How to be Religious without being a Christian

In at least three instances in the New Testament we are told how someone could be religious, but wouldn’t be Christ-like:

► Be zealous but misdirected:

“For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.” – Galatians 1:13-14

“Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.” – Acts 26:5

► Be unconcerned about the impact of your words:

“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” – James 1:26

► Show no compassion to those in need:

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” – James 1:27

It is vital that both our heart and life matches the plan God has for our lives.

When God Doesn’t Make Sense

God is so far above us in intelligence, foresight, and power that it should be no surprise that many times we simply don’t understand Him. Isaiah explained, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Isaiah was referring specifically to the Lord’s willingness to show mercy and “abundantly pardon” the sins of His people (55:6-7); this isn’t something that a savvy king should do, most would think – if some are rebellious enough to wrong the king once, wouldn’t you think they would be willing to do it again? But God’s ways are far above ours – He is willing to forgive.

We may not perceive the rationale for God’s actions or directions; what He says and what He does can sometimes feel contradictory to good sense and reason. So how can we deal with God’s sometimes confusing, seemingly foolish, instructions or activities?

1. Acknowledge that sometimes God’s actions or directions don’t have a logical basis from a human standpoint. Look carefully at the following passages: the world-the command to Noah to build an ark (Gen. 6-9); the instructions for the Passover (Exodus 11 & 12); the brazen-serpent prescription (Num. 21:4-9); the battle-plan for conquering Jericho (Joshua 6:1-21); the methodology for cleaning up Jericho’s poisonous water (II Kings 2:19-23); and the prescription for Naaman’s leprosy (II Kings 5:1-14). Then think about several New Testament passages: Jesus’ calling us to deny self (Matt. 16:24-25); Jesus’ technique for catching tremendous amounts of fish (Luke 5:1-11); the manner in which Jesus healed a man of blindness (John 9); Jesus’ waiting to visit his friend Lazarus, who was on his death bed (John 11); Jesus’ teaching that poverty, humility, meekness, and suffering, can bring wealth, fullness, and blessing (Matt. 5:1-12); the method and meaning of baptism (Rom. 6:3-5); and the items and symbolism of the Lord’s supper (I Cor. 11:23-29). Paul pointed out the cross of Christ is “foolishness” to some – but clarified that it only appears that way to “them that perish” (I Cor. 1:18). The point of all of this is that if we reflect on the content of Scripture, we realize that much of what God says and does is “foolishness” by human standards.

2. Recognize that God is wiser than you or me or anyone else we know. Isaiah said that God’s “thoughts” and “ways” are much higher than ours (55:8-9). Paul reminded us that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (I Cor. 1:25). There’s a lot we don’t know.

3. Train yourself to trust what you see or feel, less, and what God says, more. It’s natural to want something concrete. Thomas wanted to see proof of Jesus’ resurrection (John 20:25). Peter sank in the water when he saw the storm (Matt. 14:22-33). We must discipline ourselves to have faith and trust in God.

4. Do what God says, all that He says, in the way that He says, and for the purpose He assigned. All great people of faith obey God, even though it may not seem logical to the five senses in the moment (see Heb. 11).

5. Realize that God’s actions and directions always make sense in retrospect. It will be recognized in the end, that God ways are the best. Job experienced the “end of the Lord” – mercy and goodness (James 5:11). God can make all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28). God will provide, if we trust in Him and not ourselves (Prov. 3:5-6).

Ants in Action

Ants are tiny insects that teach big lessons by their examples of industriousness and initiative. Solomon prodded us to become more active by pointing out the little critter’s diligence and dedication:

“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:6-8, ESV).

Being self-starters with regard to our responsibilities in personal, health, financial and spiritual matters will ensure we aren’t caught short-handed. Paul explained that Christians should be “[n]ot slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). Motivation will follow action once we take the first steps to do what we should do when we should do it, whether or not we’re in the mood.

