Freedom from Religious Bondage

Finding freedom in the House of the Lord
Edison Macusi

True religion is the practice of the presence of God in one’s life. There is no greater demonstration of faith than a man who walks with God in the good times and even in the bad times; a man tempered by trials, strengthened by His grace and devoted to humility. But what happens when religion has become a by word for an institution rather than a walk of faith or a pilgrimage with God? In this book you will learn how to walk with faith, overcome religiosity and be set free to live the abundant life God has called you for.

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Gal. 5:1 (NASB)

Freedom from Religious Bondage Copyright© 2008 by Edison Macusi

Permission is given to print the material for personal study or sharing with family, friends and prayer groups so long as the articles remain unaltered. Any other use of the articles or materials would require written permission.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked AMP were taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked WNT are taken from the Weymouth New Testament translation of the Bible

 

PREFACE 5
1. JOURNEY TO FREEDOM 7
2. OBSTACLES TO FREEDOM 24
3. THE PATH TO FREEDOM 37
4. CASTING OUT YOUR IDOLS 48
5. SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF IDOLS 73
6. BRINGING A REVIVAL TO A NATION 84
7. MURDER IN JERUSALEM 98
8. EVERY ACTION HAS A CONSEQUENCE 105
9. OPPOSING GOD 113
10. PRIDE OF RELIGION 135
11. A DEEP HEALING LOVE 143
12. SHARING HIS LOVE, A QUEST TO MAKE 151 PREFACE

Religion dominated the world since the middle Ages. It controlled kingdoms and governance, as well as its decrees could bring fear and panic not just to the ruling monarchs but even to the least of the peasants. People can become religious for so many reasons. But a true religion who has it? In this book we will explore together how the bondage of false religion can actually oppress man and release the beast within him. In these last days we will also witness God’s increasing display of His healing love not just to the physically afflicted but even those tormented within their bodies and emotions. Freedom is the cry of every human heart. Religious bondage can be the cruelest form of oppression a man can undergo. It releases the beast within every human being and unleashes all unholy desires.

In our country, many people are led to believe that every sect and every form of religion leads to the same God we worship. They promise joy, freedom from misery and poverty. Yet, they minister law and death, if not sacrilege to the person of Truth and Love. They claim to be free…and yet their lives show increasing bondage.

True freedom comes from the heart. A man set free from religious bondage will walk in truth and power that can shake this world like Paul the apostle did. If we claim to be free…we will be as free as the birds flying in the air. What they have is a simple faith, that every day is a new day and that God will not forget them. This faith only comes from deep within, when one has been set free. Jesus came not just to seek the lost but also to set free even those bound by false religion. He came to bring life and release freedom to the captives.

Edison Macusi Bonn, Germany

Chapter 1
A Journey to Freedom

The life of Abraham points to us a poignant example of what God can do to a man willingly given to Him. Abraham was never a perfect man, but his faith and patience in the Lord won him the title, “A friend of God”. The account of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 declares of the man,

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Heb 11:8-10)

To Abraham, when the Lord knocks, he simply yields and opens up his heart before Him. He willingly obeyed the voice of God, His nudging. In the Scriptures it says, “he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb 11:8). Freedom to most of us is feeling free, feeling we can do everything we want. My former teacher wisely commented about this, “Your freedom ends, when the freedom of another is in jeopardy”. I thought before that freedom is mainly being free from imprisonment. So when I went to study in college, I carried that definition not until I met some radicals in the University of the Philippines whose definition starkly contrasted mine. They thought freedom means freedom from all restraint in the global community; freedom from capitalism; freedom from imperialism. Freedom thus means many to different people, but the best form of freedom is being set free from inner oppressions one has struggled with for many years.

My experience in UPLB
College years can be the best or the worst years of one’s life depending on how you spend it. In our college, invitations from different organizations flooded my pocket from fraternities to academic organizations and to Christian ministries. Each one tried to convince me of their mission and vision, their ways and traditions to persuade me to join their ranks and make a difference in the society. One of these organizations is the League of Filipino Students who ardently invites all freshmen who are willing to fight for the country’s freedom from imperialism. They call us to a noble cause, to fight for freedom from oppression of the enemy which was always the United States. One time while in the corridor of our dormitory one student asked me to join their organization, I flatly refused. My refusal was not because I love imperialism but because I know that beyond the veil of all other “isms” that we observe here in our society, the root is not found in cutting off imperialism. My inkling was, if we fight against imperialism, we indeed fight for a noble cause, yet this was just a symptom of what had gone wrong. People can impose their right on others or gobble their business because they have more money. And we can continue to denounce that indeed imperialism and capitalism can be evil; but more than flailing at the branches, I thought, the best was to remove the root of all evil which is sin permeating the society. The greatest radicals this world had ever known will not be Karl Marx or Vladimir Lenin or Mao Tse Tung…rather, it would be the ones who had and who continue to cut off the root of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They would be the most humble and noble souls this world has ever known. They won’t be found sitting in King’s Palaces or enjoying the luxury of a vacation in the Mediterranean or in the Bahamas but will be found working in the most humble and destitute areas of this world showing forth the love of their Captain and Master. The journey to freedom is thus the journey of cutting off the influence of this tree in one’s life, in one’s neighbors and in one’s country. This is the journey I have chosen and would choose to remain. This was also the journey which the patriarch Abraham chose to walk when God called him from his birthplace to Canaan.

