Everyone has beliefs that form the core of their being and frame who they are, how they see themselves, and how others see them. It is the same with religion, which takes on a kaleidoscope of images and philosophies that take the heart and mind into the eye of the hurricane. And like that eye, the mind finds solace, peace, and beauty while the storms rage around. However, the issue with all religions is the expected compliance with the external outlines and internal workings of every religious belief known to man. From Agnosticism to Zoroastrianism and all in between, man has created for himself a finite prison of infinite possibilities to fill a void that resides in all hearts, namely the three most important questions of who am I, why am I here, and what is the meaning of my life. There is not a single person who has lived and who has not had those thoughts.
This has been thoroughly debated for eons, and the answer remains evasive, especially for those who see themselves as intellectually superior to others. Still, in the end, they, too, must acknowledge defeat as the light fades from their eyes and the chest falls to rise no more. Wars have shed blood and taken lives in the quest for those answers, and we are still waging them today. Kings, Prime Ministers, Emperors, Presidents, and others of lesser titles, but not the least, in their acts of brutality, have attempted to solve the mysteries of life and its meanings, and all, without exception, have also crumbled before the presence of death without mercy and answers.
And so man, to answer those three questions, creates a form of beliefs, gives them a name, and hires someone to petition some alleged higher powers on their behalf. Quickly enough, shackles are found to be placed upon the hearts and minds as those selected to be the petitioners find ways to elevate themselves to appear as supernaturally endowed. Others declare themselves gods or goddesses, and the rest is history. Today, we face so many differing ideologies, theologies, and philosophies built around religious beliefs that it has become practically impossible to define religion as to whom or what men should be serving, fearing, or petitioning. In effect, man is addicted to religions that have become a burden of curses that have enslaved him. During the process, they have still been unable to answer those three questions in the heart.
Define what constitutes a god or what one is supposed to look like or behave, for that matter. Is it similar to anything here on Earth? How does it relate to us, if any, and what is its purpose? Straightforward questions, incredible as they sound, have defied every attempt that man has made to pin answers that stick. On every continent where man has set the sole of his foot, he has brought his gods, and they received new names. When they were moved to yet another area and tribe, they took on new names there as well, but no matter where the gods were taken, they remained the same despite their new identities. And that has continued up to this very day.
All religions claim that they can meet the needs of the heart's inner sanctum, but those claims always leave the heart with more questions than answers. Usually, acts of retribution against other beliefs are generally found to exalt the praises of adoration for their leading deities. So, the question to be asked is this: is there truly one deity who rises superior above all other claimants, whose power and authority are not in dispute, and who cares about the affairs of men?
There is one to be found authentic above all claimants, and this deity is to be found within a book called the Bible. But what makes this one God stand out is that he sent his son into the world to save the world from sin, meaning the breaking of his universal law. It is a historical fact that his son came and died and was resurrected from the grave with power and glory, as testified by those witnesses and by secular accounts pertaining to this astonishing event. We can read of this ourselves in the writings left by those witnesses in what is known as the New Testament and by later writings of the disciples of those first apostles. After being seen by them for forty days, he was then taken up into a cloud to return at the specified time as predetermined by his father, who lives in heaven.
It sounds like a fairy tale, and honestly, who wouldn’t consider this story as ludicrous except for the fact that many have given up their lives to become followers of the way, which is what the early believers were called before being named “Christians” after the name of the one whom they believed in, Jesus, the Christ, hence Christians.
These things took place well over two thousand years ago, but for the millions of believers, it may as well have taken place yesterday. Such is the power of faith to believe in the impossible—that is, in the eyes of men. But with God, all things are possible if one chooses to believe. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. And here is where the journey to know the one true God begins.
All religions that are known to man lead to perpetual slavery, both in mind and body and by their fruits, you shall know them. Men worship nature, animals, themselves, spiritual apparitions, and the stars and planets. They seek out astrologers, fortune tellers, palm readers, seance meetings, and rigid cults, and bow down to idols made by hands and call them their god(s). They look to men and women to define what and how they should worship and to whom. They gather in groups and meet to worship and honor whichever deity they have chosen to cast their lot with. They become externally formed by their core personal beliefs. Hence, religion becomes the shackles that keep them in servitude to manufactured dogmas and creeds.
And this is the razor’s edge that divides Jesus Christ from all other religions worldwide. He came to free humankind from sin and the shackles that bind. He came to set the captives free, free from the fear of death and impending judgment, free from the sins that control lives, for Jesus Christ has said that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and there is no other name given under heaven by which a man can be saved save for the name the father gave, Jesus Christ.
