AWESTRUCK

   During the lifetime of Jesus, the Roman Empire occupied Israel and the Israelites were slaves to Caesar. 
   During the lifetime of Jesus, the Lord never addressed the issue of Rome, for Rome was not the centerpiece of His message, nor of His mission; therefore, Jesus never talked about the horror story that abided in Rome.  Jesus never made Rome's corrupted politics and religion one of His major talking points.  About the most attention Christ made to Rome was when He said:  Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.  (Mark 12: 17)
   Jesus was not awestruck by Rome.  Jesus was not impressed at Rome's pride, pomp, and luxurious splendor, nor of Rome's enslavement of people. 
   Jesus did not arrive in Israel to deliver people from the power of Rome; instead, Jesus came to earth to deliver people from the clutches of Satan. 
   As it is written, He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  (I John 3: 8) 
  For it was not Rome that had power over people; rather, it was the devil, working through the minds of the Romans, that had power over people; and Caesar was simply a pawn in the hands of Satan. Thus, instead of fearing God, people feared Caesar.  And because Caesar had the minds of people, he also had their will:  because people were awestruck by Rome and by Caesar. 
   Today, people throughout the world are awestruck by Rome just as they were awestruck 2000 years ago.  The news organizations of the world have the attention of people on Rome through the media of television, newspapers, magazines, and radio.  These organizations are not focused on Rome to see what Rome will say about Christ, but rather that people will see and hear the new Caesar!  And just as the devil was the unseen power of Rome 2000 years ago, the same devil has the unseen power in Rome today. 
   In the future, Rome will fall; and when she falls, people will again be awestruck.
   How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her:  for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city!  for in one hour is thy judgment come.  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!  (Revelation 18: 8, 9, 10, 16-18)
   And on this day that we call Easter Sunday, let us therefore be awestruck by the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
  
  

THE LOVE OF GOD

   Jesus brought the love of God to earth
      to reveal to us what we can be
   with the love of God in us.

   Religion is the absence of Christ
      which also means
   that religion is the absence
      of the love of God.
  
   Religion is the place where people are led to believe that they are in a tower that can reach heaven---and by-pass Almighty God.
   At the tower of Babel in ancient Babylon, Nimrod and his people were building such a tower, and this system in Babylon was transported by people and delivered to nations all over the world, so that---up to this very day---people still gather in towers, believing that they can reach heaven and by-pass Almighty God.  This is the reason people believe there are many ways to heaven because man has created many religions---or towers---that operate the same way as the tower of Nimrod.
   In ancient Babylon, the ministers of Nimrod were the priests of Baal, who represented Satan.  So it is today:  the ministers of man's religions are the priests of Satan, and they are teaching people that they can get to heaven and by-pass Almighty God.
   And in Jerusalem 2000 years ago, the priests of Satan arose and killed Jesus---believing that if they killed Jesus they would put an end to Emmanuel:  God with us.  They did not know, nor believe, however, that Emmanuel would arise from death.  Neither did they know that more people would come to believe in Chrsit after the Lord's resurrection than before Christ's death on a cross.  This is the reason people of religion have been at war with Christians up to this present day:  because this war is against Christ, which is against the love of God.
   For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned:  but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  (John 3:  17-18)
   For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.  (Jeremiah 29: 11)
  
   Jesus brought the love of God to earth
      to reveal to us what we can be
   with the love of God in us.
     

 

A SIMPLE PLEA

   Today, we are living in a world that is under the influence of the religious-political system of ancient Babylon, for it was in Babylon at the tower of Babel where Nimrod established the first organized system of religion and politics:  a system that was totally against God as well as against the people who believed in God.
   Babylon is the womb for all of man's religions because Nimrod planted a seed of corruption that became a tree whose branches of evil have spread all over the world. 
   Thus, we are living in a world with corrupted religions, corrupted governments, human traffiking, prostitution, pedophillia, pornography, drugs, witchcraft, sorcery, voodoo, the worship of the sun, moon, stars, planets, and the worship of things of the earth as idols of wood and stone as well as photographs and portraits, Satanism and Luciferianism, human sacrifices, and with certain religious leaders considered to be gods upon the earth.  For all of these elements of evil existed in ancient Babylon. 
   Yet amid this tidal wave of evil that circles the earth, there remains many, many people who believe in Almighty God and the Lord Jesus Christ!
   As stated before, Jesus did not come to earth to launch a new religion.  He came to redeem us from our sins, which also includes saving us out of the corruption from religion. 
   The Bible tells us that Babylon is:
      THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
   Which is to say that Babylon is the womb for all of man's religions, and man's religions are the same as harlots. 
   Which is why Jesus pleads for us in Revelation 1: 4-5):
      Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

