Our Road Map To Freedom!

On Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 8:48 PM, My Brother wrote:

I know your heart is to set Christians and people free from pagan influences in institutionalized 'Christianity.'

Keep up the good work, brother.

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Good Morning My Brother,

"And those who err in mind will know the truth, And those who criticize will accept instruction." - Isa 29:24 NASB

Your comment is one that is interesting to me. I do not see myself this way.

I know your heart is to set Christians and people free from pagan influences in institutionalized 'Christianity.'

The Lord Yeshua said...
(John 8:36 NASB)

"If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

The Son (not I) makes people free!

I have a nice song from a home discipleship group in the US that says that it is for freedom that we have been made free. It makes a point that you cannot really be a true disciple until the Son makes you free.

I actually do not feel I have a heart to set anyone free! Neither Christians, nor people, nor pagans (although I could argue that these are all one in the same!).

The Road Map To Freedom

(John 8:31-32 CJB) 31 So Yeshua said to the Judeans who had trusted him, "If you obey what I say, then you are really my talmidim (disciples), 32 you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Here the Lord gives us a Road Map To Freedom. Now let's look at the signposts along the way that are listed in this Road Map To Freedom...

1) Trust in the Lord!

To begin with, we must trust Him! The verse before this says...

(John 8:30 CJB) Many people who heard him say these things trusted in him.

(John 8:30 NASB) As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.

(John 8:30 NIV) Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.

Trust, Believe, and Faith - in the words of Yeshua, "You must be born again!" It all starts with God, like everything in life, so we must start by trusting Yeshua! The first signpost on this Road Map To Freedom is to Trust in the Lord!

(Prov 3:5-6 NASB) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. {6} In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

2) Obey What I Say!

(John 8:31b CJB) "If you obey what I say, then you are really my talmidim (disciples)..."

(John 8:31b NASB) "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine..."

(John 8:31b NIV) "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."

(John 8:31 KJV) If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

"If you abide in My word..." That is the test of a real disciple! It is also the second signpost on our Road Map To Freedom.

"Where do you live?" We often hear that question! How many times do we answer...

"I abide in Yeshua's Word!"

The place where we live, where we abide, must be within God's Word! That is what Yeshua taught us! The King James has a verse that I really love...

(Psa 91:1-2 KJV)
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. {2}
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress:
my God; in him will I trust.

The second signpost on the Road Map to Freedom, according to Yeshua, is to abide in My word... or simply obey what I say...

3) Know The Truth

Today the world will tell you that there are "many kinds of truth" and so how can you know the real truth?

What is the standard of your life? I actually ask people that. It is true there are many standards. If you go to any church you will find that they all have a doctrine book - the standard for their religion.

But these are not the only standards. Try the standard for the radio. We have all hear Engelbert Humperdinck sing....
"Please release me, let me go, for I don't love you anymore!"
That song made him a ton of money! For many people this is the standard they live by. The question is... Is this a standard of God that you live by, or is this another lie from hell that is intended to deceive us?

The answer depends on the point of view of the standard or "truth" we hold on to.

In this case, the Humperdinck standard is very different from the Bible standard...

(1 Cor 13:8a NASB) Love never fails...

If "love NEVER fails" as the Bible Standard says, then the Humperdinck standard of "I don't love you anymore" must be a false standard! The Bible standard says that when a person says "I don't love you anymore" it must actually mean, "I never loved you at all!"

Now consider how the real world thinks. Print this on a paper...

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FILL IN THE BLANKS!

"Please release me, let me go, for _____________________________________!"


"{7} bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
"{8} _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away." (1 Cor 13:7-8 NASB)

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Now take your paper to the Mall, or out on the street, and ask ten random people to help you fill in the blanks. The first ten people I ask all said the first blank was "I don't love you anymore!" ALL TEN said they could not guess what should be in the second blank ("Love Never Fails").

Please note, this is NOT a fair test. The Humperdinck standard in this test is much more difficult because it just has a single blank line. The Bible standard is much easier because it breaks it down for you, three words, the first has 4 letters, the second has 5 letters and the third has 4 letters! Everyone knew the Humperdinck standard and no one knew the Bible standard!

4) The Truth Will Make You Free

(John 8:32 NASB) "and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

(John 8:31 CJB) "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Yeshua said to those that (1) "Trust in the Lord" that if they (2) "Obey What I Say", only then will they (3) "Know The Truth" and then "the truth will set you free."

