CHRISTIANITY

   It seems to me that Christianity has become just
another religion.
   Each sect has their own spin on it. The Baptists,
the Nazarenes, the Methodist, Catholic etc.. It seems
everywhere one goes the religion is about I- ME- WE-
FAMILY.
   Jesus Christ is not about religion, He is not a
prophet nor a good and wise teacher.
He is how God spoke to us. He is Gods word to us.
He is before us, created all things, He said He would
come out of the tomb after being dead for three days
and He did.
   One of the undeniable proofs of that is the fact
that the eleven disciples of Jesus (Judas being gone
already) went to different parts of the world and had
no communication with each other and all but John,
who was exiled to Patmos Isle, died a martyrs death
going to their individual death saying, "Jesus Christ
came out of the tomb"....
   It is not even thinkable that one of them
wouldn't have saved their own hide if they could
have. No one would know, but they all, to a man died
saying ''He arose.''
   If Jesus came out of that tomb then everything
else He said is true.
   He is the only person who has done this and was
taken by God into the eternal place we call Heaven.
   He paid a price we could not, to satisfy the Holy
God who, by creating us, made the possibility of our
fall... (He created Adam and his offspring with the
ability of conscious choice).
   He didn't cause our sin, He made a plan before us
in eternity in order that we might be able to
communicate with Him no matter what.

   This is the expression of His grace.

   First He made it possible for us to communicate
with Him and second He, thru Jesus, extended that
grace to us in order that we might communicate with
Him even tho we removed ourselves from that
possibility.
   You and I did not commit Adams sin but we
inherited it thru no fault of our own. We are born
that way. My friend Scott calls it being" HARDWIRED"
we are hardwired against God.
   We can't even want Him unless His spirit reaches
out to us in that most marvelous and mysterious way
that God speaks to us.
   This is a far cry from a Sunday morning sermon
about what you should wear or how you should look or
you ought to be supporting the missionaries, or any
other behavior that you ought to do to hold up to God
and say "look at me"
   It is not about you or me, it is about Jesus.
We trust Him to do what He has said He will do and
because of that trust He will do the changing of us.
The fruit comes from the nature of the tree not from
the branches.
   His nature in us, comes into us and stays in us
by trust - faith. And faith only. Period. No other
way....
   The sects don't allow that, they say it with
their mouths but they always add a but. Faith but,
trust but. No buts about it!    
   Either I believe Gods Spirit fills me- leads me-
and changes me, without my help or I believe He needs
my help.

 ( HE DOES NOT NEED MY HELP- HE WANTS MY TRUST)

His grace is timeless.
   How long it takes to change a person depends on
Him, not you, not me.
   He makes changes in us without ever once
violating our freewill.
   He is always in charge, always in control and yet
He never violates our free choice.  

        The paradox of His Grace is there.

   David