Abraham’s journey
Abraham was of a different spirit. When God spoke to him while still living with his father’s house and under the comforts of his relatives, he chose to obey God.

“Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing.” (Gen 12:1-2)

Previous to this, the Lord confounded the language of the world (Gen 11:7) as the people wanted to build a skyscraper that reaches to the abode of God. They wanted to reach God according to their own chosen method. These people were blinded by the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4) and thought they could reach Heaven by their own chosen ways. Isn’t this familiar? We want to be independent from the dictates of anyone? We want a kingdom of our own, a city we can call with our own names. And even in the ancient of times such as in the land of Shinar or Babylon, people haven’t been any different from us. They are just as stubborn and hard headed.

This was the world where Abraham hails from. It is a world which was already divided in language, culture and practice as a result of trying to reach God by their own ways. In the Philippines and in many Asian cultures, the nuclear family and the extended family are very cohesive. Most of the new couples would still be found living with their families. This is cultural and I do not mean it is evil to be found near your families. The Bible tells us that Abraham lived close to his family. There are advantages and disadvantages of living close to your extended families. I can cite three main advantages: immediate help and advices during the pregnancy of your wife, care when the baby is born and care during sickness. Thus it brings comfort and help to many start up families. The disadvantages can be as compelling as the advantages: problems with in-laws, a mentality of dependence and inability to decide on your own course. This could be the main reason why the Lord wants a newly married couple to separate.

“For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Gen 2:24)

The meaning of leaving here is physical, financial and spiritual. A man or a husband is commanded to leave his family and the command has been as direct and blunt as much as possible. Other words for leave are: cut off, leave behind, keep behind, abandon, forsake and pass by. We are thus commanded to be cut off from our very own umbilical cords of nurturance and dependence to our families when we build our own families. We are called to do this in order to facilitate the cleaving and the one-flesh in a husband and wife relationship. This presupposes that all the other advantages of remaining in an extended family are subordinate to the cleaving between a husband and wife. Moreover this gives freedom for the newlywed to define and pattern their own families after an image they like. Living with in-laws can make this hard with probably many unsolicited advices coming from one’s parents. In the days of Abraham, it was not any different.

If the Lord Jesus Christ has repeated the same commands from the Old Testament, saying we are to leave our families and cleave to our wives, it probably is because it is important. In the case of Abraham, this was to free him for his calling. The Lord called him and said:

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen 12:1-3)

Leaving one’s family – your father and mother or brothers and sisters to live for the call the Lord called you is a bold step of faith. Would you rather give up your comfort zone or stand up and listen to the voice of God? Uncertainties abound and questions like, “what’s my future there? Who will help me in that land? How about my present properties here? Yet, Abraham did not give in to such fabled questions. With all his might and will, he composed himself and set forth for a journey. Abraham left all to get what he cannot lose.

Abraham started a journey that would bring him into a land he had never been or had never seen; he willingly obeyed the voice of God whom probably is as strange to him as the call to move out of his birthplace. God is as strange as anybody can be when one has never heard of Him. Basing on the Scriptural records, it is possible that Abraham could have known God by way of oral traditions coming from records of his ancestors. And indeed he traces back his ancestry to Noah’s son, Shem. He is the 8th generation of a godly line. One of the best characteristics Abraham has was to not reject outrightly what God was saying to him, nor to doubt His voice. He could have inquire from his father Terah if there were records of hearing God in the past. Thus was Abraham, the friend of God, because he willingly obeyed and put to risk his own life, status and image in order to obey the voice of God.

The command to leave one’s family was never easy. One will always feel a foreigner when one goes to a new territory. Yet it did not scare Abraham one bit. Not once was it mentioned that he shirked from this call to move to an unknown land…away from civilization, away from a vibrant city life, away from the center of the civilized world. The move of Abraham can be compared from being situated in a bustling metropolis like Manila and then moving to a backward province. Based on the commands given to Abraham, it would seem that the call was previously given to Terah but he did not persevere to follow it. Terah took Abram, Sarai and Lot together from the City of Ur towards Canaan but get distracted and settled in Haran rather than in Canaan. If you will get a map and measure the distance between the city of Haran and Canaan, the distance to go is still 250 kilometers; you still have to cross the Euphrates River and overcome the sand dunes covering some areas of Canaan until you get into the fertile areas.

