RELIGION OR RELATIONSHIP?

If I could correct one of the BIGGEST mistakes that people make when they think of Christianity is that it is just another 'RELIGION!" NO IT IS NOT!!!

not, not, not, Jesus made this SO clear when He was here the First time.

Let me explain the difference:

Religion= Man trying to reach UP to God through good works, penance, passing through a firery purgatory ( sorry folks, this one's out, can't be backed up by SCRIPTURE ANYWHERE and the last pope admitted it was a scam to get parisheners money) ALL THE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD WORK THIS WAY, MAN REACHING HOPELESSLY TOWARDS GOD WITH A WORKS SALVATION DOCTRINE. This includes the Cathilic Church, which is NOT an attack on individual Catholics, PLEASE understand that! However, countless doctrines that they follow as being "Thus saith the Lord" are NO MORE than man-made traditions and rules that the Catholic "Leadership" claims as divine. HM. It's interesting and even more so, troubling, that NONE of them can be found in the Holy Scripture! The sacraments they require their flock to follow are NOT biblical people! You cannot find these rules and regulations in the Bible, which is the ONLY book that is divine or holy! Any other book that man calls "holy" is an outright lie. Only the Bible is God-breathed, period! If someone is trying to sell you something as coming from God and you can't find it backed up in the Bible? Then it's a safe bet that it's not true! Be aware! Be informed!

CHRISTIANITY is SO NOT about religion! Christianity is about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. As religion is man trying to reach UP to God through man's devised schemes, Christianity is ALL about God reaching DOWN to mankind out of sheer, overwhelming love. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, long awaited Savior, left the glories of Heaven to come to earth.He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, preached the message of the saving Gospel beginning with repentance. He was the God/Man, fully God, fully man. He chose to lay down His life on a Roman cross to pay for OUR sin, then He took His life back up again, rose from the grave which showed all creation that God the Father had accepted Christs death as FULL payment for mans sin. When we accept the free gift of salvation by grace through faith, we are born again into the Kingdom of God, and we become God's child. Salvation is found ONLY in CHRIST; "I am The Way, The Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me." John 14:6 Jesus, the very Son of God, paid such a GREAT cost to save us, that He gets to choose the Way! When we reject the narrow road of grace, it's because of man's pride and love of self and sin. Because NOT to choose the eternal love of Christ and eternity in a very real Heaven is just CRAZY! How can you NOT want Him? And if people end up in Hell? It's because THEY made that choice and they cannot blame it on anyone else!