A NO-BRAINER

   By reading and studying the Holy Bible, the Lord enables us to clearly see and understand that Jesus did not come to earth to launch a new religion.  He never did that.
   The New Testament of the Holy Bible is all about Jesus.  The New Testament is not about the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church of Rome, Protestantism, Mormonism, nor any other ism known to man. 
  As the New Testament makes clear, Jesus is above all principalities, kingdoms, religions, and governments of man.  Jesus is a Prophet, Priest, and King.  Jesus is Almighty God and the Creator of the universe.  Why, then, would Jesus need a human principality, a human kingdom, a human government, or a human religion?  As far away and above man that Jesus is, He still remains only a breath away. 
   Knowing this, we can also believe that Jesus is not Catholic, nor is Jesus the founding father of the Catholic Church of Rome. 
   Neither did Jesus appoint Peter to be the first pope of the Catholic Church.  Peter was a Jew, and in the lifetime of Peter, Jews for Jesus were not welcome in Rome, nor in any province of the Roman Empire.  For this matter, neither were Gentiles for Jesus welcome in Rome, nor in any Roman province. 
   Jesus never said that His mother, Mary, would be be the Blessed Virgin, nor the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. 
   Jesus never said that men can forgive sins. 
   Jesus never instituted infant baptism. 
   Jesus never said that people should pray to the souls of dead people. 
   To believe in God by faith, man must stop believing in man; for if man's faith is in himself, he will also have his faith in other men:  and in the religious systems invented by men.  In so doing, man believes that he is wiser than God, and that he has, in his arrogant way, pulled the wool over the eyes of God.  And with man engrafted to his religion, he believes that he is building his own tower to heaven, just like Nimrod attempted to do at the tower of Babel in Babylon. 
   When God created us, He made in us a brain that is capable of understanding Him.  Knowing God, therefore, is a no-brainer.  But if we use our brains without wanting to know God, what are we doing here?  What are we accomplishing?  And when our days of living are over, what will we say to God?
   Please remember:  heaven belongs to God.  And if we believe we can enter God's heaven without God's permission, we are the same as thieves and robbers, and trespassers on holy ground.  For if people do not want a relationship with God in this life, why would they want to be with God in heaven? 
   In truth, religion is a place of misery.  There is no joy, no excitement, no laughter, no fun.  No wonder people are bored in religion because it has no life.  Religion is like a morgue, or a funeral home, for it is the place for the living dead, and the place where mortitians are preparing people to die. 

BEYOND BABYLON

   The institution of religion began in ancient Babylon under the leadership of Nimrod and his wicked mother, Semiramis, and all of the teachings that were introduced at the tower of Babel have remained religious practices throughout human history, even to this present day. 
   Let us begin with a practice that is common knowledge in the world today, which is infant baptism.
   Infant baptism began in ancient Babylon when the priests of Baal washed babies before presenting them as human sacrifices on the altar of Baal, the sun god, and babies were burned alive.  The people were told that this rite of baptism was for the salvation of the babies and that the babies would go to heaven. 

