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A clever man - Albert Einstein reportedly once said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results”.
Sometimes our religious practices can get a bit like that.
God shows us how to do something and it works well. So we repeatedly use that method to get the same result over and over.
Sometimes we even say “because we have always done this this way and it worked, we should always do it this way”.
After a while, though, our set practise no longer works or there is something just not right, it gets stale and we lose the heart of what the original intention was.
Imagine a husband bringing his wife 5 roses for the first time. Wow she is amazed, he was so thoughtful ! The next night because he saw how it pleased her, he decides to bring her another five roses. Wow she is amazed again but he continues to do this day after day, week in and out for months on end, do you think she would appreciate those roses after a while ?
With God it is a bit like that. He gives us a revelation for now, this moment, but many times we take it and start practicing it over and over, believing that because it worked once, this is what He wants us to do. We make a religious practice from it. We no longer rely on a daily revelation from God but we start repeating past practices in the hope that somehow doing the same thing over and over will get us repeatedly better results. We even start to ‘encourage’ others to do the same practice and before we know it – a new religious activity.
God deliberately cuts across our religious precepts …
Acts 10 Peter's Vision
9About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."
14"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."
15The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
16This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. 18They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them." ….
… Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."
27Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"
Wow – God actually used an offensive image to get Peter to realise that the Gospel was not only for the Jews but for Gentiles as well – so Peter preached to the gentiles.
Imagine what could have happened if Peter decided – “hang on here – this may not be God speaking to me as it is against my religious practise to kill and eat these animals – so I will ignore what the vision is commanding” – no conversion for Cornelius household….no conversion for the first gentiles….
I want to encourage you that look at how or why we do things in a certain way. Is it because that is the way we have always done them and our practices are now “sacred”.
I encourage you to become more God aware – from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute. Jesus speaks to us with new revelation each day through the Holy Spirit, thru His Word, thru others around us, He can even speak thru a mule.
Abraham sacrificing Isaac
Genesis 22:2 (New International Version)
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." In Leviticus we read…Leviticus 18:21" 'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
The whole point was all about Abraham listening to God and trusting in Him – it was a matter of faith in God but He would have to be certain that it was God who spoke with Him. Contrary to the religious belief of the day, God initiated an activity that could be construed to be against Abrahams religion. How could it be that Abraham set about doing what he was asked ?
Jesus constantly offended the religious of his day by breaking their rules eg.
He does not wash His hands when He eats thus defying the pharisee’s rule of hand washing...
Why could Jesus do this – He tells us that He only does what the Father tells Him to do (scripture) What makes Jesus different? His walk – His speaking, praying and walking with His father made the difference.
Did you know that God is speaking to you right now – He uses His Word, your gut feeling, confirmation of friends and colleagues to talk with us ?
Sometimes it may seem that He is cutting across our religious preconceived way of seeing things – can you walk and talk and trust Him or will you stick to recipe of the past ?
Sometimes our religious practices can get a bit like that.
God shows us how to do something and it works well. So we repeatedly use that method to get the same result over and over.
Sometimes we even say “because we have always done this this way and it worked, we should always do it this way”.
After a while, though, our set practise no longer works or there is something just not right, it gets stale and we lose the heart of what the original intention was.
Imagine a husband bringing his wife 5 roses for the first time. Wow she is amazed, he was so thoughtful ! The next night because he saw how it pleased her, he decides to bring her another five roses. Wow she is amazed again but he continues to do this day after day, week in and out for months on end, do you think she would appreciate those roses after a while ?
With God it is a bit like that. He gives us a revelation for now, this moment, but many times we take it and start practicing it over and over, believing that because it worked once, this is what He wants us to do. We make a religious practice from it. We no longer rely on a daily revelation from God but we start repeating past practices in the hope that somehow doing the same thing over and over will get us repeatedly better results. We even start to ‘encourage’ others to do the same practice and before we know it – a new religious activity.
God deliberately cuts across our religious precepts …
Acts 10 Peter's Vision
9About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."
14"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."
15The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
16This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. 18They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them." ….
… Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."
27Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"
Wow – God actually used an offensive image to get Peter to realise that the Gospel was not only for the Jews but for Gentiles as well – so Peter preached to the gentiles.
Imagine what could have happened if Peter decided – “hang on here – this may not be God speaking to me as it is against my religious practise to kill and eat these animals – so I will ignore what the vision is commanding” – no conversion for Cornelius household….no conversion for the first gentiles….
I want to encourage you that look at how or why we do things in a certain way. Is it because that is the way we have always done them and our practices are now “sacred”.
I encourage you to become more God aware – from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute. Jesus speaks to us with new revelation each day through the Holy Spirit, thru His Word, thru others around us, He can even speak thru a mule.
Abraham sacrificing Isaac
Genesis 22:2 (New International Version)
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." In Leviticus we read…Leviticus 18:21" 'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
The whole point was all about Abraham listening to God and trusting in Him – it was a matter of faith in God but He would have to be certain that it was God who spoke with Him. Contrary to the religious belief of the day, God initiated an activity that could be construed to be against Abrahams religion. How could it be that Abraham set about doing what he was asked ?
Jesus constantly offended the religious of his day by breaking their rules eg.
He does not wash His hands when He eats thus defying the pharisee’s rule of hand washing...
Why could Jesus do this – He tells us that He only does what the Father tells Him to do (scripture) What makes Jesus different? His walk – His speaking, praying and walking with His father made the difference.
Did you know that God is speaking to you right now – He uses His Word, your gut feeling, confirmation of friends and colleagues to talk with us ?
Sometimes it may seem that He is cutting across our religious preconceived way of seeing things – can you walk and talk and trust Him or will you stick to recipe of the past ?
