Mangaphi amaxesha athi amaKristu, “Asinayo inkolo kodwa sihlobene. We are freed from religion and don’t have to anymore.” They are proud that they don’t adhere to a religion like previous generations and must do things and be bound by rules, but that they have been made free through Jesus Christ and have a relationship with God. Religion is related to legalism; keeping the law, having to, uloyiko, ukugwetywa, and punishment, and they are freed from that. They don’t ‘have to’ anymore but are redeemed and live in freedom. It all sounds so pious and wonderful and of course, we have a relationship with God by faith and regeneration in Christ instead of a dead religion. But to many, these words of having a relationship instead of religion is a disguised form of pride and rebellion against God, because they are not willing to submit to God and His Word and His commandments and don’t want to be told what to do, but they want to live their own lives and make their own decisions, without God and His Word being part of it. They say they have a relationship with God, but from their daily lives, their relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit is hard to find. Because what does their relationship look like and consist of?
Flesh vs spirit
Le nditsho njalo, Hambani ngoMoya, ize ningayifezi inkanuko yenyama. Kuba inyama ikhanuka ngokuchasene noMoya, nomoya nxamnye nenyama: kwaye ezi zinto zichasene nenye kwenye: ukuze ningakwazi ukwenza izinto enindingayenza. Kodwa ukuba nikhokelwa nguMoya, aniphantsi komthetho (kwabaseGalati 5:16-18).
“We don’t have to do anything anymore. We don’t have to keep the commandments of God, we don’t have to pray, we don’t have to fast, we don’t have to study the Bible, we don’t have to tithe, we don’t have to … (Gcwalisa izithuba)”.
Hayi, you don’t have to do all these things to be saved. You can’t earn your salvation by your works and/or by keeping the law of Moses.
Kuba nisindiswe ngokubabalwa nangalo ukholo; nako oko akuphumi kuni: sisipho sikaThixo eso: Hayi yemisebenzi, kungabikho bani uqhayisayo. Kuba singumsebenzi wakhe, Yenzelwe uKrestu Yesu kwimisebenzi elungileyo, onokuthi uThixo alungiselele ukuba kufuneka sihambe kuwo (Kwabase-Efese 2:8-10)
Salvation is the gift of grace of God, which He has given, first to the Jewish people (His carnal covenant people) and then to the heathen.
God has given everyone the ability to be saved and be redeemed from the power of the devil and the kingdom of darkness and to become a new creation; unyana kaThixo (oku kusebenza kuzo zombini iinkunzi nemazi). Everyone makes their own decision to believe in Jesus Christ, uNyana kaThixo, and be saved by Him or not.
The new man shall establish the law
But the secret of regeneration is, that if you are born of God and have become a new creation, unyana kaThixo, and have received a new nature, Indalo kaThixo, and Christ abides in you by the Holy Spirit and the law of His Kingdom reigns in your heart, you shall fulfill the law of the Kingdom of God, njengoYesu, Who walked after the Spirit and fulfilled the law (Funda kwakhona: ‘Uyimisa njani uMthetho?‘).
You shall fulfill the law, kuba umthanda uThixo ngentliziyo yakho iphela, umphefumlo, ingqondo, and strength and yield yourself to Him and live after His will.
From your love to God, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, which doesn’t mean that you accept the sins and idolatry of your neighbor, but that you, umzekelo, don’t covet the things of your neighbor and therefore don’t commit fornication and adultery and divorce, don’t cheat, don’t steal from your neighbor, don’t lie against your neighbor, don’t kill your neighbor, but forgive your neighbor and be faithful and so on.
If you are born of God and have received God’s nature and the Holy Spirit abides in you, Emva koko umthetho kaThixo, which represents the will of God is written in your heart. And if you love God with all your heart, umphefumlo, ingqondo, and strength and the law of the Spirit is in you, you shall yield to God and His Word and do His will (Owu. UYeremiya 31:31-34, UHezekile 36:26-27, AmaRoma 2:14-16, IsiHebhere 8:8-13).
