A GILDED WALK: ON AND OFF THE ROAD TO PARADISE is about a journey, your journey as well as the author's. It's called LIFE. And since our actions determine how the journey proceeds and how it ends, it's worth some planning. The author explains how he handled the curves and the high-speed roads and bumps along the way. It is basically a matter of power: God's power to help you grow in the Christian faith and to help others follow that path. As your reading progresses, you will learn about: ¿¿¿¿ the Lord's guidance from childhood ¿¿¿¿ the many side roads that can detour life ¿¿¿¿ how God wants to travel with you ¿¿¿¿ how being saved isn't optional ¿¿¿¿ how this is just the first step of the journey ¿¿¿¿ the depth of journeys in the kingdom ¿¿¿¿ the Holy Spirit as tour director Thankfully, our Lord is not only forgiving, but died that we all might live. Think of how Christ forgave Peter for his lack of trust and forgave Paul for persecuting Christians. Therefore, this is the story of a life not always on the path, but always being led back to the straight road toward Him.

A Gilded Walk

The Path to HeavenBy Jerry McDermott

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2010 Jerry McDermott
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-1691-3

Contents

Preface.......................................................vIntroduction..................................................viiAcknowledgements..............................................xiPart 1: PROBLEMS..............................................1Chapter 1 - Religion or Relationship..........................3Chapter 2 - Ecclesiastical Dehydration........................6Chapter 3 - Ritual Frustrations...............................11Chapter 4 - Why Another Church?...............................15Chapter 5 - Yipes and Gripes..................................21Chapter 6 - Missing Words.....................................24Part 2: BEGINNINGS............................................29Chapter 7 - Some Personal History.............................31Chapter 8 - God's Plan........................................34Chapter 9 - A Mystery Explained...............................38Chapter 10 - Kingdom Living...................................41Chapter 11 - Daddy-Do-The Father's Love.......................43Chapter 12 - Where Is the Growth?.............................49Part 3: RENEWAL...............................................53Chapter 13 - Rebirth and Renewal..............................55Chapter 14 - The Charismatic Renewal..........................60Chapter 15 - Getting the Gifts................................66Chapter 16 - It's About Influences............................70Part 4: EXPERIENCES...........................................73Chapter 17 - Silent Prayer or Meditations.....................75Chapter 18 - Bible Reading....................................78Chapter 19 - A Black & White Experience.......................81Chapter 20 - Hamstrung Alone..................................83Chapter 21 - Journey Tales....................................88Chapter 22 - Tongues Not So Diverse...........................91Chapter 23 - A Divine Hello...................................94Chapter 24 - Heavenly Walks...................................98Part 5: INSIGHTS..............................................101Chapter 25 - Little Words.....................................103Chapter 26 - Contrasts Happen.................................107Chapter 27 - The Good News....................................110Chapter 28 - The Cross Explained..............................116Chapter 29 - Secrets & Mysteries..............................123Chapter 30 - Optional or Necessary............................126Chapter 31 - Angelic Helpers..................................132Chapter 32 - Political Savvy..................................136Chapter 33 - Rapturous Observations...........................139Part 6: CLOSING THOUGHTS......................................145Chapter 34 - What's Next?.....................................147Chapter 35 - The Mortgage-Free Home...........................153Chapter 36 - A Scenario.......................................155Chapter 37 - A Prayer of Thanksgiving.........................157Chapter 38 - Meditation and Summary...........................159About the Author..............................................163Bibliography..................................................166

Chapter One

Religion or Relationship

Before we begin our walk together, I have to clarify some items that have the potential to detour us off the direct path. Since this book is about religion, I don't want you to stumble at the very beginning of our journey. Typically, religion is described as a set of beliefs, rules, and rituals organized by a group of people toward a supernatural being.

Most people figure religious history went like this: God established a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and gave Moses the Ten Commandments and the Jewish religion became a fact. Then Jesus came as the Messiah, freed us from the stringent Mosaic Law and while being rejected by the Jews of His day, the Christian religion was established. The only thing wrong with this scenario is the definition of Christianity. According to common belief, it is a religion. According to God, it is a relationship.

Think of the Book of Genesis where God actually walked and talked with Adam and Eve. They had a relationship. This is what Jesus came to restore. Jesus taught us a wonderful prayer called the Our Father where we were joined with Him and with our mutual Father. He talked about the heavenly Kingdom which exists and the earthly Kingdom which will exist.

Jesus preached in the Jewish temples and courtyards of His day. He was also quite at home preaching on the sides of mountains, along paths, in boats, and at the dinner tables, but through all His gatherings, He never called these assemblies churches. Furthermore, Jesus didn't preach about the cross and His passion except to His closest followers. What He preached constantly was about God's Kingdom.

Where was the Kingdom of God? Were the churches that were built centuries later the Kingdom of God? Is any church structure, cathedral, denomination, assembly, or any other building the Kingdom of God today? The answer is a resounding NO. Jesus clarified this completely by saying the Kingdom of God is within us. Well then, what about being saved by belonging to a particular church? Jesus said that He is the Way; the Truth; and the Life. He also said that unless a man is born again he will not see the Kingdom of God. This distinction is so evident when you see an interview with a Christian personality on TV. The interviewer may not understand what the believer is saying, nor comprehend that salvation comes through repentance and belief in Jesus alone in our era of diversity. Since the church was started by men and women gathering together, the idea evolved that we are saved by belief and good works.

Martin Luther's teachings showed the scriptures where salvation is a gift from God. Unearned, it is a free gift without limitations. The only requirement is to make Jesus the Lord of your life (Galatians 2:16). How then can any denomination guarantee salvation when salvation is only through Jesus Christ? We are not denying the usefulness of churches for other reasons, but salvation is from the Lord.

With this truth firmly established, what is the Body of Christ? It's obvious, the Body of Christ is a collection of His born again followers; it is the invisible church, the Kingdom of God.

The modern practice puts the church denomination above everything. But the Kingdom is not part of the church; it is quite the opposite as the Kingdom is the larger entity.

When John the Baptist started preaching, he startled the folks by telling them to repent and that "The Kingdom of God is Near". When Jesus started preaching He gave the same exclamation. Furthermore, the main message Jesus gave was about the Kingdom. Consider His analogies in the gospels of the Kingdom being like yeast, a server, buried treasure, a fine pearl, a dragnet, a mustard seed, and so many other comparisons.

What is this Kingdom? It is the same Kingdom that God established when He created Adam and Eve. It was the first political body and it was established by the creator as a reflection of the heavenly Kingdom. The difference was that He gave man authority over God's earthly Kingdom, but that wasn't the major miracle. The wonderful result of God's purpose was mankind's relationship with his creator, not a distant relationship but a 1 on 1. But it didn't last. What happened?

Man was given authority as well as...