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A Little Religion
Posted: May 26,
2005
Many people like to have “a little
religion;” just enough to make them feel good, look respectable, or to
salve a guilty conscience. “A little religion,” they say, “Is a good
thing—so long as you don’t overdue it.”
Unfortunately, a little religion is
not going to help you in the long run. A little religion may make you
feel good, but it won’t make you good. A little religion may make you
look respectable, but it won’t keep you from being a hypocrite. A little religion may even salve
your guilty conscience for a time, but it won’t relieve your of your
burden of sin. In fact, about
the only thing a little religion will do is keep you out of heaven more
assuredly than no religion at all.
In
Revelation 3:15, Jesus makes an interesting observation of the
Laodiceans. He says, “I know
thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or
hot.”
In
other words, Jesus is telling
the Laodiceans that they had a little religion. He did not say that they were cold
or lacking in religious activity or concern. Neither did He accuse them of
being hot or on fire for God.
He said they were
lukewarm.
The
Laodiceans felt good. They
looked respectable. Each week
they salved their guilty consciences with just enough religion to make it
through another week. They
had a little religion but they were careful not to overdue
it.
Jesus,
however, condemns their spiritual lukewarmness in the very next verse: “So
then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee
out of my mouth.” The
Laodiceans had a little religion and it was enough to make the Lord
sick!
Had the
Laodiceans been spiritually cold or lacking in religion, Jesus would have
been happier about their situation and it would have been easier for Him
to get though to them.
Instead, verse 17 tells us that they claimed to be “rich, and
increased with goods, [having] need of nothing.” They were smug and self-satisfied
with their religion and saw no need for anything more. A little religion was blinding
them to the truth that they were actually “wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked”.
If the
Laodiceans had been on fire for God Jesus would have commended them for
it. They would have been
profitable servants bringing glory to God and light in a dark place. If they were spiritually hot God could have used
them as a witness and a testimony to those around
them.
Instead, they
had a little religion. A
little religion which had no room for Christ who is seen standing outside
the door knocking, waiting and wanting to be let in (Revelation
3:20). A little religion
which caused them to be described as “the church of
the
Laodiceans” (Revelation 3:12) rather than “the church in
Laodicea.” The implication
being that the church belonged to the Laodiceans rather than to Jesus
Christ.
Though the
church of the Laodiceans may have long since disappeared, there are a lot
of Laodiceans in the world today.
They believe in God, they go to church, they even claim to be
Christians. Unfortunately,
rather than having a saving faith in the blood atonement of Christ, they
only have a little religion.
These
modern day Laodiceans are among the hardest people to reach with the
gospel. Unwilling or unable
to see their need of salvation they are blind to the gospel message. They just don’t see that it is not
enough to just believe God exists and go to church
occasionally.
The
thought of making a decision for Christ or becoming one of those
“born-againers” makes them shudder.
The idea of making a spectacle of oneself by going to the altar and
making a decision for Christ smacks of too much religious fanaticism. After all, they do believe in God
and go to church, that should count for something — shouldn’t it?
Actually,
it counts for nothing if you have never actually put your faith and trust
in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Your little religion will condemn
you to hell without Christ just as surely as no
religion.
The truth
is, you can even have a lot of religion and it still won’t get you to
heaven. Jesus Christ, not
religion, is what gets you to heaven. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23,
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.”
A little
religion or a lot of religion makes no difference to the devil. He can keep you in bondage to sin,
lost and on your way to hell just as surely either way. He blinds the minds of
religionists to the truth “...lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians
4:3)”.
Our job
then, as believers, is to preach the gospel. We are to be salt and light in a
dark place, faithfully proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to
a lost and dying world around us.
We need to remember that “...if our gospel be hid, it is hid to
them that are lost: (2 Corinthians
4:3)”.
We are not
called to be religionists; we are called to be witnesses. Witnesses to the saving power of
the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to the
Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Witnesses to the redeeming power of the Holy Blood that was spilt
at Calvary to pay for our sin (Romans 3:25; 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians
1:14). Witnesses of the One
who came to die that we might live (John
3:16).
Where are
you today? Has there ever
been a time in your life when you became convinced that you personally are
a sinner on your way to hell without Christ? Have you ever come to Jesus Christ
by faith, believing that He died for you on Calvary to pay for your sins
with His blood, that He died and was buried and rose again victorious over
sin and death on the third day?
Have you ever called upon Him to come into your heart, forgive you
of your sin, and save you? The Bible says: “That if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. For the scripture
saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans
10:9-10,13)”
If you
haven’t then you are lost and on your way to hell for all eternity. You need to trust Christ as your
Saviour today before it is too late. “For he saith, I have heard
thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured
thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)”
Don’t let a
little religion stand between you and salvation.
—Pastor
Davis
Click here to Contact
Pastor Al!
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