It’s not a matter of ‘have to’ but ‘want ukuya‘
Waphendula uYesu wathi kuye, if a man love Me, Uya kuwagcina amazwi am: Kwaye utata uya kumthanda, Kwaye siya kuza kuye, kwaye wenze indawo yokuhlala kunye naye. Lowo undithandayo akayilindeli amazwi am: ilizwi enilivayo asililo elam, Kodwa uBawo owandithumayo (UYohane 14:23-24)
If you are born again and walk after the Spirit, then it’s not a matter of ‘have to’ kodwa 'ndifuna'. You are reconciled with God and united with Him and don’t do things concerning God and the Kingdom of God out of legalism and an obligation, but out of your love for God.
Jesus Christ has redeemed you and your love for Him and your gratitude towards Him should become visible in your life through your faith and your works.
Your life as the new creation; unyana kaThixo, should be different than your previous life as the old creation, when you belonged to the devil and the devil was your father.
You are no longer an enemy of God and you shall not exalt yourself above God anymore and walk in pride and rebellion towards God in obedience to the will of the flesh, which has the nature of the devil and in which sin and death reign.
But through the death of the flesh and the resurrection of the spirit from the dead, you are delivered from the power of the devil and sin and death and you are reconciled with God and have become a son of God and therefore you shall live in obedience to your new Father and from your relationship with Him after His will.
Your life no longer revolves around yourself and pleasing your flesh, kodwa kuYesu Kristu kwaye ekholekile, imbeko, bamphakamisa uThixo uYise.
Umoya ufuna ukuchitha ixesha noThixo, inyama ayifuni ukuchitha ixesha noThixo
Esona ndawo sithethayo, kungekhona ngamazwi afundiswa ngobulumko bomntu, kodwa oko kunikelwe nguMoya oyiNgcwele; ukuthelekisa izinto zokomoya ngokokomoya. Owemvelo ke umntu akazamkeli izinto zoMoya kaThixo: Kuba bubudenge kuye: kananjalo abawazi, Kuba baqondwe ngokomoya. Ke ongowoMoya okunene uphicotha zonke izinto, ukanti yena akaphicothwa mntu. Kuba ngubani na oyaziyo ingqiqo yeNkosi?, ukuze amyale? Ke thina sinayo ingqiqo kaKristu (1 KwabaseKorinte 2:13-16)
Ukuba uye waba yindalo entsha, unyana kaThixo, emva koko uthande uThixo kwaye ufuna ukuchitha ixesha kunye Naye. Hayi kuba kufuneka, kodwa ngenxa yokuba ufuna.
Umoya wakho ufuna ukuthandaza kuBawo kwaye ufunde iLizwi laKhe kwaye ufundiswe, ilungisiwe, kwaye wohlwaywa nguMoya oyiNgcwele, kungekhona ngenxa yezizathu zokuzingca nenzuzo yokuzingca, kodwa kukwazi uThixo nentando yakhe nokuqola ngokomoya emfanekisweni kaKristu, ukuze uncede, hlonipha kwaye uzukise uThixo ngobomi bakho.
But the flesh doesn’t want to isolate and spend time with God. The flesh loves itself and wants to feed its lusts and desires and wants to be entertained by (izinto ze) the world and have fun with friends.
The flesh doesn’t want to be alone and can’t be alone and abhors reading the Bible let alone studying the Bible, since the words of God are foolishness to him and the Word reveals and condemns the works of the flesh and the flesh doesn’t want that.
The flesh wants to be pleased, ukonwabisa, and fed by the world and receive what the flesh wants. And so the flesh reigns as king and the flesh keeps reigning as king in people’s lives.
What defines a relationship?
Ngelishwa, in this day and age, the definition of a relationship has been distorted and taken on a path of its own. How many people claim to have a relationship, without spending time with a person.
How many times do sons and/or daughters say, that they have a good relationship with their parent(s), while the parent(s) think otherwise, because sometimes there are weeks in between that they speak and/or visit their parents. And if they contact or visit their parents it’s many times out of obligation or because they have problems and/or need something, but not because they long for their parents and want to be with their parents and spend time with their parents.
