Hate the religion

As I want all people in the world to know the reality of Jesus, I spend a lot of time traveling around the world in my ministry. And when I go home, I pray that all Christians will know Jesus too.

I hope you catch the joke - but you must know that I am only half joking. Our lives as followers of Christ should not revolve around an identifiable religion, but around a recognizable person, Jesus.

The Bible tells us that three things stand in the way of our journey with Christ : the world, our flesh and the devil (see Ephesians 6:12). I asked myself : "Why is not religion included in this list, since it also acts against our relationship with Jesus ?" This is where I realized that religion is made in all three !

When I use the word "religion," I mean "religiosity," that is, when we place our religion - our beliefs and theological practices - at the center of our lives instead of placing God there. . place all our being, not in a system of beliefs or works.

When you look at it this way, religion becomes an expression of our flesh, that is, of our sinful nature. Our flesh uses religion to resist repentance and to make sure we feel good about ourselves. My uncle Don Wilkerson calls him "prograder". To demote is when someone rejects Jesus to turn to gross sins. But prograde is to fall into the opposite extreme : to turn away from Jesus to turn to religion.

Let's be honest, being religious can be more comfortable than being filled with the love of Jesus, because being guided by his love can drive us crazy in the eyes of the world.

Do not get me wrong when I say we have to hate religion. What I mean is that we must hate the things that lead to spiritual death rather than the true life in Christ. Hating religion does not mean to love one's flesh, but to love Jesus more.

Gary Wilkerson