BONDAGE ARE YOU REALLY IN BONDAGE
What is bondage as it applies to the Christian faith you may ask? Bondage by definition in this context is the state of being bound by or subjected to some external power or control. Really you may be in bondage and not know it. Firstly, one should ask themselves are they in fear of man or God? Have you been influenced against the word of God before? Have you faced a situation where someone used theology or spiritual cloud to create doubt in you from what you know from the bible? Have you faced a situation where the scripture is made so complicated that the scripture loses its simplicity? Have you been made to feel your spiritual inadequacy as compared to the preacher’s spiritual abundance over and over again? Some are in bondage based on prophecies made for them by preachers. Are you living your Christian live, controlled by man’s doctrines? These are a few signs that you are in bondage.
Let us read Romans 8:15, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit if adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father.” Galatians 5:1 also tells us, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
After a Christian mission across West Africa a lot of reflection was done and I began to question myself about the attitudes I found in certain church groups. I thought long and hard about the expectations of the Christian faith. The missionaries who came to Africa were concerned about the welfare of the people no matter their other national objectives. They brought love, kindness, and tried to change our life style to work on our life expectancy. They thought better nutrition; they brought education and built hospitals. They brought the need for clean water to light. They introduced electricity and built roads and hospitals, all at no charge to the people. Most of these did the missionaries introduce, built houses and dwelled amongst the people. They were ambassadors for the gospel. Yes, their governments may have different goals; but there is no denying that they showed love, helped the people and gave direction. Some of them lived in huts without amenities and were willing to manage with the local people. Today we have come a long way in our Christian growth without maturity, compared to the early missionaries. Remember the missionary colleges and hospitals, all by church efforts and the people paid little or nothing. Today with large membership and lots of money contributed by the members, yet their children cannot attend those colleges, universities or get fair or free treatment in these hospitals. The unfortunate part is that their members see all these things and still hold fast to the cults called denominations. The truth is that these people, and if you are one of such church members is in bondage and does not know it. Deliver thyself O! Zion.
Let us start with one thing that is in short supply today demonstrated by Jesus Christ, copied by the early missionaries and abandoned by preachers and church leaders and elders of today. That is called COMPASSION. In Matt.15:31-35, even our Lord Jesus Christ said, “I have compassion on the multitude because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting lest they faint in the way.” This is God on earth showing compassion to man but today many church leaders and elders manifest Lk.10 25-37, where the religious leaders’ scorned compassion; but the Good Samaritan showed the qualities of love. Today, you see the laity or the masses in the church they cannot feel this love. Some of them trek several miles to meetings, some in hunger and thirst and trek back still hungry and the little they could eat with they cast into the offering tray. To most of these people they keep a smile and may die smiling, because they are optimistic that help would come. Some come with problems and sickness and need counseling but cannot get to the church leader for prayer. In most cases if you are in good financial standing the preacher or leader could see you and not those who have no financial impact. Some churches have seats with the names of high donors. What about those who do not have the money to make high donations? In Luke 21:1-4, Jesus Christ pointed to the widow and her offering. She put in all that she had. By giving all she had, she was willing to lose her life or source of next meal. But some of the big donors do so out of their excesses even stolen money, drug and ritual monies. The church leaders collect these monies and pay homage to them; then you ask where the love and fear of God is in these dangerous last days? The common man continues to be trapped in this situation and is not aware that they are in bondage. This is not the way of Jesus Christ, if it is where is the compassion? Turn to God and search the bible and let the Son of God set you free from bondage of man and Satan. Where is compassion? Where is love? Africa is so religious because poverty and wickedness has ravaged the masses in the midst of abundance of resources. The people are crying for help, the government has failed them and that is why they run to churches for comfort, help and succor. They only end up being trampled upon by the church leaders and the elders look on passively. Let me point out that you may trampled the masses and ravage them but know for sure that judgment is coming; and that judgment will begin in the house of God (1st Peter 4:17). Remember Psalms 78: 28-31.
