A few months after joining Global Light Ministry, I was attending an evening class and the lecturer quoting Carl Max said, ‘Religion, is for the exploitation of poor men.’😄 This incident has stuck with me to date. I remember searching the same on Google and I found so many articles in support of the statement and logically, they made sense. A poor man, in his poverty, will want to believe in something that gives him some hope for tomorrow. However, it ends there. There is no change for or in him. Because there is no power in religion, as opposed to the Gospel. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. First of all, there is nothing wrong with being poor but there is everything wrong with remaining poor after you have heard the Gospel and received Christ as your Saviour. Because, in Christ, are many unending riches. In Christ, you have been blessed with all manner of blessings. I mean, Christ became poverty for you so that in Him, you might become rich (material prosperity, 2 Cor 8:9)

Anyway, religion tells you to just believe and things will happen for you. But this is not Christianity because as children of God, we know that we have a responsibility to beautify our lives by exercising our faith, doing the Word of God, proclaiming the Word of God upon lives e.t.c. For the person practising religion, it is somehow comforting to know that someone somewhere in the skies, holds his future but that is religion, at its best😜 To this person, God is abstract, a concept that exists only in his mind. This person has no experience with God, not as a Father. It is important to note that religion does not produce any results. Religion has a way of promising so much but delivering too little. It is like false hope because all you do is follow laws and rules with a hope that one day, it will get better. But it doesn’t.

Somebody said, “religion is the cause of all man’s problems.” Maybe, maybe not.

But what is Christianity?

Christianity is not a religion. Real and authentic Christianity is not religion. Most of the people in the world do not know what Christianity is all about because the more popular side of Christianity is the religious side of Christianity. Some even think Christianity started as a result of martyrdom which is not true. Jesus Christ was not a martyr. A martyr dies for what he believes. Jesus did not die for what He believed. Jesus was a sacrifice for you and me. He gave Himself, of His own free will.

Christianity is a living relationship with God! It is divinity in man. Christianity is divinity in humanity. Christianity is the pulsating life of God in a man. Christianity is God dwelling in a man.
For God so loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten son to die for you and me on the cross, NOT to start a religion but so that each and every man who believes and confesses the Lordship of Jesus Christ will have a relationship with Him. There is divine law in force; that any man who receives salvation WILL NOT perish. That is why your life is preserved. Religion might tell you to cover yourself with the blood of Jesus Christ everytime😅 but there is already a divine law at work in you. You are preserved and protected, nothing can harm you. From the beginning, God wanted sons, not followers. He is interested in your life, as an individual. It is important that each and every child of God understands salvation, from a personal perspective. Even if you were the only person in this world, Jesus would still have died for you. You are that important to Papa God. God does not want people to pray to an abstract God, a being that they can’t see or have a relationship with. Instead, God wants His children to pray to Him, not out of fear but because they have a relationship with Him. Prayer is fellowship and Communion with God.

Christianity is all about having a personal relationship with God.

Christianity is not the imitation of Christ. “What Would Jesus Do” is not Christianity😂In Christianity, there is the imitation of Christ but that does not define Christianity. It is just like, a kitchen and a house. The kitchen is in the house but it is not the house. How do we imitate God? By walking in love among other things. Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is all God is, tabernacled in a man. The secret of Christianity is the Holy Spirit. (to discuss this in detail later).

Christianity is not the practice of going to church each and every Sunday, even if attending services is important and cannot be overemphasized. Christianity is more than that. Christianity is the life of God perambulating in a man who has believed and confessed the lordship of Jesus Christ. For me, church is more than just Sunday. It is about receiving the Word (Rhema); being built up in each and every aspect of my life!! That is why I don’t read motivational books. The Word has gotten a hold of my spirit, such that I’m always motivated, no down moments for me!! Honestly, Pastor’s word has been and is enough; all I need to do during the week is work excellently and diligently putting to work these Word principles and I can only but register results!!

Sometimes, because of a religious mentality, we judge the perfection of Christ using our imperfections😳🙆‍♀ For example, if somebody wronged you and you have not completely forgiven or forgotten what they did to you, you find that, even when you do something wrong and ask God for forgiveness, you don’t believe God has completely forgiven you, just like you didn’t forgive the party who wronged you fully. So you keep asking God for forgiveness for the same thing repeatedly as if you’re praying to a deaf God. When God looks at you, He sees the blood of Jesus Christ. Even the ‘asking for forgiveness’ part is for your own conscience. Your past, present and future sins were forgiven at the cross (to expound on this later.) John said, even when your heart condemns you, God is greater than your heart. There is now no condemnation for the child of God!

