As has been already mentioned, we're thankful for the presence
of all of you and I am honored to be your speaker for just a
few minutes this morning. I can't dive into a topic.
Very deep or build a thought for very long when our sermons are
going to be 10 or 15 minutes long.
But I want to just talk about a subject that is often discussed
in the world and that is are you spiritual religious or both?
Maybe you've heard people say this.
I have in my life where somebody might say, I'm not religious,
I'm just spiritual. Well, the question is, is it
possible according to the word of God to be spiritual and not
be religious? Are these Concepts found in the
word of God. And what does all that mean?
Well, first of all the mindset basically that says, I'm
spiritual, I'm not religious. What people are saying, is this,
everything that is relating to religious practice, or organized
religion would be considered religious and Everything that is
associated with the mind or the attitude, or the behavior is
dealing with the spiritual. So here's the mindset.
As long as I am preparing my mind and my mind is right on the
inside. I don't have to be part of any
religious organization at all. I don't have to be a part of
organized religion. Maybe you've also heard this
where somebody might say, I believe in God.
I'm a Believer in God but I don't believe in any kind of
organized religion. Well, here's the point that I
want to make. We want to notice, is it
possible truly to be spiritual and not religious?
Well, first of all, I want to ask two questions.
Is this a distinction that ought to be made?
Should we be making a distinction between spiritual
and religious? And secondly is God.
Happy with such a distinction? Well, first of all, let's talk
about the definition of spiritual according to the
American Heritage dictionary and there are four different
definitions interesting. I thought especially number for
just a minute but here is how the dictionary defined spiritual
Relating to consisting of or having the nature of spirit.
It is something not tangible or material second definition.
It is concerned with or that, which is affecting the soul.
Number three, it is from or relating to God.
But then we get into number 4, and it says belonging to a
church or religion. It is that which is sacred And
you know what's interesting about this sometimes spiritual
and the definition of spiritual and religious are
interchangeable. In fact, this is the definition
of what it means to be religious, you belong to a body,
you belong to a religious organization.
Now it's also the same definition definition number
four, for the word spiritual they run hand-in-hand.
So I think that there are similarities and for good
reason. One scholar said it this way, he
said the reason that they're used interchangeably and there
are similarities is because there are some things that are
spiritual that are religious and things that are religious and
also spiritual we're going to get more into that in just a
minute. So those that set up a contrast
between spiritual and religious have a special definition for
each Here's the special definition for Spiritual.
They mean, specifically, religious Behavior relating to
the mind like meditation. Like prayer like devotion.
Let me ask you this. If meditation bad?
No, the Bible says meditate on these things meditation is
wonderful. If you're having a problem with
your thinking in your mindset, you have to rid yourself of all
the negative stuff. How do you do it by focusing on,
or meditating on that? Which is good, that which is,
lovely, and on, and so on, and so forth of good report.
And when the Bible says think, on these things, it means
meditate. So, meditates a great thing,
What about this prayer prayer is part of our life.
It is everything that we do. And by the way, if the only time
you pray is, when you pray for your food or you pray at night,
you're probably not praying enough.
Your prayer life should be that, which incorporates all that you
do. What about devotion?
Absolutely, but the special definition for those that are
Advocates of spirituality without religion, say it is
this. It is meditation.
It is prayer. And it's devotion.
Only, here's the special definition that they give when
they make a distinction between the two for the word religious,
they mean behavior that is associated with activities of
religion such as forms of worship and also Church
attendance, you know, I'll tell you I heard a guy say one time
about spirituality and about being a spiritual person and he
said it's better. And he quoted some author.
He said it's better to be like I am spiritually or be spiritual
he said, because it's better to be in the mountains.
It's better to be in the mountains thinking about God
than it is to be in a church building.
Thinking about the mountains. Now, when we come together in
the church building, we don't think about the mountains at
It's true and we assemble his worship, we don't think about
the mountains, and that's true, but the concept was this.
I can have, I can be spiritual without worship and without
attendance and without having a religious bond with anybody
else, okay? So is there really a distinction
between spiritual and religious? There is a distinction.
It is much as there's a difference between the inward
person, or the spirit and the activities of the Out were
person, that is the body. Let's give some Bible for that.
In 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 16, where for we faint
not. But though our outward man is
decaying yet, our inward man is being renewed day by day.
So there's a difference. There's a distinction between
the outer man and the inner man in our worship though.
There's also a distinction, Jesus talked about worship as
being in spirit and in truth, when Jesus was there, And the
woman at the well Jesus said, God is a spirit and those that
worship Him must worship him. We're going to get more to this
at the end to in spirit and in truth I want to make this point.
Please get this. It is not good enough to
robotically, go through the mechanics of worship.
We need to put our whole Spirit our whole heart behind it.
In fact, when the Bible talks about from the deepest part of
our heart or the bowels of our heart, it's talking about the
deepest part of emotion. So what do we do?
It has to be in truth. That is right but it also has to
be in spirit. It has to come from the heart.
It has to be the right motive behind it.
All Another word spiritual is in spirit religious is the part
that's in truth. So yes, there's a distinction
between the two words. However, The biblical
distinction between these two concepts is not nearly as great
as some might think it is. So instead of promoting the idea
that you can have one without the other, the Bible teaches the
opposite being religious is dependent on being spiritual and
being spiritual is dependent upon being religious.
