For some reason several years ago someone decided that practicing
religion was wrong. In 2012 a young man named Jeff Bethke wrote a poem called,
Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus. It has been viewed close to 20 million
times on YouTube. The idea that religion is wrong is really not something new.
I have heard this kind of thinking for decades, and I am ashamed to say I even
bought into it. But I have changed my mind, which at my age is getting hard to
do. I have decided that practicing religion is not only right but also that the
rejection of religion is responsible for most of the turmoil and opposition the
Church is facing.
In my view practicing religion means that I actually live
out my beliefs. I believe in God. And because of that belief my life has to be
lived accordingly. If there is in fact a real God who created everything and
controls everything then I had better find out if that God has expectations of
me. And guess what? He does! I know this because I read, study, and teach His
Word (the Bible).
I live and work off of lists. In my position as pastor I
have to be self-disciplined in order to get everything done that I need to do.
So every Monday I make a list of the things I must do. As I have read and
studied the Bible I have found dozens of lists many of which contain God’s
expectations of me. Many of those lists actually tell me how I should live. I
follow those lists as best I can…wait for it…RELIGIOUSLY! That’s right the Bible
it has led me into a religious life style! The Bible makes me a religious
person.
Religion actually conveys the idea of consistency, devotion,
faithfulness, and Godliness. Those actually sound like positive traits to me.
So I not only believe being religious is good, I also believe it is necessary.
By being religious I try to live out my beliefs. I use the word try because
often I am not successful, but I have a helper, the Holy Spirit who guides me
into living a consistent, devoted, faithful, and Godly life, hey wait a minute that’s
the very definition of being religious! Get It?
Here’s where we have gone wrong. Not only does our salvation
rely on belief but also practice. That if
you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) The
Bible is very clear that the acceptance of salvation requires two steps. First
I must confess with my mouth Jesus is Lord. As I say to my congregation all the
time if Jesus is Lord, than He is the boss. That means He gets to tell me what
to do! That sounds religious to me! Secondly, I must believe in my heart that
God raised Jesus from the dead. Notice the first is something I must say with
my mouth. If I say with my mouth that Jesus is my boss now I am going to be
held accountable to everyone who heard me say it. That means as a believer I
have to back up my beliefs with what I have said. Which in turn means I have to
live a life of consistency, devotion, faithfulness, and Godliness. There it is again,
Religion! If you think you can live without being religious, instead following
your own way you are dead wrong. Way too many believers think they can follow
their own opinion…ignoring the Bible and those genuinely teaching the Bible. If
you reject religious living then you are rebelling against Jesus. (Wow, I hope
that doesn’t sound too harsh)
One more thing, Most of the time the believers that have
this attitude are really those who are rejecting the Church, they says things
like, “I don’t believe in organized religion.” They are speaking of the Church.
Where else do you find organized religion except in the Church? The problem
with this is that if you try to live without religion than you are trying live
without the power of the Holy Spirit. Like it or not the power of the Holy
Spirit is given to believers for the benefit of the Church. You cannot have the
genuine power of the Holy Spirit operating in you unless it can benefit the Church.
If you reject the Church than you are rejecting the very Jesus is doing. He
told the Disciples He would build His Church. He is building the Church right
now through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. When we reject religion we are rejecting
the very power we need to live in these last days. Jesus said the gate of hell
will not prevail against it, the Church. Therefore the Church is literally the
only thing standing between the gates of hell and the world.
So I invite you to stand with me between the world and hell.
Let’s block the gates of hell by becoming religious again!
