You're Too Religious

You're Too Religious Of course we all know today is Fathers Day. So I wish for any fathers out there a very happy one. I don't have a living father, so I remember the good times I've had with him and even the times he gave me needed discipline. Appreciate your father while he's living, so he can know you love him. I never did have children. One day I was with a neighbor boy in my shop and I was sharing some shop stuff with him and we were so happy together. Later I commented to Vicky, "At this stage in my life I don't want to be a father. I want to be a grandfather." I identify with Paul in this. He also didn't have children of his own. But he had a young disciple who didn't have a Christian father, and Paul thought of him like a son, and he was a spiritual father, and told him so. I speak of Timothy, who he took on as a companion in his ministry. How I would love to have been a companion of Paul. He started a journey by ship, with Silas, to visit and strengthen the churches in Asia Minor, taking with him Silas. It's always best to follow this procedure, established by Jesus, when he sent out the disciples two-by-two, on two occasions to preach the Kingdom of God in the towns of Israel. They strengthen each other's faith, and serve as a witness about what happened on their mission. When they got to Lystra, Paul desired to take Timothy, who lived there, with them. Besides being an excellent field training for the young man, for his calling to the ministry, he could be a help to Paul and Silas. When they were directed by the Holy Spirit to forgo their plans to minister in Bithynia and Troas, and cross over to Philippi, in Macedonia, where among the converts was a doctor, Luke. Luke joined the team, and became the secretary and record keeper as well as the doctor of the team. Now when it speaks of the brothers in our reading of this morning, it's speaking of those who were converted in Thessalonica. I assume that Luke and Timothy followed later. "The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue." Whenever Paul entered a new city to preach the gospel of Jesus, he always went to the Jews first, and then to the gentiles. Many times, as in Thessalonica, the Jews rejected his message, and then he preached to the Gentiles. Continuing reading, "11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men." Well, it wouldn't take much as far as nobility is concerned, to beat the Thessalonian Jews. What was so noble of the Berean Jews? It doesn't say they just accepted Paul's testimony. They were noble because they examined the Scriptures daily to see if the things Paul was preaching was so. Paul was not preaching a new doctrine. It was new to their ears because they hadn't heard it before. This about Jesus, an itinerate preacher, a good man, but not trained in the teaching of the Scribes, was actually God's Son, and was killed and buried and the third day rose from the dead, well, I have to read that myself from the Hebrew Scriptures. That's noble. The Jews of Thessalonica rejected it out of hand, stopping their ears at Paul's preaching Oh, for that kind of nobility! Don't take my word. Check it out in your own Bible. If I add my own opinion, If I read it wrong, if I interpret it according to my doctrinal preconception, if I add something that isn't there or leave out something important that changes the meaning, call me out on it. I will appreciate your nobility. I'm not God, and I'm not even Paul. I've been wrong. I've had to be corrected. But show me where I'm wrong. Be noble like the Bereans. Let's go on in the reading: 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed. Sometimes retreat is the better part of valor. Or is it a case of retreat is to live to fight again. Paul left as a witness those many high-standing Greek women and men and the noble Jews. Now, let's go with Paul and maybe Luke over to Athens. We'll see ourselves the many altars and objects of worship set up along the roads for people to make their offerings and prayers. There Paul met with the Jews in the synagogue, and the Greeks in the marketplace, wherever he could find someone who would listen. Maybe Paul set up a soapbox and preached. Maybe he just struck up conversations with individuals or small groups. But he didn't waste time. Have you ever prayed, show me, Lord, an opportunity to witness or preach your word? It's a gift you can develop. I've observed that Jamie has that gift well developed. 6 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"-because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean." 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. Paul is invited up to a place where philosophers used to gather to debate ideas, called the Areopagus, meaning Mars Hill in English. He preached the same message he always did, but in a way that could be acceptable to pagans. Paul Addresses the Areopagus 22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.' Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this." 