It's no secret that I am a Christian. And while I am not always faced with the "why" question of why I believe what I do, it does make its way into certain conversations.
Christianity is not just about belonging to a certain religion. It is not considering myself a Christian and believing that Jesus is real.
It is not rules to follow and yes or no.
Christianity is about the cross.
The cross that Jesus hung on and was killed. The cross He took for us. That cross symbolizes more than just a religion or a set of beliefs or rules. That cross symbolizes a relationship. A love much greater than we can comprehend.
Jesus craves to have a personal relationship with each of us. He already knows every part of us, but He wants us to want to know every part of Him.
Housefires Worship says it like this in their song "This Love,",""There is no chain This Love can't break." No matter how broken you are or how held back you feel, there is nothing that can stop God's Love from reaching you.
It's more than just a cross or rules or someone dying.
It's sacrifice.
It's love.
The purest form of love in this entire universe.
Jefferson Bethke says in his spoken word "Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus:"
"There's a problem if people only know you're a Christian by your Facebook."
When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, we need to make sure we are doing so with a pure heart and the right reasons... to learn more of Him. As we learn Him, we will start to be changed from the inside out.
If people only know what we believe by what we post rather than what we do or say, we have an issue. We are called to live as Christ did. That grows with our relationship.
A relationship with Jesus is the work of God. It's what He intended us to have from the beginning of time. Religion, on the other hand, is a man-made invention created to put God in a certain box.
Jesus sets us free because of that cross He took. Because He loves us.
Religion holds us within its rules and walls.
The cross is greater than just religion. It's about having a whole relationship that's going to absolutely change your life.