   Today, people are told that infant baptism is for the salvation of the soul, and if people---even as adults---will submit themselves to baptism by water, their souls will be saved for heaven.  
   If we will honestly consider all of the evidence of ancient Babylon, we will clearly see and understand that the religion of Nimrod never went away, never vanished from the earth; instead, those practices have survived across thousands of years and remain in man's religions today, even within Christianity because of the power of Satan's deception.
   Nimrod hated God and he also hated the people who believed in God.  The Bible describes Nimrod as a "mighty hunter" because Nimrod was a hunter of people.  He hunted people to enslave them in his system:  not only to work for him, but also to convert their minds to his religion.  Nimrod also hunted people to become human sacrifices:  to be burned in the fire at the altar of Baal.
   Nimrod introduced sun worship:  that the sun is the giver of life, but also the father of heaven.  And sun worship exists even today.  When Nimrod died, his mother said Nimrod went to reign with his father, the sun.  When Nimrod's mother gave birth to a baby boy, Tammuz, she also said that Tammuz was resurrected after his death to reign with his father, Nimrod, along with the sun, thereby creating an unholy trinity with father, son, and son of god. 
   When Semiramis died, she became the moon goddess along with the title "mother of god and queen of heaven".  And now with the sun god, her son Tammuz, and herself, another unholy trinity was invented---as Nimrod became virtually forgotten. 
   Centuries later, however, all of the religious elements of ancient Babylon arose again in Rome within a new religion, Roman Catholicism.  But Catholicism was nothing new:  it was a reincarnation of something old from ancient Babylon with a new name and in a new place, for it only appeared to be something new:  just as infant baptism was reintroduced as if it was something new. 
   In ancient Babylon, Satan was given a place in which to hide in the Babylonian religious system, and the priests of Baal, in reality, were the priests of Satan.  Satan wants adults and babies to die, and the priests of Baal killed adults, children, and babies. 

  Thus, the popes of Rome became as Nimrod---hunters of people throughout the provinces of the Roman Empire.  They hunted people to enslave them in Rome's religious system and to convert the minds of people to Roman Catholicism, thereby making people slaves to religion.  As for the people who refused to believe in this Roman way, however, they were considered to be infidels, which meant they must die, just as Nimrod killed people in ancient Babylon. 
   Hiding behind the banner of Christianity, the Catholic Church emerged as an institution for the confusion of nations:  teaching people that they must be Catholic in order to be Christain; teaching infant baptism; teaching that priests can forgive sins; and incorporating witchcraft and sorcery as methods of casting spells on the minds of people.  Thus the Catholic Church, just like Babylon, became a snare in which to trap people and to hold them captive all the days of their lives---until the day they died---without ever knowing the truth of Jesus Christ; for even Jesus became part of the disguise of pagan Catholicism.  And the pope, like Nimrod, became a god-man.
      And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pears, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
   The blueprint of modern Babylon was written by Nimrod, his mother, and the priests of Baal at the tower of Babel in ancient Babylon, which is Satanism. 
   Today, we are surrounded and engulfed in these Satanic rites and rituals throughout the world.  But because of the grace of God, the Lord gives us a plea:
      Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.  (Revelation 18: 4)

  
  

MAN WITHOUT GOD

   A man without God is a god unto himself. 
   As such, his greatest desire is for himself, and his greatest pleasure is for himself.
   As a god, he wants to be served and not to serve others. 
   He wants attention, he wants praise, and he will do whatever he must do to get both.
   He wants to be noticed first, seated first, served first. 
   He wants to ride in the chariot and not walk on the ground.
   He wants to sit in the big chair, the high chair, the oval office, and on the king's throne.
   He wants maids and butlers to clean his clothes, clean his house, and polish his shoes.
   As a god, it is natural for him to control and dominate others.  He likes that.  He likes being in charge and being in control.  He likes being boss and bossy.  In his own mind, he believes that others should naturally do as he says do.  If he does not like the rules of life or the rules of games, he changes the rules to fit himself because, as a god, he has executive privilege. 
   As a god, he will get angry if he does not get his way, or get what he wants. 
   If you disagree with him, watch out.  He will puff and he will huff, and he will stomp the ground.  Yes, he will!
   As a god unto himself, a man without God does not want God in his life although there is something about religion that a man without God likes because religion is all about man and not about God; and in religion the man can still be god:  for his external behaviour is the same as his internal attitude. 
   A man without God is like a roaring lion, never satisfied; unleashed and untamed.
   Let us not forget that every religious and political empire throughout human history has been the work of a roaring lion:   a man without God. 
      AGAIN there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.  And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou?  And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.  (Job 2: 1-2)
  
  

