MYTH OF BEING RELIGIOUS-I

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In the Christianization of Jesus there is another huge myth-the myth of being religious. This myth is filled with several sub-myths. Many years ago Fritz Ridenour wrote a book with a classic title, "How To Be A Christian Without Being Religious" on the book of Romans. Even though I wouldn't use that same terminology today, I loved the title and it speaks volumes of truth.

Being religious can really get in the way of simply following Jesus. The basic problem is that being religious will usually be in the name of a given religion or religious entity or church. That's just not good enough. All we as followers of Jesus must be operating under one banner and no other-in the name of Jesus.

Let me illustrate how important the name of Jesus is with the calling of Paul. Paul had a role in life-to persecute the followers of the Way. The Way believed Jesus was the promised Messiah. Paul was a believer in the Messiah and he was looking for the Messiah, the Christ. In a sense, you could call him a Christian-a follower of the Christ, the Messiah. So, since he wasn't buying into the Messiahship of Jesus, he did all he could do to stop the efforts of the Way-the followers of Jesus. He saw this as his role in life and played it very well. In fact, he felt he was quite righteous about what he was doing. BUT JESUS APPREHENDED HIM. When Jesus comes into your life, He takes you out of your role or false-self and brings about a spirit of authenticity to you and your lifestyle. You can't cover up and play a role, when Jesus is leading out.

NOTE the words God spoke to Ananias about Paul. This is significant: "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear MY NAME before the GENTILES, KINGS, and the SONS OF ISRAEL, for I will show him how much he must suffer for MY NAME'S sake."

Four things stand out here to me: FIRST-It's all about the NAME OF JESUS. This was most important to the Lord-that Paul bear the NAME OF JESUS. This is what is most important for us today! We are not commanded to spread Christianity or any other religious system nor church membership, but only and primarily the NAME OF JESUS.

SECOND-Who was the target of Paul's ministry to be? NOTE it was the Gentiles, kings and the sons of Israel. It is not what is normally taught that Peter was the apostle to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles. There was a much larger picture going on here where Paul was to take the name of Jesus to the world.

THIRD-The transformation of Paul, the persecutor of the people of Jesus, into Paul, the preacher of Jesus, was very dramatic and obvious. After spending several days with the disciples of Jesus who were in Damascus, he began to proclaim the NAME OF JESUS in the synagogues. Even more than proclaiming Jesus, Paul was confidently proving that Jesus was the Messiah. The people were shocked!

FOURTH-A personal encounter with Jesus will change all that you are and all that you do, even if you are a "Christian".

I believe Jesus apprehended my life nearly 5 years ago as a long-time Christian, seminary graduate and pastor. I had always loved Jesus and taught about Him in the ministry opportunities that were laid out for me. But this time there is a difference:

· Instead of being intent on teaching it properly and effectively, I am more intent on obeying Jesus. · Instead of doing, doing, doing as well as I can do, I am into being, being, being who Jesus has made me to be. · Instead of building the church of Jesus, I am disciplining myself to be the church of Jesus. · Instead of playing a role or wearing the mask that befits a religious position, I am bent on being real and authentic.

· Instead of trying to reach the masses with another "powerful" message, I am now more interested in investing my time with a few. · Instead of exercising my life over what "my" purpose is, I am exercising myself toward loving God with all my heart and loving my neighbors as myself. · Instead of deceiving myself into thinking I have some "messianic" touch to help people, I introduce them to the only one who can change their lives-JESUS. · Instead of just going to church, I am now practicing being the church in every gathering of believers in His name.

· Instead of frantically trying to change the world by Wednesday noon, I now understand that the call of Jesus on my life is a call into His rest. · Instead of making disciples out of Christians, I see that the best potential disciples are made out of non-Christians. · Instead of hanging out with the religious crowd, I am hanging out with revolutionaries.

