Religion Lies....

I'm reading a powerful Chapter in "Empty Promises"... the latest book written by our pastor at Crosspoint Community Church, Pete Wilson.    I also, coincidentally was reading in Acts this morning and I came across the same passage of scripture that Pete discusses in this chapter of "Empty Promises".

"Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.'  This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.  So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question."  -Acts 15:1-2

Now you can imagine the horror on those poor Gentiles faces.... they had just come to believe the Gospel that Paul and Barnabas had been teaching, and now their great joy must've faded fast.  "We have to WH-AT?"

Religion Always Adds

Too many people argue that it's not enough to just BELIEVE.  They think that they have to add on to Jesus.  The Jews thought that Jesus + circumcision = salvation.   Seems crazy, right?  But today, in our culture, we still tend to add things to the equation.

Jesus + being immersed in water = salvation
Jesus + doing Communion a certain way = salvation
Jesus + voting Republican (or Democrat) = salvation
Jesus + church membership = salvation

I could go on and on about all the things we could add on to Jesus.  But the gospel says that Jesus is enough.  Whenever we add anything to the gospel, we're denying the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  

And when we elevate the "add on" to being as important as Jesus is in our salvation, we make that "thing" an idol.   Yes, even religion can sometimes be an idol.

"Just imagine the freedom that comes with believing that Jesus truly is enough.  What would happen in your life if you began to realize that God doesn't wait or want you to earn his love, but that he, through Jesus, has been pursuing you with love from the very beginning?" 

We often think God's love is limited and conditional.  I think that's where we get in trouble.  We are so busy trying to earn God's love that we get off course.  We lapse way too easily into that mind-set where the church becomes more important than Christ.  Where ritual becomes more important than relationships.  

The truth is..... what you do with Jesus has always been more important than what you do for Jesus.

Thoughts?

*italics are quotes from "Empty Promises" by Pete Wilson.