Idol - Religion

The church and there is no change there is no growth meeting God is not Dr. Tony Evans is carrying out religious duty is no substitute for pursuing God. We are religious without relationship. Therefore, there is no, this is the alternative with Dr. Tony have other speaker, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the alternative. Are you a real Christian or just a religious groupie today. Dr. Evans explains how to tell the difference and why that's so important. Let's join in the year 1982 in the city of Chicago seven people lost their lives. When I went into a drugstore to purchase extra strength, no was all over the news throughout the nation. Various people with to a store to buy something to deliver them.

And the thing that went to get to deliver them destroyed. That was because the Tylenol had been laced with potassium cyanide poisoning that was in good medicine with this secret point heating and legitimate medicine rather than bringing about life brought about the destruction. There is a deadly poison that is affecting all can be affecting you and me today and what makes it so deadly is its unrecognizable and spiritual potassium cyanide that can destroy a very good faith and it is in high it is an idol with calling the idol of religion, you would not expect the word religion and I know to be used in the same sentence. Paul is writing to a Christian church.

The church (he calls them when he opens up the book of first Caribbean saints that believers in verse 14 he says my below my fellow men and women in the family of God. So he's writing to prescriptions not known, but he's writing about a concern. His concern is that they get rid of items. That way you can be a Christian and in the Christian church and still behind me out with idols. Notice the word uses repetitively in this passage twice in verse 16 sharers sharing IT sharers in verse 20 sharers the word to share means to participate with to partner with to hold in common with his concern was that even though they were Christians on their way to heaven. They were hanging out with demons that were hanging out with demons and they were doing in church when they said they were partakers of the brand and the cup is talking about the communion. One of the church ordinances.

He goes on the say don't you know when people sacrifice things at the altar when they do that they did that as part of the worship so they were worshiping going to church and yet he says on radio, but the demons that flow through them all and I was not a real thing tree is not a dog son is not God's thoughts about God that there's no thing in the created at the real God. But whenever that is. Wrongly, it becomes an open invitation for demons to infiltrate so his concern is I don't want you to be called a shelter. He said in humans. I don't want you hanging out with potassium cyanide and not even know what you think you okay in church because you take communion sharing in the altar you doing the worship, singing the song you're praying the prayer all the time demons are having a good time with you. I don't want you to be sharers of demons. Why because idolatry invites the demonic realm. So many of the issues we are facing we are facing because the demons will let us go because we worship an idol and that I could be sitting at the wrong table. They makes it clear you can't sit at God's table and the demons table and still have God you have to choose, but when you try to have both. You will only have demons and you won't have God because Paul says you can't sit at both tables that if you can't worship simultaneously in both environments to his concern is about, and I will that shows up in worship that demons use in order to infiltrate and so I'm calling it the idol of religion. Religion is man's attempt to convince God through 72 to be favorable to you religious people want God's faith want God's blessing and so they do religious things in order to motivate God to give them favorable blessing all the various goodies that they are looking for.

But religion would define that way is like cotton candy cotton candy taste sweet but it goes away quickly and leaves you unsatisfied religion defined that way is like going to the doughnut shop to get up in the microwave, melt in your mouth, but leaving you with no nutritional value religion defined that way is like a rock that distances you from reality because it gives you that makes you feel good but drops you know, with nothing beneficial from the high say a lot about come the church to get that, oh Jesus, I can't begin to preach a sermon they come to get all the sentencing and make it but by the time I had the parking lot drop low because what happened was they came for religion as it is ill-defined. Religion is like a pacifier when the mother put the past five in the babies mouth one of two things will happen. One baby may get baby sucking and sucking this plan of God. But nothing happened.

Is this client but nothing is sinking in. All the pacifier they put the baby to sleep. That's what religion would be little keep you busy.

Second, in accomplishing nothing will put you to sleep so that you are unaware of the spiritual reality all around religion church attendance saying grace reading your Bible. All of those are legitimate but all of those can be demon because all of those can simply mean you're carrying out a religious duty rather than pursuing a divine person. Religion, as in this case can be a context, demons converge go to church because you going to garage the legal, just because you go to McDonald's only your bird just be in the place doesn't make you profane the places calling. That's why the Bible 1002nd term of the chapter 3 verse five about having a form of godliness number words you look the part where Christian clones. You carry the Christian Bible you speak Christian. These because you got a Christian vocabulary hallelujah praise the Lord God bless God put all the time all the time God is good.

That's called Christian.

These is the right thing to say in the right place at the right time around the right people but you can do all of that with no spiritual reality taking place he says is Reebok having a form of godliness but no power attached to it because when God shows up his power shows up. So if you are changing God's power is not working and being manifested. You may be religious, but you may be demon effect because the religion has not accomplish what true authentic relationship is designed to accomplish and always warning them that they could be with where you come because you're supposed to what you worship because it's Sunday what you say grace because you will talk to because all that religious routine won't get you to the true God as the shipment as they are because they can actually camouflage what God is all about in your life and in my life.

Dr. Evans will give us some things to watch out for when he continues her lesson just a moment. Stay with us.

Politics, money, gender grace, these are just some of the items in worship in America when we elevate them the place of Jesus in our lives but you can break free and live the Christ centered kingdom focused life that God calls you to. We want to help eating with two powerful resources from Dr. Tony is Banyan message series called American Idol and popular black America turning the nation to God. Now is the time for God to stand together and start doing today to get both resources and today is the final day.