· Instead of doing life as the Lone Ranger, I am now doing life with a few others. · Instead of counting the variety of churches in the world, I now see there is only one church-the church of Jesus-and it pops up in every culture of the world. · Instead of doing things my way for Jesus, I am now waiting on Jesus to lead out with His orders and opportunities-to do things His way in His time.

I see the lesson here of Paul's encounter with Jesus in this way: When Jesus apprehends you on your way to becoming a righteous Christian, He will transform you into becoming a stubborn follower of Him in order to lift up His NAME.

NOTE that Paul was caught up in doctrinal issues about the Messiah (the Christ), but was not connected to the Person of the Messiah. This is the same problem we encounter today. We spend so much time in doing the "right things" and miss the right Person-Jesus. That is what religion is all about.

But here's the bottom-line that you will continue to see more and more clearly as you walk with Jesus, walk with others and wait on Jesus to lead out: Your relationship with Jesus-walking with Jesus-is the most important relationship of all. You see, I count on those I'm walking with to be working on their relationship with Jesus and they are counting on me for the same thing. Without a relationship with Jesus there is no power or dynamic in walking with others. And, without Jesus there is no need to wait for Jesus to lead out. Being religious will always be empty and unfruitful. Being in relationship with Jesus is the only way to be fulfilled and fruitful.

THE MYTH OF RELIGION VS RELATIONSHIP-II

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Before continuing on with the "Myth of Religion vs. Relationship" I want clarify and expand on something I said yesterday. I referenced how amazed and shocked we have become at what we've been simply accepting as the "truth" throughout the years without question or any further thinking about it.

I mentioned that we have been so bent on "going to heaven" that we may be missing the point that the Creator-God wants to get down here and dwell among us. There is something about continuing with what He created here on the earth that He finds special. He is even planning on creating a new heaven and new earth, so that He can dwell down here among us.

Another one of the Christian "rumors" that has been taught falsely is about Paul. I've heard all my life that "Saul was his Jewish name before he became a Christian and Paul was his Christian name." It's just not true. If that were true, then Paul ought to be called Paul throughout the rest of the book of Acts. But he is not. Saul and Paul are used interchangeably throughout. I think this devilish little mis-truth is one of many little ways to keep us off message. Saul was the Jewish way of saying Paul and Paul was his Roman name. Paul (Saul) was still Jewish, after bowing his heart to Jesus. Jesus doesn't change your cultural background, when He enters your life. He transforms you inside out with all your cultural quirks and nooks and crannies.

One more quick "Christian rumor" of the many that we are discovering is that Paul is the author of I Thessalonians. Because it is written in by the translator/editor of a given publication (King James, NIV, etc.), everyone believes that Paul is the author. But that is not what the Scriptures say. It is clear in the very first verse of the letter that Paul, Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy were the authors. This seems a little picky until you realize that these three men in fellowship with one another had amazing results in this city. The attraction was not the mighty giftedness of one man, Paul, but it was the power of Jesus showing up among the three men as they walked together in the name of Jesus. He always promises to show up. That's a revolutionary message for us today. Instead of operating as "Lone Rangers", be careful to walk with a few. Where two or three are gathered together in the name of Jesus, He will show up in their midst.

The result of these "Christian rumors" is to be practicing a man-made twisting of what was intended in the first place. This distracts us into putting our emphases and focus on a series of "add-ons" that really don't matter. As Paul says, "I'm afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, that your minds may be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (II Corinthians 11). The best way to avoid these man-made add-ons is to focus on simply Jesus.

Christianity as well as many other religions have become man-made religious systems stocked with do's and don'ts. Within the religious system of Christianity every flavor of Christianity has its set of beliefs that distinguish one from the other. Unfortunately, it's difficult for Christians to see that their religious systems have become like the early, 1st century Jewish religious system with layer upon layer of man-made beliefs that make one more right than the other. And, each belief system has a built-in fear, anger and guilt that accompanies it. The fear comes in all sizes-"Am I ready?" "Have I done all the right things in order to get into heaven?" "Have I believed the right things?" "Am I missing something crucial?" "Do I need to know more?"

