Religion and the Church

Religion and the Body of Believers

With modern weapons of mass destruction, it is possible that it could result in a total collapse of the human race. Only one nation with such weapons must start to endanger the existence of every living thing in this world. To control the world under their government is ongoing, and there is no need to be competent to find out. As prophesied, that nation will go after another nation and kingdom against kingdom. Many reasons could be the cause, such as economics, territorial expansion, the survival of the fittest will be the game’s name, and religion can also be a factor. Still, religion should not be the case if we only focus on what we believe, the existence of God.  

We should not ignore the dark side of religion when the proponents go over their heads and start claiming that what they’re doing is serving their God and doing what they have to do to bring glory to their God. Territorial expansions are happening in these modern times, and developing nations cannot do anything since the world’s body is playing blind to hide its weak and powerless organization. Therefore, developing countries will give up their sovereignty rights to survive without shedding blood. 

Regarding religion, we must be cautious because there are genuine and faithful believers willing to give their lives for the spiritual cause; however, we may differ in our beliefs, so respect for one another is needed. We should not undermine the confidence of other religions, as many of them are rooted in what they believe in, and to force them to what we think may cause more harm than inspire them.    Sharing our faith and the goodness of our group can probably encourage them to join. What matters is to get the Gospel’s message out to those who don’t believe so they may get the blessings before they change their heart. We have to trust that the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Philippians 1:18, NLT—”But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ has been preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.” 

Jesus is the Son of God to us, but to them, maybe not; maybe to them, Jesus Christ is entirely man and not fully God. This is a delicate topic and too challenging to discuss since they may have already settled into their beliefs. A group approach may not work, but trying it on a one-on-one basis may work. One thing you could do is invite your potential believer to a Bible Study.

Humans are sinners by nature, and introducing God’s goodness and His mercy to forgive sins might open their eyes and uplift their Spirit, more accessible said than done, and yet it could be done. Moreover, once they thoroughly learn the influence of the Son that brings souls to eternity, it may enlighten their confused minds and embrace the Father’s gift of Salvation. Therefore, it is essential that we always have to state that Salvation is the gift of the Father and the Son Jesus will lead them to eternal life. 

Any religion that goes to the Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was ting to welcome everyone worldwide to be His children. The church, which is the kingdom, the body of believers, will live side by side with peaceful living. Then the angels of God will open up the gates of heaven always. The battle of the mind will end to have a joyful life. Isn’t it so uplifting to have hope as big as that? “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). No one comes to the Father except through the Son (John 14) 

Although to unbelievers, Jesus to them is not the Messiah they are waiting for, to other religions, Jesus is a prophet, and some, do not even believe that Jesus exists. How much more can we tell them that Jesus is God in the flesh? This will be a deeper discussion, especially for first-time hearers. Among non-believers, it is expected that they will react differently. The best way to respond to their reaction is to have humility, calmness, and acceptance and not get involved with any argument which may only make it worse. 

Many Christian believers are exercising their religion out of bounds; the holier than thou attitude breaks down the hearts of many observers (potentially to be Christians) because more righteous than them is an attitude that even Christians believe they are dividers of faith in many ways. Many are disgusted by this practice, and the doers are unaware of their actions. Why are Christians so divided in the doctrinal views, giving their own churches’ names, etc.; is it to show ownership or for members only church? The non-denominational church is the early group of believers, and later, after centuries, it did not escape having a name.

Now the Non-denomination becomes the open arms church for those who don’t fit or do not believe in their teachings, and formed small groups and called the church. God did not design His church to have a name; if he wanted it, He would have done it already. The church, according to the Bible, is one church. It is only one, and it is not for members only. But, of course, these denominations will encourage you to be their member or guess till you fall to their doctrinal views and accept them. 

Then eventually, you become part of them that ignore the Scripture for preaching and teach according to their understanding. They proclaimed that they believe what is written in the Bible, yet they do not practice; that is the keyword. What good would it bring when written and then ignored it? It is a big ploy to avoid more questions. We must be cautious attending gatherings of the faithful without knowing what they exactly believe, their doctrinal views, practice in tithings, openness in the church’s financial activities, and care about the member’s spiritual growth. Some members are more faithful to what their ministers say than to what God says.

There are many buildings they call the house of worship, yet they do not believe some of the words of God. Some choose to divide the word of God and not the place they want to be. We have to think and pray before we submit to their teachings. Jude mentioned a warning about the dangers posed by false teachers. “Don’t be swayed by those who have abandoned the truth as it is laid out in God’s Word.” These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their lusts; as we can observe now, most of the preaching is like entertainment and mistaken to be a blessing. Joy is a feeling that satisfies the flesh, not the Spirit. 

They flatter people to gain emotion and even have the talent to make your tears flow and jump. Jude 17-19— says, “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time that would walk according to their ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.”

Our bodies can be taken but not our souls,  so we must be careful and mindful that they are just around us, and we must be alert for evildoers that are denied sleep unless they do wicked things. We should practice humility and avoid competing words that only upset the hearers devoted to God’s word,  not argue about Scripture because it falls to disobeying what was written. Instead, let us focus on respecting one another and continue the work of the Commandment of Love within us.

The rich people or the well-to-do families should take care of the poor, while the rich in Spirit should take care of the lost souls. Imagine how the well-to-do can change the lives of people in need and how the rich in Spirit shares the Word of God that may illuminate the infancy knowledge of an individual and save their souls in their early spiritual journey. Be a blessing to others, and God will bless you in return.