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Trek 2008 - Crib Sheets - Spiritual But Not Religious
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Trek 2008 – Crib Sheets – Spiritual But Not Religious
By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 NIV
People often ask what I say to people I meet on the road. My answer – if I’ve properly prepared spiritually, I don’t say anything. I ask questions, listen, and respond with the word of God and the words of the Holy Spirit.
Having said that, there are some common things I hear on the road. To be better prepared for what I’ve come to expect to hear, I’ve searched the scriptures and prayed about answers. Over the next few days, I’ll share with you some of what I hear on the road and how the Holy Spirit has led me to respond. I’ll call them Crib Sheets.
The most common thing I hear from un-churched Americans is, “I’m spiritual but not religious.”
Listening
I always ask, “What do you mean by that?”
I listen and when they finish, if they haven’t answered my question fully, I ask two follow up questions: How do you define spiritual and how do you define religious?
While the answers vary, in one form or another, they usually go on to say how bad religion is and how good spirituality is.
Again, I listen. Usually bitterness about religion permeates their speech. I say something like, “It sounds like you’ve had a bad church experience. What happened?”
Again – I listen. Many tell terrible tales of injustices done in the name of religion. I choose to believe what they tell me and I don’t argue.
God’s Word
After they finish talking, I say, “I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m a Christian and on behalf of Christians, I apologize that the Christians you saw didn’t represent Christ. The Bible says pure religion is to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. It doesn’t sound as if your religious experience was what God had in mind. The Bible harshly condemns false religion.”
The response is often a visible sigh of relief that I heard them and affirmed how they felt. It isn’t unusual for people to thank me for listening. I guard against being judgmental because, let’s face it, many churches are guilty as charged. If I’m feeling judgmental, defensive, or angry, I keep my mouth shut because I’ll do more damage than good. If I’m feeling love and mercy, I offer my testimony for Christ and His Church.
Testimony
I learned in the business world that people are finished talking when they begin repeating themselves. When I sense they are finished, I tell the truth. I say something like, “I love church. I wish you had experienced Christ’s church the way He intended it to be. He calls the Church His bride and He loves Her.
My church loves me, prays for me, and takes care of the sick. They assist AIDS victims, carry the sick to the doctor, and actually help me to grow and become more spiritual. I can’t imagine my life without it. It is the closest thing to heaven I can find on earth. When I asked Jesus Christ into my life, the Holy Spirit entered me and having God live inside me is a spiritual experience beyond description. I hope you have felt His spirit coming from me throughout this conversation.”
I pray the entire time I’m speaking and listening. I make sure every word coming out of my mouth is true. When they complain about the church, as a Christian, I apologize on behalf of the church. I follow up their complaints with my testimony and love of church.
Assignments
I end with saying, “You’ve had a terrible experience with religion. I’d hate for you to go the rest of your life without experiencing true religion. May I give you some assignments?”
Most people laugh and say yes.
I suggest, “Look up the words religious and spiritual in the dictionary. They are not as different as you might imagine.”
“My next assignment is this: Ask Jesus, even if you don’t believe in Him, to teach you about true religion. You have nothing to lose by asking the question. Then I want you to visit a church. Pick one that reads the Bible as the only true word of God, worships God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and has laughter. Visit six times and then make up your mind about true religion.”
The Result
My job is to be obedient. The results are up to God. Occasionally God lets me know the “rest of the story.” I sometimes hear back from people that they have returned to church and now love it. Some confess they found out they had not been a Christian to begin with. After they accepted Christ, they were religious and spiritual and now love church. Mostly, I never hear the “rest of the story” but so far, no one has written to say they returned to church only to find out they didn’t belong.
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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden at 904 316-5462.
This ministry exists because people like you are called to help fund the work of the kingdom. To help keep the Pocket Full of Quarters Lady on the road as a traveling missionary, send your tax deductible contribution to Pocket Full of Change Ministries, POB 51205, Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32240.
© Pocket Full of Change Ministries
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