These resources will be bundled together. We need to hear from you right away. Tony's American Idol series contains eight full-length messages to get them to review on both CD and digital download. Along with this popular and important book America turning a nation to God they're both yours is our thank you gift and appreciation for your contribution to make this listener supported ministry possible visit Tony Evans.org today to get the details and make the arrangements. Again, that's 2011's.org or call us at 1-800-800-3222 to speak with one of our friendly resource team members that are ready to help you around the clock that's 1-800-800-3222. I'll have the contact information for you again after part two of today's message and this Bible study is like gold-mining.

The deeper you dig the more treasury. No wonder if you're ready to Mother explored the kingdom anytime, anywhere is growing list of online courses waiting for you now in the Tony of an screening process.

Take your time with each online module taking verse by verse through the text exclusive in-depth content from Dr. Evans probing discussion questions access to full-length messages and online discussion forum where you can ask specific questions and get detailed answers. The focus is on understanding application God's work in the real world explore a growing list of courses covering many of the most important concepts in Christianity Tony of his training center is anytime anywhere you about some keychains that inspire, but religiously camouflage as traditional is external is ritual is narcissism and legalism assumes that the Bible talks about that you to steer people from in order that the demonic realm can take over but they can all be religiously camouflage so that you think you're okay actually being drawn from God I love religion that is been taught by demons or the seller gets ritualism. Ritualism is an external activity that makes you think because you're doing the ritual brings spiritual benefit. Let me take a simple saying grace. Probably most of us say grace because we would talk to. And the reason I know that we do it that way. Is this the same way every time I want to thank you for this would about to receive my body in Jesus name, amen. You can say grace, and not think about why because it's a ritual we been doing it for so long.

Mother told us to do it.

We did it and I will tell people in a minute. Well, you bless the food only. Then there's legalism's. One day as we grow only be what legalism is the misapplication of God's rules, the 10 Commandments are called the law of the Bible says the 10 Commandments are good but the 10 Commandments.

Also negative all 10 of them are negative.

Thou shall not counsel shall not all negative boxes that good good negative but they negative why because the 10 Commandments while telling you God's standards help you fulfill them. It can only describe so when a person says I'm trying to keep the 10 Commandments.

That's a good statement but the problem is trying to keep the 10 Commandments can help you keep the 10 Commandments, because there is no power in the commandment the commandment can tell you it can help. That's why the Bible talks over and over about the limitation of the law to give you the Salish to keep you from going to fall Salish to hold you back dog. We've all seen a dog had a dog on a leash. One review of a dog leash to keep it from going too far because you wanted to go to fossil but have you ever seen a dog that didn't even leash because it was walking right beside his master, because the lease was in the relationship. So have a relationship which relationship leash law leash, trying pull away from front to back a relationship leash you want to pull away from it.

You want to get too far from the best.

So the law to give you the standard, but what the law can't do is give you the power to keep the standard even when you're keeping the standard if you're doing it on the lease you not to have to keep it and keep it because you know what the consequent different mindset religious mindset and motivation that is restricting you but doesn't necessarily change you and you wind up being a bit of misery trying all you can to obey God. I have so much joy as I keep the 10 Commandments. Why because you feel like you're on a leash because you religiously expected to commit just like the pin commandment can get you to heaven. But the 10 Commandments can change order because there is no power in the commandment. That is why Paul says in Galatians chapter 3 verses 23 and 24 that the law wasn't driving the Christ. He says because because giving of itself does not give you the power to do with it just tells you what you better do negative consequences for not doing so it can probably can't fix the problem. So what he's talking about is this concept of religion that does not change so many of us go week after week, month after month, year after year and we would have to but we have been changed, meaning God is not operating one of the reasons why we can get things straightened out. We can overcome addiction.

What we can't restore relationships what we can do with all the pressure is because we are religious without relationship. Therefore, there is no power.

There is no change everything you do must be driven by my call that I might know I'm coming to church not because it's Sunday, I'm coming to church, God no God. Because I'm supposed to, not because the birthday keeps the devil away. I want to get the know because I'm supposed to pray with you I want to get to know that the driving doll will serious about me not about religion and as a result I want to show myself to when that becomes the goal then you will experience God just "you know, in the experience to see what he does in your situation and your emotions and doctrines is one more story to wrap up our look at banishing the idol of religion will be back in just a moment to share that with us, but first a final reminder that today's the last day to take advantage of that special double offer. I mentioned earlier that includes all eight full-length messages in the powerful collection. Tony is finishing up today, American idols, as well as his popular book America turning a nation to God.

Both of these can be yours as our gift and appreciation for your contribution to help us keep this program coming your way. Each day, resource Center right away at 1-800-800-3222 to make the arrangements it staffed 24 seven with friendly team members were ready to help with your request that's 1-800-800-3222 or go to Tony have a strong Oracle you can make your donation and instantly download all the messages in this series. When God says he wants his people to be givers. He's talking about a lot more than money. Find out more about that tomorrow with Dr. Evans begins his teaching series called return on investment right now though his back with his closing story for today training is coming to a drawbridge flag. This is years ago because of Flagler Tele when it's safe to keep going when we had to stop the bridge engineer was waving the flag the train when and fell off into the river. 18 people died. True story, but the conduct of the conductor and the engineer connected with each other and he said why didn't you stop.

I was waving the red flag that means stop waving the red flag style, but you wouldn't stop the train engine is know you wave the white flag wave the white flag should know wave the red flag says stop stop says no. I saw the white flag, which means the keep going, so that when Dr. Flack, the flag was red but faded. So from a distance, it looked white once read, but the red so trade, Saudi body would look like going.

Don't let religion pay the rent for religion you wave a red flag for your transgression rose for your iniquities, by his stripes we the blood of Jesus Christ our Savior Almighty father God wanted no because you got a faded green what you look at why people don't know where you're coming from strong for your free challenge us collectively. Me and you related to the car to.

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