A couple of years ago, Jefferson Bethke, an author and evangelist, released a YouTube video called “Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus”. The video gained instant popularity. Today, it’s been watched by over 30 million people. The video shows Bethke separating what it means to have a relationship with Jesus, from what it means to follow a specific religion’s rules. As Bethke puts it, “Religion says ‘do’; Jesus says ‘done’”. “Religion says ‘slave’; Jesus says ‘son’”.

The Bible says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” While God calls us to live like Jesus, His message is one of grace. It’s not about following rules, or earning our way to salvation. When we receive Jesus into our hearts, we are saved. That is that! It’s an astonishing free gift, and yet so many people are still caught up in trying to earn their way to Heaven.

So share the Good News with someone in your world. Tell them how Jesus is different from religion. And I suggest you use John 3:16 in the New Testament to do it.This is Luis Palau.