The anger emerges from people who are not doing the right things that you have come to believe they must do to be right before God. You may not be doing them perfectly either, but it's so much easier to point out others flaws and sins than to face up to your own. This is why you'll note a preacher or bible teacher who seems to always be slamming certain sins harder than others is then is caught committing those very sins. Many times the truth of the matter is they suffer from not facing that particular sin in their own lives and are filled with anger at the wrong person. So, ministers who vehemently preach against prostitutes are caught with a prostitute. Or, a leader who angrily stands against the homosexual movement is discovered to secretly be homosexual.

The guilt manifests itself in the knowledge that you know you are not good enough to make it to heaven or to face up to the God of gods or even keep your own commandments and standards. You know all too well your short-comings and spend much of your time covering them up, rationalizing them away and comparing your performance with others. This underlying guilt leaves an unsettled feeling that you are inadequate in your gut and fuels even more fears of whether or not you are right with God.

Do you see the deadly cycle? I FEAR that I may not make it to heaven and will surely end up in hell. Instead of dealing with my deepest fears of inadequacy, I look for a "sacrificial lamb" who has been caught or who is worse than I am. Then I can spew out my ANGER against them and their failures, somehow believing if I keep taking a stand against these things that are part of me I will in some way atone for my sins by pointing out theirs and punishing them. However, this anger swirls inside you progressively making you sicker and more empty in your own soul. There comes a time when your anger is so ugly that you cannot stand your own behavior and this makes you feel a heavy load of GUILT. With this guilt, now I know my fears are justified regarding ever getting into heaven!

FEAR-ANGER-GUILT. This deadly religious trinity then leaves an indelible residue on your person-on your soul. That residue is SHAME.

Continuing down this religious track, shame sets you up for religious leaders to talk down to you and to offer more and more lists and sets of beliefs for you to embrace in order to get cleaned up enough to be ready to face your Creator. Now, take this cycle of religious insanity based in a man-made religiosity and think in terms of exporting it. Call it anything you want and try to convert the world to your cultural way of thinking. You are still only offering to exchange your cultural, religious system for theirs.

The reality for us to embrace is that Jesus isn't interested in limiting Himself to any specific religious system. In fact, He offers freedom from the deadly religious cycles that entangle us when He says, "All who are weakened and burdened down come unto Me and I will give you rest." The good news is that Jesus came to release us from all negative, stressful, religious cycles and give us rest from it all. He is adamant that we are to follow Him, doing the will of the Father. With Jesus, it's not a religious matter, but a very personal one. He is the unique and irresistible I AM and He wants us to personally relate, trust and follow Him. It's truly Jesus plus nothing.

THE MYTH OF RELIGION VS RELATIONSHIP

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Over the centuries there has been a "Christianizing" effect placed on Jesus in such a way that Jesus has been diminished and even caricaturized throughout the world. In other words, I think one of the most damaging things that has ever happened to Jesus is that He has been Christianized to the point that He has become unrecognizable in most circles.

Much of this Christianizing effect has been passed on by what I call the Christian rumor. These rumors are taught and re-taught as "truth" without any personal questions as to its veracity. Since we've been taking a fresh look at Jesus, we are amazed and shocked at what we've been simply accepting as the "truth" throughout the years without question or thinking.

For instance, the byline of Christianity has always been that the goal for all Christians is to reach out to non-Christians and encourage them to believe in order to go to heaven someday. The whole theme has been to "get out of here", yet this is not the direction that Jesus and other New Testament writers teach. Instead of us going to heaven, God is coming down here on earth to dwell. We'll discuss this more thoroughly later.

In order to examine the Christianization of Jesus and learn how to de-Christianize Jesus, it is vital that we debunk several myths. Today is the first one-the myth of religion vs relationship.

In our Jesus journey we have come to understand that Jesus is without borders, being universally attractive and all-inclusive to all cultures and religious backgrounds. On the other hand, Christianity is limited to a certain cultural upbringing and is to be understood as another religion in our world. Jesus is not owned or limited by Christianity. He is matchless and pre-eminent. There is no one who comes close to His equal.

