-based argument can’t get any clearer than that! The fact that my husband’s private prayers have been more intense and heartfelt since he made some decisions meant nothing to the pastor. Apparently, individual prayers at home mean very little if corporate prayers in church are not present.
My husband was convinced through the guilt trip and threats. He was depressed to the point I couldn’t talk to him for a couple of days, and when I did, I presented my arguments again to my husband. Truth is, I could have refuted the pastor’s refutations to the best of my skill, but I remembered what you’d said about the blind being unable to understand truth when they hear it. Yes, he would have refuted MY refutations with Bible verses twisted to fit the Churchianity interpretation. I didn’t want to argue at all. I just wanted to get out of there as soon as I could!
So after our conversation, my husband understood that what we received was not a spirit of error from the devil, but a lot of it came from God. And now he’s seeing that the pastor really associates going to church with being ok with the Lord very directly and explicitly.
Sad thing is, this pastor is a great guy with the best intentions who loves the Lord and believes he’s serving Him. I can see he wants to help us… but still he’s deceived. The deception results in unwitting manipulation, pressure, and a warped view of the pastor’s authority. Very sad.
At first it feels ackward because you are used to churching, but later on you realize that you are actually lighter and happier when you follow Christ and not church. Eventually you realize that you are more connected than you could have ever imagined. But I would like to assure the questioner there that it is as simple as moving from a small house to a big house. You get used to few rooms even when you are in a big house and you realize oh God, I can use this one for this and that one for that. Before you know it, you start enjoying it and believe u me u Cannot give it up for anything. It is called a Christ-centered mentality and lifestyle. If u catch it, you are in a first class to the divine trip. Stay blessed Chip!
WHAT WE NEED TO HAVE REVEALED IN OUR SPIRITS IS THAT HE CELEBRATES US AND DOESN’T JUST TOLERATE US, HE IS PREPARING A BRIDE NOT SLAVES OF FEAR. THE TRUE DECIEVER IS SATAN HIMSELF, WHILE MANY IN THE CHURCH SYSTEM ARE FEAR BOUND, TRUST ME THERE IS A GRACE MESSAGE IN NZ THAT IS PREPARING A BRDIE, PREPARING AN END TIME ARMY AND SETTING CAPTIVES FREE. LOVE NEVER FAILS.