Relationship vs. Religion
This is a major problem in Christendom. In my mind there are so many people confused about the differences between a relationship with Jesus Christ versus the tenets of Religion that it has caused many people to fall away from the faith or choose rather not to get into it. We as people need to understand that when we are saved we are not baptized into a system that was formulated by the postulates or rules of people as they interpreted the Word of God, but a one-to-one relationship with the God of the Universe that no one can have any say in but God Himself and you. Period. I know that this post is long, but it is necessary!
What are We Seeking? Religion or Relationship?
God does not want a people who simply adhere to a set of rules no matter how well intended. God said in the book of Hosea, “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Sacrifices meant nothing because their hearts were unfaithful to God. God wants obedience and not sacrifice (1 Sam. 15:22), mercy and not religious rituals. God longs for our devotion and loyalty. Do we depend on God or religion? Do we feel comfortable because we read the right Bible version or stay away from movies? How about the attitude, “I don’t drink, smoke, cuss, or chew, or go with girls who do”?
The Pharisees were the ultimate in religious behavior. They extended the laws of God and added their own, resulting in legalism. Their desire to follow the law made them blind to the better thing. Jesus said godly behavior starts from the heart, and extends outward. The Hebrew word for faith is אמונה (emunah – Strong’s #530) and is an action-oriented word meaning “support”. Our Western concept of faith places the action on the one you have faith in, such as “faith in God.” But the Hebrew word places the action on the one who “supports God.”
Emunah means faithfulness, persistent determination, holding steady, holding firm, holding true to what is true: the faithfulness of God. Our readiness to fully devote our lives to the service of God and sacrifice our life for the sake of God is the expression of our emunah in God. Emunah presumes a relationship with God. Where one is aware of such a relationship, is forever changed by it, this special relationship cannot be fully articulated. Emunah Shlemah is a complete faith; it is more than intellectual, but gained with your whole being, as in “You shall Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Emunah means to believe in the truthfulness of a person as well as having emotional trust in a person. In the desert the children of Israel complain that God brought them out there to kill them. God says that they do not have emunah. (Deut 9:23, Ps. 78:37). They did not trust God.
Trust is Grossly Underestimated
Trust (faith, enudah) is important in every relationship we have. Trust removed can destroy friendships, marriages, businesses, and governments. Trust is grossly underestimated. It impacts us daily, not only in our relationship with God, but with every relationship and every endeavor in which we are occupied. Trust effects our homeschooling. When faith is developed it has the potential to create deeper relationships. Our righteousness that comes from God is by faith. God wants a committed faithfulness and emotional trust in him. God wants a relationship with us. He wants to dwell with us. He sent his Son to die on the cross so that we could have a relationship with Him.
God Wants a Relationship With Us
God seeks an intimate, loving relationship with his children. Like the other fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) faith is a category of relationship. The fruit in our life is from our relationship with God. This faith involves decision making and has to be renewed regularly. Faith is response in relationship; it is an ongoing thing, a process. We continually receive faith as a gift, like manna. We are amazed to hear the stories of Israel losing trust in God again and again resulting in disobedience and sin. However, we do the same thing each time we lose faith in God. Faith develops in the context of our ongoing relationship with God. We easily relate to being a child of God or a servant of God, but find it hard to grasp being a friend of God. God desires to establish a connection, an association, an affiliation, a very special link and bond between Himself and His children.
Faith and Kindness
In Hebrew the word for kindness is chesed. Dwight Pyror’s article on Abraham speaks of the faith (emunah) and kindness (chesed) of God:
Faithfulness, or emunah, is one of the most treasured and trusted character traits of God Himself.
“O LORD God of hosts, who is like Thee, O mighty LORD? Thy faithfulness (emunah) surrounds Thee” (Ps. 89:8 NASB).
On the last day of his life, Moses declares in prophetic utterance:
For I proclaim the name of the LORD [YHWH]; Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness (El emunah) and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He” (Dt. 32:3-4 ).
Even in the midst of God’s terrible judgment upon His rebellious children and even Jerusalem itself, the grieving prophet Jeremiah can find comfort in God’s covenant loyalty and faithfulness.
This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD’S lovingkindnesses (chesed) indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness (emunah). (Lam. 3:21-23).
That God’s chesed and His emunah often are joined together in Scripture is not surprising. Chesed is the Hebrew concept that speaks of God’s grace in seeking us out and initiating covenant with us, and then His loyalty and fidelity to the covenant so joined. Though Israel be fickle, He remains faithful because He is a God who abounds in chesed v’emunah.
God wants a relationship and He even provides the faith (emudah) through His Holy Spirit which will bring forth appropriate actions to develop that relationship. What a God!
