REVEALING THE SPIRIT OF RELIGION

At the request of one of the men in our group, I'm going to post the lesson I taught from yesterday. I'm editing it just a little to remove some stuff that might lead outsiders to take it the wrong way. I've written about this in my blog once before, but something happened this last week to show me how pervasive the spirit of 'religion' can be. Before I launch out and anger a lot of well meaning people, let me give you my definition of the 'spirit of religion.' The spirit of religion is the spirit or 'notion' that the things you do or don't do are qualifiers of your relationship with Christ and ultimately with God outside of the commandments given to us by our Lord. (See John, chapters fifteen through seventeen) This definition applies only to 'Christians' and no other religion. In simple layman's terms, the religious spirit likes formulas for salvation. They usually look like a simple math problem. If you do A, B will happen, therefore, B = A.

This might sound innocent and trite until you bump into someone who has a tender conscience, or is a 'pleaser' personality type.

The problem for me as a teacher is, everything I bring forward in these studies, can be viewed as an end to a means. All Christian teachers have 'knowing God' as their ultimate purpose for teaching others. All teaching has the basic premise that the teacher possesses knowledge that others need. Therefore, the means will bring about a desired end. I don't care if you view the 'end' as relationship, presence, honor, glory, eternal life, purpose, or even the salvation of others, the 'means' must never become a formula for obtaining anything in Christ Jesus. I don't care how noble or humble you view your 'exercise' of faith, if you are doing it to obtain something already freely given, you've just made it into a religion. Sadly, Christianity has become a works oriented religion rather than a way of life. The Kingdom of God has become something we're going to, instead of something we're living in.

I was confronted once more this week, with the Spirit of religion. The thing that angers me about this Spirit, is that it likes to use things I say, or things Pastor says, or things our Youth Pastor says, and turn those words into unsatisfying religious performance. In order to de-fang, de-claw, and render that spirit useless, let me state clearly, once and for all to hear: Reading 2 chapters daily, reading proverbs, reading Psalms 91, praying fifteen minutes a day, prostrating yourself on the floor, kneeling, raising your hands, singing praises, listening to Christian music all day, or watching Christian TV all day will not cause you to experience the presence of God. If you are doing these things in an effort to satisfy some 'Presence' formula, you have just created another fruitless struggle in your life with no possible way to enjoy Christ. There are good reasons our Pastor has asked us to do these things. Just as there are good reasons he asks you to avoid certain movies, TV shows, internet sites, and a host of other things. Doing or not doing these things will not bring God's presence nor will they increase your value or worth in HIS sight. Coming here every Sunday morning and spending an hour with other men will not increase your value or worth in God's sight. It will not do one thing to make his presence more real than it would be if you laid in bed thinking about him. If I gave you a spiritually valid reason for coming here every Sunday morning, I guarantee you an oppressing demon would lay hold of that reason and beat you up with it. Coming to the Men's study group will not do anything to increase God's presence in your life. The religious spirit would like you to feel that way. However, the first time you woke up and didn't want to come here, the demon would tell you that you were a low-life, scum dog of the earth. He would convince you that if you really loved Jesus, you would get dressed and come here because it's the right thing to do. HELLO RELIGIOUS SPIRIT. The religious spirit wants you to view yourself in comparison with your brothers in the Lord. It wants you to become bitter, depressed, and eventually oppressed. It keeps records of failures, and loves to point out weaknesses. I've taught 'how' to have a relationship with the Lord for so long now, I don't think about how my words and actions can be used by the spirit of religion to take a tender soul down. So let me strip away the religious veneer from some of the things I 'do.'

MY REASONS FOR DOING THE THINGS WE DO IN OUR FELLOWSHIP:

• I read our unified reading so that I can talk with you at any time during the day about what we've read, allowing me to quickly gain new insights and ideas.
• I pray daily because there are needs throughout the earth that my Lord has given me the power to adjust by the words of my mouth.
• I come to Church services so you will be comforted that I am in like faith with you, and to gain supernatural strength and reassurance from your presence.
• I come to Men's, because I like being with all of you at one time, and I feel I have things to say that will benefit you in your walk with the Lord.
• I come to Thursday night prayer meeting because I know that the Word of God says that when two or three agree on one thing, it will be done. There is usually nine or more people on Thursday nights, so there is a lot of stuff being done.
• I spend at least 20 hours a week in study and lesson preparation because you guys are worth any effort I make. It is my way of serving YOU.
• I help clean the church building because it is the place I CHOOSE to join with you, and I MESS it up. I should help clean it. If not, then I should pay someone to help clean it.
• I help maintain the church building, because time and use wear things down, I have the ability improve and restore this structure by the strength of my own hands. God supplies the means, I am the hands.
• I come to your weddings, birthdays, counsel you, and work for you, because I like being around you.

NONE OF THESE THINGS BRING GOD'S PRESENCE, THEY ARE EVIDENCE OF IT!

The religious spirit wants you to believe that the things we do will increase or decrease the presence of God in our life. He always expresses the formula backwards, because that is the way he is. How do I know this? I used to fall into his trap all the time. One of his best tricks was to heap condemnation on me. I used to believe if I didn't attend church every Sunday, I was going to hell. If I didn't tithe, I was going to hell. If I didn't read my bible, I was going to hell. If I thought an impure thought, I was going to hell. Forget being a Christian, I was sure I was going to hell. This was not a happy life for me.

I'd lost sight of one important truth: I am a new creation in Christ Jesus because I've been born of the Holy Spirit, cleansed by the blood of the lamb, and given eternal life, through the resurrection of Christ Jesus. At that moment, the PRESENCE of God invaded my life. There are times his presence is a raging fire and I can barely breathe. There are other times he is a gently flowing stream softly cascading through my thoughts. There are times he feels thousands of miles away and I strive with everything I've got to get to him. There are times he is a gentle lover caressing me, and comforting me. There are times when his presence is like a huge weight, crushing out the imperfections of my life. There are times when I lay in wonder before him admiring the stars, this earth, and the universe he created, just so I could lay on green grass and admire his work. There are times, I don't feel his presence at all. Those are usually the times I'm all about me, what I want , what I can get, and what I can do.

WHAT I KNOW!

He wants me so much, he came to earth and became like me.

He lived for 33 years in one of these earth suits so I would know he wanted to be in my presence.

He showed me how to live like him, by having relationship with the Holy Spirit, by fellow-shipping with other men, by praying and fasting, and by knowing the Word. He took my punishment for everything I've done,and everything I'm going to do. He gave me the gift of his presence through the presence of his Spirit.

It all boils down to you and what you really want. The starting point is that you have his presence. That never changes. When you don't have his presence, you won't care. You won't feel the prick of your conscience. You won't wonder if you're where you should be. Once HIS presence leaves you, you will once more become a dead man walking. BUT, if you are petrified by your sin, disturbed by your ambivalence, irritated because you can't do what others do, or feel what others feel, you still have his presence. You are not beyond help or salvation. If you can no longer feel his presence, but you long for it, do a little soul searching. Check out your life, be honest with yourself, and make a decision about how much presence you want. If you determine the problem isn't in you, then move in closer to God, and do whatever is necessary to feel HIM once more in your life. That begins by simply saying: I know you are near, even when I can't feel you, yet will I seek you, though you are far away.

His Presence always returns to those who love him. It is a promise of the word.

NEXT WEEK:  Please have read through page 40 of "Bond of Brothers"