EMMANUEL

   The name Emmanuel means "God with us".
   To believe that Jesus is Emmanuel, we can also believe that God is not out to get us, but rather God is out to be with us. 
   God is not out to crush us, nor to destroy us, but rather to uphold us and lift us out of unbelief. 
   Like Abraham, God wants to be our friend. 
   Jesus came into this world to redeem us with God by the shedding of His own blood. 
   God wants to be part of our daily lives in all of the days we live upon the earth.  God wants to be included in our families, in our homes, as we work and as we play.  He wants to help us to be better children, better parents, better employers and employers, and to help us in our creativity to create things that are good for us. 
   God also wants to prepare us for life beyond the grave and to be with Him in Heaven. 
   Religion, however, is not Emmanuel because religion is the place to hide from the face of God:  while God, on the other hand, wants us to come out of religion and walk with Him.
   Religion is darkness and Christ is Light; therefore, to know Christ, come out of the darkness.
   The life we live now is simply a prelude of eternal life that is to come.   If we accept Christ in this world, we will be with Him in the eternal; but if we reject Him, we will be without Him in the eternal. 
   Please remember:  Jesus did not come into this world to launch a new religion.  He came to be Emmanuel:  God with us. 

A PLACE TO HIDE

   Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel, and there came a day when Cain arose and murdered his brother, Abel.  When confronted by God, Cain had no remorse, no guilt, and no shame for killing his brother.  In his own mind, Cain was justified for his action.
   Cain's murder of his brother is the first recorded homicide in human history, and from following the example as set forth by Cain, man would arise to become the most violent creature the earth has ever known; for even animals are tame and domesticated when compared to the violence of man.
   Since Cain, the killing of humans by humans has never slowed down, never stopped.
   Cain did not have a religion in which to flee; instead, he was confronted by Almighty God, and God issued His judgement of Cain's decision and for Cain's behaviour. 
   After Cain---as history accurately demonstrates---men began to create religions as places to hide from the face of God. 
   In religion, man could be whatever man wanted to be.  Thus, man created his own god of worship as well as gods and goddesses.  Man wrote his own religious laws as well as instituted his own system of rituals and rites.
   Religion is all about man---of himself, by himself, and for himself---a place where man can go to get away from God, and a place that can also include human sacrifices---or the murder of innocent people---with the self-justification that certain people should die---and a place where man, like Cain, will not feel any remorse, or guilt, or shame for his decision and for his behaviour.  For if religious man can justify murder, what else will man do in his defiance of Almighty God?
   Man created religions as places to hide from the face of God, but man also created religions as places in which he can control and dominate the lives of people.  Cain could not control and dominate his brother, so he murdered him.  And if man in his religions cannot control and dominate people, innocent people will die at the hands of evil people.  Beyond this, many people any are captured for the express purpose of ritual killings, or ritual sacrifices to the gods of man.
   This has been the history of man's religions upon the earth ever since Cain, and in Jerusalem just over 2000 years ago, evil men of religion---with the mind of Cain---arose to kill Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  And since the time of Jesus, religious men have continued to kill innocent people all over the earth---especially the people who believe in Christ. 
   Today, religion is the same as religion has always been:  a place to hide from the face of God. 
  

A NEW BEGINNING

   Today, try something that is new, that is different, and that is totally refreshing.
   Today, stop looking at Jesus through the eyes of religion.
   Today, stop looking at Jesus through the eyes of a minister, pastor, preacher, priest, or pope.
   Today, stop believing everything you have ever heard about Jesus and conduct your own research project. 
   The best place to begin this new endeavor is to read the four gospels of the New Testament and simply read about the life of Christ.  Look at His life, look at the places he traveled, the deeds he did, and the people he met.  Read the words that are written about him, read the words that were spoken to him by others, and read the words he spoke to others. 
   Other than the New Testament, you can also go on the internet and read commentaries by biblical scholars, teachers, and theologians---people who have spent decades in search of learning more and exposing more about Jesus. 
   Try this and you will look at the face of Jesus with new light, with new understanding, and with the satisfaction of knowing that you actually knew so little about Him before you began your own research. 
   When finished, you will not need religion to tell you about Jesus.  You will not need others to tell you what to believe, or, what not to believe about Jesus. 
   When finished, you will know the truth; and with this truth, you will see the face of Jesus that you have never seen before, which will lead to a new beginning in your life. 
  

