Watch this video clip and encounter an immensely thought provoking poem that confronts us with the differences between being religious and being a Christian.
Growing up in a conservative Baptist church, I know what it means to be mindful of tradition and to have respect for the things of the past. We sing hymns, pray and pass around the red, velvet offering bags. Only after encountering people of other denominations am I seeing the vast differences that span within the Christian faith.
Pentecostals, Uniting Church, Catholics, Anglicans, Non-Denominational, if they believe the Bible and live by what it says, they are my brothers and sisters.
I love that I can speak with people from all over the world and have an instant connection with them through our faith in Jesus. It is just like meeting distant cousins you never knew.
I have always noticed that people believe slightly different things, but as long as they believe the fundamental truths, I turn a blind eye. Why is it that now, ‘religion’ is suddenly getting in the way?
I am meeting people whose acts of worship feel like barriers between us. I cannot understand. I cannot relate. I cannot see past these rituals to the truth.
If I strive hard to understand, I can see how these rituals seem appealing, yet I feel they are unnecessary and their appearances are merely superfluous grass, blocking our vision to see past toward the glorious flower that is salvation by grace.
Religion looks good. It is appealing. It makes us feel like we have some control over our destinies but if we believe that anything we do will earn God’s favour, we are simply kidding ourselves.
In Matthew 6:5- 8 Jesus says:
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Ultimately, religion is a show and Jesus was encouraging us to break free of that and to search out our motives and genuineness of heart. As Christians, we ought to care more about God and what he thinks of us than what the people around us see.
One Road Less Travelled 