I Tried Christianity And It Didn’t Work For Me
By: Jeremiah Baldizan
For many people today‘s Christianity has been nothing but a great swelling cloud promising water but delivering none. Today’s evangelical “Christianity” offers salvation through accepting Jesus Christ in to your heart or by making a confession of faith through a preacher, leading a group of people in a prayer that is repeated line by line. I talked to a young man at a college campus who believes that Christianity is nothing but a religion that preys on people who are emotional stretched or naïve. Countless Americans are concluding that today’s evangelical Christianity has nothing to offer. Many have grown up in a church and prayed “the prayer” and been baptized but nothing happened. They were promised salvation but after their emotions died, like the excitement of a gym membership so was the profession of faith. So was that it? Is religion nothing but a cloud without water? Men can’t live without water, if it isn’t in “religion” then where is it? I am going to try to make this cloud rain. I hope this does not cause you to panic, because it may cause a flood on your mind and emotions. First off, men who are proclaiming men saved after going through some silly prayer are liars. This is not taught anywhere in the bible. The bible says, “And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” (2 Peter 2:3 ESV). God cares much for the souls of men and those who imperil a man’s salvation through man made manipulating techniques will be held accountable. It was predicted that in the last days men would be deceived and would even deceive themselves concerning religion “while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13 ESV). Jesus Christ himself said, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matt 24:11). Sadly these prophetic words are being fulfilled right before our eyes, “Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!” (Matt 18:7 NIV). The reason why preachers participate in such practices is rank unbelief in God’s Word. A biblical invitation to sinners should be something like this “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it” (Mark 8:34-35 ESV).
“"So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33 NKJV). Jesus Christ demands no less than absolute total dedication from His disciples. I think this has been captured very well in a quote by William Penn
“No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown."
You may be thinking, “This is impossible! I can’t give up everything and follow Christ.”
You're right you can’t, but Christ demands no less than your all. The only way a man can give up all to follow Christ in the true religion of Christianity is if God supernaturally intervenes. God can change a man’s heart to love Christ and a man will abandon all in a wild reckless pursuit of Him. This is what happens when a man is truly “born again”, the change in a man is as radical as night and day, and the change of the man will out last the heavens. Men in their natural state are “dead in trespasses and sins” walking “according to the course of this world”, fulfilling “the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” , and men are by nature are “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2). Men cannot will themselves out of this state of condemnation, only God can change a person’s heart. If He does not change your heart you will be damned. But do not be discouraged from calling upon God to save you for real. Is God calling you? Did you pick this up by accident? What caused you to read this? I hope you see God’s hand in it. God is delighted to give us mercy through Jesus Christ, and the bible says He does not do it because He has to, but He does it with His whole heart. God could destroy the whole human race in hell and no one could resist Him, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NKJV). Christ suffered God’s wrath and rose again. He says, confess and forsake your sins, place all your hope and trust in Christ, and you will have everlasting life.
The Underground Gospel Team
"The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner." Matthew 12:10