In their mind, they think they have a good relationship without visiting the parent(s) and without spending time with the parent(s) and think they treat their parent(s) kakuhle, but the reality and their works say something else.
Their works say and prove that don’t really have a relationship and don’t love their parents, because if they would truly love their parents they would want to spend time with them and do what pleases them and not leave them to their fate.
They would be interested and would listen to their parents and don’t do things that hurt them or make them sad. And the same goes for the faith.
Many say, they have a relationship with Jesus Christ, ngelixa inyani, they don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ; ilizwi, but have a relationship with an imaginary Jesus, who they have created in their minds and who thinks, uyathetha, and acts like them (Funda kwakhona: ‘Umbulelo UYesu uvelisa amaKristu obuxoki’).
They think that they walk after the spirit and love God and know Him, while they spend their time to the things of the world and find that more important than spending time with The Father in prayer and reading and studying the Word.
Umoya ufuna ukuthandaza, the flesh doesn’t want to pray
Naxa uthandaza, Awuyi kuba njengabahanahanisi: kuba bayathanda ukuthandaza bemi kwizindlu zesikhungu nakwiimbombo zezitrato, ukuze babonwe ngamadoda. Inene ndithi kuni, Banomvuzo wabo. Wena, xa uthandaza, Ngena kwingubo yakho, Kwaye xa uwuvalile umnyango wakho, Thandaza utitshala wakho okwisimfihlo; Uyihlo wakho okuzibonayo kuya kukuvuza ekuhleni (UMateyu 6:5-6)
Kwaye kusasa, ukuvuka ekuseni kakhulu ngaphambi kobusuku, Yena (UYesu) went out, yemka yaya endaweni eyintlango, wathandaza apho (Phawula 1:35)
Kwaye yena (UYesu) withdrew Himself into the wilderness, wathandaza (ULuka 5:16)
Kwathi ke ngaloo mihla, waphuma, waya kuthandaza entabeni, bamana ubusuku bonke bethandaza kuThixo (ULuka 6:12)
How much time, do believers spend in prayer daily? Of course you are connected in the spirit by the Holy Spirit with Jesus Christ and God the Father and you communicate through the spirit with God, but you will also set time apart for prayer and isolate yourself. That’s not legalism, but that’s because you love God and because you want to spend time with Him in prayer.
Jonga kuYesu, Jesus was connected by the Spirit with the Father, but Jesus withdrew Himself often from the people to spend time in prayer with the Father.
Praying is essential in the life of every son of God. A son of God can’t live without prayer and if someone truly walks after the Spirit, the person shall spend a lot of time in prayer. Not because the person has to, but because the person wants to and desires to be together with the Father, since the person has a relationship with the Father.
As long as someone doesn’t want to pray or can’t spend time in prayer, this proves that the flesh is still alive and reigns, because the flesh can’t pray and won’t pray (Funda kwakhona 'Inyama ayinakuthandaza”).
The spirit wants to fast, but the flesh doesn’t want to fast
Kodwa iintsuku ziya kuza, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days (ULuka 5:35)
The flesh doesn’t want to fast, because if people fast the flesh is not being fed and the flesh doesn’t get what it wants. There are believers, who love food and try to avoid fasting by coming up with all kinds of excuses and pious alternatives.
Umzekelo, they say that the new creation is not required to fast. But if Jesus, Who was the New Creation, did fast shouldn’t we follow His example and fast also?
Some also come up with pious alternatives, which they have devised and set up themselves, and say that they fast by not watching television, or by not Ukudlala, or putting away their cell phone for a few hours. But that’s not fasting! Because the flesh still gets what it wants, namely food.
Fasting is also not meant for (buqu) material breakthroughs in the world and provisions for the flesh. But when you fast, the flesh becomes weaker and your spirit stronger and therefore it’s no wonder that the flesh is not willing to fast (Funda kwakhona: ‘Yintoni ukuzila ukutya?')
