Religious traditions or heart-to-heart togetherness? Which truly inspires?

Many Christians throughout history have set aside God’s 50+ New Testament “one another” commandments in order to observe their own Sunday morning traditions. (Mark 7:9) Instead of assembling together to “spur one another on to love and good works” and to “encourage one another,” (Hebrews 10:24-25) they have gathered to passively sit through religious program after program.

If you’re satisfied with superficial Christianity that merely teaches human rules, (Mark 7:6-7) you’re lukewarm and you need to be heated up. (Revelation 3:16) If your faith isn’t a roaring fire within you, fan it into flame before it’s too late. (2 Timothy 1:6)

Lectures can lay out the letter of the law, but they can’t empower people to live daily in the spirit of the law. (2 Corinthians 3:6) Only God the Holy Spirit can do that. (Acts 1:8)

Humble, repentant, open-hearted prayer leads to direct connection with God the Spirit. (James 4:6) A church service that doesn’t enable and empower people to connect directly and heart-to-heart with “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” (Colossians 1:27) and with other Christ-followers may be what the Bible calls a powerless form of godliness. (2 Timothy 3:5)