Called out. Next day, I was helped. Something happened that had never happened before. I was gobsmacked. Still am. Just confused over religion. Is it really needed?
Did Adam and Eve have a religion? I don't see one....but if they had remained obedient to their Creator, then all their children would have obeyed him too....would you call that a religion?
I believe there is only one God who is the Creator of all things. I also believe that he is intensely interested in all his human creation and those in whom he finds a spiritually receptive heart, he will plant the seed of truth and see if the person responds. Jesus' parables help to teach us how this works....this one in particular...
Matthew 13:3-9....
"Then he told them many things by illustrations, saying: “Look! A sower went out to sow. 4 As he was sowing, some seeds fell alongside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil, and they immediately sprang up because the soil was not deep. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. 8 Still others fell on the fine soil, and they began to yield fruit, this one 100 times more, that one 60, the other 30. 9 Let the one who has ears listen.”
Vs 18-33..."Now listen to the illustration of the man who sowed. 19 Where anyone hears the word of the Kingdom but does not get the sense of it, the wicked one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart; this is the one sown alongside the road. 20 As for the one sown on rocky ground, this is the one hearing the word and at once accepting it with joy. 21 Yet, he has no root in himself but continues for a time, and after tribulation or persecution has arisen on account of the word, he is at once stumbled. 22 As for the one sown among the thorns, this is the one hearing the word, but the anxiety of this system of things and the deceptive power of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 As for the one sown upon the fine soil, this is the one hearing the word and getting the sense of it, who really does bear fruit and produces, this one 100 times more, that one 60, the other 30.”
All of us fall into one of those categories. Our hearts react to what God has 'planted', but ultimately it is not we who determine the growth, but it is God himself. (John 6:44) Christ's disciples were the sowers and waterers, but only God can make the seed grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7) He is looking for "fine soil". We each have to ask if he will find that in us? Are we obeying ALL of Christ's teachings, or only the convenient ones? The "road to life" is not an easy one, which is why it is "the road less traveled". (Matthew 7:13-14)
But the major religions all have one God?
No, there are many gods worshipped in the world....but the God of the Bible existed before any of them were even invented by human minds. Religion is not necessary to worship God, but it is necessary to separate the true worshippers from the false ones. That is why God chose Israel to serve as his model. They alone had his laws and they alone were accountable for breaking them. God's relationship with Israel was to act as a model for Christ's disciples to come. We were to see what happened when they obeyed their God and enjoyed his blessings, compared to the (many) times they disobeyed and felt the sting of his anger. He told them exactly what he required of them and they had to remain obedient to all of it.
Worshipping God isn't about "religion"...its about our attitude to obedience.....it is all God has ever required of his earthy children from the beginning. If those who want to worship God in truth all believe the same things, then they are going to attract one another in amongst the confusing rabble that is Christendom. "Birds of a feather" will flock together. So I guess that describes "religion".
