• Churchianity is threatening to replace Christianity - the organization of a business and building vs the organism of a body.
• When Christ confronted the woman in her sin she starting talking about religion - “where do you go to church?”
• She would rather talk religion than relationship.
• Vs 21-24 reveal Christ’ thoughts on religion over relationship.
• KEY - He told her the place of worship doesn’t matter (religion), but the heart of worship does (relationship).
• He then told her WHO to worship and HOW.
• WHO - it’s about “knowing” God (vs 22).
• HOW - in spirit and truth (vs 23-24).
• Spirit - we worship in spirit by being born again and then nourishing ourselves through His Word.
• This is the living water He talked about - it feeds your spirit.
• Truth - Jesus confronted her with her sin (about her husbands).
• We worship in truth by living the truth and being God’s representatives of His truth on the earth.
• Application - too many Christians today think like this lady - where do you go to church?
• But Christ wants us to BE the church by worshipping Him from the heart in spirit and truth.
• Vs 42 - she was no longer worried about religion but fully zealous for relationship.
John 4:13-24 (5/19/16)
Churchianity
May 19, 2016 • Benham Brothers
John 1:14 (5/11/17)
May 11, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. * Our words reveal who we are. * God’s Word is a picture of Himself. * God’s Word became flesh through Jesus. * Every truth of God’s Word was embodied in His Son, Jesus. * So when God’s Word speaks about living powerfully, the picture is Christ’s life. * How does God’s Word become flesh for us? * When we live it out! * Our theology must become biography so others can see God in us. * The devil’s word can become flesh if we choose to disobey God. * Here’s the key - God’s Word became flesh but we often want to turn it back into words again. * We do this when we think religiously and no longer relationally - when we refuse to live it out. * So how do we live it out? * The end of the verse - we abide by grace and truth. * Jesus was all love and all truth - He didn’t err to one side or the other. * If we try to separate God’s love (grace) from His truth then we cease to make His Word flesh in our lives.
John 1:35-37 (5/11/17)
May 11, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* John the Baptist is the best example of what a true leader should be. * John had his own ministry with his own followers, but when Jesus showed up he deferred his following to Him. * John pointed to Jesus and lost his disciples. * John was more concerned with God’s kingdom than his own. * When he announced Jesus as the “Lamb of God” everyone understood he was making reference to the Messiah (passover). * John’s whole goal was to get people to follow Jesus. * One interesting point - one of those two disciples was John, the writer of the book of John.
John 1:38 (5/16/19)
May 16, 2019 • Benham Brothers
* Jesus first asked John’s disciples what they were looking for before He allowed them to follow Him. * He was forcing them to define their purposes and goals. * This is a great way to approach people we see every day. * But it’s also good to ask ourselves. * It keeps us following Jesus for the right reasons.