FROM RELIGION TO RELATIONSHIP..my testimony

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 before i could give it. To die 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

THE CATHOLIC LIE

i was raised pretty much from birth (infant baptism), in the Roman Catholic Church. A dead, dry, false religion. The rise of Catholicism, began back in AD 605-1517, in the ancient church of Thyatira (Revelation 2:18). But before that, back in 380AD, in the Church of Pergamos (Revelation 2:12), Constantine, Emperor of Rome, 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 had invited the world system into the church and Thyatira adopted it, turning it into a world system of religion that still exists today. One that the Anti-Christ will use again when the False Prophet (Revelation 13:11) rises up out of the one world religion that is being organized as we speak.

The Catholic church teaches false doctrine to this day. The Jezebel Spirit is all over it(1-2 Kings) in allowing the praying to and worshiping of Mary. Believing she intercedes to Jesus for people. FALSE DOCTRINE. Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God is our intercessor to God (Romans 8:26, 34). 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. They put the wafer in a stand and kneel to it and pray to it as if it was Jesus. They make sacrifice at an alter at every mass. FALSE DOCTRINE. The Catholic Church is full of rituals conceived of false doctrine, such as confession to a priest, who is just a man, then that man makes you do penance (a laundry list of prayers to recite on your knees at the altar, before you can go to communion) instead of repenting. This is not Godly sorrow to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-10). We confess to God alone (1 John 1:9). They have the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) which is where they teach this FALSE DOCTRINE. Then there is purgatory, where the people who died in sin go. Then the living can offer prayers for the dead and you can pray the dead into heaven. They used to charge for this service and it was called an indulgence. This is where Martin Luther had enough and split off from the Catholic Church. They pray to saints for any number of reasons. This is called necromancy, praying to the dead and is forbidden by our Holy God (Deuteronomy 18:11) Look what happened to Saul (1 Samuel 28:7-17)
Their rituals include celibacy of the Priesthood, abstaining from meat, infant baptism, worshipping Mary, infallibility of the Pope, the list is long. All false doctrine, or doctrine of devils. It is a cult that brainwashes its people and robs them of the salvation of Jesus Christ. 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 people with ornamental outsides which are dead inside, about pagan churches, about man loving himself more than God, being unholy. 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. An infant being baptized cannot make a public proclamation of his faith, he has no idea what faith is, let alone who Jesus is.

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 Godly and 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, no matter the circumstance. The Holy Spirit of God lives in me and leads me to all truth. Lights my every step (Psalm 27:1), makes my path straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). i am new every day and i follow Him every day. Jesus is my one true Shepherd (Psalm 23)

What i know now is that there is nothing for me here in this world where Satan reigns (1 JOhn 2;15-16). What i know is that i am here to guard my heart by taking every thought captive, to live each moment in the will of 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. Luke 19:20 says he came to seek and to save that which was lost. This is the mantle we take up as Christians. Matthew 22:37 says to love God with all our hear, mind, body and strength. This is how we do it, in love, with faith, hope and trust in Him.

"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

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, FORBIDDING TO MARRY and commanding to ABSTAIN FROM MEATS which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." 1 Timothy 4:1-3

The Catholic Church is not the only false church out there, they are alive under many names.

JESUS IS COMING BACK, BE READY, BE FOUND FAITHFUL AND DOING HIS WILL ON EARTH...