Jesus vs. Religion

Would you rather listen than read? Listen here.

Athens, Greece

One of my all-time favorite trips I ever went on was to Greece and Turkey. I have mentioned this trip before in a previous post, Jeremiah In The Cistern. On the last day of the trip, my friend and I got off the cruise ship to explore Athens. I knew some about Athens, but did not have a clue of all God would show me.

We joined a tour that took us to the Acropolis, where the temple of Athena and other Greek gods still stand. We climbed a rocky path to get to the top, where if I looked left I had a stunning panoramic view of Athens, and if I looked right, the enormous temples stood with ancient integrity.

The tour guide told us all about the Parthenon and other buildings that stood close together. Then, just before heading down, the guide pointed to a hill below us and said, “See that hill? That is a place of pilgrimage. That is where the apostle Paul preached against the gods of his day.”

For some reason, I had thought of Greek, Roman and other gods being thousands of years prior to Jesus and His apostles. At that moment, all of history felt like it came together. It was one of the first times I could see something written about in the Bible right before me.

A City Full Of Idols

I got excited when I got to the book of Acts where I got to reread Paul’s words that he spoke about these gods. I could go back in my mind and visualize Paul standing on that rugged hill preaching to the Greeks. You can read the entire speech by reading Acts 17:16-34.

We learn in Acts 17:16 that Paul “was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” He spoke with philosophers who wanted to know what Paul was babbling on about. In verse 20, the philosophers say, “You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” Paul stands up and speaks the next couple of verses.

Paul’s Warning

“People of Athens! I see that in every way, you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.”

Act 17:22-23 NIV

All too often, we can become very religious without even knowing it, worshiping religion more than Jesus. The Greeks were worshipping gods they did not even know just for the sake of doing what they believed they should do. I have met many Christians who have done the same. They have attended church, sang the songs, and served, but missed the entire concept of Jesus along the way.

Forgiveness

I lead a small group one time, and we discussed forgiveness. An octogenarian in the group announced, “I just don’t get this forgiveness thing.” He was a doctor and had lived as an upstanding citizen. He attended church all his life, but never understood his need for forgiveness. Just like the Greeks here in Acts, he was going through the motions.

A man sitting next to him, a missionary, placed his hand on the man’s shoulder and said how wonderful forgiveness is. He shared we live in a sinful state and that Jesus came to redeem us all. As the missionary continued, you could see a heaviness lift off this man. He physically looked lighter. His face changed and you could see a lifetime of religion change into freedom in Jesus.

As the missionary continued, you could see a heaviness lift off this man. He physically looked lighter. His face changed and you could see a lifetime of religion change into freedom in Jesus. Click To Tweet

Religion can easily become an idol we worship instead of worshipping the Savior. So how do we know when we have crossed that line and how do we turn back? From observing many churches over the last twenty years, these are a few things I have witnessed.

When religion is the focus:

• People want to remain comfortable. As soon as you try to push them out of their comfort zone, they get panicky or angry. Church is a place of comfort, not a place to leave and reach the lost.

• They are more focused on rules of the church. People who would fight till the end of things that are not essential to salvation. Some examples would be women in ministry, when to baptize, and are spiritual gifts still practised.

• Church tradition and structure become the focus and change is a struggle.

When Jesus is the focus:

• You notice a person who looks free and filled with joy. They are driven to leaving their comfort zone if it means bringing others into the freedom they know so well.

• Legalism is far from them. Their focus is on Jesus and not much else. The non-essentials may be important to them, but they do not allow them to get in the way.

• They may like traditions, but would rather worship Jesus than worry about how they are worshipping.

Repent

Do you recognize yourself in either of these? I do, and they have not always been from the latter. Many of our beliefs have passed down to us from our families and many years in the church, and it is hard to break free from ideas that have been ingrained in us. If you recognize areas of your life where religion has replaced Jesus, I have good news.

As Paul says to the Greeks, repent. We still have time to repent and get right with Jesus before we face judgement. If there is a particular issue you struggle to let go, ask Jesus to set you free.

As Paul says to the Greeks, repent. We still have time to repent and get right with Jesus before we face judgement. If there is a particular issue you struggle to let go, ask Jesus to set you free. Click To Tweet

When I Stand Before Jesus

If I were to stand in front of Jesus today for my time of judgement, I would want Him to say (and I think you would too), ‘well done, good and faithful servant.’

• I want Him to find me sharing grace and mercy. Not for Him to see I have spent my time arguing over which version of the Bible is most accurate.

• I want Him to see me feeding the hungry and not arguing with other believers if hymns are better for worship than contemporary worship songs.

• I want Him to find me fulfilling the great commission, Matthew 28:19, and not focused on if tongues are still a gift for today.

Unity

I have strong opinions about many of these things, but I would rather others know me for what I am for, Jesus, and not for what I am against. As I said in my last post, the world needs to see unity and not division within the church.

Right after I shared last week’s post, I was scrolling through Twitter and saw someone upset about a large church in America. A church that has done many incredible things for the Kingdom. Without researching a comment she heard, she posted something negative about the church.

This led to over a hundred more reactions of people arguing about the church. My heart broke while I scanned the comments because I thought all this has done has given evidence to a non-believer of why they would not want to believe, if this is what it was all about.

What do you think could happen if all of those people did not respond to that comment, but instead, shared a comment about how Jesus had transformed their life?

Think Before You Talk

As my momma always said, ‘think before you talk.’ I want to encourage each of you to stop and pray before you react. Ask God daily, or even by the minute, ‘what would you have me do next?’ Let Him be your guide and let Paul’s tremendous faith in preaching be an example. I encourage you too, to share a part of your story on social media this week and just see how God might use it. If you do, please tag me in it.

“By the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witnesses, they have become victorious over him, for they did not hold on to their lives, even under threat of death.”

Revelation 12:11 The Voice

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