Which Side of the Table Are You? - from the calling of Matthew

"Look over there at that person, can you believe what they are wearing?" This is just a minor comment that can be phrased in a judgmental way, to introduce this writing.

It can be easy to become wrapped up in someone's talk or even your own thoughts. Just as enthusiasm is catchy, negativity is infectious. Complaining about something seems to be ever present in the lives of people.

Are you one that tends to be a victim of the "complaint snowball?" You start off with one thing, but the conversation just keeps going downhill, picking up complaints as well as speed? I know of people who would fall into this category. I've been there at times in my life and been caught up in their snowballs. There are several times that I have not allowed myself to be on the other side of the table in these situations. I complain or gossip instead of thinking what it is like to be in their shoes. As we discussed the calling of Matthew, from 9:9-13, here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Envision ~ Imagine what it would be like to hear the comments you are saying. I am sure you've heard negative comments about you. How do they feel? If they are not pleasant, practice the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12 - treat others the way you want to be treated). I hope you do not say to yourself, "I had to hear it, they should too." That is a very petty excuse to put someone down.
• Stop It! ~ When the "complaint snowball" takes off, be aware of it. Also, be the one to stop it. You may not even have to make it a formal, make-the-other-person-feel-bad, stop. Just deflect the conversation to something else. If you feel like sticking up for someone, go ahead and do that. Possibly, just by pointing out something positive, they will get the point (maybe not). I've tried this and had the person say, "But you know, Jarrod, _____" and they just go back to complaining. You may have to be persistent!
• Be Sympathetic ~ It is easy to look on the surface and judge someone. Unfortunately, we are often at a disadvantage about knowing what has happened to them prior to you seeing them. Be it something immediate, like being late, they could have had some real issues that caused them to not show up on time. Maybe cut them some slack before you judge their tardiness.

Take some time to sit on the other side of the table and see what it is like to hear or see the comments, jeers, or looks that come your way.

Now it's your turn...what have you learned from being on the other side of the table?

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus - My View

cc Within the past few months a video on YouTube was released that was titled “Why I hate Religion, but Love Jesus,” by Jefferson Bethke. At the time of this writing the video currently has been viewed 20,757,918 times. This video went “viral,” which is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing. I am sure that some of those numbers were repeated views. However, that number is still astonishing. It definitely raises some questions for us all.

If you haven’t viewed the video, what are your initial thoughts from the title? Does it strike you as true or false? Regardless of your answer, why did you answer it the way you did?

If you have viewed the video, what was your reaction? Agree or disagree? Why or why not?

Often times the term “religion” has been symbolic of “Christianity.” The problem seems to be when “religion” becomes equal to “Christianity” because they are not. Religion shows the institutional side of Christianity, which many seem to not be attracted to at all. Christianity is about Christ, which I see is about relationships. Religion is about showing up and checking off a list of duties you deem necessary. Christianity is about putting self second to other things to live a life of servitude.

Religion attempts to look good, from the structures or décor of the buildings to the clothes you are wearing. Christianity may look nice but that isn’t a priority.

I grew up with “religion” in mind. The denomination I have attended since birth made “doing it right” a priority over what it actually means to “do it right” outside of the church building. I had no idea what I was supposed to “do” in my everyday life; how I was supposed to live out my Christianity. I only knew I was trying to get “you” to look like me.

In one portion of Jefferson’s poem he challenges by saying, “Religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice; Tend to ridicule God's people, they did it to John The Baptist; They can't fix their problems, and so they just mask it; Not realizing religion's like spraying perfume on a casket.”

I think that grace is one of those “Christianese” words that we have used in churches forever. However, the depth of its use has become stripped and devalued. It has become a selfish word, meaning that you like grace given to you but have a difficult time giving it to some people. It is a challenging word to practice. The time you need to practice it may be the most difficult. The religious will sometimes throw the “Jesus” card out there to think He will fix everything, when, in fact, He may not. So, His name is used as a mask when a situation may not actually get better. On occasion, using phrases like “God will make a way,” “He doesn’t give us more than we can handle,” or “God works all things out for good” are phrases that have truth in some circumstances but are not guarantees for every situation.

Here are some additional lines from Jefferson’s poem, “See the problem with religion, is it never gets to the core; It's just behavior modification, like a long list of chores; Like lets dress up the outside make look nice and neat; But it's funny that's what they use to do to mummies while the corpse rots underneath.” Have you ever had a religious experience where you didn’t feel you made it past the surface? Instead, you did your religious things out of duty? Or dressing up to look nice. How about the thought of looking like religious “mummies” by dressing up? Religion just seems to be about the wrong things. It tends to keep away the relationship and is concerned about the “what” you do in life and how often it’s done.

We can all put on a good front, as that is what the institutionalized part of “religion” seems to cause us to do. It is like Jefferson put it, “like [we’re] saying [we] play for the Lakers just because [we] bought a jersey.” We want to look like we belong to Jesus but it doesn’t go past the covering.

The “religious” in the Bible were often corrected for their outside acts and dead hearts. Jesus called them fools. All they were doing was living a life following the rules. The church needs to let Jesus in, not just spew “Jesus” out from their mouths. Jesus is the cure for sin and “religion” can cause you to have an infection. It makes you feel good but it doesn’t go deep. Religion causes us to work but Jesus already did the work.

Understanding what Jesus did and why God allowed what Jesus did should cause us to be eternally grateful and humbled. It is not us who had to pay the penalty we deserved to receive because of sin. When sin came into the world, in the Garden of Eden, God separated Himself from us. To allow Jesus to die was God’s plan to be able to have the intimate relationship with us. Religion simply does not do that. Those that have a relationship with Jesus are religious, in nature, but those that are religious do not necessarily have a relationship with Jesus.

I am thankful that Jesus died so that I can have a relationship with Him, His Father, and the Holy Spirit. May I never be just religious.