Reading:
Romans 12
This
past Monday I went to get my oil changed. It's early, I've got my
coffee, Bible, and a couple other books just in case this takes
longer than expected. As I sit in the waiting room, and accidentally
spill some coffee onto the seat next to me, a conversation begins
with the only other person in the waiting room—a woman in her late
50's. Somehow the Bible gets brought into the conversation and I ask
if she has a church.
“Not
right now; I did all that for a long time, going to church, tithing,
being involved, but I traded religion for relationship.”
Now, I know that according to current cultural protocol, she has just
trumped everything. I'm supposed to be awed by the sheer superiority
of such a comment. It is code for, “I've reached a level
of understanding that has allowed me to rise above such inauthentic
practices as organized religion to a new plane of authentic
religion which is just me and the Lord.”
Those words she used,
“I've traded religion for relationship.”
What do they mean? What did she mean?
Turns
out, as I inquired, that several years back she and her now late
husband were inspired by a movie, “Bucket List”. And that is when
she turned her religion in for this so-called relationship. They
began traveling the world and seeing places they always wanted to
see. Don't get me wrong, I rejoice that they had some extended time
together before his passing. I would want that for them and anyone
else. However, I would never recommend the trade that was made.
What
was this trade? “Religion
for relationship.” She left
being committed to a group of people outside of herself to
which she was joined by a common belief, for which she sacrificed for
the common good both financially and with her time, which involved
working through conflicts, disagreements, and differences in order to
accomplish something bigger than just ourselves,
and traded that for merely doing what she wants on the
weekends, traveling where she wants, and not being encumbered by such
archaic things such as financial sacrifice for something from which I
get no direct benefit, or time commitments.
The first one she called religion, the second one she called
relationship. Can you see the obvious contradiction?
You
may object saying, “But she meant relationship with God,
not others.” True; that wasn't
missed on me. However, since love of God and love of neighbor are
intricately tied together, and since she had already acknowledged an
immense respect for the Bible as a Divinely inspired book, I heard
her through its grid. And the scriptures tell us plainly that we
cannot love God whom we cannot see while not loving our neighbor,
brother or sister in Christ, whom we can see. (1 John 4:20-21) Love
is never merely a feeling I have toward people while I am completely
uninvolved in their lives.
Romans
12 describes what “relationship” looks like. It describes what
authentic religion looks like. Here is a sampling of how this is
described:
1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and
sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper
worship...5 so
in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to
all the others. 6
We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your
faith; 7
if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8
if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then
give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show
mercy, do it cheerfully. 9
Love must be sincere....10
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above
yourselves. 11
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the
Lord. 12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13
Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice
hospitality....15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16
Live in harmony with one another. Do
not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low
position. Do not be conceited.
It
turns out, she has recently moved to the area and moved about a mile
away from the church in which I am involved. I was able to invite her
and I do pray she comes. I pray this that she might discover
something authentic, something outside any one of us, something of
relationship in a community which bears with each other, forgives one
another, prays through dark times together, helps people in need that
we know and do life together with. I can't speak to what she had
before that she traded for this “relationship” (more accurately
called self-life). I can say that I know
a kind of relationship, a kind of authentic worship of God that
cannot be lived apart from a believing community. And that is the
kind of worship to which the Bible calls us.
Love
the Gospel, Live the Gospel, Advance the Gospel,
Jerry
