Going Through The Motions

NOTE: This is from the devotional guide of our church, Filinvest Community Christian Fellowship. Today is Day Five of our Prayer and Fasting week.

Image credit

Most of us got exposed to a ritualistic religion. So, we tend to look at rituals with suspicion. But, we should not miss out on rituals. We have our own evangelical rituals, that is, the water baptism and the breaking of the bread. However, we need to avoid “Ritual without reality.” (That is the fifth mark of toxic spirituality.) 
Ritual without reality means we focus on the outward form and merely go through the motions. … The point to remember is that God calls us to walk not merely in the rituals but in the reality. Otherwise the rituals, no matter how beautiful, becomes empty after a while. [1]
For example, when we attend our Sunday worship services out of habit or just to check an item in our “Christian” to-do list, it becomes a ritual without reality. We are missing out on the significance of our gathering together as the church. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV) The issue is not just being present but also participating by being an encouragement to others.

Image credit

You may be asking why we focused on those signs of toxic spirituality these past few days. We have to diagnose first before we prescribe. We have to identify the toxin that is poisoning us before we can detox. We have defined the problem, so now we could deal with it. 

Image credit

After diagnosing the problem of the church in Ephesus (Revelation 2:2-4), the Lord Jesus prescribed His solution. “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” (v. 5a) Before we could repent and renew our fellowship with God, we should remember from where we have fallen. Now that we saw the marks of toxic spirituality, we need to identify which among them kept or is keeping us from enjoying intimacy with God. We need to confess and ask God for forgiveness when we see those traits in our heart.
Moving from toxic spirituality to true spirituality is challenging. But it’s possible when we begin to live from the inside out. It’s time we went for the real thing. [2]

Step #5 To Detox: Review the five features of toxic spirituality. Rate yourself per feature. What’s your top issue as far as toxic spirituality? Evaluate how it became a problem in your heart. Then, ask God for forgiveness.

Image credit

[1] Edmund Chan, Cultivating Your Inner Life: Reflections on Spiritual Formation in Discipleship Today 2nd Edition (SG: Covenant Evangelical Free Church, 2011), 52-52. Emphasis added.

[2] Ibid, 53.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God Knows Judas Not Pay

In the National Geographic Magazine (May 2006 issue), in its cover story, The Judas Gospel , Professor Eliane Pagels of Princeton University claimed that the so-called gospel of Judas “ changes the history of early Christianity. ” Even UP Professor Randy David took notice of the Judas Gospel: “Strictly from a sociological standpoint, I think the discovery of the Gospel of Judas makes Christianity a far more interesting religion than what centuries of metaphysical theology has made of it.” (A Gospel for the Postmodern, Phil. Daily Inquirer, April 16, 2006) That’s why I spoke in our Young Pro Fellowship a few days ago on God Knows Judas Not Pay (A Biblical Response on the Judas Gospel). I believe opportunities like this hype on the Judas Gospel or the Da Vinci Code opens a door for us to share the true Gospel. For those who did not attend last Thursday, let me share briefly why we reject the Judas gospel. I came up with the acronym J-U-D-A-S. J udas was portrayed as a traitor in the Bibl...
Read more

“Ubus-ubos Biyaya, Bukas Nakatunganga”

Image
That’s what my mother always told us when we were still kids. (Translation: “You spend everything today, you will have nothing tomorrow.” ) Image source: So, What's New ? Dionie did just that. Last April 2008, he won PHP14,125,032 in the Lotto 6/42 draw. Excitedly, he “lived the life of a millionaire, something he had been longing to experience. He lived in a P4-million house in a posh subdivision, drove around in a sports utility vehicle [which he bought the very same day he claimed his prize] , and gave goodwill money, ranging P1,000 to P 850,000, to relatives and friends. He also gambled daily, womanized, and went on regular drinking sprees.” (Source: Manila Bulletin ) He estimated that he squandered a minimum of P100,000 almost every day. He also lent money even to people he did not really know. “I just gave them and told them not to pay me back.” (Ibid) His bank had to issue him a special card so he can withdraw huge amounts of money quickly from the automated teller m...
Read more

Detour, Not A Dead End

Image
A dead end is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.” Image credit A dead end, according to a dictionary, is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.”  According to another dictionary , it is “a situation, plan, or way of doing something that leads to nothing further.” Screenshot from Merriam-Webster online dictionary There were times in my life when I thought I was in a dead end.  Impasse. No way out. Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. I was like Moses. There’s the Red Sea in front of me and the Egyptian army behind me. Only this time, I can’t part the sea.  I failed. Many times. My dreams became a nightmare. And my nightmare came to pass. (Of course, I can always blame others. The fact is, it’s not entirely my fault. But why waste time blaming? So, I’ll just take responsibility for where and why I failed.) I got burned out. I got myself into stress-related disorder when I pressure...
Read more