Why Sundays are Special

In our culture, Sunday has lost some of its luster. The first day of the week is now popularly viewed as the “extra Saturday” of the weekend.

Christians recognize Sunday as a special day of fellowship and worship. Here are a few things that make it unique:

1. Jesus rose from the grave on a Sunday.

Jesus Christ was crucified on the Friday of Passover weekend, and on Sunday, the tomb where they laid Him was empty. The Bible says, “And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him” (Mark 16:2-6).

The most remarkable event in human history took place on that Sunday morning. From the day of Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples began to treat Sundays differently from the old Sabbath day (Saturday), and viewed it as a special day for His followers.

2. The church began on a Sunday.

About fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples gathered in Jerusalem and the Jewish feast of Pentecost was being observed. The Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles with power (as Jesus had foretold, see Mark 9:1 and Luke 24: 49), and the gospel of Christ was preached in its fullness for the first time. The details of this day are recounted in Acts 2, one of the pivotal chapters in Bible history. That Sunday was the day the Lord began adding “to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47). Seeing that one of the greatest institutions known to man began on a Sunday, it should be no surprise that it would be observed as a day of spiritual significance.

3. The early Christians gathered to worship every Sunday.

The Bible describes how “upon the first day of the week, … the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7). And the apostles gave specific instructions about how to worship when they were assembled. Paul wrote: “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him” (I Cor. 16:1-2). Just as the Old Testament Sabbath day had been observed every seventh day (Saturday) (see Exodus 20:8), they set apart every first day of the week to honor Jesus Christ.

4. The first-century Christians looked forward to their times of fellowship every Sunday.

Because the day was special, the early Christians encouraged one another to attend the weekly assemblies as each Sunday drew closer. The Bible says: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:24-25). They spurred one another on.

Perhaps the greatest reason Sundays are special is because Jesus is present in spirit with His disciples. He said: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). We can be sure Jesus is with us on Sundays, if we assemble with His people for worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

People of the Bible: Samson

Samson was the strongest man in Scripture – in terms of sheer physical power. He had many weaknesses, however, most of which he did not initially recognize. He was able to provide ancient Israel some relief from Philistine oppression, but his weakness for wanting Philistine friends, including girlfriends, eventually led to his demise. He revealed the secret of the Nazarite vow, including unshorn hair, to Delilah, who betrayed him to some jealous Philistines. They cut his hair, and turned him into something like a carnival act.

At the lowest point in his life, Samson asked for God to give him strength so that he could complete his mission. The Bible says, “And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes” (Judges 16:28).

Like Samson, God is best able to empower us when we recognize our need for Him. A paradox of Scripture is that when we have recognized our deprivation without God’s strength, He will strengthen us, using His word, the fellowship of His people, our worship of Him, and His providence. Here are some of the passages which refer to that concept:

“O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (II Chron. 20:12).
“For the Lord will not cast off for ever: 32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies” (Lam. 3:31-32).
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (II Cor. 12:7-10).
“For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you” (II Cor. 13:4).

The real source of Samson’s strength was his faith in God. The Heavenly Father can strengthen us once we recognize our weaknesses. God takes our faith and “out of weakness” makes us strong (Heb. 11:34).

Having a hard time in life right now? Perhaps the moment is arriving when you can experience God’s strength more fully.

Beatitudes in the Psalms

The biggest book in the Bible is Psalms. It has 150 chapters (each one is called a “psalm”) of poetic devotional material. It can take a bit of effort to become accustomed to reading from that book because most of them were originally lyrics for songs to be sung by God’s people in Old Testament times, the Israelites. It’s also challenging to keep the rhythm and rhyme intact when translating from one language, like Hebrew, to another, for us English, so we don’t get the same tone and timing that is in the original language. We can still pick up on the sentiment though – each writer was praising God for His greatness, or calling upon Him for His goodness and help.