These words are powerful enough to send shockwaves throughout the established religious world by tossing all other claimants out the door and onto the rubbish heap of useless imaginings. By boldly declaring himself to be the savior of the world, Jesus has revealed the emptiness of all other religions without exception, which includes Judaism, Islam, and all others. Now, it is true that the first believers were indeed Jews and Israelites, just as the ancestors of the Muslims were also believers. But over time, the winds have altered the religious landscape over and over again so that what once was has been thoroughly mixed and scattered and reformed in man's interpretive nomenclature of Jesus and the faith subscribed to him. Nonetheless, that very faith remains solid and intact despite the passage of time in small bodies scattered around the world. But there are also a great many factions within the Christian world, and all are clamoring to be heard as they quarrel amongst themselves and point fingers and hurl accusations and even wage wars in the name of their faith; the Crusades come to mind, the Catholic Church pogroms shedding the blood of millions, the sectarian violence in Ireland and so on. But these are not brought on by the faithful in Christ but more through the violent passions of religious fervor at the point of the sword or the barrel of the gun.
But this is not the way of the cross that the Christ of God has shown, for the way is the opposite of how man defines his religious beliefs and acts. Love describes a Christian. Love towards God is followed by love towards others. Sounds easy enough, but we all know without exception that words are much more straightforward than actions. But these attributes precisely divide the disciples of Christ between doers and pronouncers. By those who believe the words of Jesus and obey him, as opposed to those who hear the words of Jesus but refuse to follow him. For it is impossible to love God and hate others, and that makes the way of the cross an object of scorn to those desiring the name but not the burden of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. To say that you love God but then despise others makes such a person an open hypocrite at best. Godly love, as given unto true believers by the Holy Spirit of the living God, will reveal the power of the risen Christ within them. This is the true religion of Jesus Christ. Not swords or guns or sectarian divisions, but a unifying love grounded in faith upon the rock that is Jesus Christ. Religion and hypocrites do not find this way acceptable, and many try to find another way into the sheepfold, just as the Lord Jesus prophesied. But they are doomed to fail as the Rock crushes them to powder for their willful disobedience.
So, in Jesus Christ, the three questions converge and have their meanings expounded in Him. And the man and woman who believes in Jesus Christ, as God has commanded all men to obey His words and walk in love, faith, and obedience, in that person is the love of God perfected in Christ. We tend to measure ourselves by standards set up, but they fall woefully short of God’s standard in Christ. Therefore the old saying applies, trust and obey.
But today’s faithful are distinctively unfaithful as they showcase their lack of obedience by adhering to traditions, doctrines, and the many teachings of the false shepherds and those calling themselves apostles, but in truth are liars. In short, they are disciples of religion, and not that of the Lord Jesus Christ. They have chosen to willingly substitute the spirit of holiness for one of deceit, and have built their faith on a sandbank in the middle of a rising river that will in due time wash them away into perdition. Religion cannot save the soul which only the unwise wrap themselves in. Religion has many shackles and the chains that bind are numerous, but the foolish ones insist upon them, and desire to be taken captive while all the while claiming to be free. Such a curse to be bound willingly to those silk covered chains which all earthly religions possess.
The scriptures clearly warn us about earthly religions and how seducing they are, especially to the undiscerning believer. Those religions include shamanism which has multitudes of adherents, remarkably more so among the believers as the embracing of eastern practices, Native American spiritualism, chanting and hypnosis has overtaken many and the practice of finding god within has manifested itself throughout the body at large. Teachings such as the Descartes lie, name it, claim it, visions of life after death, speaking with deceased ones and more have taken a firm root within many practitioners thereby facilitating the deception of false spirits pretending to be the spirit of God. And the deceptions are increasing all the time as more and more believers are being swept up into the delusions, and by their unfaithful and ignorant leaders. And they have openly and freely overlooked the words of the Lord warning them not to ignore the Law at their own peril, but they most certainly have. Deaf ears, blinded eyes, and shackles of the which they desire to be bound with. Is it any wonder when the Lord poses the question, will there be any faithful remaining upon his return?
Within the body there are numerous end-time scenarios which pander to the differing thoughts and expectations, but very few are based upon solid scripture. The most are akin to the science-fiction writer who from the vanities of the imagination pens a delightful tale to entice the reader into the realm of the fantastical. And so, many believers in then same way are caught up within such fanciful interpretations as declared by the founders of their religious beliefs, so many in fact that it is merely a matter of pick and choose according to individual taste. The same goes for those who pick and discard the words of the Lord according to personal desires and views. A calamitous affair I’d say.
