Religiosity

22Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23“for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28“for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Acts 17: 22 - 28 NKJV

I'm going to attempt a experiment some Sunday morning.  I have it in my mind, as I'm driving to our Sunday morning meeting, to count just how many different churchs I pass along the way as well as the different denominations.  It has always amazed me that out of one faith in God and the risen Christ that we could see so many different aspects of the very same religion which we all claim to practice.  For if I were to step into any one of these churches and inquire within just what "Religion" they claim to be practicing, I would most certainly hear the word christian come out of their mouths.  Now, I believe that the word christian is often used as a broad brush to portray the different aspects of the religion of those who claim to follow Christ Jesus.  For even I consider myself a christian.  However, if we simply are using the word christian to describe those who follow Jesus, why then are there so many different churches in our christian faith?  Indeed, the early followers of Jesus were dubbed with the term christian.  It is also good to remember that this is a man made term, for Jesus Himself never refered to His followers in such a way.  So, we wre catagorized by the world around us.  As the apostle Paul tells us in Acts 17, our heavenly Father has indeed created from one blood every nation of men.  Something we may have forgotten on that road to christianity.

12For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink ginto one Spirit. 14For in fact the body is not one member but many.
1 Corinthians 12: 12 - 14 NKJV

If we agree with Paul, therefore, that we all are members of the larger body of Christ Jesus, why then are there so many sects and divisions to this larger body?  For even today we have baptists, presbytarians and Greek orthodox congregations.  Surely this is not the church which Christ Jesus had in mind for His children.  Is not Christ also the head of all of these offshoots of christianity?  What's even more amazing is the literature out there devoted to helping a christian find the "Right" church to attend.  Is there a wrong church?  Well, not to worry, for if we tire of one congregation there are plenty of others out there to choose from.  This may yet be the very root of this issue.  For have we not created different churches and congregations each and every time we have had disagreements with our current church?  I have personaly witnessed my former church go through 3 different pastors.  Two of these pulpit pounders eventually began their own seperate congregations upon leaving.  When we began telling those who follow Jesus just what the "Right" church may be for them to attend we are heading down the wrong path to religiosity.  For if indeed we who follow Jesus have been by definition grouped together into one group of believers, then we have abandoned that premise already with our desire to create different and better church congregations.  The real church of Christ Jesus is one where all are included.

~Scott~