“And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.” (Gen 11:31-32)

Abraham’s journey to Canaan (Source: "Abraham." Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009.BDEA/G. Dagli Orti/DeAgostini Picture Library)

The Lord could have place in the heart of Terah the call to move out his family from Ur to Canaan. Unfortunately he died not having seen the land the Lord has called them to settle in. Like Terah, there are many among us whose dreams are unfulfilled and simply left out because we did not reach forth to walk the destiny we were called to walk forth. Terah was originally called to bring his family to Canaan but stopped short at Haran. Today in our journey we can be stopped short by any baggage we claim and bring with us that are unnecessary. Baggage can contain the things we just need in our travel but when we travel with unnecessary weight, it can slow us down. Or it can totally keep us away from our goal. One of these oppressing spirits is the spirit of religion and entertainment.

Terah could have been the first friend of God had he not settle down in Haran and obeyed God completely to move his family to Canaan. God has been preparing a godly line by which the Jews would come and bless the world with the oracles of God and His Messiah. In order to accomplish this, the Lord looked for a man who would exactly fulfill and love what He desired to do. A man that is after His own heart and mind, a man who would persevere to believe Him even when things and situations look bleak.

Nevertheless, the vision did not die with Terah but again and again, the Lord reminded Abraham not to settle down in any place but Canaan. “Abram, come and get out of your country”, the Lord would have ask him; come out from among your relatives, your friends, your family. Like Abraham, the Lord has called us to a place of Freedom. This place is Freedom not because we have the license to commit sin, but rather because we are freed to be the servants of God. The call to this place starts with God inviting us, summoning us and calling us “to come out from among the unbelieving”. We started our journey the moment we believed in Him.

"Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. (2 Co 6:17)

'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.
(Rev 3:20)

There were many lessons from Abraham’s journey which can parallel our walk with God. He was a believer and seeker of God, tender hearted and obedient. One can ask three main questions with this journey of Abraham. Why would God require a man to travel to an unknown place? What was the point of travelling? Why would he need to leave his family? What was the call? These questions beg answers worth learning and reading.

Test of faith
Abraham is one of the heroes of faith not merely because he was the progenitor of Israel but because of his willingness to move and believe what God requires of him. He believed even when things look impossible or when things do not seem to correspond together. The place of travel was not as important as the process and the experience of travel. Abraham’s journey take us from Ur to Haran and then to Canaan; it tells the story of an amazing partnership between a family who was willing to believe in a God who was so willing to protect and empower a servant and friend of His. He grew in faith because He obeyed what God has said. He confessed he does not know where he was going but in all of these uncertainties, He simply obeyed to get out and move to the direction of where Canaan was. In fact this was the main reason we revere him…he believed even before he saw the Land.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. (Heb 11:8)

“For what does the Scripture say? "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Rom 4:3)

Inheritance
“And I will make you a great nation…” (Gen 12:2)
“Obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance…” (Heb 11:8)

It is the Lord who called him to be the father of a great nation and this movement to the land of Canaan was a move to get his inheritance from the Lord. How many among us would be willing to do just that? To leave your comfort zone and move to God’s obscure place of freedom? Many among us would consider twice before moving to another land when we are already planted to a place of convenience. Abraham’s move can be comparable to a doctor living in the United States and moving back to a backward nation in Africa. And yet he did not resist God. He trusted the Lord uncompromisingly; his composure was simple, if he would follow God, then he would follow Him all the way. In a time where there were so many uncertainties and few seekers of God, Abraham was defiant and trusted the Lord fully. He showed a heartfelt obedience that few could muster. One cannot really have faith and not obey; this is double mindedness. Even today, seeking God can bring you to human courts as insane, backward and as a rebel.

Establish a leader
“Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing…” (Gen 12:1)

Abram could not have become Abraham the patriarch had the Lord simply left him alone with his relatives; God would provide the opportunity to be so. To do this, the Lord has to call him out or re-move him from his family, friends and relatives who were all comfortably located near each other. Abram could not become the leader he would be unless he be cut off from his umbilical cord. His journey to Canaan will prove to be the school by which the Lord will train him to sharpen his leadership skills, test his patience and temper his temperaments. Every leader God established have been tested and He continue to look upon His leaders, bring them more tests, sharpen their skills and gifts and use them for their callings in life. Alexander Solzhenitsyn correctly remarked that even, “nature knows that perpetual wellbeing is not good”.

