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home / Religion
'It's against my relationship ... to have a religion'
Josh Barrett
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Have you ever asked someone who does not attend Church what he or she DOESN’T like about Church? Answers can come rather quickly, can’t they? Ranging anywhere from: Too many hypocrites! Too many rules! God wants me to be perfect; I’m doing fine by myself! All they want is my time and money!
Honestly, when I really think about it, those are some of the very things that I DON’T like about church either! Sometimes the RELIGION itself can replace the RELATIONSHIP that Church is supposed to teach and develop within us all.
Understanding RELATIONSHIP and WHO God is and WHAT He left for us as a PICTURE of the church’s original intentions is what’s important. The ‘bigger picture’ is grasping the fact that GOD BECAME MAN to offer a RELATIONSHIP to you and me. He came in the human form of His Son – Jesus Christ.
Now I realize that this particular thought can BLOW your mind. I mean, just think about it… GOD – becomes MAN (Jesus Christ) – otherwise known as the Son of God! Why would He ever leave perfection? For you and for me – that’s why! Though it may be hard to understand, maybe this definition will help: “If we are to avoid reaching wrong conclusions about God, we must not depend upon our feelings. Feelings change quickly and we know they are not always dependable. So why do we depend upon them to determine what God is like?
Neither should we depend upon our reasoning. My reasoning powers tell me that the molecules that make up a wooden chair are not in motion. Yet they are in motion. Pascal was correct when he said, “The supreme end of reason is to show a man that there is a limit to his reason.” Our reasoning is woefully inadequate when it comes to many facts in the physical realm. It is also woefully inadequate when it comes to the spiritual realm. We cannot depend upon our reasoning powers to determine what God is like or what He expects of us. Our puny, finite minds are incapable of discerning the ways of the infinite Creator of this vast and complex universe.”
The Scriptures actually give us a glimpse at this mystery. Romans 11:33 says, “Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are the riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decision and his methods!
The Bible also says, in Hebrews 1:3: “The Son reflects God's own glory, and everything about him is the EXACT REPRESENTATION. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven.” The Greek word here for “EXACT REPRESENTATION” is actually interpreted as a stamp that reproduces the exact same image each time it is used. This word was also used to describe the work of an engraver who makes an exact copy of another piece of jewelry. In modern day, it might be like a high-resolution photocopy. This basically means that Jesus Christ was the EXPRESS IMAGE, the EXACT COPY, the EXACT ESSENCE of His Father – GOD!
The Apostle Paul (Colossians 1:15a) put it like this: “Christ is the Visible Image of the Invisible God…”
So why do I spend so much time on this specific analogy when painting the PICTURE of what CHURCH is supposed to be? Simple: Jesus Christ WAS/IS the ‘Perfect Picture’ of what the church is supposed to be and He did ALL OF THIS to have a RELATIONSHIP with YOU, not a RELGION with YOU! Jesus gave us an INTIMATE CONNECTION with God. That ‘Connection’ allows us to know that GOD is Reachable, Touchable, Tangible, Attainable, and Personal!
When you come to understand WHO Jesus was, then you get a better glimpse of WHAT church WAS/IS supposed to be! Please know right now, MAN (Religion) will always fail you – but GOD (Relationship) WILL NOT!
Josh Barrett is the Lead Pastor at the Church of Celebration in Maricopa. Check out their website at www.churchofcelebration.com or feel free to contact him at office@churchofcelebration.com.
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