I meet people frequently who were once involved in church and who loved God with their whole heart, only to be mistreated, judged, or cast out for one reason or another by a religious group who condemned them for not conforming to their standards of holiness. . Therefore they no longer attend church. Other people I have met tell me that the hypocrisy they witnessed in their former church was so putrid that they could no longer stand to be around people who wore masks and put on a facade of holiness; so they stopped attending. And still others say they are so confused about God because there are so many different interpretations of Scripture that they don’t know what to believe.
My heart just breaks when I hear stories like these because these people are missing out on the greatest blessing of their faith in Jesus, next to eternal salvation, which is His resurrected life operating in them. Religion has robbed so many people of this blessing and it is not right. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” People who have allowed religion to rob them have had their joy and hope stolen, their abundant life in Christ killed, and their faith destroyed!
If we are ever going to see these kinds of people restored to the body of Christ we have to pray that something changes in the church. And the first thing we can pray is that our own religious yokes be broken and removed so we present the true Gospel message of Jesus, nothing added and nothing subtracted!
I have spent many hours in my prayer closet asking God to remove any yokes of religion that I still may have tied around my neck. It is a continuous act of faith but with each yoke removed I feel more and more peaceful in my spirit and more able to minister to the wounded soldiers of Christ who lay scattered on the battlefield of Christianity.
In order to avoid taking back the yoke of slavery to a religious mindset I have to remind myself of Scriptures like John 3:14 where Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” Everything about Jesus is good! He doesn’t condemn us (Romans 8:2, John 3:17), or think badly of us (Jeremiah 29:11). He loves us!
This is so vital to understand when coming out of a religious mindset yourself or when you are leading someone else out of one because unless we accept the love and goodness of God that was given to us freely through Christ’s death and resurrection; we won’t be able to get out of our own religious mindset and we definitely won’t be able to help our brothers and sisters who are scattered on the battlefield.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” It doesn’t say, for God was so angry at the world, or God was so sick of the world; it says for God so loved the world! This is what religion seems to forget because it is always focused on getting people to believe that God is mad at them or disappointed in them or that they can’t ever live up to His expectations! And it breeds discontent and brokenness in the people it infects with these lies!
But when a person truly accepts God’s goodness and love for them they are able to allow the resurrected life of Christ to manifest in their lives! They are able to serve God with passion and speak of His good works to those around them. They are filled with peace and have a countenance of rest. They feel liberated and set free from guilt, shame, and condemnation which enables them to use their past sinful actions as a testimony of God’s faithfulness to deliver His people! They are not ashamed to share the Gospel and they look for ways to reach others with it! They are free!
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) Understanding this truth is the cry of my heart for the body of Christ! The truth is that the resurrected life of Christ makes us free! “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) It is also important to understand that we are no longer slaves to sin, slaves to the law, or slaves to the flesh! We are slaves to righteousness! (Romans 6:18) And with that understanding we are free to receive God’s love and goodness and we are then in turn able to extend that love and goodness to others! There is no other way!
Prayer: Let us pray for those in the body of Christ who are still bound by the yoke of a religious mindset. Let us pray for those who have walked away from God because of the wounds inflicted by religion, and let us pray that we truly accept the love and goodness of God ourselves, so we are able to extend it to others!
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