Religion is a corpse on the side of the road, propped up in the form of a building, designed and engineered by the hands of undertakers to make it look good and inviting, even though its chambers are for the dead and for the dying. For even undertakers can make dead people look better in their coffins than they looked while they were living.
Christ is not there, He is risen: Why seek ye the living among the dead? (Luke 24: 5)
The church of Jesus Christ is for the living, and not a tomb for the dead.
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. (John 11: 2-4)
By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days, and all of the people were weeping and mourning the death of Lazarus. Bethany had become a funeral parlor.
At the tomb of Lazarus, however, Jesus said, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes; and his face was bound with a napkin, Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. (John 11: 43-44)
Therefore being born of a woman, all of us are born into this world separated from God, and we are citizens of this world and all of its systems, including the system of religion.
Like Lazarus, people are sick, or dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2: 1) Spiritually speaking, we are as walking dead people, separated from God.
Etched within the minds of people is the knowledge of a place called hell. None of us want to go there. For there is something people fear about this place called hell, and for a good reason: hell is the place of torment, pain, and punishment. Therefore to avoid hell, we seek religion, and we seek the words of the undertakers to provide us with a way to escape hell. If we are near death, we seek their words of comfort and assurance that our journey beyond the grave will be in paradise, or heaven, and not in hell---while not knowing that the undertakers are ministers of Satan.
Bethany was the city where sick people went to die. Lazarus was in Bethany because he was sick, and there he died and was placed in a tomb.
The resurrection of Lazarus is a "picture" of salvation that we have in Christ the Lord. For we are in a tomb, dead in trespasses and sin. When Christ offers us salvation, he is offering us resurrection from spiritual death. If we accept His offer, we will arise out of spiritual darkness and walk in the light of the Lord: for now we are citizens of heaven even though we are still on this earth. Our fellowship with this world is thus broken and our fellowship is now with Christ.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5: 17)
When Jesus said, Loose him, and let him go, the Lord is saying to the devil, loose him, and let him go. For the devil no longer has his grip on us when we come to accept the Lord for salvation.
And now that our fellowship is with Christ, we no longer need to visit the undertakers, nor to visit the tomb of religion. No longer are we unwell.
The church of Jesus Christ is alive and doing well because Christ is alive and doing well!
Christ is not there, He is risen: Why seek ye the living among the dead? (Luke 24: 5)
The church of Jesus Christ is for the living, and not a tomb for the dead.
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. (John 11: 2-4)
By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days, and all of the people were weeping and mourning the death of Lazarus. Bethany had become a funeral parlor.
At the tomb of Lazarus, however, Jesus said, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes; and his face was bound with a napkin, Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. (John 11: 43-44)
Therefore being born of a woman, all of us are born into this world separated from God, and we are citizens of this world and all of its systems, including the system of religion.
Like Lazarus, people are sick, or dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2: 1) Spiritually speaking, we are as walking dead people, separated from God.
Etched within the minds of people is the knowledge of a place called hell. None of us want to go there. For there is something people fear about this place called hell, and for a good reason: hell is the place of torment, pain, and punishment. Therefore to avoid hell, we seek religion, and we seek the words of the undertakers to provide us with a way to escape hell. If we are near death, we seek their words of comfort and assurance that our journey beyond the grave will be in paradise, or heaven, and not in hell---while not knowing that the undertakers are ministers of Satan.
Bethany was the city where sick people went to die. Lazarus was in Bethany because he was sick, and there he died and was placed in a tomb.
The resurrection of Lazarus is a "picture" of salvation that we have in Christ the Lord. For we are in a tomb, dead in trespasses and sin. When Christ offers us salvation, he is offering us resurrection from spiritual death. If we accept His offer, we will arise out of spiritual darkness and walk in the light of the Lord: for now we are citizens of heaven even though we are still on this earth. Our fellowship with this world is thus broken and our fellowship is now with Christ.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5: 17)
When Jesus said, Loose him, and let him go, the Lord is saying to the devil, loose him, and let him go. For the devil no longer has his grip on us when we come to accept the Lord for salvation.
And now that our fellowship is with Christ, we no longer need to visit the undertakers, nor to visit the tomb of religion. No longer are we unwell.
The church of Jesus Christ is alive and doing well because Christ is alive and doing well!
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