The Beatitudes - A Progression of Faith

We started a study on the Beatitudes this morning in class which I'm thinking will last us a couple weeks. This morning we spent time discussing some background info on Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" and specifically the Beatitudes. For example, the word beatitude comes from the Latin word beatus meaning "blessed" or "happy". I also found it interesting that the book of Matthew lists 8 beatitudes while Luke mentions 4 (followed by 4 'woes'). I will drop a separate post on the 2 we focused on this morning,

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

but before I do that I wanted to share a thought I had...

...One of the commentators I looked at suggested that "poor in spirit" was the idea of realizing we are nothing without God (human depravity if you will) and that the "mourning" came from the feeling of regret and apology for our sins (I would label this one repentance). This got me thinking, is it possible that through the Beatitudes Jesus was laying out a progression of faith? He starts with being "poor in spirit" (sinful man), moves to those who "mourn" (seeking repentance), and then into what it looks like as someone begins to mature in his/her faith: "meekness"(willingness to submit to Christ's will), "hunger and thirst for righteousness"(study and spiritual disciplines), "merciful", and ultimately "pure in heart"(where one's desires become those of Christ's) which leads to being "peacemakers" and even "persecution"(as Paul says, "to live is Christ, to die is gain") for the cause of Christ.

Obviously I haven't spent a ton of time elaborating on this idea but what do you think, have we stumbled onto something?

rethink: Church

I am picking up where I left off in the “rethink:” blog series now that I am starting to experience some sense of normalcy after the loss of my Grandpa (He-Man, Inspector Gadget & Grandpa) and finishing up my essays for my last summer class. You may find it helpful to read the other rethink: posts (Sin, Grace) if you haven’t already.

After taking some time to rethink:grace we might begin to how much of a difference this can make in the life of the Church. Taking a moment to rethink:church makes me wonder if Church could be a place where community is found and developed. Can Church really be anything else? Some of us have found a sense of belonging to a community like this, others of us are desperately seeking and wanting.

Now, if you find yourself thinking that Church is just another thing you have to do each week, it may be time for you to rethink:church. Paul describes the Church as a body, a body that is made up of many parts (I Cor. 12:12-27). Each part of the body has a part to play in the life of the Church, you and I cannot simply sit back and experience Church. There is no such thing as spectator community because it requires involvement, engagement and connection. If you are going to attempt to rethink:church, then you must realize that this community needs you. No one can play your part for you so if you’re a foot, be a foot. If you’re a hand, be a hand. This community called the Church needs you.

When we start to think about Church in this way, we quickly realize how good the news of a grace-filled community can be for so many people we know (not to mention ourselves). Realizing how many lost, searching, lonely people cross our paths each day may give us reason to rethink:evangelism.

Martin Luther on Authority & Salvation

I have been working on essays for my Church History II class at Asbury Theological Seminary and was asked by a friend to post my essay on Martin Luther's understanding of authority and salvation and how it differs from the Roman Catholic Church of his day. I have written a synopsis of my essay here, if you would like to read the entire 2+ page essay just shoot me an email at matt.lipan@gmail.com or matt@castletonumc.org and let me know.

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Martin Luther understood authority and salvation much differently than the Roman Catholic Church of his day. For Luther, both of these hinged on the Person and Word of Christ. In his writing entitled An Open Letter to the Christian Nobility, he describes "Three Roman Walls" that the Catholic Church had erected to protect their authority.

The 1st wall was the distinction the Catholic Church made between the religious class (popes, bishops, priests, nuns) and the secular class (everyone else) believing that somehow the religious class was more holy and pious. Luther's argument which said, "For all Christians whatsoever really and truly belong to the religious class, and there is no difference among them except in so far as they do different work." (An Open Letter to the Christian Nobility), was based on I Peter 2:9.

The 2nd wall was the claim by the Catholic Church that they were the only interpreters of Scripture because only the religious class had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and that the pope could not err on issues of faith, regardless of his personal integrity or character. To this Luther asks what the point of Scripture is then if only a certain few could interpret it. He believed that God could speak to any man through His Word, regardless of social class.

The 3rd wall was the claim that only a summoned council could challenge the pope but that only the pope had the power to summon such a council. This setup left the pope in a position of unquestioning power which led to an abuse of authority that Luther believed was harmful to all of Christianity and contrary to Scripture. He sites a passage from Matthew 18:15-17 and then writes it "commands each member to exercise concern for his fellow, much more it is our duty when the wrongdoer is one who rules over us all alike, and who causes much harm and offense to the rest by his conduct" (An Open Letter to the Christian Nobility).

