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 In 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 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. R 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 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 a 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, that's true.
When 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 ACT.
Cities 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 This 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 in other words, 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.
NG 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 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
He's 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 two men that which is
broken. But do it in a spirit of
gentleness, considering yourself two things.
One don't act like it could 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 a
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. Are you here today and you're
not a child of God? If you're not a child of God,
you can become one today. Come believing in Jesus.
Repent of your sins confess, his name as the Son of God and be
baptized in water for the remission of your sins.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
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