Seems more likely that you’d hear that word as swear word than in a religious context these days. More and more unabashed people in my circle feel comfortable telling me that they are some form of unbeliever (atheist, agnostic, Buddhist or a “fallen away Catholic”) It’s always the nice people too.
None of their stories are the same but all have given up on “organized religion, “ for one reason or another after a period of time of not finding “rational” explanations for things.
Do you know how you feel when you learn someone you love has cancer or AIDs, and you cannot do anything about it? That is how I feel when I hear that.
Religion is man’s attempt at worshipping God. We are doing a worse job at it that ever. We are poor representatives of a faith that has kept us. We say and do things within churches that contribute to people trying to figure things out on their own. We confuse God with religion, church leaders and the creation of giant facilities.
Jesus said, “ be followers of Me.
How often do you hear that? It’s rarely mentioned. He never asked for donations, or to be blessed financially for his ministry. He said his burden was light and his yoke was easy. I like that. With all that is going on in the world, I don’t need any more burdens.
It’s a burden when “serving God” is a franchise. A burden is when you hear and see supposedly holy people found guilty of child molestation, infidelity and “all manner of diverse things.”
To follow Jesus, is to:
- Learn of Him
- Believe in his life, death and resurrection
- Accept Him as Lord of your life
- Live as a disciple of Him
The good guys in my circle usually do all the right things and actually act pretty close to how a Christian is suppose to with a few differences. They are good people; respectable, honest, trustworthy, and nice, to all, but they do so without honoring God. They do all their good deeds and count all their successes on their own merits. They consider themselves their own god.
That last part is blasphemous. Nonverbally it calls Jesus the greatest liar of all time. It says that the Bible is just a book of stories. Spiritually there is no gray area. There is no middle of the road, no safe zone, no purgatory.
What separates a follower of Christ is where you place Jesus in your equation. He is either the Son of God, the Messiah or not. No other belief system says, “I am the Door.” No other faith teaches, “no one gets through to the Father except through me.” No one else says they site at the right hand of God.
I understand why so many have lost hope. Rarely do you see, hear or are in the presence of a follower of Christ. They probably don’t smack you over the head with a Bible, or talk down to you when you are already there. You probably don’t see much Light. This too is sad.
The true church is like the Internet. IT is not a brick and mortar building. It is not a place to grow old in, where there are bake sales and bazaars. It is the collective spirits of followers and believers in God. It should be a collection of people seeking to live for the glory of God. It should be a group of people that worship God and seek his face. It should a group of people that seek to help their neighbors. You should be able to spot them by how they deal with others. It’s a godly love.
I’m asking my friends that have given up and turned their own way to seek to know God personally again. Accept no substitutions or imitations. It’s easy. A U-turn only takes a step. Let me know if I can help.
Follow The Brother