It truly saddens me when I see people from all walks of life who have such bad opinions about having a relationship with Jesus Christ based on what they have observed in people who are in churches around the world who live defeated and broken lives under the bondage of what some person has said is God's will for how we should relate to our God! This is the greatest problem of all. When the Bible speaks of letting our light shine it is not only when you want to be a witness, but it is also in how you live everyday life in everyday situations. So many people try to live inside of a box that the Bible doesn't make them live in that some religious leader has misquoted a scripture or used an ambiguous meaning of one and twisted it into a form of control that keeps people in darkness! I find it so interesting that people are so quick to impose on another person rules and regulations that keep them as individuals "holy" and in reality these rules become a prison for everyone else to live by. What garbage!
Here is the Bible Truth... If the Bible doesn't EXPLICITLY SAY IT and IS USED IN THE PROPER HISTORICAL CONTEXT then we as people cannot impose it. Religion is bondage and Relationship is freedom and where the Spirit of The Lord is there is LIBERTY! Over the years it truly seems that most of these "religious executive orders" are encompassed in four categories:
1. Activities
2. Drinking
3. Women
4. Apparel
1. Activities
Many churches have rules and regulations concerning what you do and how you do it. There are a few religious sects out there that believe that total separation from the outside world is the only way to keep one from sin. Contact is forbidden by these persons with anyone outside of the faith and they usually live together in some sort of community and marry each other, breed and die within that reality. Other groups impose severe restrictions on social activities such as what to watch on television, going to the movies, dancing and many more. When I hear of people who are in such a restricted box I feel sorry for them because No matter where we are in the world we have to remember that the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be carried to all of the world before He returns to claim His bride. In order for us to do that we must be active in reaching the lost not by waving a Bible at them and telling them that they are a sinner, but by showing love and compassion to them and living and socializing among them.
Jesus was famous for going to the homes of publicans and attending parties. Remember when the Pharisees and Sadducees questioned why Jesus was going to those places? Our Lord's first miracle was turning water into WINE at a wedding reception! (Please do not be fooled that Jesus didn't make alcoholic wine. Why else would sinners appreciate the stuff as the best that they have had all evening???) Jesus commanded us to go out to the hedges and the highways preaching and proclaiming the Gospel to all people! We can't do that in a commune nor can we do that not going where sinners go. Now remember we cannot go out and preach to people the Gospel if we have not been send. Go only where God leads you to go and no other places.
2. Drinking
Many restrictive regulations imposed on people involve the consumption of alcohol. Now mind you I am not talking about going out and getting drunk because the Bible clearly states that no drunkards will enter the Kingdom. Refer to the last section where it mentions that Jesus turned water into wine. Remember that Paul said that wine was good for the stomach. I hate to break it to you, but alcohol was created by God! We didn't invent it and the processes occur even in nature without any intervention from us. Some would say that the adversary created alcohol, but no where in the Bible does it show that the adversary created anything! He is a meddler and influencer only! If God made the world for us to enjoy then why do we frown so much on alcohol? Let me clarify something to you. We are not to do anything in our lives that would be take the place of God as the primary in our lives. What I am saying is that if we want to get a drink more than spend time with God we are out of order. If we are thirsting more for a beer than we are the presence of God we are outside of the will of God!
Many religious leaders who were drunks in their former days use this as a bondage tool inadvertently because their flesh had a weakness to alcohol so they felt that everyone else is the same way so this is the will of God to them! Hello?! Everything on this Earth was made for us to enjoy and this is no different. I am not advocating any behavior with sinners or anything like that, but each person needs to reconcile with God as to what they should do concerning this subject. Ask God in earnest and He will answer you as to what you must do.
3. Women
This is going to be something... Women are used as the biggest scapegoats of all things unholy. They can't teach men, they can't speak in church and the list goes on and on. Does the Bible say, “Women can be pastors”? This is a heavily debated subject, and Ekklesia does not require the congregation to fully-agree with the position of the pastors on this one. The short answer to this question is, “Yes.” However, in part, because our history is clouded by a great deal of cultural conditioning and biased-Biblical interpretation, answering “yes” to this question leads to suspicion on the part of many. In order to respond to the controversy, the explanation must be a bit lengthy, because we must deal with many years of ignorance… ignorance that has sent us down a long and winding road of confusion.
In 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul says, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” That pretty much sums it up doesn’t it? Women can’t be pastors, right? Wrong… Whether or not you’ve read the whole Bible, you know it’s a very, very long book. This very long story has a lot to say about this issue. In order to understand this passage, we must understand more of the book.
