15 - THE GOSPEL CHRISTIANITY FORGOT

You know something's wrong when reading about Jesus feels nothing like meeting people who actually know him.

There's the religion OF Jesus. And the religion ABOUT Jesus.

One transforms your entire life. The other organizes your Sundays.

The Beautiful Distinction

Jesus taught: God is your loving Father.

The kingdom is within you.

Love changes everything.

You need no permission to approach the Divine.

Some realms of Christianity teach: Believe only the correct doctrines.

Show up to church.

Follow the proper rules.

Wait for heaven.

One gives you direct access to God. The other gives you a membership card.

Which one built the cathedrals?

Why We Made the Trade

The religion OF Jesus asks everything:

Forgive the unforgivable. Love those who hate you. Give without counting. Serve without recognition. See God in everyone.

It's beautiful. It's terrifying. It changes you completely.

The religion ABOUT Jesus feels safer.

We can admire from a distance. Worship without bleeding. Believe without changing.

One transforms. The other informs.

What We Lost in Translation

Look what Jesus actually said:

Not "Worship me" but "Follow me." Not "I'll talk to God for you" but "When you pray, say Father." Not "Wait for heaven" but "The kingdom of God is within you." Not "Get saved" but "Lose your life to find it."

He offered direct connection. We built intermediaries.

He trusted people with God. We created spiritual bureaucracy.

The Irony

Christianity has done magnificent things.

It preserved Jesus's story through dark ages.

Built hospitals and schools.

Inspired art that moves us to tears.

But it also became what Jesus challenged:

A system that says you need permission to access God.

An institution between humans and heaven.

The money changers didn't leave the temple. They just started selling different currency.

The Revolution Still Waiting

What if we returned to the religion OF Jesus?

Direct connection. No permission needed. Transformation over information. Kingdom now, not someday. God in everyone, especially enemies.

You know what happens when people live this way?

Everything changes. Enemies become family. The broken find wholeness. The world turns upside down.

The quiet revolution that actually works.

Your Choice

Every generation faces the same decision:

Follow Jesus or follow systems built in his name? Risk transformation or settle for information? Trust direct connection or require mediation? Live the kingdom now or wait for permission?

The Open Secret

Here's what changes everything:

You already have access.

The door has always been open.

No building required. No permission needed.

Just you and the One who's been waiting.

That's the religion OF Jesus. Still available. Still revolutionary.

Still free.

Why These Stories Matter Now

This is why I'm reimagining Jesus's missing years.

To explore the religion OF Jesus before it became the religion ABOUT Jesus.

To meet the boy who talked directly to God before anyone told him he needed permission.

What if young Jesus simply lived in that connection?

What if he shows us what we've forgotten?

That we're already connected.

We always were.

For those who left church but kept God: You weren't wrong.

You were looking for the religion OF Jesus all along.

It's still there. Still beautiful. Still available.

No assembly required. Just willingness to remember what you've always known.

<3EKO