Deception of religion works havoc on all men, even though all men seek the truest sense of life (Gal. 4:9). Like the water that plunges over the falls, the river of life–the flowing of the grace of God–carries every man to his destiny.  The experiencing of life, which occurs either in the manifestation of grace (1 Cor. 15:10) or the frustration of grace (Gal. 2:21), dictates to man his actions and reactions.  For man is driven from deep within the essence of his being to seek continually the fullest possible expression of life (Luke 17:33).  Whether he understands it or not, every man is on a journey–the journey to Jesus, who is the absolute expression of life for mankind (John 10:10).

Deception of religion breaks through to all men.

Although the journey of life begins with such hope and glory for everyone, it soon turns, quicker for some than others, to despair and shame.  All men eventually struggle with life because there is mystery in finding solutions to the conflicts and challenges of life.  Ironically, it seems man’s pursuit of life itself destroys the life of God already given to him.  Sadly, the deception of religion kills.

This mystery of the deception of religion can be illustrated.  I can say, “My faith is in Jesus.”  However, do I mean, “MY faith is in Jesus?”  Or, do I mean, “My faith is IN Jesus?”  My faith always produces my devotion, my piety, and my worship.  More accurately, my faith only produces my attempt to be more zealous, more holy, and more active to God.  Whereas, being in Jesus, he is always faithful to do what he said he would do.  The faith I experience being in Jesus is actually the faithfulness of God.

Deception of religion is the mystery of experiencing life.

After sixty years of religious pursuits, I now see the error of my ways.  I can express it only by saying that in some way Jesus broke through to me and arrested me even in my religious pursuits.  I am now continually being saved because God is continually conquering and delivering me.

As a result of this rescue of my life, I now see Jesus more distinctly as “. . . the way, the truth, and the life.”  This redemptive miracle is simply the faithless now experiences faith.  His faithfulness, his glory, and his life are being reflected in me.  I experience Christ, therefore, I am.

Deception of religion is only defeated in Jesus Christ.

The successful achieving of this journey to the good life is uniquely Christian.  It is intricately involved in the experiencing of Jesus Christ.  In other words, the emphasis of life is actually upon the learning process rather than what is being learned.  This is not to say that what is being learned or being experienced is not important.  Rather, it implies that how one learns and how one is experiencing life is more important.

Mysteriously, the process of the learning experience itself is the essence of life.  When one stops learning he begins to die, even though he may now have a vast resource of things that have been learned.  Incredibly, tragically, it has always been the people of God, the people who have once experienced God and learned about him who eventually experience death to the good life.

This booklet is written to examine how the deception of religions destroys the abundant life that is in Christ.

If you desire Deception of Religion (15 pages) immediately downloaded to your computer, please click the above “Add to Cart.”

Preface

One of the early followers of Jesus stated, man has the “… treasure [life in Christ] in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power [the capability to produce life] may be of God, and not of [man]” (2 Cor. 4:7). The power to produce life never becomes an attribute of the vessel. It always remains with the Source of Life, the Treasure within the vessel.

Unfortunately, since the time of the inception of wickedness into that which was good, creation has attempted to live life in what has been learned or experienced. In other words, the vessel experiencing the attributes of life from the Treasure attempts to live life in those attributes themselves, forsaking the One who has produced the attributes. Experiencing the forbidden fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” man has become trapped in the knowledge of having experienced abundant life but is now unable to reproduce it. At best, he has learned to cope with his plight to produce a somewhat stable society and to prevent total insanity. At worst, he has become a raving lunatic.

Thus, salvation for man is the journey back from the various regions of insanity to complete mental control by the Spirit. It is a journey back to life in the Treasure, Jesus Christ, as opposed to the attempt to find life in what has been produced by Jesus. It is a journey back to life in the Spirit and away from the deception of religion.

Moreover, the journey back is a continual struggle because man, once experiencing “the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” simply does not want to give up his perception that he is a “god” (Gen. 3:22). He has become self-centered (taking one’s own creatureliness to be the center, object, and norm of all experience) rather than Creator-centered: “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Rom. 1:24,25).

The booklet will cover such topics as:

“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Jesus and Religion
True Religion
Definition of Religion
False Religion
Religion Kills
Failure of Religion
Religious Death
Hope of Salvation
Jesus Living through Me

Man earns his hells, the wages of lost innocence; however, he does not merit his heavens.

This booklet is an endeavor to tell the story of my journey back to Jesus Christ. It is a story of my movement back to a more godly way of life. It is a record of my need to die continually to my self-centeredness and truly become God-centered.

Immediate Download

If you desire Deception of Religion: What the Bible Says About Religion That Kills immediately downloaded to your computer (15 pages), click on the above “Choose an option” and choose “Instant Download Written Book.” Then, click “Add to Cart.”

Regular Mail Printed Book

If you desire Deception of Religion: What the Bible Says About Religion That Kills to be sent to your home by regular mail (15 pages), click on the above “Choose an option” and choose “Regular Mail Written Book.” Then, click “Add to Cart.”