“I hate organized religion.”
That’s the most common thing I hear when I tell people I’m a pastor.
I always respond, “Me too,” which really confuses people. They can’t understand how a pastor could hate religion, but it’s true. There’s nothing about religion I enjoy.
You see, Christianity was never meant to be a religion. Religion weighs people down by making them think they need to follow a bunch of rules and rituals to try to please God. It teaches that you have to earn your way into God’s good books, which is actually impossible. None of us could ever be good enough to earn a place in heaven, which is why religion is so exhausting, frustrating, and hopeless.
The truth is, Jesus didn’t come to start another religion. He came to end all religion.
He made that clear in Matthew 11:28–30 when he said, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (MSG).
Jesus came to free us from the futility of religion and offer us something so much better—a real relationship with God. Through that relationship, we can rest. We can learn what grace really is. We can live freely and lightly.
If you’re exhausted from trying hard to earn something from God, you need to know that there’s a better way.
Jesus says that you can get away with him and recover your life.
He says you can have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
He’s saying: Come to me! Let’s get rid of this religious mentality. I’m going to show you how to really live!
Leon Fontaine is the author of The Spirit Contemporary Life: Unleashing the Miraculous in Your Everyday World (to be released June 21, 2016). Preorder your copy today!
We’d love to hear from you! What do you say to people to help them understand that being a follower of Christ is different from religion?
