Jesus & "Religion"

Jesus did not build his church on religion, rules and ridiculous traditions. He spoke out against it and it got him killed. When he was dying on the cross he didn't motion someone over and in his last breath say "make sure they wear ties to church, sit in pews, sing hymns, and keep the sinners out". He pissed people off! Religion is alive and well today and it is ugly! The handful of men and woman publicly going against the religious system today receive the majority criticism and attacks from people who call themselves "Christians". It's shameful, we should all be praying for ALL pastors, and being champions of unity.

When I first started getting involved in church I became friends with a couple of guys who were always bad mouthing different aspects of my church and questioned leadership. (Both have left my church and are still critical.) I was a new Christian and a critical person myself so it was hard for me not to fall into that "critical spirit". I didn't understand some of the aspects of "church" but knew that I was in the church God wanted me to be in. I knew that gossip and disunity were sinful in the eyes of God. I remember one particular time I told one of the guys that bad mouthing the bride of Christ was grieving to the holy spirit, his reply was typical of a religious person," show me where it says that in the bible, thats not scriptural"........thats their answer and reply to everything.

Matthew 23:13 (New Living Translation)

¹³ “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.