When I was speaking on university campuses around the world, the frequent byline we used was: "Christianity isn't a religion; it's a relationship!" All of us who used this mantra were right in our thinking. What we were presenting was not a religious system of do's and don'ts; we were presenting a personal relationship with God through Jesus. Yes, we were right in our thinking, but our practice was way off base. As soon as a person expressed interest and faith in Jesus we instantly moved them into a church and taught them that they must be very religious. The personal relationship did not remain the focus. The Person of Jesus was the door and once inside the focus shifted to a list of do's and don'ts to check off and a set of beliefs to embrace. I watched this happen time after time in how we "discipled" others and then I saw it in my own empty life. Jesus was missing to a great extent; religion was in.

There is certainly nothing wrong with growing up in a Christian culture. It's through this culture that I found Jesus. But for me to think that I am the only culture the Creator-God created or cares about is the peak of haughtiness that God hates.

Package this cultural expression of man to find God as the only way, requiring all other cultures to bow down and become a Christian and you have essentially declared war on all other peoples, cultures and religions of the world. This is why Christians sing "Onward Christian soldiers" going off to war. The battle is not so much against the Evil One as it has become against all those who are not yet Christians. It's no wonder the non-Christian world deeply resents and hates the "Christian West". You see, Christianity isn't the way to God; Jesus is. Therefore Jesus must be separated from Christianity, so that He can be lifted up and relate most clearly to the other cultures of the world.

Even in the Old Testament Scriptures the Jewish people had strayed so far away from a heart relationship with God. It was so bad that God, who set up an elaborate sacrificial system to be followed, said, "I don't want your sacrifices, but would rather have your heart of compassion." It seems to be man's nature to drift away from a personal relationship and become more and more religious.

Jesus is all about welcoming you into a personal relationship with Him. In fact, this is at the foundation of why Jesus came to earth in the first place.

C. S. Lewis, the great literary scholar, was originally an atheist, then became more of an agnostic regarding God. In his agnostic state he often mentioned, "How absurd it is to think that a human could have a personal relationship with the Creator." He said, "It's as absurd as Hamlet having a personal relationship with Shakespeare." After Lewis became a believer, he saw it differently. He said, "Shakespeare could have had a personal relationship with Hamlet, if Shakespeare had written Himself as a character into the play." This is precisely what the Creator-God has done. He has written Himself into the play of life as a character to establish a personal relationship with Him. His name is Jesus. Jesus is all about a relationship and has very little to do with religion.

THE STRESSFUL WORLD OF RESULTS

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One of the most familiar quotes about results is credited to Albert Einstein. It is "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Results are rarely neutral. Either you have great expectations for certain positive results or you have great dread about the possibility of certain negative results.

Results seem to come in three versions-good, bad or none at all. Sometimes it's the "none at all" that can be most difficult. I really like the t-shirt that says: "For every door that closes there is another one that always opens, but the hallways can be hell."

Results are everywhere. They cannot be avoided. Results are the consequences of life, whether we cause them or they just happen to us. Results do happen!

Not only do we all have life results that we feel we must negotiate, the bible is filled with the good, the bad and the non-results in the lives of the many characters. Ananias and Sapphira had some very good results. They sold a piece of property and made a lot of money. However, these good results were made into bad results when they acted as if they were giving the entire amount they gained into the local treasure, yet were holding out on God. They lied in an attempt to gain some praise and affirmation. Daniel was being faithful to God by praying daily and through the conniving of some jealous men in the kingdom ended up in the lions' den. Bad results for sure, yet God was at work in the midst of these bad results and saved Daniel's life.

Then in Hebrews 11 there is an interesting paragraph regarding a great men of faith who experienced a lifetime of non-results: 13 All these people (Enoch, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

There are two basic problems with results. The first problem is that there is a tendency to wallow in the bad results which ends in depression. The second is to rely on the good results, relishing in them as if they were produced by us, resulting in pride. So, we end up trusting and hoping in our results, gambling on them to be the answer to our problems.