In regards to salvation, Luther believed that the sinner was justified not by any past or future merit but through the person and work of Jesus alone. The Catholic Church believed that the pope had the authority and ability to grant the remission of sins to which Luther wrote in his 95 Theses, "76. We say, on the contrary, that papal pardons cannot take away the least of venial sins, as regards to guilt."

He-Man, Inspector Gadget & Grandpa

It is never easy to lose a loved one. I found out exactly a week ago that my 85yr old grandpa, James "Jay" Joseph Lipan, passed away in his sleep. Spending time in Bay City, MI with my rather large family on my dad's side consumed the majority of my week and yet was somehow refreshing. We had a great time celebrating the life of a husband to my Grandma for 61yrs, father of 6, grandfather of 17, great grandfather of 12, brother, original crew member of the USS Midway during WWII and stranger to no one.

I have some great memories of my Grandpa over the 30yrs that I knew him and was fortunate enough to have lived 4 doors down from him and my Grandma for the first 5yrs of my life. Even as young as I was I can still vividly remember riding my Big Wheel (mine had a flat spot on the front wheel from doing all those sweet skids) down to their house right around dinner time to sit with my Grandpa and watch He-Man, Inspector Gadget and People's Court. I got to pick two, he got to pick one.

The thing that I appreciated most about my Grandpa was his ability to bring people together. My Grandma and Grandpa's house was the place people gathered. It was the 'Grand Central Station', the hub of the Lipan family. The place where there was always something going on and always someone coming or going and always a friendly exchange. It was not uncommon to have 50+ people pass through the doors of my Grandpa's house during a holiday get together and somehow he would make every single one of them not only feel welcome but like they were part of the family. He was the embodiment of hospitality, the very definition of what it meant to welcome in the stranger.

Needless to say that our family did not always make the best decisions and yet Grandpa understood what it meant to love unconditionally. Whether it was one of his kids or one of his grand kids he never passed judgment and instead would simply say, "To each his own." and go on loving us. I don't think this meant he wasn't disappointed at times or didn't disagree with decisions that were made but you knew that the love never stopped. I think this is what allowed him to be one of the most, if not the most hospitable person I have known. Certainly a tough act to follow. Thanks Gramps!

rethink: Grace

In light of a new perspective on sin can we only begin to understand how incredible the grace of God truly is. If grace has been some sort of “get out of jail free” card that has allowed you to do whatever you want because you know that God’s grace is always available, then you need to rethink:grace.

Grace is free but it is certainly not cheap. Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians that we have been “bought with a price.” A price that is beyond anything you or I could ever afford on our own; the very blood, sweat and tears of God’s very own Son. If the things that Jesus endured on the cross in order for you and I to experience grace seems cheap, then I would suggest that we need to rethink:grace.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, when talking about grace being costly said,

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it costs God the life of His Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.

Maybe you and I need to begin to rethink:grace in order to better understand its weight. When we stop for a second to rethink the grace we have been shown, despite all that we have done, we begin to see how much of a difference this can make if we are willing to rethink:church.

rethink: Sin

I gave a sermon on 8/9 entitled "rethink:" and suggested four topics (sin, grace, church and evangelism) that we may need to spend some time thinking about again or in an entirely different way. Over the next few weeks I am going to blog about some of those different topics that might need some rethinking, some of which I spoke about this morning and others that I didn't get a chance to touch on. Feel free to join in on the conversation at any time.

If sin is something that doesn't disgust us, then it may be time to rethink it. We can read throughout Scripture how much God detests sin, how it disgusts Him and how He wants nothing to do with it. When we think about sin like this, we realize that it so much more than this little thing we do or don’t do.

We often think about sin in terms of good vs. bad or right vs. wrong. I think this can lead us to think that anything that is good can’t be sin. So, who decides what is good or not? If we’re honest, it usually ends up being you and I who decide when it comes to those day in-day out, everyday decisions, right? So that means that anything that I think seems good or feels good is obviously not sin.

We need to rethink:sin as anything or anyone that comes in between us and our relationship with God. If our spouses, significant others, careers, hobbies, etc. come between us and God, they are becoming sin. Even things that are good, like loving my wife, can become sin if my love for her trumps my love for God. The Church, when seeking after Jesus is a good thing but if we make the seeking after Jesus part more important than Jesus Himself…I think we might be sinning.