Let us begin in Genesis.
When Adam and Eve rejected God’s leadership, they disconnected themselves from the source of all that is good. When anyone is disconnected from God, bad things happen. There are consequences. In Genesis 3, God lays out some of things that would happen, now that they had disconnected themselves from Him. In Genesis 3:16, God said to Eve, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Keep in mind, this is not the way things were supposed to be.
As the centuries progressed, God communicated that women can operate in the spiritual gifts in the same way that men can. God didn’t just “come out and say it,” like we wish He would have. He expects us to overcome our prejudices and allow our hearts to grasp what the Spirit is saying.
In Judges 4, we read about a woman named Deborah, a prophet. God made Deborah the Judge over the entire nation of Israel. Don’t go thinin’ “Judge Judy” or “Judge Joe Brown.” There was only one Judge of Israel, and this position does not compare to the modern day judge. This is a position that was even more powerful and influential than today’s American president. God choose her. God gave her the gifts to lead. God led Israel through her. This was totally against the grain of culture. If the Bible were written by humans, and not God, it would never have said that God chose Deborah to be the Judge of Israel. This was unacceptable.
Also in the Book of Judges, we read about a woman named Jael, and how God used her to kill a king who’s kingdom threatened the existence of Israel.
In the Gospels, we discover the very first people to preach the resurrection of Jesus. You might guess it was Peter and John, right? Wrong. It was a group of women. God revealed the resurrection to women first. You may not think this is a big deal. Get this… In the first century, in the eyes of their society, this kind of testimony would have been worthless on the tongues of women. If the Bible were merely authored by humans, it would never have said that women were the first ones to understand and spread the message of the resurrection. This would have been incredibly distasteful, and made the movement look like some kind of cosmic joke! However, this is how God chose to use the “weak” to shame the “wise.”
In Acts 18, we read about Priscilla, a leader in the church. Priscilla had a husband named Aquila. However, many times in the New Testament, Priscilla’s name is written first, before her husband’s. In the first century language of Koine Greek, this is making a huge statement. In a male dominant society, it was not “proper” to mention the wife before the husband, but this is how God wanted it written. We also learn that Priscilla and her husband both taught the Word of God to a highly educated man, Apollos. Priscilla instructed Apollos. She taught him the Bible. She taught him to be a very influential church leader. Wait a second… didn’t 1 Timothy say that women can’t teach men…? Oh my, oh my… Does the Bible contradict itself…? Absolutely not!
In Acts chapter 21, we read about Philip’s four unmarried daughters. They were all prophets. That means these women prophets spoke God’s words. They said things like, “The LORD says this…” Then they delivered a message directly from God. How much more authoritative can speaking get? Doesn’t 1 Timothy say that women should be quiet? Oh no, another contradiction…? Not a chance!
In Romans 16, we read about a woman named Junia. Quite sadly, for a few centuries in the early beginnings of the church, some men could not accept Junia’s name being in the Bible, so they changed it to “Junias,” a man’s name. Why? Because the Greek text seems to communicate that Junia was an apostle. Apostles were pastors, on steroids! Apostles started and pastored many churches. Based on the way it is written in the most respected Greek manuscripts we have, we would be wise to accept that she was an apostle. Men in the first centuries sure believed she was an Apostle, which is why they changed the text. Eventually, people caught wind that God’s Word was being adulterated in Romans 16, and they put a stop to it.
So what’s with the few texts in the New Testament that seem to say women can’t preach, teach, and/or lead men (1 Corinthians 14:34-38; 1 Timothy 2:8-3:7; Titus 1:5-9)? It’s important to remember that these verses come from letters written by Paul, and they are addressing specific situations that he is dealing with. In some cities, women were mature enough to lead, prophesy, and preach. In other cities, the women just weren’t ready for it.
In some churches, women were abusing their newly discovered liberty in Christ, and they were misusing the power of leadership. They wanted to get back at men for the centuries of injustice. They were trying to exercise authority over men. Remember the curse from the fall? The man will have “authority over” the woman? That being said, in some situations, Paul said “no” to women leadership, because their hearts were too hard.
Women can be pastors if they’re called by God. By the way, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28).
God leads churches through the Holy Spirit, through leaders, through pastors. Being a pastor requires gifts, gifts that come from God, not men (1 Corinthians 12). God gives them to whoever He chooses.
4. Apparel
What we wear and how we wear it is such a problem to many people in the Church it is disgusting. True "A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God," (Deut. 22:5).
