A Word From Our Pastor:

As a person seeking truth in understanding the difference between spirituality and religion, we must first understand there is a difference between religion and spirituality.  However though there is a difference between religion and spirituality, this does not mean that the two are incompatible.  From a Christian perspective to be Spiritual is to know that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and is King and Savior (1 John 4:2).  Jesus let us know in (John 6:63) that his spoken word and written word affect to realms of reality, spirit, and life.  This might seem hard to understand, especially considering all the different religions and spiritual perspectives that there are in the world.

     But spirituality is not determined by what people feel or experience.  Spirituality is determined on knowing God through Christ Jesus his only begotten Son, because God is a Spirit and the only way to worship him is through his Spirit (John 4:24).  And knowing the truth about God can only come from God (1 Corinthians 2:9-11). 

      This makes sense when we think about it.  In that, we can never know what a person is thinking unless they tell us what they are thinking.  In the same way, no one can know God unless God tells us about himself through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). 

As far as Religion, it is an organized form of worship.  It is humans following rules and regulations in the worship of God.  But religion is not incompatible with knowing God.  When we look at history in the Bible, we see that God created a religion that led to a relationship for the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai after they came out of Egypt (Exodus 19). 

     But following a religion was not as important to God as the people being committed to him (Isaiah 1:13-14).  I am not saying that religion is not important to God.  But if a person’s heart is not in it and they are having a form of Godliness as described in (2 Timothy 3:1-5), then being religious will not impress or move God.  For as God says a Christian is saved by the Blood sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ and by his death, burial, and resurrection we are saved (Romans 10:9-11).

     Understand that in Christianity it is essential to have organized management.  What God is doing in the world is building his church through organization which comes from the Holy Spirit’s guidance as a living organism.  This is to say that God is transforming his people to “Stay Motivated About serving him” (1 Peter 2:5).  The Bible uses the analogy of a body being like the church (1 Corinthians 12:15-20).  Because people are different we need to come together and get “Motivated About Jesus”.

Bishop James E. Bolden III