When we think of how "religion" is a bad thing, that it causes wars and stuff, if we are trying to see it from the worldly point of view, Christianity is lumped right in there with the rest of them.
Well, guess what? True Christianity isn't a religion! It's a bunch of individual relationships with God Himself, through Jesus Christ. Do some of the individuals make mistakes? Of course they do. Do they always hear from God perfectly? Of course not. Does that mean that it's just another religion among many? Not on your life!
As was said recently, "Just because you spend the night in a garage, that doesn't make you a car."
Thus, just because you go to church, or read a Bible, or even just know a few Christians, it doesn't make you one. You are only allowed into "the accepted of the beloved" through a personal relationship with Yahwey by knowing Jesus, aka Yeshua, well, personally.
Look, my words always seem to fall short when I try to describe this. There have been many more eloquent expositors than I who have explained it so that even a child could understand. I always muddle it up. Sorry.
Watchman Nee was a brother in China who was anointed to preach and teach the Word of God. He was mightily blessed by God in his ministry, so much so that when the communists took over China, he was hauled off to prison and told to recant his "religion". That is like telling someone to say they didn't have a father. Even if you say it, you know that it's not true, so why say it? Of course, Brother Nee refused to recant his relationship with thee Father and he was rewarded by the devil by being tortured in the Chinese communist prison system until his death in 1972. (This is the tolerance that they talk about today!) Anyway, not to get off the topic, our brother wrote tons of good stuff and I thought it would be a good time to share something that he wrote in regards to salvation and a relationship with God through Christ.
Knowledge Being Different from Revelation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke 24:14 And they were talking to each other
concerning all these things which had occurred.
(15) And while they were talking and discussing,
Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
(16) But their eyes were kept from recognizing
Him. (17) And He said to them, What are these
words which you are exchanging with one another
while you are walking? And they stood still,
looking sad. (18) And one of them, Cleopas by
name, answered and said to Him, Do You alone dwell
as a stranger in Jerusalem and not know the things
which have taken place in it in these days?
(25) And He said to them, O foolish and slow of
heart to believe in all that the prophets have
spoken! (26) Was it not necessary for the Christ
to suffer these things and enter into His glory?
(27) And beginning from Moses and from all the
prophets, He explained to them clearly in all the
Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
(28) And they drew near to the village where they
were going, and He acted as though He would go
farther. (29) And they constrained Him, saying,
Stay with us, because it is near evening and the
day is already gone by.
And He went in to stay with them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the Lord's resurrection, two of the
disciples went to Emmaus. On the way they were
talking to each other concerning all the things
which had occurred, that is, about the things
concerning the Lord Jesus which Mary had related.
At that moment, the Lord Jesus Himself drew near
to them. Yet their eyes were kept from recognizing
Him; they did not know the resurrected Lord.
They knew the Jesus who was in the flesh.
But they did not know the Lord who had resurrected.
Resurrection was a mysterious thing to them, and
they could not believe in it.
The Lord conversed with them, taught them, and
clearly explained to them in all the Scriptures
the things concerning Himself, beginning from
Moses and from all the prophets. Yet they still
did not know Him. Although they understood the
teachings of the Scriptures and were touched and
even burning in their hearts, they still did
not know the Lord Jesus. This shows us that
doctrines and revelation are two different things.
They understood the Scriptures, but they did not
know the Lord. They knew the teachings about Christ,
but they did not know Christ.
Luke 24:29 And they constrained Him, saying, Stay
with us, because it is near evening and the day is
already gone by. And He went in to stay with them.
(30) And as He reclined at table with them, He took
the loaf and blessed it, and having broken it, He
began handing it to them. (31) And their eyes were
opened, and they recognized Him; and He disappeared
from them. (32) And they said to one another,
Was not our heart burning within us while He was
speaking to us on the road, while He was opening
to us the Scriptures?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When it was near evening and they [two disciples
of Jesus] were coming close to Emmaus, they
constrained Him to stay with them. As they
reclined at table, Jesus took the loaf and handed
it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they
recognized Him. This shows us clearly that there
are two kinds of knowledge of the Lord. One kind
of knowledge is from the Bible, while the other
kind of knowledge comes when the Lord opens men's
eyes. Some are very familiar with the Scriptures
and can even speak to others about them, but they
do not know the Lord Jesus. Others know not only
the scriptural teachings, but their eyes have
been opened by the Lord and they know the Lord
Jesus also. These are two very different things.
We must realize that Christianity does not have
only the Bible but also personal revelations.
It is true that without the Bible, there would
be no Christianity in the world.
But we have to remember that without revelation,
we do not have a personal Christ.
One problem among God's children is that much
of their knowledge is “transmitted” knowledge;
it is transmitted from one's mouth to another's
ear. One man understands with his mind and
transmits it into another man's ear.
Everything is transmitted, and hence everything
is just a doctrine and teaching. We must remember
that it is useless to have Bible knowledge without
knowing the Lord. The two disciples that were on
the way to Emmaus knew the Scriptures already,
and while the Lord was talking with them and
explaining the Scriptures to them on the way,
their hearts were burning. Yet they still did
not know the Lord. The only true knowledge of
the Lord is inward knowledge.
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