This admonition most probably deals with the mandate to maintain the distinctions between male and female functions and roles. "Cross-dressing" seems to be the issue here. The man is not to be feminine and the woman is not to be masculine. Neither is to assume the mannerisms and role of the other. Also, the created order distinguished between male and female very clearly and adopting the clothes of the opposite sex would blur this line and might even encourage homosexuality.
"The same Hebrew word translated detests (to ebah, lit., ”a detestable thing“; KJV, ”an abomination“) is used to describe God’s view of homosexuality (Lev. 18:22; 20:13). Also some evidence exists that transvestism may have been connected with the worship of pagan deities. Since this law was related to the divine order of Creation and since God detests anyone who does this, believers today also ought to heed this command."
As a Christian man in American society, I find it continually humorous that the ways and means we use to determine whether something is Christian or not borders on the senseless at times. We have Christian bracelets, dating, schools, bookstores–and Christian clothing. But, what makes clothing Christian? Does it become so because it has symbols or icons are ironed or sewed on the garments? Or does the attire become “holy” because it was bought at bookstore bearing this faith on its front doors? Or perhaps, it is Christian because a company that proclaims that faith sells the clothes?
What is Christian clothing? Is there such a thing? The scriptures remind us that God looks on the heart of an individual to see whether that person’s motives are pure before Him or not. Many folks over the years and centuries have sought to dress appropriately before God in special places or on special occasions.
Perhaps you’ve seen the minister wear his robe to the church service, or even a Mormon priest wearing certain white fashion during a temple rite. But the Lord of the Christian scriptures has told us again and again that these measures were not enough to commune with Him in an intimate relationship. For example, Jesus had to remind those He was teaching that the religious leaders “like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows houses, and for appearance sake offer long prayers; these will receive the greater condemnation” (Mark 12:38). So, outer appearances do not necessarily make one religious or Christian. As a matter of fact, history is littered with ‘holy’ looking people doing very unholy acts.
If we are talking about modest clothing, then we can begin to say that some types of fashion expose one less to the world around them, and honor the wearer. But, putting a fish symbol on a tank top doesn’t make it “Christian.” As a matter fact, excessive symbols can be interpreted to mean idolatry; and is by some, who have gone as far as wearing “plain” clothing to keep from falling into this trap. Christian clothing is a myth, as it all other Christian “stuff.” In the scheme of God’s purpose and revelation, the only thing “Christian” are those who follow the Son of God. One who unifies with God in Spirit is considered Christian; all other material things are said to “pass away.”
So... To sum it all up...
Religion can be very different than having a Relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Religions are man made, and are based on trying to get to God through rules and regulations and works. Man made religions all are based on people's efforts at reaching God and being made right with Him through their own efforts. God's plan for man's salvation and for being right with Him is told throughout the Bible, in the Old Testament and the New Testament. God's plan is not based on people's efforts and good works, but is based on His amazing Love and amazing Grace for us; His plan involved His precious Son Jesus paying the price and cost for our sins on the cross. You need to put ALL of your trust and faith in Jesus and in what He did for us on the cross, and not in any religion or in your own efforts. Simply put all of your trust and faith in Jesus, and accept His gift of salvation and eternal life, and experience the joy of having a right RELATIONSHIP of love with God.
Religion is formalism, people ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:5 "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." The reason that they deny the power of God is because they have not tasted it. Only through the Spirit of God can one partake of the power of God. Never having experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit these are people who feel that through works alone they can achieve a eternal reward. (Ezekiel 33:31-32)
Religion (Self Effort, Works)
Goal: Reach out to God, try to work your way into heaven
Means: Diligent service & works, with hopes of a reward (heaven)
Power: Good, honest effort through self-determination
Control: Self-motivation and self control
Results: Apathy, failure, chronic guilt, eternal separation from God
Salvation Through Faith In Jesus Christ (Personal Relationship)
Goal: Trust fully in Jesus, then live to please Him
Means: Confess sins, repent, yield self to Jesus
Power: The Holy Spirit does God's work in and through us
Control: Allow the Holy Spirit to control & direct our lives
Results: Love, joy, peace, freedom, power eternal life in heaven
Man's way to reach God is religion; God's way to reach man is Jesus. Let's live according to strict Biblical texts with the correct historical and cultural references and let Jesus speak to us. We do not need anyone to impart how God thinks when we can ask God Himself! Live free of bondage and grow closer to Jesus. Ask Him how you should live and everything will fall into place!
I implore anyone who is not saved or sure of where you will spend eternity please ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and that you wish Him to be the Lord of your life. No matter what you've done and no matter what you've been you are forgivable and Jesus will accept you back as His own. We all have to come to Jesus as broken and flawed as we are because He knows this and still loves us! No sinner's prayer and no pomp and circumstance. Just a one-to-one conversation with Jesus. Find a church that is focused on the Bible and not religion and then begin to read that same Bible like your life depended on it. Trust me, if you really want Jesus to live in and through you He will do just that.