FAKE CHRISTIANITY

   Fake Christianity is a Christian church or a Christian religion that positions itself to appear as Christian, even though it is not Christian.
   Fake Christianity is based on sights and sounds, not by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
   Fake Christianity requires a human leader, and the people are required to follow the leader.  When the leader stands, the people stand.  When the leader sits, the people sit.  When the leader kneels and prays and says Amen, the people do likewise.  When the leader arises to leave the building, the people leave the building.  And when the leader of fake Christianity dies, the people wait for a new leader to be installed; for without a human leader to follow, the people have no faith. 
   Fake Christianity is psychological religion:  it is a belief system of the mind, not of the heart.
   Fake Christianity is Christianity by perception:  a system based on sights and sounds, a psychological religion, and a system of deception because people are deceived by their own perceptions. 
   Fake Christianity is not real, but the people believe that the system is real because they believe in sights and sounds, and they also believe it is real because they are following a human leader, in whom is their faith.  If the sights and sounds and leader are removed, they have nothing. 
   Fake Christianity is all about deception:  a system that deceives people to believe in its way, its method, and its message, but also a system that convinces people that they are Christians without ever having their faith in Christ alone. 
   Where is Christ in fake Christianity?  The Lord is not there because the Lord is not supposed to be the centerpiece of worship.  The Lord is no more that a cameo:  a brief appearance or depiction, but not a relationship with Christ alone.
   Fake Christianity is about a mental conversion, but not a conversion of the heart. 
   Fake Christianity is an invention of deceivers:  people who have no faith in Christ.  But in their appearance they appear to be Christian in order to prevent people from having true faith in Jesus Christ. 
   The deceivers of fake Christianity are, in reality, messengers and ministers of Satan.  And just as Satan is the master of deception, so are his messengers and ministers. 
   As such, people of fake Christianity become fake Christians.   And having been deceived by their own perceptions, they do not even know that they are fake Christians. 
      For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.  (II Corinthians 11: 13-15)
  

WISHFUL THINKING

   Santa Claus produces a world of wishful thinking in the imaginations of children, and religion also produces a world of wishful thinking in the imaginations of children.
   To believe that all roads lead to Rome is also to believe that all religions lead to heaven:  neither of which is true, but people believe in both concepts nevertheless.
   Socialist Karl Marx believed that "religion is the opium of people".
   Karl Marx understood the power that religion has over people, he knew that religion is a form of mind control, and he understood that if you can control religion you can control the world:  so much so that he called religion opium, which is a drug; therefore, it is easy to understand that religion operates in the minds of people just like a drug. 
   As for believing in Santa Claus, children eventually grow up, they mature, and they stop believing in the childish nonsense of Santa Claus.
   Unlike Santa Claus, however, children of religion never grow up, they never mature, and they never stop believing in the childish nonsense of religion; instead, they remain as little children all the days of their lives.
   Religion is an institution, the place where converts become convicts. 
   In prison, people have lost their freedom; in religion, people have lost their freedom.
   Prisons are governed by men, and so are religions. 
   Prisons have laws, and so do religions. 
   In prisons, people with good behaviour are rewarded; in religions, people with good behaviour are rewarded.
   In prisons, people with bad behaviour are punished; in religions, people with bad behaviour are punished. 
   Prisons have the power to issue death sentences; so do religions. 
   In prisons, grace and mercy must be earned; in religions, grace and mercy must be earned.
   As easy as it is to persuade little minds to believe in Santa Claus, it is just as easy to persuade little minds to believe in religion---especially if little minds receive a steady injection of the opium of fear:  the fear of losing heaven, and also the fear of being sent to the pit. 
   Fear works.  Fear binds and ties the minds of little children in religious knots and they can easily become prisoners for life.
  Once inside the institution of religion, the doors are closed.  There are no windows.  Darkness prevails.  The walls are thick.  They are designed to prevent the Light of Christ from shining in darkness, to reach the hearts of the captives, and to set them free from the shackles of spiritual slavery to the gods and goddesses of the imaginations of unholy men who appear to be holy. 
   Religion is therefore the greatest institution of deception ever created out of the imaginations of sinful men, and the place where people abide in a world of wishful thinking:  the place where people follow the leader, and the leader is not Almighty God. 
      Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
   To know God, come out of religion---and close the door behind you.  For God will not enter the unholy world of man's religions. 
  
