Transcript What is Your Religion?

What is Your
Religion?
What is our mission?
Definition of Religion
 We
often want to define it by the way we
define God and/or this universe and the
purpose of mankind.
 How we think, how we live, work, play,
where our hearts are. Where we find
purpose in our lives.
 What defines us, we can say, defines our
religion.
Our definition…varies
 Matthew
24:14 – teach all nations of
coming kingdom of God.
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My interpretation of that…
What is it to us? Whole duty of man…
But we know there is a process. It’s amazing
how we wrangle over what we perceive
are the prerequisites. We bury ourselves in
debate over doctrine. Law vs. Grace.
Schoolmaster? Gal 3:24
Common Denomination
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God sent his beloved Son, the one he’d had relationship with for all
eternity past, into this world in order to have relationship with us. 1
John 4:9 says, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent
his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”
(NIV) He created us for relationship with Him. Not a forced – “you
will love me” – relationship, but rather, one established by our own
free-will choice to accept Christ as personal Lord and Savior.
God created us to love him and to love one another.
There is a universal attraction within the human race to build
relationships. The human heart is drawn to fall in love--a quality
placed within our soul by God. Marriage is the human picture or
illustration of the divine relationship we are ultimately destined to
experience for all eternity with God once we’ve entered into a
relationship with Jesus Christ. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made
everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts
of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from
beginning to end.”
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I believe that too much time is wasted by Christians
arguing about religion, doctrine, denominations, and
Bible translations. John 13:35 says, “By this all men will
know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another.” (NIV) It doesn’t say, “They will know you are
a follower of Christ if you carry the right Bible,” or “if
you go to the best church,” or “practice the correct
religion.” Our unique distinction should be our love for
one another.
Titus 3:9 warns us as Christians to avoid arguments:
“But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and
arguments and quarrels about the law, because
these are unprofitable and useless.”
God a divider?
 Matthew
10:32-41
What am I wanting to say?
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I don't want to be known by my religion being that
as simply a Sabbath keeper and feast observer. I'd
rather be known as one who is trusted and lays
their life down for another.
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We've made religion an aspect of certainty in our
lives, rather than a mystery. I'm right, you're
wrong...shut up.
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We can easily pretend nothing is wrong, or at least
that everyone else has the problem and is wrong.
What are we doing now?
 Arguing
over definitions of the law?
Having absolute truth?
 Easily offended? Ps. 119:165
 Defensive
Examples
 Last
year at the feast
 Family
 Neighbor
 Work
What should we be doing?
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1 John 4:1-21
Mt. 5:44, Love our enemies
Lay down our lives, 1 John 3:16
Although we have external practices manifested through the Sabbath and Holy Days (and other)-important as they are, these are meaningless and just form without substance when absent love.
To love God and our neighbor is paramount. All the law (Holy days, Sabbath, etc...) and the
prophets hang on these. In fact, "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a
good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim 1:5). Moreover, "...if we have love for one another, God
is in us and his love is made complete in us" (1 John 4:12). Godly love is the product of the
Spirit. Therefore, it cannot be manufactured, since it springs from God and flows into and through us
to others (Rom 5:5).
As a result, if love comes from God, then we must ask for it and actively work to promote rather than
squelch it. God's love does not grow through gossip, retaliation, revenge or any other works of the
flesh seeking to elevate self or demote others. We are told to "...love one another fervently with a
pure heart" (1 Pet. 1:22). One of the characteristics of godly love is that it edifies; it builds up. It does
this for the church and for those we come in contact with on a daily basis. Yes, “If someone says, `I
love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen,
how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (1 John 4:20). The language is even stronger, “…he
who does not love his brother abides in death" (1 John 3:14).
Developing a larger strategy for how to maximize God’s Spirit within each member and how to
amplify the edification of one another are things we need to be considering and developing in our
“religion.”
James 1:26-27
A critical aspect of love
 James
5:16-20
 Examples:
 Brother
Appeal vs. Admonishment
going through a problem
 Adoption
The Result
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Matthew 10:28-42 Fear not
Let ourselves be seen. Vulnerability
Love with our whole hearts, especially when we
sense it's not coming back. No guarantees.
Do we believe that our love for God is only as
good as our love for each other?
God a divider? Mt 10:42
Phil 4:8, Whatsoever is lovely….
I Peter 3:8
Our Mission? Replace our spirit with His.
Is it within our power? Nobody can come to
God…