More than Religion 2: “Thoughts”
Scripture Reading: Romans 12: 2, 3 (NIV)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
Message: More than Religion 2: “Thoughts”
Faith and Religion
In this sermon series, we are thinking about the space between faith and religion
Last week we touched on the sensus numbers of West Grey and we discussed how there is a majority of people in our area that would identify as being Christian, but that the number indicates that there are probably a large percentage of those identifying as Christian, who does not actively practice their religion
We’re asking the question: Is there more than religion for us when we go to church?
Last week, we experienced a baptism and we talked about rituals… how sacraments and rituals of our religion are meant to support our faith and that they are not just merely religious acts, but deeply spritual practices
This series also responds to a movement to find deeper spiritual meaning in religious pracitces
Today’s theme is about thoughts
Our spirituality is influenced by our thoughts and ideas and perceptions
We touched on the negativity towards religion last week - how factors like abuse, colonialism and judgmentalism contibured to religion being seen as negaive
But these persceptions are driven by thoughts and it is an example of our faith can be negatively impacted by our thoughts, when we avoid religion and our faith suffers as a consequence
Our faith can benefit from attending to our thoughts…
What if I can change my negative thoughts about religion?
Paul wrote a letter to the Romans to help them with their faith…
He wanted them to really discover the spiritual side of life
Conforming
Paul says: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world”
We are creatures of comforming
Without realizing we conform all the time
We see it in fashion trend, we see it in language use, we see in close relationships
We are creatures of conforming…
And Paul is not saying that is wrong to conform…
Perhaps he is more saying to take care of what you conform to…
Think about your conforming
Think about what influcences you allow into your life
Think about your spiritual world - how does your faith benefit from what you conform to
Transforming Mind
And Paul helps us ever further: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”
When you take care of what you conform to, you also need to be intensional about what you allow into your life
Paul is not just warning, he is also encouraging…
He is not just pointing out danger, he is also urging into a positive direction
“Renewing your mind” is all about engaging and not withdrawing
How often is religion just seen as a set of rules warning against not doing wrong?
Instead, the call is to go all out and renew your mind
Allowing your world to be changed and shaped by seeking the guidance of God for your life
Making the choice to allow your thoughts to be transformed by God, through practicing your faith
Think with Sober Judgment
Paul also says: “think of yourself with sober judgment”
Think of yourself a human being - body, mind and spirit
Don’t over focus on one aspect of your life and in the process neglect another
Think with sober judgment about living a balanced life
Take care of your body - think about what you can do to take good care of your body
Also, take care mind - be conscious about the influcences that you allow into your thoughts… reflect on what you read, watch, listen to and talk about
And, take care of your spirit - practice your faith… find deeper meaning in your religious practices… think about the content you give to your spirituality… engage with others on a spirtual level… above all, do all in your power to connect with the living God
All of this, body, mind and spirit, are influenced by our thoughts…
Think about that for a moment…
Faith from God
But then Paul also reminds us that faith is a gift from God
God gives us faith so that we can connect with God
We grow closer to God through our faith
God draws us closer through the faith we are given
And the faith God gives us, does not function outside our thoughts
It is through our faith that we conform to Gods influence in our lives
It is through ouf faith that we are transformed by God
And it is through our faith that we are able to think with sober judgment
So, let’s not allow our thoughts to get stuck on religion
Rather, let us think carefully about growing our faith
For our thoughts are all about our faith!
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