You often hear these church leaders of both small and large congregations saying, “Touch not God’s anointed and do his prophets no harm.” All these they say to intimidate the people, to make them think they are highly spiritual and ministers of God. This is one of the manipulating techniques of bringing the people into bondage. There are those who claim or are appointed as elders, who see these abnormalities and close their eyes to the truth. Some of them are compensated or are part of the bondage mechanism. Judgment will catch up with them. As the blood of Abel and aborted babies are crying before God, so also the cries of these misled and mistreated congregations in bondage, is sounding before the same God. Definitely, judgment is around the corner. Where is the spirit of boldness that God gave to the saved and professed elder of the churches? Bondage is a destroying tool of the devil. Many people have moved their confidence in Christ Jesus to the church leaders for all their needs and that is one main reason they are in bondage.
The people are so much in bondage that the church now has to decide when burials can be done. They not only dictate the burial date, they show no compassion to the laity and their families. In one instance the church demanded for unpaid dues of family members for the dead. It became a financial roll call for all the family members. They needed to pay up or they would not conduct the burial. If you do not know this is bondage not compassion. Money becomes their God. They did not minister to the family members or raise the dead; all they saw was the opportunity to collect money. Some families go into debt and shame to bury their dead. Is this the correct teaching of the scriptures? Even some real Christians who know the truth remain in these churches, because of who will give them or their family members a befitting burial at death or during marriage. Bondage takes those who do not know or are afraid of standing by the truth. But for sure judgment is coming.
When you are going for a church service and struggling to split your money into smaller denominations because of the number of offerings during the service you are in bondage to that church and walking on financial egg shells and do not realize it. God loves a cheerful giver. Compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ is absent in most cases. Let us have mercy on those who are less fortunate. Remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man, if you are privileged. But here the focus is on the church hierarchy; give the poor masses a break from the bondage of four to ten collections and offerings in one service. Feed the people of God with the true Word of God and lighten their burdens. Judgment is coming and will first start in the house of God and from top to bottom.
People are in different types of bondage, some are good and necessary like marriage, yielding your life to Christ. You have the devilish bondages such as, conquering the laity by some of the church leaders. Remember the bondage of the children of Israel in Egypt and what they suffered from the task masters. Today it is the same thing only the task masters are some shepherds of the sheep of God. Many of them have become diabolical, created man made laws that has enslaved the children of God. I wonder the joy of certain Christians in this unfortunate situation. It reminds one of Psalms 137:1-4. Whosoever the Son sets free shall be free indeed. How do you praise and sing the Lord’s song in a strange system that does not follow the word of God but are out to create religious empires without the fear of God; and holding the people in bondage.
This is time to examine yourself and know if you are in bondage. You can never enjoy the love and comfort of the Lord in falsehood. This is the situation when you are in bondage and may not know it. Many in church today are in serious bondage and do not know it. You have to realize that you are in bondage to be able to cry for deliverance. Religious bondage is the worst to realize and come out from. If you throw a frog in to boiling water it will immediately jump out but if you put the same frog into a container of cool water it will remain calm. As you apply heat to the container, the frog gets more comfortable until it dies in the container as the water temperature increases. This is exactly what is happening to people in some of these religious environments. They get comfortable, begin to get into many church programs and gradually they forget the word of God. They grow on the doctrines of men and do not know they are in a slumber. This is bondage and many never know they are in trouble. Many die in bondage.
Come to Jesus Christ quickly, accept him, or get rededicated to get out of bondage. Come out from among them and be ye separate, 2nd Corinthians 6:17. Where ever Jesus Christ is not the center or first is now a temple of idols. You will know where (church) Jesus Christ is put first and if it is not then another god is in control there. Get your bible go look for a bible living church because you are in bondage and know it not. Be very careful about the doctrines of men, no matter how good they look, if it has no scriptural basis it is man’s doctrine. If the Son shall make you free you shall be free indeed. Find out where you have a weakness in your life it is always what allows you to be in bondage. Some people depend on others to pray for their problems and tell them what God has for them. If you allow this always, it is because you are weak in prayer or fasting or trusting God or much more; this brings you into bondage of the person you have given this power to. Some even charge you or you give the large gifts to talk to God on their behalf, this is bondage. Lastly every believer is a son of God, do not sell your birth right. God does not have grandchildren. You are either a child of God or you are not. Flee from bondage to Jesus Christ.