The spirit wants to give, but the flesh doesn’t want to give
Ukuchasana kwemali yamadoda ezonakeleyo, kwaye ihlonelwe yinyaniso, Ukucinga ukuba ukuhlonela uthixo: zikhwebule kwabanjalo. Ke kona ukuhlonela uThixo, kundawonye nokwanela, kusekeleze inzuzo enkulu. Kuba asizanga nto kweli lizwe, Kwaye ngokuqinisekileyo asinakukhwela nto. Kwaye ukuba nokutya kunye nengubo mayibe nakho umxholo. Kodwa bona baya kuba sisityebi esilingweni kunye nomgibe, Kwaye kwiinkanuko ezininzi ezizizidenge nenzakalisayo, enamadoda avuthelayo kwintshabalalo kunye neperdiy. Uthando lwemali yingcambu yabo bonke ububi: Ngeliphi na ixesha elithile emva, bathobele ukholo, kwaye wazihlazisa ngokusebenzisa iintlungu ezininzi (1 uTimoti 6:5-10)
You’ll be amazed, at how money is a stumbling block for many. They say that money is not evil, but that the love for money is evil. Nangona kunjalo, if people don’t want to give, it proves that they have a love for money. They can’t and won’t give their money to God, but want to keep it for themselves, kwaye kwakhona, come up with all kinds of pious excuses.
Abanye bathi, we don’t have to tithe, because tithing is part of the law and the Old Covenant and we don’t live in the Old Covenant under the law but in the New Covenant under grace. Because they believe in this lie, they don’t tithe to the church, but keep their money in their own pockets and spent it on their own kingdom instead of God’s Kingdom.
But before the institution of the law, the people already gave a part of their income to God and Abraham tithed to Melchizedek.
Abanye bathi, we don’t have to tithe because everything we possess belongs to God. Kwakhona, this sounds so pious, Kodwa ngelishwa, it only stays with these words, and these words are not turned into actions. Because if they would do what they confess, they would give their whole monthly income to the church. But we don’t see that happen.
There are many more pious lies, that are used to not tithe to God (Funda kwakhona: ‘Imali, imali, and money‘)
The spirit of greed reigns in the flesh
All these pious lies have one thing in common and that is that the spirit of greed, who reigns in the flesh is obeyed and fed and therefore believers don’t tithe to the church, but keep their money in their own pockets.
As a result of obeying the spirit of greed, many churches fail to maintain the church and can’t pay the bills and churches must be sold.
Many churches are in ruins, both spiritual and natural, because the flesh reigns, and people refuse to submit to God and obey His will, oko kubhalwe eLizwini, and change the situation.
If someone is not willing to tithe, next to the offerings, it only proves that the person is rebellious and not obedient to the Word, and because of that the person is looking for a way out and comes up with all kinds of excuses so that (s)he doesn’t have to tithe.
But if you have become a new creation and have God’s nature and you love God and have a relationship with Him, then you are grateful and thankful to God and you will tithe, and don’t make a fuss out of it. You don’t give because you have to, or in order to receive, but because you love God and you want to.
The spirit acts out of faith, the flesh needs steps and methods
The new man is spiritual and walks after the Spirit and because the new man has a relationship with God and knows the will of God, the new man acts by faith in God and His authority and power.
Umntu omtsha ucalula imimoya kwaye unengqiqo kwizinto zomoya kwaye uphila ngoMoya kwaye enze imisebenzi eGameni likaYesu Krestu..
Ekubeni umntu omtsha enobudlelwane obunamava noThixo, indoda entsha ayifuni mithandazo ebhalwe kwangaphambili kunye / okanye izicwangciso zomthandazo kwaye akufuneki ilandele amanyathelo, iindlela, kunye nobuchule bokwenza izinto okanye ukuphumeza into ethile.
Umntu omtsha uyamazi uThixo kwaye uyakholelwa kuThixo kwaye unokholo kwiGama likaYesu Krestu nakuMntu ongeGama kwaye enze ngokwesikhundla sakhe kuKristu nakubudlelwane bakhe noKristu hayi kukholo lwemithandazo ebhalwe kwangaphambili., amanyathelo, iindlela, kunye neeGcumo, efumana inyama (ingqondo yomntu).