  

TURNING POINT

   The cross of Jesus is the most recognized symbol of all symbols throughout human history, and His death is known by more people than the death of any person. 
   The cross of Jesus is not only a reminder of His death, but the cross is also a reminder of His resurrection.
   After the crucifixion of Jesus, people began to believe on His name:  not only because of His death, but also because they believed that He was alive!
   People began to depart from Jerusalem to tell the world the story of Jesus:  not only because of His death, but also because they believed that He is alive! 
   Men wrote the New Testament of the Bible:  not only because of the birth and death of Jesus, but also because they believed that Jesus is alive!
   Over the past 2000 years, men have murdered Christians:  not because the Christians believed that Jesus was dead, but they were murdered because they believed that Jesus is alive!
   The cross of Jesus became a turning point in human history as people began to turn toward Jesus, or they continued to turn away. 
   When people see the cross today, they are reminded of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which places their feet at the turning point:  the point where they will turn toward Jesus, or the point where they will continue to turn away from Him. 
   Today, millions of Christians worldwide are continuing to teach and preach, sing and write about Jesus:  not only because we believe that Jesus died, but also because we believe that Jesus is alive!
   Furthermore, we believe in the same cross, the same death, and the same resurrection of Jesus Christ as believers believed 2000 years ago:  that Jesus is alive!

WITHOUT NATURAL AFFECTION

   Beware of people without true feelings.
   Their laughter is forced, not natural, and they rarely laugh at all.
   They have no need for humor.
   Seldom do they grin, but they can constantly grin in the presence of certain people, or in front of cameras.  They can also grin when they feel they are the center of attraction. 
   Their anger is under their control because they do not want others to know that they have issues that have caused them internal pain and discomfort, but they can display anger in subtle ways, or in a controlled environment, or among limited people.
   They do not like to engage in controversial issues because they do not want others to know what they stand for, or stand against.
   They can be devoutly religious people even though they do not like to discuss spiritual matters, especially if the topic is about God, or Jesus, or the Bible. 
   They do not like confrontation, and they do not like to be told that they are wrong about anything.
   They like attention and the praise of others:  they want others to know about their good deeds.
   They do not reach out to others, but they relish the moment when others reach out to them because this helps them to believe that they are important. 
   They do not make friendships easily; in fact, they have few friends:  and most of their friends are members of their own families, or people in agreement them.
   They are control freaks.  They control the time when they gather with others, the games they play, and even their choice of restaurants. 
   They are usually the first to speak, which is their way to gain control.
   They are not leaders and neither are they followers because they have their own and private agenda; therefore, they manipulate because they believe they are important, that their way is the only way, and to agree with them is to be under their control. 
   They have no natural affection because they are self-serving. 
   Without natural affection, they do not rejoice in the success or achievements of others.
   Without natural affection, they are not disciples of their own religion:  yet they want others to know that they are religious.
   Without natural affection, they are masters of deception:  speaking from their heads and not from their hearts.  As such, they are masters of political platforms and religious pulpits. 
   Without natural affection also means:  unnatural affection.  They are without true feelings.  In their world, the only thing that is real is that which is within their own minds.  They are under a form of mind control and therefore their actions are robotic and in accordance to their program.  Thus they are detached from their own emotions or feelings, and all of their actions are superficial. Their decisions have been made for them.  They follow men. 
   Without natural affection also means:  no tears.  And without the shedding of tears, there is no humility as well as the absence of natural affection. 
   As evidence, when was the last time you saw tears openly flowing from the eyes of poets, philosophers, politicians, presidents, preachers, priests, popes, rabbis, or spiritual gurus?
   Without Christ, it is impossible for people to know the love of God; for without the love of God, people are without natural affection.  And to deny Christ is also to deny Almighty God.
      He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  (1 John 5:12)
     

     
  