Religion says, do this and this will happen to you but Christianity is all about living in the light of the finished works of Christ at the cross. It is all about receiving the whole salvation package and enjoying your rights in Christ.

As I said in my previous article, Pastor Sir Judah Kalinga has taught me so much and developed in me, an unbeatable mindset. My identity is who God created me to be. Only the Word of God defines me. My foundation is so strong, religion does not have a place in me anymore!!!

……I remember one time, during a service Pastor said, “…. dress well; don’t be young and you are wearing dresses sweeping the floor.”😂😂😂😂😂🙈🙈🙈 hahaha I remember pausing writing my notes and looking up at Pastor with confusion written all over my face. And noting the uncertainty on my face, Pastor insisted on the same saying, “Wear short dresses but don’t go overboard. Be descent but smart.” Hahahaha I was dressed in a long dress that day, so that made it soo funny😂😂😂🙈

See, I had attended a conference a year earlier and the minister had talked about dressing and particularly how women should dress. She supported each and everything she said using the Word. I remember going home that holiday feeling condemned and asking my mum to buy me “maxi skirts and dresses”😂😂🙈 Her friends would ask her what was going on and she would tell them that I had said I was done with jeans. This is very embarrassing to write but seriously, the Gospel has been largely misrepresented by those it is entrusted to and it is up to us to preach the Gospel to each creature. My Strathmore background (dress code) did not help then. From that day, I changed my wardrobe oooooo. Pastor’s word came with liberation. Even as a student, my dressing had some class. I don’t just dress. It’s deeper than that hahaha and before I leave my house, I get compliments from the Holy Ghost. That’s why compliments don’t make me any more confident; I mean, the Holy Ghost affirmed me before leaving the house lol it can’t get better than that.

Anyway, so if you see me ‘freeze and shining’ sometimes, just know that I didn’t enjoy this freedom, once upon a time😂😂😂😂 Let me enjoy myself. One thing I have come to learn about our spirits is that they are designed to effectively function in an environment of freedom. If you are carrying people and circumstances in your heart, yours will be a story of bondage and sadness. And It will always show on your face. Having understood Christianity, I have become almost allergic to the law because I know how much it means to not enjoy the liberty Christ has given us🙈🙈If I’m added/join a group and the first thing I see is rules and consequences, I flee and leave. Sometimes, you can even feel the tension in such groups. So much fear lol. It is sad that some leaders think instilling fear in people is the only way to get things done while there’s a more excellent way. If I was functioning well without the group, then the group is probably not that important, for me. Of course, it is important to differentiate between instructions and unnecessary rules. There is a blessing in following instructions. You just need to be aware of the difference.

Pastor Sir, Judah Kalinga has differentiated religion and Christianity, for me, so much that I only live the Word. The Word has been made alive, unto me. For example, I normally wake up in the morning to pray for @ least 2 hours, before going to work, but it has never become a routine. The experience is new every day. And there are some times, I‘m just tired. And I just sleep. But I don’t wake up fretting and feeling condemned. I just rearrange my schedule and make a provision for fellowship with the Holy Ghost haha but I’m not lazy.

The other day, we were just talking about making decisions, choices etc. and a friend of mine talked about how she prays for hours or fasts before making a choice hahaha and as she was saying this, I just thought, knowing that I have a personal relationship with God, I have fellowshipped with Him so much that I always do the right thing. I only spend a lot of time praying for souls.

I remember one of my favourite statements that Pastor would make when I joined Global Light Ministry was, ‘Synchronize your thoughts with the thoughts of God through the Word of God. Align your thoughts to His thoughts.’ I still have my first notebook :-). Pastor would say this so many times. And now, my spirit is so in sync with the Word and my fellowship with the Holy Ghost is very intense that I just do the Word, by default. This Word is reflected, even in my choices. (More details in latter articles.) And if I make a misstep, it is the evidence that I will get it right the next time.

I had to highlight the difference between religion and Christianity before I write anything else because it meant so much for my personal walk of faith and overall growth. Understanding what Christianity is, has catapulted me to a higher level of growth.

I celebrate you Pastor Sir!!! Thank you for diligently teaching me + thousands more, the Word of God!!!
#CelebratingMyPastor
#PastorJudahKalinga
#PastorJudahChronicles
#LessonsILearntFromMyPastor
#PastorJudahKid
#PJK
#CelebratingAnIconOfGreatness
#Nexcellenting