FROM RELIGION TO RELATIONSHIP

During Bike Week i was put in the position of "put up or shut up" so to speak. We were witnessing down at Main and Hollywood in the thick of it all and the moment came for me to speak my testimony for the first time on the "hailer." A few years back i heard the term "1/2 mile hailer" and i did not know what that was. It is a megaphone of sorts with a microphone attached. Well, here it was, my time to preach my testimony. i have, over the years, shared parts of my testimony with hundreds one on one as i witness on the streets, but this was different.

When i was finally convinced that it was "time to pour out what had been invested into me", i began to pace and pray. I began to speak and continued to pace. i do not remember all of what i said, but now as i think back on the opportunity the Lord offered me, i know it was about "Religion to Relationship." My Testimony. i had to die to give it. To all of myself because it is not my testimony it is His in my life. Amen.

"For where a testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the testator." Hebrews 9:16



i was raised pretty much from birth, in the Roman Catholic Church. A dead dry religion. The rise of Catholicism, this church, began back in AD 605-1517, in the ancient church of Thyatira (Revelation 2:18). Back in 380AD, in the Church of Pergamos (Revelation 2:12), Constantine, by signing the Edict of Milan made Christianity the official religion, sponsoring the Church, thereby marrying Church and State. This caused many to join the church just because it was the official state church and they could avoid death and say they were Christian. So rises the Roman Catholic Church. Pergamos invited the world system into the church and Thyatira adopted it, turning it into a world system of religion that still exists today.

The Catholic church tolerates to this day the Jezebel Spirit (1-2 Kings) by allowing the praying and worshiping of Mary. Believing she intercedes to Jesus for people. NOT True. The Catholic Church eats things sacrificed to idols...they believe the wafer and wine are transubstantiated into the the actual body and blood of Christ. NOT true. The Catholic Church is full of rituals such as confession to a priest, communion, RCIA, confirmation, penance, purgatory, prayers for the dead, adoration of wafer (Host), celibacy of the Priesthood, worshipping Mary, infallibility of the Pope, the list is long. It is a cult that brainwashes its parishioners. It is the seat of Satan and i believe that the False Prophet of Revelation 13:11 will be rising out of this Religion.

The Bible teaches us about ornamental outsides which are dead inside, about pagan churches. One place is Matthew 23:27 and 2 Timothy 4:1-5. Also about earthly things being the enemy of the cross in Philippians 3:18-19 and not to worship graven idols, statues of saints, Mary or anyone.. Exodus 20:4. Praying to the dead, talking to them....called necromancy, also forbidden and condemned by God in Deuteronomy 18:10-12. Not eating meat, the celibacy of the priesthood are doctrines of devils with no Biblical foundation...1 Timothy 4:1-3.

Anyway, this is the religion i was snatched out of by the love, grace and mercy of our God and the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. All my past sin, my alcohol abuse, sexual immorality, lies, anger, hate, all of it were washed away by the Blood of Jesus and the cross he died on for me (Romans 6). i am now living in relationship with Jesus, and with an eternal perspective my eyes are on Him. i now live in relationship with the one who lifted me out of the miry clay, gave me eyes to see and ears to hear. i enjoy the unshakable peace and joy of my Saviour. The Holy Spirit of God lives in me and leads me to all truth. Lights my every step, makes my path straight. i am new every day and i follow Him every day.

What i know now is that there is nothing for me here in this world where Satan reigns. What i know is that i am here to guard my heart by taking every thought captive, to live each moment for God, deepen my relationship with him, bring others to Jesus, and edify the body of believers. i am here to serve my God and nobody or nothing else. i know Jesus and he knows me.

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto death." Revelation 12:11