God Bless You All!
What are We Seeking? Religion or Relationship?
God does not want a people who simply adhere to a set of rules no matter how well intended. God said in the book of Hosea, “For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Sacrifices meant nothing because their hearts were unfaithful to God. God wants obedience and not sacrifice (1 Sam. 15:22), mercy and not religious rituals. God longs for our devotion and loyalty. Do we depend on God or religion? Do we feel comfortable because we read the right Bible version or stay away from movies? How about the attitude, “I don’t drink, smoke, cuss, or chew, or go with girls who do”?
The Pharisees were the ultimate in religious behavior. They extended the laws of God and added their own, resulting in legalism. Their desire to follow the law made them blind to the better thing. Jesus said godly behavior starts from the heart, and extends outward. The Hebrew word for faith is אמונה (emunah – Strong’s #530) and is an action-oriented word meaning “support”. Our Western concept of faith places the action on the one you have faith in, such as “faith in God.” But the Hebrew word places the action on the one who “supports God.”
Emunah means faithfulness, persistent determination, holding steady, holding firm, holding true to what is true: the faithfulness of God. Our readiness to fully devote our lives to the service of God and sacrifice our life for the sake of God is the expression of our emunah in God. Emunah presumes a relationship with God. Where one is aware of such a relationship, is forever changed by it, this special relationship cannot be fully articulated. Emunah Shlemah is a complete faith; it is more than intellectual, but gained with your whole being, as in “You shall Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Emunah means to believe in the truthfulness of a person as well as having emotional trust in a person. In the desert the children of Israel complain that God brought them out there to kill them. God says that they do not have emunah. (Deut 9:23, Ps. 78:37). They did not trust God.
Trust is Grossly Underestimated
Trust (faith, enudah) is important in every relationship we have. Trust removed can destroy friendships, marriages, businesses, and governments. Trust is grossly underestimated. It impacts us daily, not only in our relationship with God, but with every relationship and every endeavor in which we are occupied. Trust effects our homeschooling. When faith is developed it has the potential to create deeper relationships. Our righteousness that comes from God is by faith. God wants a committed faithfulness and emotional trust in him. God wants a relationship with us. He wants to dwell with us. He sent his Son to die on the cross so that we could have a relationship with Him.
God Wants a Relationship With Us
God seeks an intimate, loving relationship with his children. Like the other fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) faith is a category of relationship. The fruit in our life is from our relationship with God. This faith involves decision making and has to be renewed regularly. Faith is response in relationship; it is an ongoing thing, a process. We continually receive faith as a gift, like manna. We are amazed to hear the stories of Israel losing trust in God again and again resulting in disobedience and sin. However, we do the same thing each time we lose faith in God. Faith develops in the context of our ongoing relationship with God. We easily relate to being a child of God or a servant of God, but find it hard to grasp being a friend of God. God desires to establish a connection, an association, an affiliation, a very special link and bond between Himself and His children.
Faith and Kindness
In Hebrew the word for kindness is chesed. Dwight Pyror’s article on Abraham speaks of the faith (emunah) and kindness (chesed) of God:
Faithfulness, or emunah, is one of the most treasured and trusted character traits of God Himself.
“O LORD God of hosts, who is like Thee, O mighty LORD? Thy faithfulness (emunah) surrounds Thee” (Ps. 89:8 NASB).
On the last day of his life, Moses declares in prophetic utterance:
For I proclaim the name of the LORD [YHWH]; Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness (El emunah) and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He” (Dt. 32:3-4 ).
Even in the midst of God’s terrible judgment upon His rebellious children and even Jerusalem itself, the grieving prophet Jeremiah can find comfort in God’s covenant loyalty and faithfulness.
This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD’S lovingkindnesses (chesed) indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness (emunah). (Lam. 3:21-23).
That God’s chesed and His emunah often are joined together in Scripture is not surprising. Chesed is the Hebrew concept that speaks of God’s grace in seeking us out and initiating covenant with us, and then His loyalty and fidelity to the covenant so joined. Though Israel be fickle, He remains faithful because He is a God who abounds in chesed v’emunah.
God wants a relationship and He even provides the faith (emudah) through His Holy Spirit which will bring forth appropriate actions to develop that relationship. What a God!