Ke yona inyama iyafuneka ezi zinto, ekubeni umntu omdala akakho ngokwasemoyeni kwaye akanabudlelwane noThixo nangenxa yokuba ukholo alukho enyameni..
Inyama ilawulwa yingqiqo kwaye ikholelwa kumanyathelo, iindlela, kunye nezicwangciso ukuze kwenziwe izinto kwaye kuphunyezwe into kwaye idinga imithandazo eprintiweyo kunye nezicwangciso zemithandazo ukufumana iziphumo ezifunwayo.. Kanye njengehlabathi, esebenzisa amanyathelo, iindlela, ubugcisa, kunye namacebo okusombulula iingxaki, ube yimpumelelo, yenza izinto, kwaye ufezekise umphumo oyifunayo.
Umntu omtsha unobudlelwane noThixo kwaye uthembele kuThixo, ixhego linenkolo kwaye lithembele ebantwini.
Umoya uyaliva ilizwi likaThixo, inyama ifuna abanye ukuva ilizwi likaThixo
Ukuba uyandithanda, Gcina imiyalelo yam. Nam ndiya kucela kuBawo, Kwaye uya kuninika omnye umthuthuzeli, ukuze ahlale nani ngonaphakade; NoMoya wenyaniso; elingenako ukubamkela ihlabathi, kuba ayibonisi, akamazi: ke nina niyamazi; kuba uhlala nawe, kwaye uya kuba kuwe (UYohane 14:15-17)
Ezi zinto ndizithethile kuni, Ukanti kukukhona nawe. Kodwa umthuthuzeli, Nguwuphi uMoya oyiNgcwele, Ngubani na oya kuthunyelwa nguBawo egameni lam, Uya kukufundisa zonke izinto, kwaye uze nazo zonke izinto kwinkumbulo yakho, Nantoni na endiyithethileyo kuwe (UYohane 14:25-26)
Ndisenezinto ezininzi zokuthetha kuwe, Kodwa aninako ukuzithwala ngoku. Kodwa xa yena, Umoya weNyaniso, ifikile, Uya kukukhokelela kwiNyaniso yonke: Kuba akayi kuthetha ngaye; Into asukuba eyivayo,, Uya kuthetha: Kwaye uya kukubonisa izinto ezizayo. Uya kundizukisa: ngokuba uya kwamkela ngenxa yam, kwaye uya kunibonisa. Zonke izinto anazo uBawo zezam: ngenxa yoko nditsho, ukuba uya kuthabatha kokukokwam, kwaye uya kunibonisa (UYohane 16:12-15)
Umntu omtsha unobudlelwane noThixo ngoMoya oyiNgcwele kwaye akaneli nje ukuva ilizwi lakhe yonke imihla, ngokuchitha ixesha eLizwini nasemthandazweni, but also during the day.
The Word and the Holy Spirit shall teach the new man and make God’s plan known and reveal the future, causing the new man to stay awake and watchful and discern the times.
The old man is unspiritual and needs others to hear and understand the voice of God, just like in the Old Covenant, where God’s people were carnal and needed prophets.
Because many believers are not born again and don’t hear and understand the voice of God, many go to prophets to find out the will of God for their personal lives and what their future will be like, and sometimes they even pay for it. It’s actually the same as the world. They go to fortunetellers and pay them to find out specific things regarding their personal lives and future.
And so there are many more examples to provide, that show that people say that they don’t have a religion but a relation with Jesus Christ and God the Father through the Holy Spirit but their lives prove otherwise. Their walk with God looks more like a religion than a relation.
Do you have a religion or a relation?
Do you have a religion or relation? Are you born again in Christ and do you have received the Holy Spirit and do you know Jesus Christ and the Father experientially or do you know Them by hearsay and by visiting a church? Is God your life and have you yielded yourself unto Him and do you spend time with Him and do you live in His will or is the faith just an addition to your life and do you only serve Him when it’s convenient for you or if you need something?
Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father? What would Jesus answer, if you would ask Him how He sees your relationship with Him?
‘Yibani yityuwa yehlabathi’
