Who's Up for Religion?

For much of my life, I followed what I was taught without asking too many questions. I sat in church, I listened to teachers and preachers, and I took them at their word. After all, they were speaking for God, right?

But at some point, I began to feel a tug deep in my spirit. I started wondering if everything I had been taught was true—or if some of it was just tradition.

That's when everything started to change for me.

The Wake-Up Call: Seeking Truth for Myself

I remember the moment clearly. I was sitting in church when a thought hit me like a ton of bricks: What if some of this isn't actually what Jesus said? What if this is just religion?

And that started a fire in me. I went home and began searching the Scriptures for myself. I opened the Bible not as a routine, but as a quest. I asked questions I’d never dared ask before.

I began to study timelines, original Hebrew and Greek meanings, cultural context, feast days, and prophecy. I pulled out notebooks, drew charts, wrote down every little detail that didn’t seem to line up with what I’d always heard.

And then I discovered something that shook me: Jesus didn’t have a 3½-year ministry. That’s just what I had always been told. But when I mapped everything out, what I found in Scripture pointed to something very different.

Jesus Had a 70-Week Ministry

Let me say that again—Jesus’ ministry wasn’t 3½ years. It was 70 weeks long.

From His baptism to the crucifixion to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, it all fits within a 70-week framework.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks…” — Daniel 9:25 (NKJV)

Now, you might be thinking: Why does that matter?

Because it shows that Jesus operated on a divine timeline. Nothing He did was random. Every move He made—every miracle, every teaching, every word—was intentional and prophetically timed. He was fulfilling God's calendar, not man’s assumptions.

This is more than just an interesting fact. It’s a revelation that forced me to re-examine everything I thought I knew about Jesus and the faith I’d been handed.

When Tradition Gets in the Way

We all love tradition. It’s comfortable. It’s familiar. It feels safe.

But the danger of tradition is that it can replace truth. And when that happens, we end up honoring God with our lips while our hearts are far from Him.

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” — Matthew 15:8-9 (NIV)

Tradition can keep you in church, but it can also keep you from Christ.

I’m not saying that everything we’ve been taught is wrong. But I am saying that if we’re not willing to test what we believe against the Word of God, then we’re not really pursuing truth—we’re just maintaining a system.

The Only Miracle in All Four Gospels

Here’s something that really made me pause: the only miracle recorded in all four gospels is the feeding of the 5,000.

Not raising Lazarus, not healing the blind, not even walking on water.

Why?

Because that event becomes a chronological marker. If you line up all four gospel accounts from that point outward, you’ll see that everything falls into a pattern that supports the 70-week ministry timeline. Everything fits. It’s like seeing a puzzle finally come together.

But tradition had me looking in the wrong places for too long.

Truth Requires Effort

Truth doesn’t come easy. You have to dig for it. You have to want it.

You’ll never stumble across it by accident. And if you’re not looking for it, chances are you’ll never find it—even if it’s sitting right in front of your face.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

Truth is like electricity. It has power. It brings light. But if you mishandle it—or ignore it—it can be dangerous.

That’s why so many people shy away from it. It’s easier to stay in the dark than to flip the switch and risk everything changing.

But I was done living in the dark.

Right Standing Over Religion

I realized that what I needed wasn’t more religion—I needed right standing with God.

There’s a huge difference between the two.

Religion tells you to follow the rules and keep up appearances.

Right standing tells you to come boldly to the throne of grace—even when you’re broken, confused, or doubting.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” — Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

When you’re in right standing with God, you don’t have to hide your mess. You can bring it to Him. He already sees it. And He loves you anyway.

Jesus Doesn’t Need Your Religion

Let’s be real—Jesus doesn’t need your religion. He’s not impressed with your rituals, your routines, or how many times you go to church.

What He wants is relationship. He wants surrender. He wants you to know Him as He is—not as tradition has made Him out to be.

And when you know the real Jesus, the one who walked the earth on God’s timeline, who healed and taught and died and rose again on purpose—you’ll never want to go back to “business as usual” again.

So… Who’s Up for Religion?

Honestly? Not me.

I’m not up for playing church. I’m not up for blindly following man-made doctrines. I’m not up for routines that have no power.

What I am up for is truth.

I want to know the Jesus of the Bible—not just the Jesus of my upbringing. I want to walk in right standing, not just repeat religious traditions.

And if that means I have to lay down some of the things I used to believe, so be it.

Because once you’ve tasted truth, religion just doesn’t satisfy anymore.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve felt that same tug in your spirit—that whisper saying, There’s more than this—don’t ignore it. Lean into it. Open your Bible. Ask the hard questions. Chase after truth with everything you’ve got.

Jesus promised us that if we seek, we will find. And I can testify—He’s worth finding.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” — John 8:32 (NIV)