Just like Jesus announced a series of “beatitudes” for His followers in Matthew 5:3-12, the book of Psalms also has a series of “Blessed” passages. If we “listen to the lyrics” of these Old Testament beatitudes, we can pick up on some important concepts for having a joyful life with God. Here are a few of them:

CHOICE OF FRIENDS: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1). That’s the opening verse of the Book of Psalms – it sets the tone for the next 149 chapters with the word “Blessed” – an “interjection, how happy!” (Olive Tree Enhanced Strong’s Dict.). Then it immediately unfolds one of the ways we can enjoy that kind of gladness with God – we learn the importance of recognizing problem-people before they entrap us in something too hard for us to get out of. Paul gave a similar bit of warning to the church at Corinth: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (1 Cor. 15:33, ESV). This doesn’t mean we can go around being unfriendly, but that we understand when we may need to “un-friend” someone we’ve gotten close to.

GLADNESS IN WORSHIP: “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of Thy countenance” (Psalm 89:15). The “festal shout” (ESV) refers to the atmosphere emanating from their gatherings to worship God. Of course, they wrestled with problems in that area – Malachi said many of them in his day had the attitude that it was “weariness” (Mal. 1:13) – but those who were “Blessed” were those who had the right outlook (e.g., John 4:24).

DOING WHAT’S RIGHT: “Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times” (Psalm 106:3). This principle is older than the saying “Honesty is the best policy” and is likely one of the reasons that proverb came about. It’s not always easy to do the right thing, but it is always best. Our attitude about our own integrity is so fragile that once it’s broken it’s difficult to repair. Live as if someone is watching every move you make – because Someone is.

CONFIDENCE FROM FOLLOWING SCRIPTURE: A dominant theme is Psalms is how glad we’ll be that we’ve founded our faith and life on Scripture: “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that fears the LORD, that delights greatly in His commandments” (Psalm 112:1); “Blessed is every one that fears the LORD; that walks in His ways” (128:1); and the first verse of the Bible’s longest chapter – “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord” (119:1). “Have a” Bible, and “Have the Bible” (see John 17:17; I Peter 4:11)

PEACE FROM FORGIVENESS: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psalm 32:1). Until we are convicted of the debt and darkness of sin, we cannot fully understand what this passage means. Jesus bring peace and joy for sinners (Rom. 5:1-2; 8:1).

People of the Bible: Stephen

Stephen was one of the first prominent members of the church of Christ in Jerusalem, and was also one of the first to die for being Jesus’ follower.

The primary text about Stephen is Acts 6 through 8. Consider three stages of his life as revealed in Scripture:

Stephen the Minister

We first read about Stephen as a servant in the church (Acts 6:1-7). From the beginning, Christianity has been about community and helping others. However, it is challenging to meet every need in the context of a variety of different demands and an array of personalities. It is no surprise that a problem arose, in which some Christian widows expressed criticism that they weren’t receiving fair attention from the church.

The apostles announced a solution: Select seven men who would be specially assigned to this task. Stephen is the first name mentioned on the list, and he is described as “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). His name is Greek, which lets us know that he had a Grecian background, which would be helpful in addressing the situation.

Based on the other descriptions provided, we also know that Stephen had a good reputation in the community (6:3), was “full of the Holy Spirit” (6:3), and was capable of tending to the job at hand.

Like Jesus, Christians should be servants. Jesus said He came “to minister” (Mark 10:45), and He left us an example of humble service when He washed the disciples’ feet (John 13).

Stephen the Messenger

Next, we see Stephen as a spokesperson for the gospel (Acts 6:8-7:53). Stephen’s natural and supernatural abilities led him to a more public role in the church, particularly in leading Jews to Christ. Those who wanted to protect Judaism were disturbed that they were unable to rebut Stephen’s teachings (6:10).

The contention between Stephen and the Jews became so intense that some of the Jews paid witnesses to make false statements about him, and he was placed on trial for blasphemy (6:11-15).

