SAVING FAITH IS NOT IN RELIGIOUS PARAPHERNALIA
July 27, 2023
By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi
John 6:53 KJV “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
John 6:63, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
Over 60% of Jesus' followers walked out on Him because He said that our spirit, not our flesh, is where our life comes from. This is the meaning of the holy communion. The disciples described it as hard sayings because it was contrary to what religion teaches. They had a carnal approach in their pursuit of God's righteousness. It involved ritualistic animal sacrifices and cleansing which they have been practicing for forty-two generations (Matt 1:17) ;it was over a thousand years of going through the motions. They failed to understand that longevity does not translate to authenticity. An error does not translate into truth through the passage of time, the fact that something has been practiced for a very long period of time does not make it right .Corruption has been practiced for long that does not make it right, does it ?
The carnal worship of God: through the use of religious paraphernalia (bowing to moulded images , carrying pictures of preachers , church stickers, wrist bands, olive oil, communion wine, holy water , coconut, banana etc) cannot bring about a positive change in the life of those who use them; they only make a person proud and serve as a smokescreen for many to indulge in shameful deeds: this is a major reason behind many failed marriages, bad governance and poor businesses.. In Christ our deeds are exposed thus giving room for true healing. You cannot heal a concealed wound .
Therefore, when Jesus said He was indispensable to them (just as food is to the human body) in their quest for true salvation, these religious folks became agitated because this kind of doctrine invalidates what they have grown to accept as a true way of life. Rejecting truth leads to a life without peace .This is evident in many religious homes :lack of peace and strife in families is the effect of practicing man-made religion with there various paraphernalia.
The born again experience is a life-changing experience :it cannot be faked. It is emotional, intellectual, argumentative, intuitive and undeniable . Lives are transformed for the good through this life transformation process where Jesus Christ exchanges your old life for His :resulting in a loss of appetite for the old ways.
Many persons have actually been freed from their addictions to destructive tendencies after receiving God’s word into their hearts. They received a new kind of consciousness of righteousness, peace and joy. This new consciousness generates integrity, dignity, peace and virtuous living.
The word of God is of no benefit to the carnally minded ; that is why a lot of persons claim they cannot comprehend the bible. The bible is a physical container carrying the truth of God’s word. This truth can only be deciphered in the human Spirit by the power of the Holy Ghost. Every letter in the bible was inspired by the Holy Ghost and is spirit and life (2Pet 1:21). When we receive the word , it comes alive in our hearts and gives us the ability to live according to God’s will. That is why before Satan destroys a Christian, he will induce him or her to reject the sound teachings of God’s word through an unhealthy
pursuit of money, social influence, love ,sex, food etc (Hosea 4:6, 1peter2:1, 1john2:16, James1:14) but when we turn to the Word, we are quickened (made alive, vitalized) by the Holy Spirit to accomplish great things and live a robust victorious life to the glory of the Father.
Prayer : Heavenly Father forgive me of my sins against you I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation I receive him as lord and saviour and receive the Holy Spirit and grace for a glorious life in Jesus name.
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Email: michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
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