What you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life. I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.  1 John 2:24-26 HCSB

I hear the term “organized religion” getting kicked around a lot these days. Some people claim to believe in God, but don’t want anything to do with organized religion. I searched the term and found these definitions or explanations. The dictionary defines it as a structured system of faith, especially one followed by a large number of people, such as Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. Wikipedia defines it as institutional religion or a religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established. It says that it is officially characterized by a particular doctrine (or dogma), a hierarchical or bureaucratic leadership structure, and a codification of rules and practices.

If you don’t believe in organized religion, then what’s the alternative? Is it unorganized religion? Organized is defined as being arranged in a systematic way, especially on a large scale or having one’s affairs in order so that they may be handled efficiently. Organized crime has grown to such a large scale, why, because it’s organized.

Unorganized is simply defined as not organized meaning chaotic, messy, untidy.

If you weren’t raised in church or perhaps, for whatever reason, you are not so happy with the religion you were raised in, I can understand that. I’ve been there and done that. But to sleep in and lay on your sofa and watch movies on Sunday and fail to praise and worship the Lord can only lead to chaos, turmoil and destruction. It’s an unorganized way of living. I’ve also done that. When we trust in the Lord and honestly want to serve Him, He will help us organize our time so that we can do more for Him than we ever thought we had time to do.

When we get to heaven, we will see people from different religions there with us. It’s not about the religion, it’s about the relationship you have with your Lord and Savior. Just be very careful to avoid false religions.

All throughout the Bible Jesus talks about Shepherds leading their sheep. We are like sheep. This means that on our own, we are not so bright. I know many of you think you are, but trust me. There was a time when I thought I was brilliant, only to find I had been a complete idiot. Without God’s wisdom and discernment, I have made some really stupid decisions. In John 21:15-17, Jesus tells Peter three times to tend to his sheep. We need to have a shepherd. We need to surround ourselves with like minded individuals that share the same beliefs and are working to serve the Lord. We need to fellowship and work alongside other believers working for a common goal in serving the community around us.

I ask you to think about something, is it that you don’t believe in organized religion or is it just that you don’t believe but  don’t have the guts to say so? Can you at least be honest with yourself?

Organization is how things get done. When we are happy with being unorganized, we are usually happy with not getting much done. If you list disorganization as one of your qualities on a job application, don’t expect to be called in for an interview, just sayin’.

The other danger we run into by trying to do it all on our own is that we can be easily deceived. The bible tells us in numerous scripture passages not to be deceived. The devil loves to deceive us. He deceived Eve in the garden of Eden and he continues to do so to many of us today. There are many false prophets and false religions out there, be very careful. Stay in God’s word. If it doesn’t line up with God’s word, get out.

If you are hiding behind the, “I don’t believe in organized religion” excuse, know that it’s kind of like hiding behind cardboard when someone is shooting at you. It’s not going to provide any real protection. Our real protection is found in having a relationship with Jesus Christ. We can choose to reside in the shelter he provides. When we do this, he protects us from whatever may come our way. (Psalm 91).

Our scripture passage tells us to remain in the Son and the Father and He will give us eternal life. If we are truly in a good, solid relationship with our Lord and Savior, we will want to praise and worship Him. We will want to meet with and work with others who do the same (Hebrews 10:24). Isn’t it time you got organized?

Have a great day!