It truly saddens me when I see people from all walks of life who have such bad opinions about having a relationship with Jesus Christ based on what they have observed in people who are in churches around the world who live defeated and broken lives under the bondage of what some person has said is God's will for how we should relate to our God! This is the greatest problem of all. When the Bible speaks of letting our light shine it is not only when you want to be a witness, but it is also in how you live everyday life in everyday situations. So many people try to live inside of a box that the Bible doesn't make them live in that some religious leader has misquoted a scripture or used an ambiguous meaning of one and twisted it into a form of control that keeps people in darkness! I find it so interesting that people are so quick to impose on another person rules and regulations that keep them as individuals "holy" and in reality these rules become a prison for everyone else to live by. What garbage!
Here is the Bible Truth... If the Bible doesn't EXPLICITLY SAY IT and IS USED IN THE PROPER HISTORICAL CONTEXT then we as people cannot impose it. Religion is bondage and Relationship is freedom and where the Spirit of The Lord is there is LIBERTY! Over the years it truly seems that most of these "religious executive orders" are encompassed in four categories:
1. Activities
2. Drinking
3. Women
4. Apparel
1. Activities
Many churches have rules and regulations concerning what you do and how you do it. There are a few religious sects out there that believe that total separation from the outside world is the only way to keep one from sin. Contact is forbidden by these persons with anyone outside of the faith and they usually live together in some sort of community and marry each other, breed and die within that reality. Other groups impose severe restrictions on social activities such as what to watch on television, going to the movies, dancing and many more. When I hear of people who are in such a restricted box I feel sorry for them because No matter where we are in the world we have to remember that the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be carried to all of the world before He returns to claim His bride. In order for us to do that we must be active in reaching the lost not by waving a Bible at them and telling them that they are a sinner, but by showing love and compassion to them and living and socializing among them.
Jesus was famous for going to the homes of publicans and attending parties. Remember when the Pharisees and Sadducees questioned why Jesus was going to those places? Our Lord's first miracle was turning water into WINE at a wedding reception! (Please do not be fooled that Jesus didn't make alcoholic wine. Why else would sinners appreciate the stuff as the best that they have had all evening???) Jesus commanded us to go out to the hedges and the highways preaching and proclaiming the Gospel to all people! We can't do that in a commune nor can we do that not going where sinners go. Now remember we cannot go out and preach to people the Gospel if we have not been send. Go only where God leads you to go and no other places.
2. Drinking
Many restrictive regulations imposed on people involve the consumption of alcohol. Now mind you I am not talking about going out and getting drunk because the Bible clearly states that no drunkards will enter the Kingdom. Refer to the last section where it mentions that Jesus turned water into wine. Remember that Paul said that wine was good for the stomach. I hate to break it to you, but alcohol was created by God! We didn't invent it and the processes occur even in nature without any intervention from us. Some would say that the adversary created alcohol, but no where in the Bible does it show that the adversary created anything! He is a meddler and influencer only! If God made the world for us to enjoy then why do we frown so much on alcohol? Let me clarify something to you. We are not to do anything in our lives that would be take the place of God as the primary in our lives. What I am saying is that if we want to get a drink more than spend time with God we are out of order. If we are thirsting more for a beer than we are the presence of God we are outside of the will of God!
Many religious leaders who were drunks in their former days use this as a bondage tool inadvertently because their flesh had a weakness to alcohol so they felt that everyone else is the same way so this is the will of God to them! Hello?! Everything on this Earth was made for us to enjoy and this is no different. I am not advocating any behavior with sinners or anything like that, but each person needs to reconcile with God as to what they should do concerning this subject. Ask God in earnest and He will answer you as to what you must do.
3. Women
This is going to be something... Women are used as the biggest scapegoats of all things unholy. They can't teach men, they can't speak in church and the list goes on and on. Does the Bible say, “Women can be pastors”? This is a heavily debated subject, and Ekklesia does not require the congregation to fully-agree with the position of the pastors on this one. The short answer to this question is, “Yes.” However, in part, because our history is clouded by a great deal of cultural conditioning and biased-Biblical interpretation, answering “yes” to this question leads to suspicion on the part of many. In order to respond to the controversy, the explanation must be a bit lengthy, because we must deal with many years of ignorance… ignorance that has sent us down a long and winding road of confusion.
In 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul says, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” That pretty much sums it up doesn’t it? Women can’t be pastors, right? Wrong… Whether or not you’ve read the whole Bible, you know it’s a very, very long book. This very long story has a lot to say about this issue. In order to understand this passage, we must understand more of the book.
Let us begin in Genesis.
When Adam and Eve rejected God’s leadership, they disconnected themselves from the source of all that is good. When anyone is disconnected from God, bad things happen. There are consequences. In Genesis 3, God lays out some of things that would happen, now that they had disconnected themselves from Him. In Genesis 3:16, God said to Eve, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Keep in mind, this is not the way things were supposed to be.