When we stop for a second to rethink:sin we begin to see it as this thing God detests and that we are all guilty of we realize we may need to take a little time to rethink:grace.

New Layout

I've got to ask, are you feelin' it or no?? Do you like the new layout of A Journeyman's Catalog? Let me know what you like/don't like or anything you might like to see here. I would certainly appreciate hearing any thoughts you might want to share.

Disorganized Religion?

Maybe it's just arguing semantics but I'm not really sure I understand what people mean when they say they don't like organized religion. Are they actually saying they don't like traditional styles of worship? Mainline denominations? Customs and rituals that can also be known as liturgy? Or the politics that are found within the church framework? Is organized religion seen as a religious or spiritual version of 'The Man' that is holding their spirits down?

It might just be the way my mind works but when someone tells me s/he doesn't like organized religion then I can't help but wonder if that means s/he would rather be involved with a sort of disorganized or unorganized religion, a sort of spiritual chaos where anything goes. This seems more like an attempt to justify doing or believing whatever one wants by freeing one's self from any sort of expectations or accountability. The organization of thoughts and beliefs is going to take place, it becomes an issue of who is going to do the organizing. Will it be at the sole discretion of the individual or a collaboration of church fathers that have gone before with those of us who find ourselves inside the church structure today?

Don't get me wrong, I know mainline organized religion is not perfect (I work for a church), however I do think there is freedom to explore what faith can look like to and for an individual inside this structured framework. Without any sort of framework it can become really easy to find ourselves missing the picture all together.

The Dead Weather

So I took another listen to Jack White's most recent project entitled "Horehound" from the band The Dead Weather which is made up of Alison Mossheart on vocals from the Kills, Dean Fertita on guitar from Queens of the Stone Age, Jack Lawrence on bass from The Raconteurs and Jack White on drums.

On my initial listen I was not a fan and after subsequent listens I am still not really a fan. The sound is somewhat unique but I think what makes it that way is that it should have come out 25yrs ago. "Horehound" has a dark, bluesy kind of rock sound that reminds me too much of the 80's, especially with Mossheart's vocals. I have no doubt she has a voice that can rock it out but it never seems like she really has the chance on this album to let it go. And while I am jealous at the freedom Jack White has to pretty much do whatever he wants musically and bring together an extremely talented group so he could play drums, I would rather have heard him on lead vocals. What makes Jack unique from other current artists is his voice and his lyrical way of telling stories, not unlike a number of his tracks with The White Stripes and The Raconteurs. I am really hoping that The Dead Weather does not become his lead project and result in the previous two bands being neglected, especially The Raconteurs (I was surprised at how much I like them).

I would not recommend buying this album but if you find yourself being a die-hard Jack White fan, at least give it a listen first. Despite that, I really liked the guitar on the song "New Pony" and would say that "I Cut Like A Buffalo" and "So Far From Your Weapon" were my two favorite songs on the album.

On Health Care

This is not my attempt to explain the health care situation in our country because honestly I have not taken the time I need to understand what is going on. What I do know is that it doesn't seem to be working that well as is and that there are a lot of people that don't have health insurance or access to health care due to its cost. Of course there are as many opinions about this issue as there are potential solutions to the problems and like other major issues, politics play a part as well.

I heard on the news today that the federal deficit is growing as a result of a number of issues, one of them being rising costs of health care. The report went on to say that the federal government was not ruling out the possibility of raising taxes on the middle class in order to help cover the gap in the federal budget.

To be honest, I have no problem paying more of my hard-earned money in taxes if it will help provide health care for an individual or family who otherwise would not have access. I am blessed enough to have access to health care and it seems like if I can help someone get the care s/he needs then that is what Christ would expect me to do. I'm not sure I know which political party has the right answer to the health care question but I am pretty sure that regardless of your political affiliation, if you consider yourself a follower of Jesus you are called to serve all, even the "least of these".

The Tech Mask

Technology is great, I really enjoy it and embrace it. One of my few vices is having the latest gadget or gizmo. There has been a ton of buzz over the past few months about all of the social networking sites and technology that has become extremely popular...ala MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and more recently Twitter. And of course there are a variety of ways you can access these social networks from your pc to your phone not to mention all of the different applications that can help you manage your profiles on each of these sites, some even allowing you to update multiple social networks at once. I enjoy all of these though in the last 2 months or so Twitter has become my new favorite passing Facebook. I haven't used MySpace for some time now and I'm still getting use to LinkedIn but I digress.

