Don’t Be Religious

Growing up as a pastor’s kid, or a “PK”, in Western Washington was not the easiest way to grow up. Early childhood, it made me a little unaware how dark of a world we lived in. In a way, I thought that everybody understood the resurrection power that took place on that cross for us. Fast forward a few years and I am getting slapped in the face by how oblivious the world is to the greatest love story of all time. Not only are they unaware, but most don’t care. I started realizing how alone I was. Western Washington is not exactly lit with Christians.

So being the pastor’s kid trying to navigate living in the world but not of the world was complicated. There was this unsaid pressure, partly from being a PK, and partly people just knowing me as the rule-follower kid. I felt as if I had to be perfect, like everybody was watching me. Who knows if that was true, but it felt like it. I walked through each day not wanting to do the wrong thing or step on anybody’s toes, because I thought everybody would point their fingers at me. (I don’t know if you have caught on yet, but I am far from perfect so trying to be perfect is well, an impossible task.)

This was and can still at times be the way I think about God as well. I am forever grateful for growing up in a Christian household, and knowing the truth from an early age. However, it can be hard to be more relational than religious. I understood growing up the things I shouldn’t do, and what sin was. I wanted to stay away from sin, because I thought others would point fingers at me and I also thought God would point fingers at me. 

It took a while for the script to be flipped. During the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school, God met me. I had a relationship with God before that, but then is when it took off. When I started to better understand the love God has for me. That was when I started communicating with God differently. It wasn’t just an end of the day prayer, but rather walking through the entire day with Him. This is when I truly felt the Holy Spirit transforming my heart, slowly but surely I was becoming less self-centered, more self-controlled, less angry, slightly less stubborn, more patient, far more joyful, and the list goes on. My testimony can be a difficult one to give because the process of the Holy Spirit transforming my heart throughout our relationship is probably the biggest way God has changed my life, but that is a difficult thing to explain, but just has to be shown. 

God is so sweet to give us a relationship with Him. Not just give it but truly desire it! Jesus came down to earth that we may have a relationship with the God of the universe!  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. In Europe I have seen people trip up on being religious a lot. People are confused why bad things happen to them if there is a good God out there. They start denying there is a God just because they didn’t get that job, or a family member died, and my gosh you probably already know so many other reasons for why people deny the existence of God.  God did not promise that life would be perfect before or after choosing to live your life for Him. He actually promised the opposite. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. 

People I have had conversations with here are really caught up on why “good” people don’t get into heaven as well. Although nobody is actually a good person. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. Christianity is actually the only “religion” where salvation is not based on religion. The way to heaven is not about being a good person, because nobody is able to measure up to that. The path to heaven is through Jesus Christ who was sent to pay the death that we all deserve. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation outside of simply having a relationship with God, and believing in what He did. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. Romans 6:23. Read my blog: “You and I are Not Enough” from a few months ago for more on this topic.

A complicated area we need to be concerned about when trying to not be religious but instead be relational, is how we interact with others. Christians often come across as super judgmental people and hypocrites. Can’t blame people for seeing it this way honestly. How are we called to treat others? Love. Simply love them. When we disagree with somebody about something, don’t get into a huge argument, but choose to actually hear them out and understand what their perspective is. We cannot expect people that do not know Christ to believe and behave the same way that we as Christians do. So when somebody who is not a Christian thinks that abortions are okay, choose to love them. Understand them. Hear their perspective. The thing we should be more concerned about is that they don’t know Christ, not that they have a different political opinion than you. Although yes, I think abortions are bigger than just a political issue, but it is still an area we need to choose to love them. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2

Choosing to love another person I am huge on. Love is a choice. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 We are imperfect as well. We need to have grace for others like God has for us. Be relational. Don’t try to be religious. “Let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35. We are called to be different. Set apart. The more complicated area for me is learning how to share the gospel. Not what the gospel is, and what I am supposed to say, but in what ways will reach others. Sometimes it is going straight to the gospel message. But oftentimes it is not. It is about building a relationship with the person, and showing that you love and care about them a lot before telling them the Good News. There can even be times they notice how good God is by the way you live out your life for Him. By the way you love others specifically. Not just people you know and are friends with but everybody, including the people you disagree with. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?” Matthew 5:44,46,47. Now this doesn’t mean you have a ticket out of what could be an awkward conversation sharing the gospel. It means that you should look to recognize when you are in a situation to share the gospel, and when you are in a situation to simply love the person well.

So, don’t live a religious life. Be relational with God, and be relational with others. Choose into loving God and loving people. 

 

Hey God, thank you so much that you want a relationship with me. That you went on the cross and died so I can have a direct relationship with you. Help me to see others the way that you see them. Use me as a vessel to show how much you love your children. Give me wisdom on how to be an example of your love. Prepare people’s hearts and minds for conversations I will have with them about you. God let the church be a group of people that seeks to love and not judge. Help people to know you better through the way we love others. And Father I ask that this blog will be handcrafted by you and not of me. That the glory will be yours. Transform hearts through this blog God. Love you a lot.

Amen.

 

I actually tried to write a blog on this subject multiple times. It didn’t feel right until getting this draft done. So I hope God is speaking to you through this blog!

 

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandments greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

Love y’all a lot!! Jesus loves you a heck of a lot more!!!

Peace

JD