FREEDOM FROM A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT

For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. – Eph 2:8

The reason why we have religion – empty, external ceremonies and rituals – in the Church is because there is religion in each of us. The reason why there’s hypocrisy and carnality all around us because it resides in us, too.

Think about it. Why do people prophesy only in ‘King James’ English? Why do people say “bless you”, “bless you” to brethren that they gossip about at home? And speaking of our speaking, are our private prayers as high-sounding  and expressive as our private prayers?

The snares of religiosity are so all around us that it’d take the grace of God to evade them all. Yes, we need GRACE, literally, to effectively walk this walk.

Grace is the opposite of Religion. Religion is all about what man does for God, Grace is about what God DID (in Christ Jesus) for us. Religion rewards Man for performing certain acts, Grace gives all the glory to God.

When Religion prays for 3 hours, it wants to brag about it; when Grace prays for 5 hours, it is overwhelmed at what the Spirit can do through a willing heart. When Religion evangelises, it expects God to bless it in turn; when Grace comes from Village Outreach it declares “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Lk 17:10).

When Religion abstains from sin, it expects God to reward it for that; Grace is humbled that a rank sinner could be found worthy to live out the life of Christ in the flesh.

Religion looks at a drunken fornicator and scoffs. Grace remembers its former predilections and exclaims, “There – but for the grace of God – go I”.

Beloved, as long as we remain on this side of Heaven, the temptation to fall into Religion will always remain. The solution is not to stop praying, fasting, evangelizing, giving large offerings or living holy; the solution rather is to be continuously conscious of the grace of God at work in us.

Therefore, my beloved... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.(Php 2:12,3).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN