Religious or Christian?
Being a Christian is not just about living a life of rituals, but about living in the power of a personal relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.
Major W. Ian Thomas emphasizes the distinction between being religious and being a true Christian, pointing out how many substitute religion for a genuine relationship with God, Christianity for Christ, and their own efforts for the power of the Holy Spirit. He highlights the importance of Christ's presence within believers, as He gave Himself for us to give Himself to us, infusing us with God's life. Thomas challenges individuals to not just thank Jesus for what He did, but to live in the power of who He is, allowing Christ to live through them.
Text
There are few things quite so boring as being religious, but there is nothing quite so exciting as being a Christian!
Most folks have never discovered the difference between the one and the other, so that there are those who sincerely try to live a life they do not have, substituting religion for
God, Christianity for Christ, and their own noble endeavors for the energy, joy, and power of the Holy Spirit. In the absence of reality, they can only grasp at rituals, stubbornly defending the latter in the absence of the former, lest they be found with neither!
They are lamps without oil, cars without gas, and pens without ink, baffled at their own impotence in the absence of all that alone can make man functional; for man was so engineered by God that the presence of the Creator within the creature is indispensable to His humanity. Christ gave Himself for us to give Himself to us! His presence puts God back into the man! He came that we might have life - God's life!
There are those who have a life they never live. They have come to Christ and thanked Him only for what He did, but do not live in the power of who He is. Between the Jesus who "was" and the Jesus who "will be" they live in a spiritual vacuum, trying with no little zeal to live for Christ a life that only He can live in and through them, perpetually begging for what in Him they already have!
Sermon Outline
- The Difference Between Being Religious and Being a Christian
- The Consequences of Substituting Religion for God
- The Indispensable Presence of God in Man
- Living in the Power of Who Christ Is
- Trying to live a life without the Holy Spirit
- Grasping at rituals instead of living in reality
- Not just living for what Christ did, but in the power of who He is
- Living in a spiritual vacuum without the Holy Spirit
Key Quotes
“There are few things quite so boring as being religious, but there is nothing quite so exciting as being a Christian!” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“Christ gave Himself for us to give Himself to us!” — Major W. Ian Thomas
“Man was so engineered by God that the presence of the Creator within the creature is indispensable to His humanity.” — Major W. Ian Thomas
Application Points
- We must not substitute religion for God, but live in the power of a personal relationship with Him.
- The Holy Spirit is indispensable to our humanity, and we must live in His presence to be functional.
- We must not just live for what Christ did, but in the power of who He is, living in a spiritual vacuum without the Holy Spirit.