Us to him, or him to us?

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. (Galatians 6:14-16 NLT)

Our interest in this world went to the cross the moment we said yes to Jesus - it was nailed there once and for all. We don't have to struggle with this world's temptations and influence if we truly believe all that 'old stuff' of our lives before Christ was actually dealt the final blow of death. We try to complicate this new life in Christ will all manner of things, rituals, and 'systems'. Truth be told, the world only complicates things through 'religion'. All 'belonging to a denomination' will ever do is complicate our lives. It isn't until Christ's cross touches our lives that we are set free from all that 'religious pursuit' and are made free to just 'relate' with God through the finished work of Jesus!

Some think denomination is important. If the church affiliation we adhere to preaches the Word of God in its entirety, adheres to the teachings of Christ without compromise, and presents one way to God through Christ Jesus alone, the 'label' we give that church isn't important. What counts is that those who gather in worship together are receiving uncompromised truth from the Word of God and that his commandments are never touted as 'old fashioned' or 'not applicable' by today's world standards. The gathering should be warm, but there must be the sharing of uncompromised truth - to water it down or make it 'socially acceptable' to 'seekers' isn't ever what Christ commanded.

What counts? Transformed lives. What matters? Truth is shared without compromise. What brings transformation? The work of the Holy Spirit and God's Word. We are made 'new' by his blood. We cannot add to his finished work, nor can we take away from it, but churches that focus on 'religious pursuit' rather than 'relational pursuit' will focus more on our good works than on his finished work and transformational power. Yes, we are called to do good works - they are an outcome or outflow of our relationship with Jesus. They are not our focus - HE IS. 

We can boast about a good many things, but there is one thing we can never boast about - our pathway into God's grace. It is provided by him - we did nothing to deserve it, and we don't do anything to find it. He provides the faith to believe in his work on our behalf. It was God making his way to mankind that provided for our salvation - it is never us making our way to God! Religion is us making our way to God on our own terms. Relationship is him making our way to us on his terms. We invest in what he has done by developing a depth of relationship with him. Just sayin!