Church is not something we do, it's what we're called to be

I stumbled upon an encouraging blog some time ago and have enjoyed reading it ever since. The blog’s author is a pastor in the Midwest and has an excellent way of writing and pointing to God’s truth.

Reading this today I had a couple thoughts. The first took me to James 2 where James writes: “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”

The second thought takes me to Hebrews 10 to a verse that I think as I re-read it really needs to be held in context with the previous verses.

Hmmmmmm. I disagree, in a way, with the title by this author.

Church is something we do. Having a particular ‘religion’ that you ‘practice’ and attending weekly services provides that foundation. Being around those who are of your same religion helps strengthen that foundation.

That foundation gives us something rock solid to stand on while we try to be faithful to God.

What we are called to be, assuming the author meant ‘called by God to be’, I find a hard thing to define, or even know if one was successful.

Letting God lead your life (having true and total faith) is a difficult thing to do, and only a small percentage of people manage to do so.

So, those with faith, follow and practice God’s word, and find their calling. And Happiness.

I agree with the premise of the article, obviously, and I guess the title just hit me funny, as I find the terms religion, faith, and belief in God to be NON interchangeable terms.

The Bible calls us to be Ambassadors for Christ:

II Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ...

Ephesians 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

That is what we as Christians are; as I am: an ambassador for Christ Jesus, reconciling the world of sinners to the salvation grace of Christ and His resurrection from the dead.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ ... that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

From these Bible scriptures it is evident and clear that our walk with the glorified Christ is not to be a primary focus on doing good works for salvation: we are completely saved by grace and the finished work of Christ on the cross who died for all past sins, present sins, future sins. All sins. Peroid. It is God, Christ, who died on the cross, and His power is sufficient to pay the ransom for all sins.

Your point is well taken, however Jesus takes a lot of time explaining to us about the good Samaritan, the sheep and the goats, basically how to love your neighbor, even your enemy.

In other words if some one needs help we believers are to help them, this is what he told us to do, actually there are very few don,ts in the gospel of Jesus, such as don,t do as the hypocrites do, but its mostly do,s.

We are forgiven for those things we do that we should not do because Jesus knew all about temptations and the desires of the flesh.

Our faith is shown by our works in the sense that if we stop to help some one who needs help we are showing our love for God by doing it.

Also if some one is down and so destitute that they are out driving around looking for a job with an expired registration are we supposed to call the cops? yeah right???.

You will also note that Paul was talking about the works of the law, where on the other hand James was not talking about the works of the law but about the works of faith which is in such things as loving your neighbor, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

These things really have nothing to do with what Paul was talking about, they are things that people with love in their hearts will just naturally do and according to John God is love.

We should realize that The Jews welcomed The Gospel of Jesus because it freed them from all of the legalistic crap that was heaped on them by the religious leaders, where on the other hand the gentiles knowing that Christianity was a Jewish thing had a hard time separating it from the Jewish religion.

So it appears to me that James and Paul had two entirely different issues to deal with, The gentiles thought of it as a religion and the Jews who excepted Jesus just wanted to be free of every thing.

If we do unto others as we would have them do unto us how could we go wrong? we might get wronged but only by those people who do not believe that way.

I was not brought to Christ by people with bowed heads, praying to be seen of every one, i was brought to Christ by people who showed their faith by their works, maybe a farmer who stopped and gave me a little gas, or a mechanic who took out a stuck thermostat, no charge because he was,nt doing nothing no way, a trucker who instructed the owner of the orchard to feed me because i was sick from hunger.

Christ yes, religion no.

Well, thats just my take on it overall and i do agree with you, there is no way we can earn Salvation.

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