shortlady
Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2005
- Messages
- 2,696
What is True Religion?
Just what is true religion? Is it a spiritual thing where one is touched by God and is transformed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ? Or is it an earthly thing where one reaches out in love and compassion and transforms the world around them? Good news - it is both! Listen to these verses from Isaiah 58. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" This is the spiritual side of the equation.
To be of any good to this world, we must be united with Christ and empowered with His Spirit. Man-made religion is powerless, but real power flows through believers who are full of God's Spirit. Later in the same chapter we read, "Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" This is the earthly side of the equation.
As we are spiritually empowered by God, we will then reach out in love and compassion to the hurting world around us. We will 'love our neighbors, and pray for our enemies'. This kind of balance is what the church needs to have any kind of impact on our world. God is looking for Christians who will cultivate the good seed He has planted in our hearts by both watering it with His Word, and dealing ruthlessly with the weeds of our carnal nature that tirelessly seek to choke out the work of God in our lives.
The promise from Isaiah 58 is this, "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." Revival begins when the 'small people' come back to life. All over the world individuals, families, churches, and cities are becoming 'well watered gardens and springs whose waters never fail'. Isaiah concludes by promising that, "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame". God be with you all...
Just what is true religion? Is it a spiritual thing where one is touched by God and is transformed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ? Or is it an earthly thing where one reaches out in love and compassion and transforms the world around them? Good news - it is both! Listen to these verses from Isaiah 58. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" This is the spiritual side of the equation.
To be of any good to this world, we must be united with Christ and empowered with His Spirit. Man-made religion is powerless, but real power flows through believers who are full of God's Spirit. Later in the same chapter we read, "Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" This is the earthly side of the equation.
As we are spiritually empowered by God, we will then reach out in love and compassion to the hurting world around us. We will 'love our neighbors, and pray for our enemies'. This kind of balance is what the church needs to have any kind of impact on our world. God is looking for Christians who will cultivate the good seed He has planted in our hearts by both watering it with His Word, and dealing ruthlessly with the weeds of our carnal nature that tirelessly seek to choke out the work of God in our lives.
The promise from Isaiah 58 is this, "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." Revival begins when the 'small people' come back to life. All over the world individuals, families, churches, and cities are becoming 'well watered gardens and springs whose waters never fail'. Isaiah concludes by promising that, "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame". God be with you all...