A WORLD WITHOUT CHRIST

   Without the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, think about world history over the past 2000 years.  Think about the blank pages of history books. 
   Without Christ, the New Testament of the Holy Bible would have not been written because there would have never been the story of Jesus to tell; therefore, we would have never heard about Joseph and Mary of Nazareth, nor of the disciples and apostles of Christ.  We would have never heard about the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus would not have been there to preach.  John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea would have never been known.  Neither would we know about Doubting Thomas because Thomas would not have had Jesus to doubt. 
   The Day of Pentecost would have never happened without Christ, and neither would we have ever had the holy days and holidays of Christmas and Easter.
   The Christian movement in Jerusalem would have never begun had it not been for Christ, and there would have never been a Protestant Reformation, nor the need for a Christian church.
   Without Christ, the King James Version of the Holy Bible would have never been published, slavery in the United States would have continued, the Constitution of the United States would have never been written, and Christian churches across America would have never been built.
   Without Christ, people throughout the world would have continued to live under the domination and control of religion and politics, and people would have continued to live as slaves---never knowing freedom, never owning property, and never knowing education.
   Without Christ, Christian songs and music would haver never been written, and there would have never been the need for a preacher. 
   Without Christ, freedom of the United States would have never happened and people would have never created companies and corporations, and there would have never been the need for banks or financial institutions because people would have never been allowed to be in control of their own money. 
   Without Christ, all of our choices today would be made for us by people in religion and politics:  as if the Roman Empire never ended. 
   The ideology of the New World Order today (or globalization) is to return the world to the days of the Roman Empire:  to reproduce the glory days of Rome, which is to control and dominate the world through politics and religion, and to reproduce a world without Christ:  when no person will be free.
   As you think about world history over the past 2000 years, when you think about all that has happened because of Christ, think about the future of the world without Him:  because Jesus Christ is the most important person the world has ever known. 
           It is impossible to think
             without thinking about Jesus Christ;
           for there is something about His name
              that is impossible to forget.
 

FUTURE FREEDOM

   Let not your heart be troubled:  ye believe in God, believe also in me.
   In my Father's house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.
   And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (John 14: 1-3)

   Because of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the world has been a better place in which to live over the past 2000 years. 
   Without Christ, the freedom of this nation or any nation would have never happened, and the past twenty centuries would have been a continuous world of darkness---of doom and gloom, hopelessness and helplessness, and a world of continuous slavery by the hands of people in religion and politics.
   The Constitution of the United States marked the first time since Jesus walked on earth when Christians were legally free to be Christians.  And because of the freedom of people in the United States, people of other nations also became free. 
   This freedom that we have had and continue to have is not free; for the cost has been paid by the sacrifice of human blood.  People became free because they were willing to stand up and speak up, and also because they were willing to suffer so that others could be free. 
   Today, if we are to have future freedom, we must be willing to stand up and speak up, and we must be willing to suffer---even to the point of giving our own blood. 
   If freedom is not worth fighting for, it is not worth dying for.  And if we are not willing to fight and struggle for continued freedom, we will allow our children and grand-children to become slaves to man's evil ways, and the world will plunge into a world of darkness.
   The future freedom of this nation or any nation is in the hands of the people.  As long as we are willing to stand up and speak up, freedom will continue to exist; but if we sit down and shut up, we will lose it.  And if we forget the cost of freedom, we will also forget our children and grand-children.
   Our faith, therefore, must not be in ourselves, but in Almighty God---and always remembering that Christ gave His blood and His life that we would be free. 

ONLY GOD

   Only God can convince people that God is real and that He is eternal.
   Only God can convince people He created the universe, the earth, and all things living upon the earth.
   Only God can convince people that the Holy Bible is the Word of the Lord, and that the Bible is a book about God's relationship with people. 
   Only God can convince people that Christ is the only begotten Son of God, that Christ is the Light of the world, and, without Christ, the world would be a world of darkness.
   Only God can convince people that He is love, and, without Him, there would be no love upon the earth.
   Only God can convince people the difference between truth and lies, right from wrong, and love from hate.
   Only God can convince people that the messengers of Christ are voices of truth. 
   Only God can convince people that, without Him, there would be no life upon the earth, no love, no truth, and no light.