Christianity is an aggressive religion. Jude said that we should be prepared to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3).

Despite the likely adverse consequences, Stephen delivered a powerful summary of God’s people under the Old Testament, and continued with a pointed application to his hearers (7:1-53). They were turning from God’s plan in the same way God’s people had in the past (7:51-53).

Stephen the Martyr

The crowd was furious with Stephen (Acts 7:54). In the face of death, Stephen remained committed to Christ and entrusted the keeping of his soul to Him (7:55-60).

Jesus promised us that if we were “faithful unto death,” He will give us a crown of life (Rev. 2:10). “Stephanos” in Greek means “crown.” Stephen was stoned to death, and was buried by some of the devout men in the church (8:2).

The event sparked intense persecution of the church by the Jews, including Saul. Paul never forgot the day Stephen died, later reminding the Lord that he guarded the robes of those who threw the stones at Stephen and didn’t do anything to help him (22:20). Stephen’s death became a catalyst for others to look to Jesus.

VBS 2017

Our one-day Vacation Bible School will be Saturday, June 24, 2017, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We will have classes for youngsters and youth through sixth grade. Our subject will be The Beatitudes.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:3-12).

Keeping Our Hearts Pure

One of the Beatitudes emphasizes the importance of maintaining a godly conscience: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). To cultivate that kind of freedom from corruption or inappropriate desire, consider these questions Fletcher of Madeley reflected on nightly:

Did I awake spiritual, and was I watchful in keeping my mind from wandering this morning when I was rising?
Have I this day got nearer to God in times of prayer, or have I given way to a lazy, idle spirit?
Has my faith been weakened by unwatchfulness, or quickened by diligence this day?
Have I this day walked by faith and eyed God in all things?
Have I denied myself in all unkind words and thoughts? Have I delighted in seeing others preferred before me?
Have I made the most of my precious time, as far as I had light, strength, and opportunity?
Have I kept the issues of my heart in the means of grace, so as to profit by them?
What have I done this day for the souls and bodies of God’s dear saints?
Have I laid out anything to please myself when I might have saved the money for the cause of God?
Have I governed well my tongue this day, remembering that “in a multitude of words there wanteth not sin”?
In how many instances have I denied myself this day?
Do my life and conversation adorn the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Going Right When Others Go Wrong

Friends and family are some of life’s greatest blessings. We enjoy a special bond with them, and share good times and bad times together. However, these relationships also present unique challenges.

From a spiritual standpoint, Satan utilizes every means possible to gain an advantage. It should be no surprise that one of the avenues used to interfere with our spiritual wellbeing would be through the influence of those who are closest to us. No one is perfect, and even though we may respect and care about others very much, they can make mistakes, give misguided advice, or approve of ideas that may not be accurate or acceptable to God.

One of the most important qualities a person can develop is the capacity to do what is right even though everyone else isn’t. Jesus taught, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).

The Bible contains several passages challenging us to be careful when those who are close to us exert pressure to pull us away from God’s plan for our lives:

Exodus 23:2 – Don’t follow the crowd, especially when it is chasing evil.
Deuteronomy 13:6-8 – Don’t follow others when they worship other gods.
Psalm 1:1 – Be careful about hanging around with those who have evil attitudes and ideas.
Proverbs 1:10-15 – Don’t listen when others try to persuade you to engage in inappropriate behavior.
John 18:15-27 – Trying to blend in with those are do not share your faith in Christ can tempt you to deny your faith.
I Corinthians 15:33 – Listening to those who doubt God and His message can weaken our faith.
Galatians 2:9-13 – No matter how conscientious we may usually be, we can be affected by the ideas of our friends and associates.
Galatians 6:1 – When we are attempting to help a friend with a spiritual problem, we should remember that we are also susceptible to the influence of sin.
Matthew 7:13-14 – When making decisions about which path to take in life, our choices should be determined by considering where the path will lead, and not with the direction that others may be going.