One of the things I have noticed recently with the combination of advancing technology and the rapid growth of online social networks is the ability they give to individuals to become self-proclaimed "experts". Now, I'm not saying these aren't actually experts, just that I've noticed everyone is an expert of something now. Technology is allowing us to determine our own field of expertise with one of, if not the main credential being the number of followers, friends or connections one has.

If we're not careful we can find ourselves wearing a mask or masks that technology makes possible for us to wear that will eventually fall off because it's not who we are. I'm guilty of this myself as a matter of fact, in my last post even. Technology has allowed me to be a movie critic, or at least wear the mask of one.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I had a chance to see the latest Harry Potter movie earlier this week and while I'm guessing pretty much all of you have seen it already, I'm going to give a review of it anyways. Before I do that, it is important for you to know that I have not been following the Harry Potter series. I have not read any of the books and am not really sure if I have seen all of the movies or not. They kind of all run together for me, just like the one I saw on Monday has already done with all the other ones.

Overall I thought it was a well-made movie. For being 153mins long it did a nice job of not making me think it was 153mins long. It seemed a lot like the other HP movies I have seen with some magic stuff going on, well done computer graphics, and a lot of character/story development. I was a little disappointed by the lack of "action" in the movie and it was really a combination of this and the rather weak ending that made this movie feel like an "in-between" movie, almost as if it was simply filling space in the series. Don't forget that this is coming from a guy who knows very little about the Harry Potter series, so from that perspective, this was not really a movie that could stand on its own, unlike some of the other movies in the series. I give it a B.

Quality Over Style?

My class this week has caused me to think a lot about different aspects of worship; everything from the types of digital projectors we use to the images in our slide shows to the type of music we use in worship. All of this has made me wonder if before the 31 flavors of worship, people value quality above variety.

I know we each have our opinions of the style of worship we appreciate most but I would venture to guess that we would settle for a different style if it is done well, especially if the style we prefer is not done with the highest quality. Would you rather attend a well done X style of service as opposed to your preferred Y style done mediocre at best?

More and more people are saying that 20's & 30's are starting to prefer more traditional styles of worship, while I won't necessarily disagree with that (though I am 30 and would prefer a well done contemporary service) I'm wondering if we are seeing this apparent trend because traditional style services are "easier" to do well. Please don't be offended by that statement, what I mean by this is simply that traditional style services are much more scripted with the use of liturgy, hymns, choirs, etc. Contemporary style services tend to be much looser and more dependent upon the musicians and worship leaders in order to execute well. Am I making any sense? Seriously, tell me.

I guess the point I'm wondering if I am getting to is that people tend to attend worship services that are done well, almost regardless of their style preference. While I prefer a contemporary style of worship, there is no question in my mind that I would attend a high quality traditional service with a dynamic speaker over a mediocre contemporary service with the same speaker. I think my desire for quality trumps my preference of style.

What do you think? Am I way off base?

"Wesleyan Osmosis" Movie

So the class that I am taking this week is called Technology in Ministry with Dr. Boyd. One of our assignments was to storyboard, shoot, edit and produce a group movie project in less than a day's time. Here's what we came up with...

Use Me God: Finding Your Spiritual Gifts Week 7

Here we are at the 2nd to last week(7/26) of our study entitled "Use Me God: Finding Your Spiritual Gifts". I hope you have found it interesting and helpful over these past few weeks. This past Sunday (7/19) we took a Spiritual Gifts Survey in class and had some good discussion around the various gifts the survey said we did and didn't have. I have plenty of copies of the survey if you would like to take it and didn't get a chance, just let me know (matt@castletonumc.org).

Here are some things to be looking at and thinking about over the next couple days in preparation for our class on Sunday (7/26).

Matthew 7:21-23
1. Would you call these people fruitful based on their activities?
2. What are these people missing?
3. Is it possible that you are doing stuff for God but aren't connected to Him?

John 15:1-8
1. What does it look like for you to "abide in Christ"?
2. Are you?
3. What does the pruning Jesus mentions in vs. 2 look like in your life?

Psalm 1:1-3
1. How often do you "delight" in God's Word?
2. Are you using this as a way to abide in Christ?