Close knit families which are common to many Asian countries has a great disadvantage in multiplying or creating the next leaders. Often the existing clan or family will continue to rule and provide leadership for as long as they desire and the people like them. In Ur, Abraham’s family could have been just as ordinary as any common Chaldeans. The removal of Abram to a different location which perhaps he may have never before handled puts him into a position of dependence to the Lord and trains him to be obedient to His voice. Christian leadership can be similar to many military organizations; one has to get closer to the Head if one wants to learn what will be the next move. Had he stayed in Ur, he could have been a nobody…no fame, no glory a nobody. It was Abraham’s unquestioning obedience that leaves us perfectly mesmerized at such feat of faith. He had no Bible to read, no audio book to listen to about God, no computer to view the web and find about what others are tuning in from the Lord. He gets his by directly listening from Heaven where the Lord talks with him.

Father of many nations
“And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen 12:3)

His call was never clear during the start of his journey. He simply knew he must move away from his place to a new one which he had never seen before. The call of Abraham became much clearer to him when he already got into Canaan. In fact his name was changed to reflect the nobility of his call. His name was changed from Abram to Abraham including Sarai’s to Sarah being promised that they would be the father and mother of many nations reinstating the call of Adam and Eve to both. Abraham’s call was to pioneer and incubate the vision that God has for His people on earth. His servant basically became the father of faith that until now we try to emulate as we serve God and his life has not stopped radiating the brilliance of his service to God on earth. We can reason out that Abraham has not as many temptations to deal with as we do…and not as many people to care with as we could think of. And yet this servant of God was justified not mainly because of the many temptations he had overcome with but because of his singular faith in the Lord. Smith Wigglesworth aptly said, “Only believe and you shall see God’s miracle”.

"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. "No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. "And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shalbeher name. "And I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a

mother ofnations; kings of peoples shall come from her." (Gen 17:4-6, 15-16)

“In hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "SO SHALL YOUR
DESCENDANTS BE." And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Rom 4:18-21)

In our quest for true freedom, faith is required to release us into our calling. Abraham was freed from the tyranny of nearsightedness to fly and see far and wide because of his obedience. Trains follow rail tracks. When we remove a rail track, a train seems to be free and continuously drive and move but gets to nowhere. Likewise our lives can be moving and seem to keep us from getting somewhere, but in order to truly move forward, we need the freedom that a rail track can bring…the freedom to thrust forward. Our quest for true freedom comes at a price we need to pay. In order to move up, we need a partner. Abraham chose well to partner with God; this is a law we need to understand. We can be the train that is full of gasoline or electricity, but without a rail track, we get to nothing. In fact we go in circles. But when we learn to see that God can be our rail track we can move and be free to thrust forward.

A journey that lasts for a lifetime
“Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” (Gen 12:1-4)

Coming back to Abraham, when God called him to move out of his country, he did not move out alone. Although the Lord did not specify who will go with him to Canaan, He packed his things with his father, nephew and his wife. There is a great truth we need to learn from this. Although the Lord spoke directly to Abraham, it was a blessing to note that he also considered and told his relatives and probably friends of God’s plan for them in Canaan. Not many may have agreed with him and initially it could have been his slaves, men and maid servants who accompanied his immediate family. In our journey to Freedom, it would always be a wise plan to follow suit what Abraham did. We are to bring our families with us to Freedom. Was this not what Jesus Christ refers to when He said, “in you shall all the families of the earth will be blessed?” We are called to be a blessing just as Abraham had been a blessing to all the families of the earth, producing Kings, Queens and a nation who gave the Bible to the world and a Savior that all would do well to confess they need.

Chapter 2
Obstacles to Freedom

I read that Freedom comes with a price. This was in fact the story of one man who was born as a peasant and raised by a family who would be described in today’s terms as poor. In his days there was neither electricity nor machines to power daily activities. He had nothing to contend with or to switch on for a daily activity except maybe to hone a saw, cut a timber and make perfect furniture. When his time to proclaim the everlasting gospel came, the rich and the elite were offended. In fact the ones who readily believed in him were common peasants also. Yet today he is recognized as the genius who probably set-forth more than an organization and left behind a trail of life and hope. Do you know who this man was? He never went to school or formed a theological seminary or hailed from Cambridge or Harvard. And yet, his legacy lives on and his presence still felt among all people groups. This was Jesus Christ...the God-man who came to set His people free. One of the most misunderstood historical and cultural figures of history. In one instance while preaching among his own people he proclaimed:

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
They answered Him, "We are Abraham's offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You shall become free'?" (Joh 8:32-33)

His people flatly refused and said...we have never been subjugated to anyone. In fact even during the times of Jesus which was also the times of the Roman emperors, Samaria and Judea were Roman provinces which have their own unique autonomy. But what was the point of Jesus telling His people freedom? We trace this back to His call just after He was baptize, He fasted for 40 days and later the Father revealed His time has come to proclaim who He was and directly He read it before the congregation.

“And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the