The Bible, speaking in the Book of Corinthians, says that the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. The challenge many people face, though they receive the word of God, is failing to understand that the word of God is supposed to produce life. Those who use the word of God but fail to produce this life may wonder why. It is because, although they received the word, they understood the letter (religion) which kills and never received the spirit that gives life. Abraham was prosperous, Jacob was prosperous, and all the patriarchs prospered. Yet, as the church that believes in the same God, many are suffering because they received the letter (religion), not the spirit which gives life.
Apostle Paul, in the Book of Corinthians, further emphasises that for this cause, many are sick among you, and many sleep. Why are they sick? It is because they did not handle or discern the Lord's body. What is the Lord's body? The Lord's body is the word of God. So, if you are unable to discern or use the word of God, you become sick, weak, and you might die. The word in itself was given so that through it we may see life and be productive, but yet it seems the more religious a person is, the more unproductive they become. Apostle Paul had to say to another church, "if you do not work, you should not eat." Many in that church had become unproductive because of misinterpretation of Scriptures.
Have you ever noticed that the more religious someone is, the more they appear as if they are losing their mind? The most religious people are senseless. Christianity was never supposed to be a religion, but as humans, we made it a religion. When you look into the word of God, you'll notice that there is a word called "salvation." This word is "Sozo" in Greek, which means "wholeness," and when you look at the root meaning of this word, it goes beyond just the forgiveness of sins. It means being healed or perfected in your body—physical healing. It means being delivered from your enemies. It is also a restoration of one's state to a place of prosperity. So, this word speaks of perfection, Christianity isn't about forgiveness of sins alone. The main purpose Christ came was to bring salvation "SOZO" to the world, but many made it a religion.
The purpose of Christianity, or the purpose of the word of God, is to help you become who God has called you to be. Who are you? Abraham was prosperous, meaning that he was a man who had all that he wished to have—from the heir he longed to see, to prosperity, to being a helper to so many. Imagine how many families were taken care of by Abraham. When the Bible speaks, it says he had three hundred men trained to fight in his house. So, if there were 300 men, that means there were 300 families that Abraham was taking care of. But these were just some of the men, and there were others.
As a believer, from the time that you believed the word of God, how many people are you taking care of? We all seem to have believed in the same God, yet we're not producing the same results. Why? It is because many became religious when they should have become life givers . I believe that God is calling us to a place where we leave religion behind and carry life. God bless you.
