Monday, April 19, 2010

KNOWING JESUS – The Keeper of Our Heart

image One of the greatest inclination of human beings is to zero in on their faith at the cost of its true meaning. This holds true to all faiths but never is the mistake more serious than when we do this to the Son of God. Throughout the Bible we see where the Pharisees were more concerned with the Sabbath and the temple than they were with The Lord of the Sabbath. They were more concerned with the details,their rules and laws that they missed the bigger picture. Have true this is in the church world today. So many Christians are more worried with the by laws of the church, what the general overseer wants, what the current events are in the church that they miss the Master as He walks by. They fail to reach out and touch Him, talk to him, and fellowship with Him.
We , sometimes, are more concerned with the details and miss the bigger picture in our relationship with the Lord. On Sunday Mornings we experience worship services without really experiencing worship. We sometimes have Bible studies without fellowshipping with the author. We do works of ministry without relying on the One who would minister through us, if we would only let Him. Some Christians go from a personal relationship with The Master to Him being the object of it. We, as Christians, must realize and understand that someone greater than all our church activities and beliefs is here. When Christians realize this more prayers would be answered, more people healed, more of the Glory of The Lord would be felt.
The question that all Christians must ask their self is what part of our faith is a genuine relationship with the Lord and what part is just religious activities. We must know the difference between the two. We can criticize the blindness of the Pharisees and their short comings toward the Lord but the church world can be just as blind. It is easy for some Christians to go from knowing our Savior to just practicing Christianity. When we do this we are no different than the Pharisees of Jesus' time.
It is so sad for Jesus to become someone that we talk about, the founder of our faith, rather than someone we talk to and are close to. Someone that we have a daily fellowship with. We must always know who walks with us and who the keeper of our heart is.
A great many of the churches and denominations, today, are more like a social club than a church of our living savior. They have garage sales, yard sales, soup sales, chicken dinner sales, fashion shows, bingo, and many other things to make money for the church to become more big and more noticed. They have basketball courts, fashion shows, rock concerts, cruises, and many other things to entice people to come to church. On the sign in front of the church we read messages that advertise all the above. I'm not saying that most of these things are wrong but the House of God was not intended for all that. My question is where does Jesus fit into all of this?
A church is to bring people to Christ and that is by the drawing of His Spirit and the Word of God when it is preached, not by the many things listed above. All we need is Jesus.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU! You said the truth. However people will neither realize this truth or believe it. What happens if all these things where taken away? Most people would leave the church (social club) because what was drawing them to church is no longer there! It is the Spirit of The Lord who needs to draw the people. Our churches need to get back to that "OLD TIME RELIGION", not the Social Club Religion that has taken over most of our churches.

Anonymous said...

You are right. I belong to a large denomination that years ago was on fire for the Lord but today the fire is gone out and they are running on fuel left over from years past. what happens when that is gone?

Anonymous said...

What ever happen to the old time camp meetings? THE REAL OLD TIME CAMP MEETINGS

Tim Shey said...

Excellent message.

"They had a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof. From such turn away."

"The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." You could also say, man-made organization kills, but it is the Lord Himself who gives life."

The Pharisees gave us a form, rules, ordinances, dead churchy church churchianity, non-faith; Jesus came to bring life and life in abundance.

"Those who are led by the Spirit shall be called sons." Being led by the Spirit is a faith thing, not a Pharisee thing. Pharisees used God; if we are truly devoted to Christ, the Lord uses us.

Bill Patchett said...

Thank you Tim for the comment. It ties right in with tha point that I was trying to make

Yuri Richardson said...

Your post remains me of the condition of the temple when Jesus came and cleansed it. At that time it was like 'big business' lots of money to be made of the temple services. Do you think that there may be another cleansing of the temple in our day? If so it would be interesting who runs away in terror and who stays to listen as Yeshua (Jesus) takes the little children in His arms and teaches them the words of truth moments after turning over the tables of the money changers.
I even heard of one of these mega churches having an ATM in the Narthex of the church hall. Do you think the Woe's of Matthew 23 are applicable now?

Shalom In Messiah

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