True Religion

I’ve been learning a lot about true religion these past few months. It’s common to find either churches with excellent doctrine, but little focus on justice and compassion, or churches with poor doctrine which focus completely on social reform. Sometimes our fear of falling into human-centered activisim keeps us from doing anything at all and putting aside passages like:

James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”; and

Matthew 25:31-46 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”; and

Micah 6:8 “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Christians are called to do good intentionally to reflect the love of Christ and to show mercy, because they have been given much mercy. As Pastor Kenny Stokes (Bethlehem Baptist Church) recently said in a sermon on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), “As mercy lovers, we become mercy showers.” Love the mercy God showers over you daily and shower it over others. “Be imitators of God as loved children” (Ephesians 5:1). Pastor Stokes continues to say “My life should be a series of stories or parables of Christ’s relationship, God’s treating of me.” “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

I have been confronted by these things and have reflected much on whether I am really living out the gospel and being salt and light wherever I am. As Pastor Timothy Olonade said in a sermon “The power of God - that is, His Spirit and the Gospel - are what differentiate agents of divine transformation from agents of social reform.” I do not want to fall into empty, human-exalting, social activism; however, I do not want to shy away from Christ’s commands and example. I cannot excuse my lack of compassion and action. As a reciever of Christ’s love, mercy, and compassion I must be overflowing with good works in the Spirit that bless others and exalt the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that God would continue to reveal to me His heart in this area and that I might move into action because “the love of Christ compels me” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Hope this post motivates you to join in this prayer,

Sarah