It's Not About Religion

  Over the past couple of weeks my eyes have been opened to some revelation that I'd like to share with you. Knowing God isn't about religion, it's about relationship and God's original intent... it's about the Kingdom of Heaven.

  Man has taken the precious Word of God, the lessons of Christ and reduced them to a religious experience that's more about emotion than reality. Man has reduced the teachings of the Bible to something that he can manipulate, mandate and control when, in reality, man can't do any of those things and have God's original intent.

  When God created the heavens and the earth, He was actually creating territory for an extension of Heaven. God was creating territory so He could build a colony of Heaven to be occupied, ruled, managed and maintained by His created children... the human race. Because of Adam's rebellion against what God told Him, man lost the kingdom God had created for him. Man committed an act of treason against the Kingdom of Heaven and thus allowed God's mortal enemy to come in and capture that territory. Man allowed God's enemy to occupy what God never intended him to have access to.

  Jesus Christ was sent to earth to wage war with the devil and to regain the lost authority on earth. God had to become man in order to be legal on this planet and to restore what had been lost. It took the royal blood of the King to buy back what was lost four thousand years earlier in the Garden of Eden. The price was high and we've not yet come to fully realize all that Christ did when He died, and when He rose again.

  I heard a minister this week put it so wonderfully when he said "There are a lot of people teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ; there just aren't many teaching the Gospel that Jesus taught." In Matthew chapter 4 Jesus made His first public statement as He began His ministry on earth. Jesus said "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus wasn't a religious man! Jesus didn't come to teach some new religion. He didn't come to preach or teach religion at all. The message of Jesus was a message about the Kingdom of Heaven and how God wants us to come back to His Kingdom as His beloved children. Man has polluted the message and made it something to argue over, to dispute and challenge people with.

  Religion is something man came up with in order to try and explain God when, in fact, God doesn't need any explanation at all. Our Father, the King of the universe, gave us clear instruction and it's up to us to simple follow that instruction and learn to live in His Kingdom. Rather than think of God in terms of religion, we need to think of Him as King, and follow the teaching Jesus gave while He walked this earth. Jesus taught about the Kingdom of Heaven the entire time He was here. All we have to do is read and study His message and then follow His example in order to find the peace, the love and the prosperity the Father has for us.

  In 2012 I'll be teaching a series of lessons on the Kingdom of Heaven and explaining just what Jesus taught. There won't be any religion, won't be any arguing and there certainly won't be guess work in it. If you're tired of religion, tired of bickering in the church and among people who claim to follow God; let me invite you to become a regular reader here and to follow me on my Internet radio program and YouTube. I'm writing the lessons and praying a lot about this. God is opening my eyes to the revelation that I never saw before. It is changing my life for the better and I hope it will change yours too.

  God bless you and keep you, may His face shine down on you and may you find His peace,

Dave

What I Believe

  I was ingaged in a conversation with a friend tonight who had told another friend about me and my online ministry. The question came up about what I believe and why it wasn't posted on any of my Internet sites. In answer to this this question, I'd like to post this for everyone to read so they know my basic core beliefs. While this isn't all I believe, it is teh foundation to which I have anchored my spiritual house and the anchor to which I hold.

  For the record: I am a Born Again Christian. I believe in the great God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God who delivered the children of Israel form Egypt; the God who sent His only Son to become the sacrificial Lamb that bought back man's dominion on this earth with His death on Calvary's Cross; the man named Jesus who rose from the dead on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of Jehovah in Heaven. I am a Believer, a Born Again Christian who is eagerly awaiting the Rapture of the Church and the moment when I will slip from this sinful world into the presense of my King. Until that day, I will be doing all I can to sing, preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and lead as many souls as I can to a saving knowledge of Christ.

  For those of you who may be wondering, for those you who have asked; here are my core beliefs.

What I Believe:

The Lord Jesus Christ

I believe in the deity of Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God. I believe in His substitutionary death for all men, His resurrection, and His eventual return to judge the world.

Salvation

I believe all men are born with a sinful nature and that the work of the Cross was to redeem man from the power of sin. I believe that this salvation is available to all who will receive it.

The Holy Spirit

I believe in the existence of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity and in His interaction with man. I believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as manifested by the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit.

The Sacred Scripture

I believe in the scripture as the inspired Word of God and that it is the complete revelation of God's will for mankind. I believe in the absolute authority of the scripture to govern the affairs of men.

Stewardship and Tithing

I believe that every man is the steward of his life and resources which ultimately belong to God. I believe that tithing is a measure of obedience to the scriptural principles of stewardship.

The Church

I believe in the Church as the eternal and universal Body of Christ consisting of all those who have accepted the work of the atonement. I believe in the need for a local assembly of believers for the purpose of evangelism and edification.

Prayer and Praise

I believe in the worship of the Lord through singing, clapping, and the lifting of hands. I believe in the authority of the believer to ask freely of the Lord for his needs.

Body Ministry

I believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the Church body through the anointing of oil by the elders of the church.

Evangelism

I believe that evangelism is the obligation of every follower of Jesus Christ. The Lord commands us to go out and make disciples of all the earth. I believe that each person is first responsible to evangelism in their own family as the Holy Spirit leads them and gives them the ability.

Water Baptism

I believe in the ordinance of water baptism by immersion in obedience to the Word of God. All those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior should be baptized in water as a public profession of their faith in Christ and to experience what the Bible calls the "circumcision of the Spirit."

Our Commitment to Israel

I believe in the promise of Genesis 12:3 regarding the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. I believe that this is an eternal covenant between God and the seed of Abraham to which God is faithful. I support Israel with my prayers (Psalm 122:3), with my finances (Romans 15:27) and love my Jewish brothers and sisters.

The Priesthood of the Believer

I believe that every believer has a unique relationship to the Lord. As His children, every Christian has immediate access to the throne of Grace and the ability to manifest the power of the Lord Jesus Christ in ministry.

Because of His saving grace,

Dave