Some things to think about...
Over the past month, have you grown or declined in:
1. Love toward God and others
2. Joy regardless of the situation
3. Peace with your set of gifts and where you use them
4. Patience in the face of frustrations
5. Kindness in affirming and encouraging others
6. Generosity in willing to go the extra mile
7. Faithfulness in doing what you said you would do
8. Gentleness in listening to others
9. Self-control in being a team player

As always, feel free to share your thoughts and questions.

*this study has been adapted from the book Gifts: the joy of serving God by John Ortberg, Laurie Pederson & Judson Poling*

Secular Music in Worship

I find myself down in Wilmore, KY for another class at ATS during the second summer session. This week my class is Technology in Ministry and looks to involve video editing, digital photography, photo editing and powerpoint work. Those are the practical aspects of the class, the philosophical aspect of the class involves a discussion around the effective use of technology in a worship service setting. It looks like we will be wrestling with questions of when, where and how things like video clips, music and slides can help create an atmosphere of worship.

The very first example Dr. Boyd used in class this morning was a slide show using the lyrics of a Paul Simon song entitled "Slip Slidin' Away". Of course I know who Paul Simon is and actually I like his stuff but I must admit that I had never heard this song before this morning but that is beside the point. I found it interesting that he chose to use a "secular" song as his first example for us, which played right into something I have been thinking about for a while now...should secular songs be used in worship services?

If you don't know this about me, you should know that I like music a lot. To the point that it becomes annoying for some people around me because I have music playing almost constantly. I am also a self-proclaimed music critic which has led me to avoid the majority of "contemporary Christian" music. I tend to think it's just not very good. Having said all of that, I believe that God can and does use "secular" and "Christian" music to connect with people in one way or another but am still working through the use of "secular" music in a worship service setting. I'm not saying I'm for or against it just yet, just that it seems like surely there has to be enough decent "Christian" music out there to use instead.

I guess I'm not sure that when unchurched visitors join us in our worship services and hear songs from Hootie & The Blowfish, The Beatles or Three Dog Night they leave thinking they experienced the presence of God, just attended church and/or plan on coming back. Sometimes it is easy for me to make a connection between a particular "secular" song and God but that's coming from someone who has an established relationship with Jesus, what about the person who is unfamiliar with church, God or His Son?

I'm not convinced either way at this point but would certainly love to hear what you think.

Hurry Up and Wait

Patience is a virtue...blah, blah, blah. I have a hard time waiting. I'm sure some of this has to do with the consumer focused, instant gratification type of society we live in here in the U.S. but I bet some of it has to do with me as well. I tend to be someone that wants things now, almost to the point where today isn't soon enough. I like change, it doesn't bother me and I find it spices things up a bit but I have a hard time waiting for it. Or even when things are hard I would rather face it, deal with it and move on. The thought of waiting around to see how things are going to play out can drive me mad.

This morning I was reading something from Carlo Carretto, who's writings I have just recently discovered, and it made me think about patience in a new way. I think I'm moving toward the conclusion that we were made to have an attitude of patience, of being willing to wait. Carretto says it much better, "We must assume an attitude of waiting, accepting the fact that we are creatures and not Creator. We must do this because it is not our right to do anything else; the initiative is God's, not ours."

I'm not sure I would say this is life changing for me but it might be. So often I am quick to see or make things happen to the point of stressing myself out when it seems like life would be so much more enjoyable if I would simply wait. I am the created, not the Creator and so I have no business worrying about making things happen before their time. I must simply wait and in those times of waiting come to know God.

"Be still, and know that I am God"

Psalm 46:10

Use Me God: Finding Your Spiritual Gifts Week 6

We continue our study on Spiritual Gifts this Sunday (7/12) and will be spending time talking about what it is that motivates you and I to serve God by taking a look at Galatians 3:1-3; Luke 10:38-42; Matthew 23:5-7; and Acts 6:1-4, 7. Take some time over the next couple days to look over these passages and questions in preparation for our time together this weekend.

Galatians 3:1-3
1. What was the issue here?
2. Does your motivation to serve come from a mind-set of grace or performance?

Luke 10:38-42
1. How would you describe the difference between Mary's and Martha's interactions with Jesus?
2. Do you think it is possible to do "Christ-like" things without actually being Christ-like?
3. Is it possible to do too many "good" things?
4. How how easy is it for you to avoid getting lost in the busyness of doing "good" things?

Matthew 23:5-7
1. What is it that is motivating the Pharisees?
2. Is this ever a motivation for you?