If you focus on your results, you will never be free from the stresses of it all. Here are some thoughts on how to handle your results: FIRST-Do the best you can do. This is your primary responsibility and nothing more.

SECOND-Leave the results entirely in the hands of God. You can't control your results anyway. In fact, results are none of your business. I am convinced God is personally at work in the midst of your results.

With Jesus it's always personal. This is why He continually makes it clear to those who are listening who He is. His many I AM statements and claims about Himself place Him into the middle of your life results.

Jesus uses results in your life to do the following: 1. To teach you something through it. 2. To work together with something else for God's glory and your good. 3. To get you through the worst of it all. He delights in getting you through it.

So, there are three cautions: 1. Don't allow yourself to be slammed by the bad results. 2. Don't allow yourself to take credit for the good results. 3. Don't allow yourself to be discouraged by the lack of results.

Jesus is the only result worth your time and energy!

REVOLUTIONARY HABIT #3

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The third revolutionary habit is WAITING ON JESUS to lead out with orders and opportunities. Waiting on Jesus is not inactivity. Waiting on Jesus is being active and attentive in the following ways:

FIRST-As you wait there is the action of readying yourself. Your responsibility is not to be in charge, but to be ready for the King's orders.

SECOND-As you wait there is the action of relating to Jesus and to others-the first two habits. Your responsibility is to continue these relationships within your support team-the "one anothers" in your life. It's the doing of life together, not sitting around and explaining it.

THIRD-As you wait there is the action of resting. Your responsibility is to be anxious for nothing, but to rest in your relationship with Jesus and with others. Now, keep in mind that Jesus may not have direct orders for you today. Don't be in a hurry to the point of being stressed. Following Jesus is all about rest. Jesus calls His disciples into His rest-confident, peaceful, everything-is-going-to-be-OK rest.

FOURTH-As you wait there is the action of resisting. Your responsibility is to resist all distractions, temptations, and detours that you have stirred up for yourself or that come from the enemy of the King. This resisting is a vital discipline of the for the disciple of Jesus and the Kingdom.

We are not to wait on Jesus for us to do His will. It's just understood that we are to do that. Neither are we waiting to be responsive to Him or to do what He would do.

However, we ARE waiting for Jesus to show up in our lives. We ARE waiting for Jesus to give us answers to our heart's cry-an impression, a peace, a desire or a thought. We ARE to wait to bring restoration to those God brings us. We ARE to wait for God to bring people into our lives for us to walk with in fellowship and support.

WAITING ON JESUS TO LEAD OUT is demonstrating a ruthless trust in Him to come through on our behalf with opportunities and orders for us to follow.

Isaiah 40 is brought to mind regarding who God is and waiting on Him-12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor, has informed Him? 14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales.

21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. 25 To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?'' says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God'? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable,. 29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Then I am drawn to Acts 1 where Jesus gave orders to wait in Jerusalem for next steps! Jesus spent 40 days with the disciples, just hanging out with them and He spent that time teaching them about the Kingdom. "He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.'" In essence, the disciples were still hung up on the physical, political motif of the Kingdom and Jesus is expanding on His former words to them that He has already brought the Kingdom. Now, they must wait for the permanent, abiding presence of God through His Spirit to empower their Kingdom living.

The same is true for us today. We are to pray for Jesus to lead out and we are to follow Him. So we are praying and waiting for Jesus to lead the way.

Think of it this way: #1-Jesus is calling you today. All requires of you is to be interested, believe in Him and follow in His steps. #2-Jesus believes those He calls are good enough. In other words, He believes you can do it. #3-Jesus believes you can be like Him-to perpetuate His His lifestyle in you. #4-Jesus empowers you by His presence as 2-3 of us gather together in His name.

It's all about the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus and following Him. Three habits. Walking with Jesus. Walking with others. Waiting on Jesus to lead out with orders and opportunities.