Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? 41
So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
42 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,* but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Luke 11:40-42.
Every worshipper wants to please God whatever the motive behind that - either for one blessing or the other or for healing or receive one favour or another. Very few people consider serving God on their own simply because He must be served.
Let's take two religions: Christianity and Islam (Did I hear someone saying what does Pastor Yemi got to do with Islam?) That's what am about talking about - Protests, protests and protests!!! Have these people forgotten that, religion apart, these people are our brothers and sisters? Have they forgotten that everybody is entitled to choose whichever religion he or she prefers. Have they forgotten that Jesus fraternise more with the Samaritans who accepted him than his Jewish brethren? Why must religion therefore be a ground for discrimination?
In Christianity, because of the desire to serve God in a deeper manner, Christianity broke into pieces from its original Church: the Catholic. Every other church after Catholic is a Protestant. They protested at what was happening in their roots and went ahead and set their own churches so as to serve God in the way they feel is acceptable to Him. So these protests brought about the Anglican, the Methodists, the Baptists and many orthodox churches. From amongst these orthodox churches broke away another set of Protestants - the Pentecostals which is the most rampant in our society today. From amongst each group there are further protestant breakaways. All these churches have their set values but what is common with them all is that they all realise that they too make their own mistakes and those who disagree with them will also break away. Today gay marriage has torn the Anglican Church into two - another protest!
In the Muslim world, because of protests, for Islamic religion itself is a Protestant movement during the period Christianity went into coma for over 400 years. So within Islam itself, there are protests upon protests which led to the factionalisation of that religion. Today you have many groups: the Islamiyahs, the Ahmadiyas, and one of the latest movement is the NASFAT group which is the 'modern' movement that is trying to make that religion more flexible especially to accommodate the youths.
All these protests are about rules that should govern man to make him acceptable to God. People however forget that these rules don't save.In the process they left that which is most important - justice - which is obtained through demonstration of love to other people. This is the very 1st leg of our movement towards salvation.
What God wants is that we should demonstrate love for one another and this is best demonstrated in how well we support one another in time of need that we a capable to render, how forgiving we are both in the spirit and in the physical, how we care for the less priviledged amidst us, etc. The 2nd leg of our salvation borders upon, having demonstrated love for ourselves, we should fellowship with God so He can continue to inspire us to do good (for no man is on his own good) so in the end He adds His grace to make us fit for our Heavenly homes.
Jesus who knows it all makes this message clear to us that there's nothing wrong with setting up rules but such rules must not supersede love! The rule of tithing, which is still very much a part of the New Testament,offering, regular attendance in worshipping centres and observation of various man-made doctrines without demonstration of love to one another amounts to nothing. Therefore readers, start demonstrating love from today to everyone you come across irrespective of their religious, social, geographical, race, origin or biases. That is the essence of our fellowship with God. Good morning.
If you are not in Christ, you are missing a lot John 3:16."For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life."