As the centuries progressed, God communicated that women can operate in the spiritual gifts in the same way that men can. God didn’t just “come out and say it,” like we wish He would have. He expects us to overcome our prejudices and allow our hearts to grasp what the Spirit is saying.
In Judges 4, we read about a woman named Deborah, a prophet. God made Deborah the Judge over the entire nation of Israel. Don’t go thinin’ “Judge Judy” or “Judge Joe Brown.” There was only one Judge of Israel, and this position does not compare to the modern day judge. This is a position that was even more powerful and influential than today’s American president. God choose her. God gave her the gifts to lead. God led Israel through her. This was totally against the grain of culture. If the Bible were written by humans, and not God, it would never have said that God chose Deborah to be the Judge of Israel. This was unacceptable.
Also in the Book of Judges, we read about a woman named Jael, and how God used her to kill a king who’s kingdom threatened the existence of Israel.
In the Gospels, we discover the very first people to preach the resurrection of Jesus. You might guess it was Peter and John, right? Wrong. It was a group of women. God revealed the resurrection to women first. You may not think this is a big deal. Get this… In the first century, in the eyes of their society, this kind of testimony would have been worthless on the tongues of women. If the Bible were merely authored by humans, it would never have said that women were the first ones to understand and spread the message of the resurrection. This would have been incredibly distasteful, and made the movement look like some kind of cosmic joke! However, this is how God chose to use the “weak” to shame the “wise.”
In Acts 18, we read about Priscilla, a leader in the church. Priscilla had a husband named Aquila. However, many times in the New Testament, Priscilla’s name is written first, before her husband’s. In the first century language of Koine Greek, this is making a huge statement. In a male dominant society, it was not “proper” to mention the wife before the husband, but this is how God wanted it written. We also learn that Priscilla and her husband both taught the Word of God to a highly educated man, Apollos. Priscilla instructed Apollos. She taught him the Bible. She taught him to be a very influential church leader. Wait a second… didn’t 1 Timothy say that women can’t teach men…? Oh my, oh my… Does the Bible contradict itself…? Absolutely not!
In Acts chapter 21, we read about Philip’s four unmarried daughters. They were all prophets. That means these women prophets spoke God’s words. They said things like, “The LORD says this…” Then they delivered a message directly from God. How much more authoritative can speaking get? Doesn’t 1 Timothy say that women should be quiet? Oh no, another contradiction…? Not a chance!
In Romans 16, we read about a woman named Junia. Quite sadly, for a few centuries in the early beginnings of the church, some men could not accept Junia’s name being in the Bible, so they changed it to “Junias,” a man’s name. Why? Because the Greek text seems to communicate that Junia was an apostle. Apostles were pastors, on steroids! Apostles started and pastored many churches. Based on the way it is written in the most respected Greek manuscripts we have, we would be wise to accept that she was an apostle. Men in the first centuries sure believed she was an Apostle, which is why they changed the text. Eventually, people caught wind that God’s Word was being adulterated in Romans 16, and they put a stop to it.
So what’s with the few texts in the New Testament that seem to say women can’t preach, teach, and/or lead men (1 Corinthians 14:34-38; 1 Timothy 2:8-3:7; Titus 1:5-9)? It’s important to remember that these verses come from letters written by Paul, and they are addressing specific situations that he is dealing with. In some cities, women were mature enough to lead, prophesy, and preach. In other cities, the women just weren’t ready for it.
In some churches, women were abusing their newly discovered liberty in Christ, and they were misusing the power of leadership. They wanted to get back at men for the centuries of injustice. They were trying to exercise authority over men. Remember the curse from the fall? The man will have “authority over” the woman? That being said, in some situations, Paul said “no” to women leadership, because their hearts were too hard.
Women can be pastors if they’re called by God. By the way, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28).
God leads churches through the Holy Spirit, through leaders, through pastors. Being a pastor requires gifts, gifts that come from God, not men (1 Corinthians 12). God gives them to whoever He chooses.
4. Apparel
What we wear and how we wear it is such a problem to many people in the Church it is disgusting. True "A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God," (Deut. 22:5).
This admonition most probably deals with the mandate to maintain the distinctions between male and female functions and roles. "Cross-dressing" seems to be the issue here. The man is not to be feminine and the woman is not to be masculine. Neither is to assume the mannerisms and role of the other. Also, the created order distinguished between male and female very clearly and adopting the clothes of the opposite sex would blur this line and might even encourage homosexuality.
