Warning Labels

Warning Labels

Ever since I was diagnosed with glaucoma, I faithfully read the warning labels on products at the store, things like decongestants, cough syrup, and flu remedies. The warnings are all similar "If you have high blood pressure....., if you are pregnant.......," and they are meant to keep you from taking something that will harm you.

What got me thinking about warning labels recently was reading a story in the Bible about a Canaanite woman who went to Jesus because her daughter was sick and needed a miracle. When Jesus discouraged her by declaring that His mission was to the lost sheep of Israel, she pressed through, responded in faith and received her miracle. The amazing thing as you read the New Testament is that it was easier for the non-religious people, like this Canaanite woman, to come to Jesus in simple faith than it was for the religious people of the day.

The religious people had developed a formality in their beliefs; serving God became more about form than about faith. It became more about the outward than the inward, more about appearance than about true devotion to God. And the result of all that was a wrong focus that caused the religious people to miss the Saviour they were waiting for.

That's why I'm proposing a warning label on Christianity: Beware of Religion. The small print underneath could say something like "The true believer is one who has an inner relationship with Christ" or "Make sure you have a relationship with the Lord-don't just go through the motions". Or how about "Religion is the practice of attending church without genuine faith in the living God-if this occurs, seek help immediately".

Remember, it's about our relationship with the Lord, a connection, an intimacy that allows His life to flow into us and transform us.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church