Our Road Map To Freedom took us via "Trust in the Lord", past the signpost of "Obey What I Say" to the right standard of life which is the Word of God to "Know The Truth" and having followed these signposts, the truth has made us free!

Now we can know what the Lord Yeshua said...

"If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36 NASB)


Being Set Free!

Now that Messiah Yeshua has set me free, it is hard for me to even think in the ways of bondage that I used to think in. To show you how free the truth can set us, consider your statement (please note that I appreciate your sentiment, I only comment on the words in which we sometimes become in bondage to...

I know your heart is to set Christians and people free from pagan influences in institutionalized 'Christianity.'

Paganism
The Catholic Encyclopedia states: "Paganism, in the broadest sense includes all religions other than the true one revealed by God..." It further says... "It is derived from the Latin pagus, whence pagani (i.e. those who live in the country), a name given to the country folk who remained heathen after the cities had become Christian."

I assume "the true one" these writers refer to must be Messiah Yeshua - the way, the truth, and the life.

(John 14:6 HNV) Yeshua said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me."

Pagan
From the statements above, there is clear intention that a Pagan is anyone who does not "Know The Truth" by having the Word of God as there only standard for life! The "True One" revealed by God would obviously be Yeshua the Messiah and following or obeying His teachings.

Christians and Christianity
These terms are not universal in the Bible. They were never applied to the disciples by the disciples. Yeshua said to make disciples, not Christians. In the three places in some Bibles that "Christian" is a replacement for the Greek Christianos (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Pet 4:16) - the usage is in a derogatory remark of the ungodly!!

"Christians" today follow their doctrine books, "Christian Music", and their favorite translation. For example, a pastor close to me says that the only inspired Word of God is the King James Version, and you can only be a "Christian" if you follow that version of the Bible. He even says the Greek New Testament is in error! According to this Pastor, because I do not follow the King James Bible, I am not a Christian!

I agree! I am not a "Christian!"

Based on what is known about being a Pagan above, Christians and Christianity would be properly classified as "Paganism" because there only standard is not the Word of God but they have the standards of their religion. These are hard words for people who believe their religion above what the Bible says.

Institutionalized Christianity
"Institutionalized Christianity" does not seem to have much meaning to the average person. I cannot find it defined in a dictionary, and it really doesn't seem to a clear distinction between it and "Ordinary Christianity" or "Regular Christianity" to the extent that it seems to be just Paganism!

People
"People" as opposed to "Disciples" are just the "normal people" hanging around believing whatever standard their parents, school mates, teachers, friends, radio, television, or social pressures teach then to believe. In other words, "People" (not disciples) are also Pagans too!

A Paraphrase!
So from the prospective of being a Disciple whom the Son has set free indeed...

This:
I know your heart is to set Christians and people free from pagan influences in institutionalized 'Christianity.'

Is the same as this:
I know your heart is to set Pagans and Pagans free from pagan influences in institutionalized Paganism!

The Conclusion!
Sadly My Brother, even with the above paraphrased translation, it is still not how I am.

My heart is NOT to set anyone free!

My heart is simply to follow the Road Map To Freedom:

(1) Trust in the Lord
(2) Obey What I Say / Abide In My Word
(3) Know The Truth
(4) Let The Truth Make Me Free!

My Brother. to be "free from pagan influences in institutionalized 'Christianity.'" Is to recognize that terms like Christian and "institutionalized 'Christianity.'" and even "pagan" are all very much a part of what you call "Institutionalized Christianity" and when you become free, you no longer need these terms.

I am not a "Christian", I am a Disciple of Yeshua the Messiah! I obey the Word of God!

I do not go to "Church", a "Church" is a building or religious government and I am the Oikos! The Oikos is the Family of God! The Ekklesia in the Original New Testament!

( Please Note: Ekklesia means a called group for action - the called out disciples (people) where as church means a building for religious services or the religious government that controls a religion. The Ekklesia had no building nor any government! Therefore Ekklesia and Church do NOT have the same meaning and these terms should not be confused. )

I do not need any form of "Christianity", because that is a religion and I have a relationship with my Lord Yeshua!

I do not mind if other people call the Messiah "Jesus" or the translation of Yeshua into any other language or "Christian" religion. But I know Him personally, so I will use his real name of Yeshua!


My Reason for Sharing This Hope!

(1 Pet 3:15 CJB) treat the Messiah as holy, as Lord in your hearts while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you - yet with humility and fear

(1 Pet 3:15 NIV) But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.