The Purpose of Organizing Together
The real purpose of organizing ourselves into religious groups is not to set ourselves up as a superior religious authority, but to show by example the benefits of godly devotion, to enhance the service of unselfish fellowship, to provide wise counsel and spiritual guidance, and encourage group worship.
Religion is supposed to encourage friendship and morality, not judgment and condemnation. And primarily at this time, it is supposed to facilitate the spread of the good news of the kingdom as Jesus taught it. As a reminder:
- Jesus taught that the time had come when mankind could enter, actually and literally, into the Kingdom of the Heavens:
“From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
– Matthew 4:17
“Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.”
– Matthew 4:23
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”
– Matthew 5:3-12
- He taught that God is our Father:
“Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
– Matthew 6:9-15
- He taught that we are all brothers:
“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father.”
– Matthew 23:8-9
- He taught that from the very beginning of time, the Father wanted mankind to have an ownership interest in the heavenly kingdom:
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.”
– Matthew 25:34
- He taught that in order to enter the Kingdom of the Heavens, we must be born again:
“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
– John 3:3
- He taught that we must strive to imitate him as he imitated our Father:
“But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
– Matthew 5:48
- He taught that we must endeavor to know him and the Father:
“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
– John 17:3
He taught that we only need to keep two ‘commandments’ in order to please God:
“One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?’ Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
– Matthew 22:35-40
- He taught us to seek forgiveness of our sins and to forgive others:
“May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
– Matthew 6:11-15
He taught us to stop judging others:
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, `Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.”
– Matthew 7:1-5
- He taught us the supreme law of fairness:
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
– Matthew 7:12
And he gave us a work to do:
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:19-20
Representatives of God’s sovereignty should be heralding the same messages and seeking the Kingdom’s increase.
But when religion becomes institutionalized, its power for good is greatly curtailed, while the possibilities for evil are greatly multiplied. It diverts us from the service of God to the service of the organization. It inclines leaders to become administrators instead of ministers.
Over-organizing tends to establish oppressive ecclesiastical authority, creates the aristocratic “chosen-people” attitudes, and becomes an intolerant judge of its adherents and those who do not adhere. And it fails to hold the interest of adventurous youth who are the future proclaimers of the good news of salvation, and the hope for continuing Jesus’ work on earth.
A religious organization can give directions in the dark, but the ambassadors who substitute for Christ are light bearers! (Matthew 5:14-16) Rather than needing men to lead us, ambassadors help the individual to find his own way to the Father. Ask yourself: Would you prefer someone to shout out directions to you in a dark room? Or would you prefer to have a flashlight?
To the extent that we have joined ourselves together into an organization, we must make certain that the organization does not overtake us or usurp the authority of the Christ. We must practice the religion of the spirit, rather than a religion of the mind. Otherwise, we will become nothing more than institutionalized slaves instead of the free children of God according to the grand purpose that Jesus Christ lived and died for:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
– Luke 4:18-19
“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
– John 8:31-32
“ And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia,[h] because she and her children live in slavery to the law. But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother.”
– Galatians 4:25-26
“Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.”
– Romans 8:20-21
