News Relese: ROTC defeats most popular religion

Religion is the act or process of relying upon.

The most widely practiced religion in the world, not just today, but ever… that invades every system of belief… permeates every denomination within Christendom… and beckons every single person to its altars…is the religion of self-reliance. 

The act or process or relying upon one’s self.

People have come to believe that the only one looking out for them… is them.  That in order to prove anything… you must first prove yourself.  That you need to earn and fight for a place… or you will  be replaced.

And so, they have come to rely on themselves for…

Happiness… Success… Pleasure…

by proving of one’s self to be right, by giving in to one’s desires, by defending one’s position…

and all at the expense of others.  Whether admittedly or not… when you look up to yourself… you look down on others.

Whether they are fighting for a spot in the corner office… or time at the pulpit…

To lead a business… or a ministry…

When it is done in their own strength… they are priests of their own altars… exalting their own selves… covered in the filthy rags of their own righteousness… practicing self-reliance.

Believe me, I know.  I was ordained in the religion of self-reliance.  And I was not alone.  Pride was with me.

So what does the ROTC have to do with this?  How can it help us to seek relationship rather than religion… to move from self-reliance into the place of God’s Grace?

A "sworn statement of witness"

I am known for telling stories… again… and again… and yes… again.

It can become redundant.  And as good (in my humble opinion) as these stores can be there are times when people slump their shoulders and give me the “not again” look.

I gained 30 pounds just by promising to first take and finish a bite of food before I started to tell a story.* (Of course, it was mainly to distract me while people fled the room!)

I love a good story.  Whether told by myself or someone else.

But even more than stories... more than carefully crafted commentary or perfectly prepared preludes … I love testimonies.

“Sworn statements of witness.”

Things that people have witnessed for themselves… things that they would swear to.

Christian Graffiti

While others might call them vandals… they call themselves artists.

Street Artists to be exact.  And their claim to fame… graffiti.

Not only do they transform the appearance of cement, brick, and metal structures they do it in incredible time, against incredible odds…

And often at incredible heights.

Some just “tag” things with a symbol or a signature… perhaps an act of rebellion… or a cry to be noticed.

Others… they truly do produce works of art.

And while we can understand why the owners of the buildings or the people living in the neighborhoods want them to stop…

We can also understand why they do it.