"The same Hebrew word translated detests (to ebah, lit., ”a detestable thing“; KJV, ”an abomination“) is used to describe God’s view of homosexuality (Lev. 18:22; 20:13). Also some evidence exists that transvestism may have been connected with the worship of pagan deities. Since this law was related to the divine order of Creation and since God detests anyone who does this, believers today also ought to heed this command."
As a Christian man in American society, I find it continually humorous that the ways and means we use to determine whether something is Christian or not borders on the senseless at times. We have Christian bracelets, dating, schools, bookstores–and Christian clothing. But, what makes clothing Christian? Does it become so because it has symbols or icons are ironed or sewed on the garments? Or does the attire become “holy” because it was bought at bookstore bearing this faith on its front doors? Or perhaps, it is Christian because a company that proclaims that faith sells the clothes?
What is Christian clothing? Is there such a thing? The scriptures remind us that God looks on the heart of an individual to see whether that person’s motives are pure before Him or not. Many folks over the years and centuries have sought to dress appropriately before God in special places or on special occasions.
Perhaps you’ve seen the minister wear his robe to the church service, or even a Mormon priest wearing certain white fashion during a temple rite. But the Lord of the Christian scriptures has told us again and again that these measures were not enough to commune with Him in an intimate relationship. For example, Jesus had to remind those He was teaching that the religious leaders “like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows houses, and for appearance sake offer long prayers; these will receive the greater condemnation” (Mark 12:38). So, outer appearances do not necessarily make one religious or Christian. As a matter of fact, history is littered with ‘holy’ looking people doing very unholy acts.
If we are talking about modest clothing, then we can begin to say that some types of fashion expose one less to the world around them, and honor the wearer. But, putting a fish symbol on a tank top doesn’t make it “Christian.” As a matter fact, excessive symbols can be interpreted to mean idolatry; and is by some, who have gone as far as wearing “plain” clothing to keep from falling into this trap. Christian clothing is a myth, as it all other Christian “stuff.” In the scheme of God’s purpose and revelation, the only thing “Christian” are those who follow the Son of God. One who unifies with God in Spirit is considered Christian; all other material things are said to “pass away.”
So... To sum it all up...
Religion can be very different than having a Relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Religions are man made, and are based on trying to get to God through rules and regulations and works. Man made religions all are based on people's efforts at reaching God and being made right with Him through their own efforts. God's plan for man's salvation and for being right with Him is told throughout the Bible, in the Old Testament and the New Testament. God's plan is not based on people's efforts and good works, but is based on His amazing Love and amazing Grace for us; His plan involved His precious Son Jesus paying the price and cost for our sins on the cross. You need to put ALL of your trust and faith in Jesus and in what He did for us on the cross, and not in any religion or in your own efforts. Simply put all of your trust and faith in Jesus, and accept His gift of salvation and eternal life, and experience the joy of having a right RELATIONSHIP of love with God.
Religion is formalism, people ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:5 "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." The reason that they deny the power of God is because they have not tasted it. Only through the Spirit of God can one partake of the power of God. Never having experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit these are people who feel that through works alone they can achieve a eternal reward. (Ezekiel 33:31-32)
Religion (Self Effort, Works)
Goal: Reach out to God, try to work your way into heaven
Means: Diligent service & works, with hopes of a reward (heaven)
Power: Good, honest effort through self-determination
Control: Self-motivation and self control
Results: Apathy, failure, chronic guilt, eternal separation from God
Salvation Through Faith In Jesus Christ (Personal Relationship)
Goal: Trust fully in Jesus, then live to please Him
Means: Confess sins, repent, yield self to Jesus
Power: The Holy Spirit does God's work in and through us
Control: Allow the Holy Spirit to control & direct our lives
Results: Love, joy, peace, freedom, power eternal life in heaven
Man's way to reach God is religion; God's way to reach man is Jesus. Let's live according to strict Biblical texts with the correct historical and cultural references and let Jesus speak to us. We do not need anyone to impart how God thinks when we can ask God Himself! Live free of bondage and grow closer to Jesus. Ask Him how you should live and everything will fall into place!
I implore anyone who is not saved or sure of where you will spend eternity please ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and that you wish Him to be the Lord of your life. No matter what you've done and no matter what you've been you are forgivable and Jesus will accept you back as His own. We all have to come to Jesus as broken and flawed as we are because He knows this and still loves us! No sinner's prayer and no pomp and circumstance. Just a one-to-one conversation with Jesus. Find a church that is focused on the Bible and not religion and then begin to read that same Bible like your life depended on it. Trust me, if you really want Jesus to live in and through you He will do just that.
God Bless You All!
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