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. I perceive that in every way you are very religious. This may have sounded to them a compliment. Isn't it admirable that people are religious? Paul isn't praising them or denouncing them, just pointing out to them his observations. One of those things Paul observed is their efforts to not forget to worship a God that they otherwise might have overlooked. They had erected an altar to an unknown god. I've thought a lot about that statement of Paul, "I perceive that in every way you are very religious." What does it mean to be religious? Christianity is considered to be one of the world religions. But that is so broad a term as to include Catholicism, Lutheranism, Fundamentalism, Mormonism, Evangelicalism, and many others I can't remember right now. As John McCain answered about Barak Obama, when asked if he is Christian, "If he says he is, then I take him at his word." Yes, if someone asks what religion you are, and you say Christian that's not a good answer. But what CAN you say? I say, Religion is the opposite of what we are, or ought to be. There's a paperback book for $13.43 on Amazon, called How to be a Christian without being Religious. It's a modern English language version of the book of Romans. Yes, Paul is writing to people who are mistakenly thinking they have to be religious like he used to be in order to be saved. Even the title "Christian" is misleading, as I pointed out. The early Christians called themselves "followers of the Way". The Way, of course is Jesus. They didn't call themselves Christians. They were called Christians by others. It means Imitators of Christ. And they were, and we ought to be. But if anyone ever was against religion, it was Jesus Christ. He called attention to the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, warning his followers to avoid the leaven of the Pharisees, who loved to show off their religion, or should I say, their religiosity? So how do we avoid that kind of religion? We must first learn what religion is. I like the term Jesus follower. It avoids religiosity, and defines what is meant by true Christianity. The term religion comes from the Latin, "re", again, and "ligare", to bind or connect, that is, to reconnect. In other words, to reconnect to the gods, or to God. The Roman Cicero defined it as cultum deorum, "the proper performance of rites in veneration of the gods." Practice of religion is doing the right things to gain access and favor of God. It also is, in the sense of the Pharisee's religion, doing what will impress others with how good you are, like praying pretty prayers to be heard and admired by others, and giving of tithes on your income, and calling attention to it. Do you hope to gain favor with God by what you do or by what you don't do? That's religion. Religion is like pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps, earning God's favor by what you do. I've got news for you. You can't and shouldn't try to gain God's favor. You already have it. It's called Grace. And you can't get more of it by what you do or don't do. If people reject Christ, they aren't really in most cases rejecting Christ himself. They're rejecting a religion that's called Christianity. Many of us grew up or used to be a part of a church that practiced that religion. Touch not, taste not, don't dance, don't go to movies. So we defined ourselves as judges not only of ourselves, but of other people. People of the law, not people of grace, people who did what the church told us to do, to be members in good grace, or in good standing. Remember that? When I was a youth, we had a very zealous youth group. We were very desirous of presenting a good testimony and winning our fellow students to Christ. We didn't have book bags or backpacks then. We had to carry our books in a stack under our arms. We Christians carried a bible on the top of the stack, hoping someone would ask us why. One girl testified in our youth meeting about her joy when someone did ask. She said, because "I'm a Christian and I don't dance or go to movies and I don't wear makeup and don't smoke or drink." I was horrified that that was her testimony. By the way, later she got pregnant and had a baby out of wedlock. Religion is not what God wants from us. He told us what he wants. In Micah 6:8, which says, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Jesus preached the Way. The Christian Way is to forgive from the heart, to do good deeds to glorify God, not yourself, to be a truthteller without need to use an oath to reinforce your statement, to practice love to your neighbor, your brother, even your enemy. In short, do what Jesus taught and practiced himself. That's how the gospel was preached and accepted throughout Europe and Asia Minor within a generation. Not only the preaching of the Word, but the practice of the Word, not an alternative religion. The followers of the Way opened the Way for others. We worship God with sincere hearts, not for show, and we pray not just with words, but with our spirits. We give with thankful hearts, not out of a sense of obligation. We obey Christ out of love, not out of fear. We study God's word like the Bereans, to not be misled by false doctrines, and to defend against the enemy. And because we love God's word. Don't worry if people think you're not religious. You don't want to be religious according to their judgement. Just be like Jesus. Be a Jesus follower. Let's close now in prayer. Join with me if you can. Lord Jesus, I want to be your follower. Don't let me fall into an imitation of that. Help me to be a real example of your character, and love people into the salvation you give freely without prerequisite. Thank you Lord, for your grace to me. Help me to show the same grace toward others, especially toward those who don't expect it from me. Make my testimony pure, loving, and true. And effective. Amen. The end