Let's look at an example. In the Book of James James
chapter 1 and verse, 26, and 27. James says, if anyone thinks
he's religious If anyone thinks he's religious and does not
Bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's
religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion
before God. And the father is this to visit
the orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself
unspotted, from the world. Now we might think that
controlling our speech, controlling our tongue is a
spiritual thing. And James says, it's religious.
We might think visiting orphans and so forth and widows is an
activity that we might consider spiritual because it's not
worship and yet James calls it. Pure religion.
Now, the point is, this, you can't be religious without being
spiritual. You can't the opposite.
True is true as well. You can't be spiritual without
being religious, it goes both ways.
Galatians chapter 6. Notice what Paul says here, he
said Brethren. If any man is overtaken in any
trespass. You that are spiritual.
Now first of all, who are they who who are the people that are
spiritual some person that's reached a higher level of
perfection know some person that's reached a higher level of
spirituality know whose it talking about.
It's talking about a faithful Christian.
Someone that is walking by the dictates of the spirit, Guided
by the word of God. Not a perfect person because
there is no such thing. What it's talking about is if Is
overtaken in a trespass. Somebody has to come to the
rescue, who's the person that which is spiritual a Christian,
has to come to the rescue. And restore such an one in the
spirit of gentleness considering yourself.
Lest you also be tempted, that's a very powerful Passage.
When you go to try to help somebody interestingly, the word
restore means mend that which is broken and sometimes were
unsuccessful in doing that. But we need to try to do our
best to do that. And the one that is spiritual
goes and tries to restore such an one to mend that which is
broken, but do it in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself
two things. One don't act like it can never
happen to you. Don't ever act like it could
never happen to you. That's number one.
Number two, don't be tempted into thinking that it could
never happen to you, therefore, you've never done anything that
bad. You would never do what this
person did and Elevate yourself with a haughty Spirit, don't do
that. Lest you also be tempted?
I'm going to taste something anybody can fall.
So do so with the spirit of gentleness consider yourself,
lest you also be tempted but what about this?
Bear one another's burdens. You know, one of the most
powerful things that we have is each other.
And it is true. It is true.
That we bear one another's. Burdens in the word burdens
means heavy. Loads, or heavy weights.
That are hard to bear or carry. That's true.
And it is true that in a general sense.
A Christian principle is to be there for each other and help
each other get through stuff. That is true.
But the context of this passage is specific and not General,
it's talking about heavy burdens that cause your brother, or your
sister to sin. That's what it's talking about.
Help them through that. And really, that's exactly what
the Bible is talking about. When it it says confess your
trespasses or your sins to each other and pray one for another
that you may be healed, the effective fervent prayer of a
righteous man avails much. In other words have helped in
getting through those times and struggles that we go through
that our burdens that are lead us to sin and help each other in
that. And the Bible says, you fulfill
the law of Christ. So helping people that go astray
is a religious thing Helping each other.
Those that are spiritual. Do a religious thing.
Bearing one another's. Burdens is fulfilling the law of
Christ, which is the law of love.
One more idea of though in First Peter chapter 2 and verse 5.
The church is a spiritual Institution.
In First Peter 2 and 5. You also as living stones are
built up a spiritual house. So we're talking about that
which is religious. We're talking about organized
religion. We're talking about the church,
the body of Christ. What does Peter say?
It is a spiritual house. What are we doing the spiritual
house? Where a holy priesthood and we
offer up spiritual sacrifices, they go hand-in-hand.
In our service to God worshiping.
God involves our self in religious activities.
You cannot be spiritual without being religious as well going
back to John chapter 4 and verse 24.
Once More Jesus said, God is a spirit and they that worship Him
must worship Him in spirit. And in truth, the idea of in
spirit is the very idea of being spiritual and in truth is
talking about religious. SLI another words.
What the internal is here manifest itself in the external
and we talked about the heart, right?
People struggle with things in their life, it's because they
don't fix it on the inside. Everything is about that.
It's about the inside and the outside, and they go together
the internals and the externals and they're both there.
What does God want them in? Conclusion.
God wants us to be both spiritual.
And also religious do you know why?
Because you can't be one without the other.
Now I want to just say one final thing.
Sometimes people that profess Christianity.
Hurt the cause of Christ because they're not spiritual.
What I mean by that, is this, sometimes people profess
religious things or they call themself a religious person or
they're a part of some religious affiliation but their life is
not demonstrated in that they don't profess that at all.
I'm going to give you one example years ago.
There was a general contractor and he told me this he said any
time that somebody as subcontractor has on their
business card. Anything at all that resembles
that there are He said I take that business card and I throw
it in the trash and I said, why he says, because everyone that I
have dealt with that professes to be religious.
Has been untruthful has lied and has not been what they said that
they were. That's the damage that happens
when our life does not manifest. What we profess to be, we are
religious people members of the body of Christ, but we also live
a spiritual life and we demonstrate our spirituality in
the things in which we do every day.
God wants us to be both. Both spiritual and religious.
I'm through this morning. I hope that something was said
in this little short little lesson about the subject.
If somebody asked the question, are you spiritual religious?
You say I'm both because it takes both and they go together
and you can't have one without the other We thank you for
listening to our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15
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