And this points out the worldly religions which are of earthly origins and the ever increasing role they are playing in seducing the hearts and minds of millions. And what is terrible to see is just how deeply imbedded they are within the worldly body of those claiming to be followers of the faith in Jesus Christ. The traditions ascribed to the Christian faith are more often than not taken from mysticism and mythological tales and repackaged with Christian themed anecdotes to bring so-called pagans into the fold of a new religion as well as holding firm those already within the body. But has, over the course of time, degenerated into another worldly religion because the confessing body of believers have embraced many of the seducing earthly themes that have captivated millions in eons past. And today, the Christian view has little to do with the first-century believers, when it has, in practice and belief, compromised and denied the faith as first proclaimed by Jesus and then by his apostles and their disciples. A very tragic state of affairs exists within the Christian community to this very day, and if not repented of and cast aside, then those calling themselves believers will find themselves shut out from the heavenly kingdom because of their disbelief and unrepentant hearts.
And the ruin of that house shall be great.
Consciousness is the next step to being a God, or so we are being told, and that by being one with the universe, we are one with the power that made it, therefore, we are gods. Quite the catchy tune and very seducing to those who refuse to the offer that God gives through his son. There must be another way, and off they go in search of it. The vast amount of book sales on that subject and others affiliated with it are proof of where the peoples minds and hearts are being drawn to. I can speak of metaphysics, dualism, quantum physics, psi, out-of-body experiences, ufo’s and much more, the common thread being paranormal, and I wouldn’t be wrong. The problem is those who call themselves believers in Christ have taken up that route of travel through their never-ending compromises, and desire to be seen as knowledgeably informed and experienced in practice. The art of seduction is not confined to the field of sexuality, but expands more into the imagination, the intellectual aspirations, the promise of spiritual oneness with the universe, and of course, the dream to become a god. Very seductive indeed to those not grounded solidly upon the Rock which is Christ. Perhaps now you may be able to understand why millions are falling away in these days.
Years ago a believer by the name of Christina, a German woman, once said to me after morning services that our words create. Her understanding as taught or learned through various “Christian” writings is that we are gods in the making. Jesus is God and therefore all believers will become gods also. I paraphrased this so as to make it clear as to the growing trend among this generation of believers in this line of thinking. Now consider the new age teachers and their teachings, are they not the same though expressed slightly differently? And what of the shamans, the earthly priests and priestesses of nature and the divine, do they not also strive to be one with the universal conscious?
This earthly religion is sensual, very difficult to turn from because it entices all five physical senses as well as the sought-out spiritual offers and desires. And who doesn’t want to become as God? And the Lord called this the falling away of the faithful or also known as the great apostasy among the believers. Millions will say and act as though they are genuine believers and followers of the Christ of God, but their actions and words prove them to be liars and false disciples. If Jesus is Lord then do as he commanded. And if not, they will not do as he commanded. By the standard of God and his commandments all of mankind will be judged including those who claimed the faith, but practiced spiritual whoredoms.
To be fair, there are still millions of the faithful who have not actively sought out these teachings, though nonetheless, such teachings have infiltrated many differing bodies under false pretenses and disguised themselves as spiritual and have deceived so many into absorbing them contrary to sound doctrines. People are always looking for something new, ears need to be tickled, emotions aroused, intellect stimulated, curiosity ignited, egos sustained and listeners entertained. The Bible alone is not enough, it needs man to reinterpret for the post-modern believers, and the constant flow of revisions after revisions insures the continual flood of confusion and reworded scriptures until its a free-for-all, which it for all intents and purposes already is.
I have personally been a witness to the many liars on the podium as they disseminate lie after lie to the eager ears and sleeping believers who have sought out those charlatans to their open shame, as they say, please teach us what we want to hear, and they do indeed. And when a man stands up to rebuke the liar(s), a few men will crowd around that man with uplifted hands and with loud “prayers”, force him back and drown out his voice. And so the wolves continue to feast unimpeded among the flock at will. So, what it boils down to is this, either one goes with the flow or is cast out and ostracized by believers who believe that they are doing the will of God, as guided by their misguided pastors and personal views. My grandmother told me as a young boy that when you go with the flow, you’ll go over the falls. Learn to paddle your own canoe, and I still do to this very day.
In closing, I would only say that you have a choice, and when it comes to the truth, it would be in your very best interest to listen to the one who called himself, the way, the truth and the life because any other way, and any other words will only bring you death at the end.
I remain a brother to the faithful in Christ Jesus.
Edward L Ordway
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