Pastor Michael Smith from Calvary Costa Mesa had a great study on the last night of Jesus. There in John the last moments prior to his arrest, beating, death, and burial he was saying some very important things about relationships. Michael points out that there are cause and effects to our relationship with Jesus and based on our reasons for relating to Jesus we find that the outcome of our life yields less than desirable reactions. He spoke about how Jesus came to establish a relationship with us. Did he come with the purpose to redeem man to make heaven's population to grow? God is sovereign and doesn't need our work. He has innumerable angels to carry out the works. He just wants us.
Going through John 14,15,16 Michael laid out examples of relationships Christians typically have with Jesus. With most of these superficial relationships they have adverse reactions. This helps me for personal reasons and for counseling purposes not that everyone falls into these categories but that this gives me tools. This views potential realities people live under and when we see the symptoms we can know that the answer is in righting the relationship with Jesus.
These are to be compared with just having a normal relationship with Jesus.
john 14:7-14 Relationship versus works
John 14:15-31 Relationship and Obedience
John 15: 1-17 Relationship and fruitfulness (Gods and Jesus relationship)
John 15: 18-25 Relationship and opposition
John 15: 26-27 Relationship and evangelism
John 16:1-4 Relationship verses religion. diametrically opposed to each other
John 16:5-15 Relationship and the Holy Spirit
John 16:16-19 Relationship during confusing times
John 16:20-22 Relationship through the ups and downs of life
John 16:23-24 Relationship and Prayer
John 16:25-33 Relationship and Spiritual failure
When you take a Relationship with Jesus out of Works you have Legalism.
When you take a Relationship with Jesus out of Fruitfulness you have Spiritual Pride because its is all about you and what your doing and how good you are. “Look at me.” How holy how loving
When you take a Relationship with Jesus out of Opposition you become downcast.
When you take a Relationship with Jesus out of Evangelism leads to spiritual pride. You are THE EVANGELIST. You become obnoxious and argumentative and conflicting and no one likes you.
When you take a Relationship with Jesus out of Religion your religious.
When you take a Relationship with Jesus out of seeking the Holy Spirit leads to charismania all that matters is Holy Spirit touch.
When you take a Relationship with Jesus out of Confusing Times leaves you confused you get mad at God because things you want done don't get done.
When you take a Relationship with Jesus out of the Ups and Downs of life leaves you unbalanced and eventually leads to being bitter and cynical.
When you take a Relationship with Jesus out of Prayer it makes you Pharisaical. They could pray well and long and Jesus heard none of their prayers because they had no relationship.
When you take Relationship out of Spiritual Failure this leads to condemnation.
A relationship with Jesus is foundational for anything you want to do for him. Anything you want to do for the kingdom of God has to stem from your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If there is no relationship there will be nothing long lasting about your walk with God. You will get burned out.
I am so stoked about this God bless you all.
3 comments:
"John 16:1-4 Relationship verses religion. diametrically opposed to each other."
Actually James 1:27 tells us that religion is being unspotted from the world. This means nothing less than full separation to God, holiness. If one is undefiled from the world, it is only because God has drawn us to Himself. This is religion.
The rest is good, though!
"John 16:1-4 Relationship verses religion. diametrically opposed to each other"
Actually, James 1:27 tells us that religion is being "unspotted from the world." So religion occurs because we are being drawn to God by His Holy Spirit. Unspotted from the world is holiness and surrender to God. Sounds like a loving relationship to me!
The rest is good, though!
I think your right. In light of the context where the religion of the Jews had very little relationship and lots of religion that is opposed to God's plan. Isaiah 1 speaks of God sick of religion. Yet in James 1:27 the word religion is translated as thrēskeia which is in the definition an act of worship speaking of relationship. The key was not to avoid all those things but that by themselves they are empty. A relationship with Jesus puts it all into proper perspective and those things are tools to glorify God like keeping ourselves unstained by the world. God bless you Steve.
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