CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
reconciliation
Depart From Me / Return To Me – Brad Jersak
Bradley Jersak with Robert Hinds -
I recently received an email from a fellow by name of Robert Hinds. He had done a little digging into the background of Jesus’ jarring words from Matthew 7:23, “Depart from me…” His insights were so helpful that I thought I’d share them here, with all due credit to him.
“Depart from Me" in Context - Matthew 7
I think it’s important to read these words in context, so let’s start by citing the section in which they are embedded. The words of Jesus in Matthew 7:15-27, part of his Sermon on the Mount (emphasis ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
November 15, 2025 - Quote for the Day:
“The real issue that authentic Christians must face is the fact that much of Christendom has been infiltrated and even co-opted by legalism, and therefore has degenerated into just another religion.”
Originally published in:
Bad News Religion
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Going to the Dogs
Join Greg as he studies a desperate Canaanite woman whom Jesus calls a “dog.” Isn’t Jesus loving, compassionate, merciful and gentle? Wasn’t it completely out of character for him to call this woman who fell at his feet a “dog”?
CWR Video – Jesus is Lord!
In this CWR Video, Brad discusses four Scriptures as to what is meant by Jesus is Lord.
https://vimeo.com/1079552473
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Let Us Make God in Our Own Image
In our consumer-driven world, religion attempts to meet "felt-needs" - scrambling to give people the health and wealth they want, while Jesus calls us to suffering - to come and follow him. Are we attempting to remake God in our image or yielding to him so that he might transform us into his?
Finding Your Way Home – by Greg Albrecht
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.—Psalm 137:1-6
One of our lifelong goals is to "find our way home." In the Gospel of John, Jesus ...
Being In Christ
The friendship Jesus offers us is not the same as being a member of a religious club. Martin Luther once said, “Where Christ is there he goes against the flow.” Buildings, budgets and baptisms can diminish and devalue the personal relationship God in Christ offers.
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
November 12, 2025 - Quote for the Day:
If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. Issac Newton, 1676
“Hearing or observing someone giving credit to those who helped him/her in the past (or even the present!) is an incredibly beautiful and gratifying experience.
I am forever grateful for the sacrifices made on my behalf, starting with parents and grandparents, who gave so much. Simply being able to know I stand on the shoulders of many, in so many ways, is one of the enormous blessings for which I give thanks. As ...
CWR Video – End Times Virus – by Greg Albrecht
https://vimeo.com/100962162
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To Be or Not To Be?
Just as athletic coaches remind their players that there is no “I” in team Christians realize that there is no “I” in the body of Christ. The body of Christ is truly one for all and all for one — that’s what it means to be in Christ.
10 Statements of Gratitude – by Ed Dunn
10 Statements of Gratitude
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name - Psalm 100:4
We say Grace (give thanks) before meals, and I say Grace before the concert or play, before I open a book, before sketching, painting and swimming, before walking, dancing and playing. I say Grace before I dip the pen in ink – G.K. Chesterton
Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, and the readiness to show appreciation and to return kindness – Oxford Dictionary
When you arise in the morning, think of what a ...
The Battle About the Bible
For centuries just what exactly the Bible is and what it isn’t has caused splits and divisions within Christianity. Join Greg as he weighs in, based on Jesus’ teaching in John 5:39-40, on the significance of the Bible in your life.
Breakfast with Brad – What’s with Romans Chapter 13?
Nero, God’s sword-bearing servant is one and the same with the evil that must be overcome.
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
November 10, 2025 - Quote for the Day:
“Robert Louis Stevenson once remarked, ‘How little we pay our way in life!’ He was speaking of the fact that we are all debtors to others, to a great host of people who have gone before, clearing the way, pioneering, building and producing. We are indeed indebted to so many others, even those we never knew, because we pay very little of our own way in life. What do you have that you did not receive? – 1 Corinthians 4:7
Thus, as we give thanks, we remember that the blood that flows in our ...
No Religion Allowed Beyond This Point by Greg Albrecht
Think of a huge sign posted on the Cross of Christ. Warning! No Religion Allowed Beyond This Point. The gospel truth is that the Cross of Christ stands for no more lies, prevarications, manipulations, characterizations and deceptions. Warning! No Religion Allowed Beyond This Point is the gospel truth.
The BIG LIE of Christ-less religion is that God is angry with you and me. The “gospel” of Christ-less religion is that even though God is really upset with you and me, we can please and appease him with our behavior, so that he will not send us to ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
November 8, 2025 - Quote for the Day
“Some churches include public testimonies in their services – really juicy personal stories told by someone who used to be really bad, but now that person has repented. It’s called their testimony – and when it comes time for salacious testimonies some sit there in the church and think ‘God, I thank you I’ve never been that bad.’
I don’t mean to say that some church-goers are not genuinely delighted when God dramatically and miraculously, by his grace, transforms someone’s life. Of course, I ...
A Time of Soul-Searching
Holocaust Remembrance Day is more than a day, and more than the story of the Jewish Holocaust - it's about the brutal oppression of people, throughout history - more often than not, atrocities and abuse carried out in the name of religion.
Life Lived and Lessons Learned-1 – Ken Williams
At Trader Joe"s
Episode 1 – the first of others to come:
Some of you may not be familiar with a store chain called Trader Joe’s, so before I share life lived and lessons learned, working nearly seven years as a Trader Joe’s employee, I’ll share a short explanation of the TJ history and how it is distinct from other grocery stores. Describing it merely as another food market and convenience store sells the TJ culture short. Why the name “Trader Joe’s?” How did it grow from one store to over 600 stores across the U.S.? What makes it so popular?So, ...
Before You Decide You Know-It-All
We can all find ourselves thinking that we know more, spiritually, than almost anyone — and that we are spiritually superior to others, because of the “truth” we have that others don’t. Join Greg for some humble pie!
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