Jesus Beyond Religion
 

I want to know how many here are struggling with their relationship with God. Maybe you feel distant from Him. Maybe he just seems so far away, so unreachable. Maybe you’re trying to reach out, but you feel like you’re in a fog…you just can’t quite think straight, or you can’t see what others seem to see. Maybe you WANT to have a close relationship with Him, but you’re afraid. Afraid what will happen when you get too close. Afraid of what you might lose, or have to give up. Or admit.

Let’s define relationship.
1. a connection, association, or involvement.
So when we want to form a relationship with God, we want a connection. We want our names to be associated with His name, Jesus. We want to be involved with what He’s doing.
2. connection between persons by blood or marriage.
When we are born again, all our previous sins are under the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. And when we believe on Him and receive Him, we are given the power to become the sons of God (John 1:12). Sons. When a son is born, he takes on the name of his father. And when a bride and bridegroom are joined, the bride takes on the name of the bridegroom.
Isaiah 62:55
For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
3. emotional or other connection between people
God loves us. The Bible says that His is a love that passes knowledge (Ephesians 3:19). He wants us to love Him in return.

I want everyone to learn what I have been learning from God since He has taken me through the places that He’s been taking me through. I want everyone to break off oppositions, carnal desires, and fear, and I want everyone to know what it’s like to feel God’s love, and to be able to share things with Him and have him share things with you. Not just have religion. Not just have a Jesus drive-through window to go to when there’s trouble. The world can have all of that. I want Jesus. His love is “agape,” without conditions, without restraint, without boundaries.

He has a plan for this world as a whole, for the universe as a whole. And for us, each and every one of us, individually, and as a nation. As humans. As His children. I want to be a part of that plan. I don’t want to be left out. And it’s not God’s will that ANY of us be left out of it, and he is incredibly patient with us (2 Peter 3:9). He knows we’re not perfect. He knows we stumble. But if we seek Him sincerely, unconditionally, He WILL give us answers, and will guide us, teach us, and keep us.

It IS possible to walk with God in confidence. It IS possible to have a relationship with God where you talk to Him, and He talks to you. Don’t listen to the voices that tell you it’s not. Those voices were cast out of Heaven for opposing God. They have already been defeated. But YOU are not defeated. God doesn't want you to be lost, confused, and hurting. He wants you to walk with Him so that you will have righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17).

Talk to me, saints.

Re: Jesus Beyond Religion
 

Hi RM,

You said:


Where is that in the Bible?

Re: Jesus Beyond Religion
 

1 John 4:8 says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

In the Greek, that word for "love" is "agape." Agape is a term that means selfless love, unconditional love, self-sacrificing love.

The same word, agape, is translated as "love" in John 3:16, Matthew 5:43-46, Matthew 22:37-40, and many other places in scripture. In some places it is also translated as "charity" (1 Corinthians 13:1-8).

Re: Jesus Beyond Religion
 

There are also other words for love in the Greek. Brotherly love (phileo) and romantic love (eros) are just another two.

Further, if one investigates the Bible in its fulness, it is quick to reveal that God does have standards and conditions that He places upon man. This is because He has many other aspects to His character. It is as much a mistake to place an exclusive foccus on His love as it is on His judgment.

Further, there are as many or more verses that discuss His judgment and wrath as there are for His love and mercy.

God is holy, and anything that violates holiness is sin and carries a death penalty. God demonstrated His love for us by coming to abide with us in the flesh, dying on the cross, rising from the tomb, and then coming to abide in the hearts of those who are willing to hear His Words gladly.

Re: Jesus Beyond Religion
 

Hi, Jay.

First, thanks for posting this. I definitely had to do a little research before forming my reply, and it was very illuminating.

Yes, I did know that there are other words for "love" in the Bible. And you're right, God does place conditions on man. But those conditions have nothing to do with how much He loves us. He will judge us and punish us if we don't turn from sin and live for Him. But He loves us, even if we aren't living up to the "standards and conditions" that He has placed upon us. If you are a parent, you set rules (standards of conduct) for your children. If those rules are broken, your child receives punishment. But you do not love your child any less for disobeying you.

Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." He loved us, even though we were sinners and disobeyed Him. In my research however, I admit I was a bit taken aback by such verses of scripture as Psalm 5:5. "The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity." So I decided to research that word for "hate" in the Hebrew that Psalm 5 is written in. What I found is that it doesn't quite have the same meaning and connotations that we give to the word "hate" in English.

When the Bible mentions loving one thing and hating another in Hebrew, it suggests a preference for one over the other. "... yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau..." (Malachi 1:2-3) And "prefer" doesn't just mean liking one thing more than another. "Prefer" also means to give something higher priority, to choose something over something else.

So if we go back to Psalm 5:5, that word for "hate" in Hebrew is "sane'," pronounced saw-nay. It means "to distance oneself" or "to not prefer". The same word for "hate" that is used in that verse is used in Malachi 1:2-3 to describe God's preference for Jacob over Esau.

God does not hate any of us in the way you or I would say we hate, despise, or loathe someone. God does SEPARATE himself from those who are "workers of iniquity." But His love for us is not in any way diminished.

Re: Jesus Beyond Religion
 

I think most of our problems being close to God, is very comparable with the the episode in the garden ......9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? I do not think God is hard to find, just the opposite.

Re: Jesus Beyond Religion
 

In seeking intimacy with God we must approach him with this faith:

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is , and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Heb. 11:6

Fellowship with Jesus is the most wonderful thing to experience. Jesus wants this closeness that leads us to being passionate for him.

When he manifests himself you want more. It makes you even more willing. You must approach as if we will diligently seek him he will reward us with his love and favor.

Re: Jesus Beyond Religion
 

I know Jesus was on earth and He didn't like the religious but to some degree I don't if you can have Jesus without religion too. There is always rules that accompmay Jesus. Not talking about the thou shalt not kill type of thing, but man made rules that make trying following Jesus without religion almost impossible.

Re: Jesus Beyond Religion
 

Great point. The Bible says that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:8, etc). We tend to run from Him when we know we've done wrong, or when we aren't willing to listen. Sometimes finding our way back is a difficult process.

Re: Jesus Beyond Religion
 

Don't let anyone kid you, JS; those are the guys Christ railed against, the conditional salvation types. If you are earnestly seeking God, your discernment will serve you just fine; and there is a spirit of Discernment that can/will become a friend. You succinctly state the drawback of religion at the end. I didn't find Christ until I left religion. Praying for you.
http://www.wikihow.com/Lose-Your-Religion