Christianity is not a church building or building a church. It's not about what we do for Him or our marvelous work or contributions we make. It's not about signs and wonders and it's not about preaching. It's not about all our religious pomp and circumstances; robes and choirs; steeples and bells. It's all about Jesus. It's all about our relationship with the Son of God.

In the midst of all the religious activity, where the Savior? He's been left out and no one seems to notice. With just a few strokes of our doctrinal paint brushes He's been painted right out of the picture. He's been forgotten in our protests for righteousness, our marches and demonstrations.

The whole purpose behind the Christian life and all creation is for God's pleasure. He's the purpose for everything. The only thing that counts, the only thing that matters is our relationship with Him. Are we just acquainted with Him or do we really know Him? Do we know what He likes? Do we cringe when we see the sin He hates?

The day will soon arrive when all that matters is the closeness of our relationship with Him. As He peeks through the heavens, intently and lovingly gazing past the clouds, He will not be searching for our great works or our appearance of holiness. He will be searching for hearts that are intimately and passionately involved with Him and no other.

Christ didn't save us to make us work. He saved us to know and love us. Yet it is our work that takes our time and eventually our hearts from the One for whom heaven and earth were made. It is the appearance of our Christian work that we strive to perfect, organize and promote, many times at the expense of our time in His presence.

Today there are Christians who have fallen into the same downfall for which Jesus rebuked the Ephesians; they are so busy with the work of the Lord they have forgotten the Lord of their work (Rev 2:3-4). When Christians lose their intimate fellowship with God, their work becomes more important than their relationship with their Savior.

A meaningful time in His presence is lost in the very fabric of "Christian life". They understand the five steps of prayer and attend every seminar on "Successful Planning for Church Growth," but they don't understand the first step in entering the courts of their King. They understand how to declare the "word of the Lord," without ever really knowing their Lord.

In that stunned moment, just before eternity, He will sadly look into their eyes and say, "depart from me for I never knew you" (Mat 25:12; Mat 7:23). Shock will come crashing through their religious self-deception that has made them feel secure for years. In their last futile attempt at self-righteousness they will begin to say, "We have eaten and drunk in Your presence!" (Luke 13:26). "But Jesus we cast out devils." Jesus will interrupt them and say, "I don't know you; depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity."

How many religious people are in this place today? "Jesus, I built cathedrals for You. I built this ministy for You. I built this church for You. I witness every, week for You. I read my Bible every week for You." But Jesus will say, "But, I don't know you."

Religion doesn't bow. Religion is too stiff to bow. Religion is too proud to be seen bowing in humble worship of Jesus -- humble worship as a dog licks his master's hand. There is not one example of a religious hypocrite bowing down to Jesus, but Matthew says that when the wise men came to Jesus at His birth they fell down and worshipped. It takes a humble heart to worship Jesus by falling down at His feet.

Religion is so busy about the works that it has forgotten the Savior Himself. There is no work that is ever going to contribute to one's entrance into heaven. What is going to matter is whether one has a relationship with Christ as a husband knows his wife. On that day it won't matter whether people have "taken" their city, their state or their nation for Christ. What's going to matter is if one knows Him. At that time the more important religious works will be last and the least important thing, a real relationship with Him, will be first.

This thing called Christianity has been made into everything other than what God intended. It's been made into man's ability to build for God, to the credit of man's ability and sacrifice. Unless God builds the house, the work of building is vanity. God will not be a part of building anything that does not bring Him glory. If Jesus is not the center, it is not God.

The sign that Jesus is the center is His presence. Nothing else matters if His presence isn't there. If we would only be the picture of love God wants us to be. "By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth... It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me" (Song of Solomon 3:1, 4).

There is nothing that is worth the presence of God. People that don't like His presence will have a miserable time in heaven. The presence of God is what makes heaven so pleasant and it's the absence of His presence that makes hell so miserable. The whole goal of 6,000 years of God's work has been to get mankind into His presence. "A long time out of Christ's glorious presence is two deaths and two hells for me. We must meet. I am not able to do without Him." -- Samuel Rutherford, Seventeenth-century Puritan

Copyright © 1999 Eternal Hope Ministries, Inc., P.O. Box 466, Ellerslie, MD 21529. www.ehope.com
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