Acts 6:1-4, 7
1. What happens when people serve outside their gifts?
2. Why is it that 20% of people do 80% of the work, even if that means they must serve outside their gifts? Or worse, keeps them from serving within their gifts?

For further thought...
-Jesus' ministry lasted not more than 3yrs and yet he needed rest, what does that say to you about your need for rest over a lifetime?
-One a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best): I am serving in an area that best fits my gifts? I am doing the things I need to do to find rest?

*this study has been adapted from the book Gifts: the joy of serving God by John Ortberg, Laurie Pederson & Judson Poling*

Lifestyle

What kind of lifestyle do you lead? I think this question has the ability to be one that is gut wrenching-ly difficult or one that can be answered somewhat flippantly. My guess is it becomes the former if we take the time to truly examine the kind of life we lead; the things we do, the things we say, the things we value, the way we spend our money, our time, our energy. All of these contribute to the type of lifestyle you and I live on a daily basis.

It seems like, at least to me, the best type of lifestyle to lead is one that focuses on the lives of others first. It really is to everyone's advantage to live a life in this way because it moves the emphasis of my life off of me and on to the needs and concerns of others. What I think this looks like on its most basic level is a lifestyle modeled after that of Jesus. Isn't that really what Christians should be striving for in the first place?

The benefits of a life trying to imitate Jesus are obvious as the things we do, the things we say, the things we value, the way we spend our money, our time, and our energy are all directed by the way Jesus would use those things...for others. It's a win-win for everyone involved: for those whose needs and concerns we are trying to meet and for ourselves because it's in those moments of selfless service that we find true fulfillment and joy.

"Freedom Fries"

A sermon I gave yesterday (7/5/09) at our Sunrise Campus.
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So we are starting a series entitled “All American Ideas” and the best title I could come up with was “Freedom Fries”. It really has little to do with what I want to talk about this morning other than the idea of freedom, and specifically freedom in Christ. When I was told what the series was going to be and knowing that I would be preaching on Independence Day Weekend, "Freedom Fries" was the cheesiest (no pun intended...get it? cheese fries) title I came up with so I decided to go with it. Ok, enough about cheese fries...err, I mean "Freedom Fries"...I want to ask you a couple questions before we jump in:

How many of you need to be in control or feel like you have control? How many of you have ever had a decision made for you or taken from you? How many of you have ever had times when the outcome of a certain situation, circumstance or relationship has been taken out of your control?

If you're like me, you could relate to each one of those questions and often times find that you never really had control in the first place. And the times when you did "have control" you just messed things up, at least that's my story most of the time. Sometimes all of this can lead to a sense of being trapped by fear, doubt or worry. When the worries of this world cage us in, we quickly realize that despite living in the "Land of the Free" we often times don't feel so free.

This is what led me to think about what freedom in Christ can mean and look like for you and I this morning. Now there are probably more things that you could think of that Jesus wants to set us free from or set us free to do but I feel like these four points will give us a good place to start. If you other ideas you want to share of what freedom in Christ looks like, please don't hesitate to let me know. Ok, let's jump in...

1. Jesus wants to set you free from religion.

-Matt. 11:29-30 (^28-30 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." The Message)
-This is the idea that Paul talks about when he mentions the ‘Law’ in a number of his letters.
-Jesus says that if you and I know Him, we will obey His commands.
-Jesus is setting us free to focus on a relationship with Him and not the rules or regulations.

2. Jesus wants to set you free from the concerns of this world, but not for this world.

-Sometimes we get distracted by the cares of this world and find ourselves held captive to policies, staff directives, finances, bosses and expectations others have for us.
-John 16:33
-John 14:27
-John 17:15-16
-Jesus recognizes this world desperately needs people like you and me who have a relationship with Him to care for it. I think He also wants us to see that the world doesn't need more religion but rather people who are following Him.

3. Jesus wants to set you free to love and serve.

-Gal. 5:13-15 (^{13-15 “}It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?” The Message)
-This means we are set free to forgive those who have hurt us and to show mercy to those we’d rather seek revenge on.

4. Jesus wants to set you free from yourself

-Rom. 6:17-18 ( ^{15-18 ”}So, since we're out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!” The Message)
-In the very next chapter of Romans Paul talks about doing the very things he hates doing…even when we think we have control we don’t
-You and I are not in control. If even for a moment we had it, we’ve lost it. We can’t even stop doing the things we know we don’t want to do.
-Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” In order to have life to the fullest, we must allow Christ to set us free from ourselves.