Beware: Religious Show Coming to a Church Near You

Jesus’ words in His Sermon on the Mount cut right to the heart. In the opening words of chapter six, He teaches that it is possible for a believer to do all sorts of ministry in His name, from attending church, giving, serving, preaching, teaching, praying… for the wrong reason, and have no reward from God. He says that if you’re involved in a lot of religious activity just to show people how spiritual you are, you’re doing it for the wrong reason. It isn’t about trying to do and say all the right things, it’s a matter of the heart, it’s all about motive.

God is a giver. He gave His only begotten Son to die for the sins of the world. Think of all that He gives us on a regular basis. Life, breath, sunshine, rain, food, clothing, shelter, joy…the list is endless. As His children, we should be generous givers as well.

Giving is a spiritual act of worship and in fact, a relational issue with God. It is a recognition that it’s all His in the first place. The warning, however, is that if your motivation to give and serve is based on what you are going to get out of it, it’s seriously misplaced. That pat on the back you get from the people around you is all the reward you will get. True worship is a sacrificial response of all that you are to who God is and what He said and done.

God cares about who we really are, not just the image we present to the world. He has called us to be authentic Christians who aren’t putting on a show. I think the world has had far too much of that. Prayerfully commit to responding to God’s grace in your life with a heart of obedience and love - from the inside out!

Press On,

Pastor Brian