Let me be very clear about something: I'm not bashing any sect or denomination or tradition in the Christian faith. I'm not writing to say one is more righteous than another or anything discriminatory like that. I'm talking about religion vs. relationship. The religion I'm talking about is a frame of mind, it's a heart-issue; it's an intangible approach to God, not a tangible outlet to seek him. Let me be even more painfully clear: Religion's not so much the church you go to as it is the attitude in which you go...and mostly, the attitude you take out into the world after leaving church. Religion's not so much what denomination or sect of Christianity you claim as it is heart behind what belief you've chosen to live out. Religion's not so much what "brand" of Christian you are (who people see you to be) as it is your determination to set the core of Jesus' character in motion in your own life and the lives of those around you (who God sees you to be). It's not about which flag you wave, it's about what that flag stands for. I have good friends who are Christians from a far more "traditional" faith background - yet they get it. They embrace Jesus' heart and live out their faith in tremendous ways, some ways far more involved than my own! Why? Because they understand God didn't create us as street-performing monkeys, always trying to impress him with spiritual tricks - he created us for relationship with him, and to facilitate that same relationship in others.
Clearly, religion isn't working. It's a broken system that's been hobbling around since humanity fell away from God. At its core, any religion is a man-made system of beliefs, concepts, actions and ways of living that are believed to bring one closer to some supernatural entity (such as God), and in participating in such, one will attain a higher "spiritual level." Now, this sounds pretty kosher, right? Not much to disagree with here. But remember, in the DNA of every lie is a partial truth. There's a fly in the ointment that few people see before smearing it on their face. Here are just a couple of flies for your consideration:
You'll know if you've tried the religion route that one of the flies of religion is pride. It seems more like a contest to be godly than a relationship with God himself. The religious leaders of the Jesus' day were the target of a lot of his disapproval. Imagine that! The very people esteemed by the masses to be "the most spiritual" were called snakes and frauds by Jesus. And why? It was a heart-issue. They were full of the puss called pride, preening like peacocks in their spirituality. Look at what Jesus said about the "religious people" in Matthew 23:1-12, 27-28:
Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.
“Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’
“Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.
“Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.
“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.”Religion is the "bundles of rules," the "flowery prayers," the "secret passwords," all the things we think will get us brownie points with God. But what's the intention behind all those things? Wanting to be perceived as spiritual by those around us, that's what. One of my favorite authors, John Ortberg, calls it "impression management." We try to make others think we're more spiritual than we really are, or better off than we appear to be, by our words and actions - essentially, managing the impressions we're giving. It's a game we all play, some all-day long. Problem is, God's not impressed. Jesus said it best, as recorded in Matthew 7:21-23:
“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’”The message Christ came to teach was a loss of self-importance. Religious activities feel like nothing more than dead monotony because they are focused on me only, attentive to my spiritual needs alone. It's like a treadmill: your work and sweat is only fulfilling a personal need for your body only, and in doing so, you are staying still...you are not going anywhere. This idea is very similar to the next root of religion...which we will discuss next time, so come on back and bring a friend ;)
P.S. - If you're still confused about the difference between religion and relationship with God, check out this video. It's a bold definition of this difference. I hope this sheds some light on the subject at hand for you...comment with what you're thinking!
No comments:
Post a Comment