21 May 2007
Bonded together by mutual disdain for one another
Ahh, r-e-l-i-g-i-o-n.
Ok, ok, that’s another fun one but that wasn’t really fair since denominations are sort of like religion’s evil twin brother.
It bothers me even more that when Jesus comes to mind for a lot of people, rules and a very carefully regimented way of life leave a mediciney taste in their mouths.
planet, universe! Seriously, when it comes to going through the motions, making social contacts (for business, really), beefing up the good Christian resume, blind denominational loyalty, hostile anti infringement mindsets, help no one, racial reconciliation lip service (without real substance), a spirit of religiosity, and a whole host of other crapola—we’re good enough to compete at an Olympic level!
Think about it for a moment…
If you or I were God how would we respond to millions of so-called followers who only need about 3.5 seconds to organize into exclusive clicks with secret languages and restrictive rules?
Enough already!
The world watches us and thinks Christians are nuts, dangerous, up tight, hypocritical, laughable…and those are the ones they like!
http://www.renovatuscommunity.com/
home.asp
That’s bad news for religion.
6 Comments currently posted.
Michael says:
mike mccoy says:
Good to be back! 
this is a message that i will share with others as i go through my day today, and through the week. if we reach those who are not “unchurched”, or even “dechurched”, but those who have been injured in some way by the “church” in charlotte that is a mile wide and an inch deep, we will be able to reach another demographic altogether!
Christine Malone says:
So true Rob. I had the pleasure of standing up for our GOD, the other day. A friend of mine (greek orthodox) and I were just talking, some how the religion thing came up, and he said,” Your God”, and I had to correct him, and tell him he is OUR God, Hello!!
We serve the same God!! It really kinda of angried me, and then God spoke to me and reminded me just to continue to believe and serve him, others will follow.
Brian says:
Someone once gave me a pretty good Bible Definition of religion. . .
Return to bondage.
It’s good to be free.
Christopher Wall says:
As my wife and I have started to see the “TRUE” picture through Southbrook, we have started to ask our “Religious” friends we have known for years, “What is the main purpose of your Church?” Almost all of the answers are along the line of “Educate / Teach about Religion / God”. We then ask “What is your individual purpose?” That response is usually “to learn about God and follow his teachings / rules….”
We then have an opportunity to share with them that Southbrook as a Church Body, our first mission is to help others come to know Jesus Christ. All of us as individuals also have that as our same first mission. It is not just “The Church” that is asked by God to help others find him through his son. Then together as a Church and as individuals we grow “In Our Own Relationship With God” as a Christ Follower. Not as a Baptist, Methodist, etc… or with any expectations that are not based on teachings in the Bible.
The ritual of Baptism by Immersion VS. sprinkling is put on the table and we ask “Where is sprinkling noted in the Bible as a form of Baptism?” This is the point in the conversation where there is a classic pregnant pause. There is no argument to those key points and the image they have of Southbrook as an off the wall, non-denominational, outside the lines group, is starting to change very fast!
They may not hop on the Southbrook Express Bus, but it sure leaves them thinking!
For those that have not found Christ and do not like the things they have heard about this or that religion / denomination, etc…. Southbrook is an awesome place to come hear what God wants you to hear so you can make your own decision about a relationship with him based on his word.
For those that have accepted Christ yet they feel tied to the Church they have always gone to just like a job where when you ask someone “Why do you do it that way?”, they respond “Because this is how we have always done it….”
If you are in a Church where you are not getting filled and fired up, it is not fun (yes you are allowed to have fun in Church), you feel like you only get a little something out of it on Sunday and even then you are looking at the bulletin, counting how many hymns are left, and thinking just how long is this Sermon is going to take,,,,, there is an option.
It is not about expectations of the Church, the rules of the Religion, or the non-Bible based practices of a Denomination.
It is about your relationship with God…!!
Michael says:
Being a real Christ-follower starts with following Christ’s example. He did not go to church on Sunday to take up a seat or serve in a ministry so people could see him. No, being a real Christ follower means we follow Christians example.
What did Christ do? He told us. “I have come to save that which was lost.” Of course, we cannot save in our own power, but we MUST follow his example. We must be bringing the lost to Jesus. Okay, I can hear your argument. “But Christ said, ‘No one comes to the Father, except I draw them’.” Well, hello! The Holy Spirit that you claim to have in you is leading and guiding you, right? As a part of the trinity and Jesus’s promise to us, the Holy Spirit WILL tell you to go to this one or that one and proclaim the Good News (or at least get them to come to church with you).
People, like an awesome vacation destination, event, book, restaurant, etc., we preach it up trying so desparately to persuade our friends to go and experience what we did. As for our relationship with God, isn’t it so awesome and life-changing (way better than anything the world has to offer)? Shouldn’t we want others to experience it just as much?
Our relationship with God and how He has forgiven us should drive us to tell others of what Christ called “life to the fullest.”
God is always at work. Even in the days of Noah, God worked. Sure, things were really bad, but He was working out His Plan in Noah. Things were bad in the days of most of the judges. God’s People could not get things straight. Yet, God worked through ordinary people to do extraordinary things. That is one of the coolest things about Nehemiah. John. Peter. Most of the prophets. David. It has been the countless others who have said “yes” to God. Our moment has come. God’s word says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…” It also says that we need to be seeking Him while He can be found. Meaning: He may not be around tomorrow or even later today. Unfortunately, many will want until He cannot be found.
Continue to proclaim the Word of the Lord. I love something you said about numbers. You said that Christians are big on numbers and you gave a reason. Not that I am smarter or quicker, but let me add that Christians aren’t big on numbers because their numbers aren’t big to begin with. Think about how the gay and lesbian groups advertise their numbers and everyone says “Wow!” Think about how animal rights groups advertise the small number of an endangered species and we have save the whales and heetspitters (whatever they are called). They can stop an entire highway project that had already been approved. Think of the numbers claimed by the environmentalist doomsdayers. What the temperature has gone up one tenth of one degree and we all start recycling, change our hairsprays and deodorants from aerosol cans to cans without CFCs because we don’t want to danger evolution’s fragile invention.
God had Moses write a whole book called “Numbers.” God knows the number of hairs on our head. Why are there so many events with forty in them? Why are there 12 disciples and 12 tribes of Israel? Why did God made the earth in six days and made the seventh to rest. Seven days in a week. Seven seals in Revelation. Seventy times seven. Prophecies were filled with numbers. Numbers are so important to God.
Let me just say. Schlinder’s List has perhaps the most powerful image of numbers Hollywood has ever created. Obviously, Oscar Schlinder realized that numbers were important because the numbers he was tracking were lives he was saving from death. Maybe my number of people I have led to Christ isn’t big as a number, but it is a number bigger than zero. That is a sad number to put on your resume to show God on the Judgment Day. Oscar’s number was around one thousand, yet he broke down saying he had wasted so much money that he could have used to save Jews. We, Christians, are wasting time not saving people from hell’s eternal death. It is about time we stop wasting and start saving. (Of course, God saves, but you know what I mean.)