"The journey is always more important than the destination". "Not when it comes to truth". Brilliant. 👏🏻 Will have to remember this next time I hear that statement.
“And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”” Matthew 19:17 NASB1995
@@benjaminvalenti1242 You mean evil people don’t need an excuse. What I said was: In order to get good people to do evil you require religion Is it always not good to kill children ?
“Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.” - G. K. Chesterton
As it is written, He that believeth in me shall never thirst and he that cometh to me shall never hunger. Spiritually speaking after our first bite we never have any need to eat again. However, according to our walk, and the things that van be seen of us, we walk in a manner that says that we know and believe and have witness that, in every circumstance and in every situation, Jesus is our sufficiency.
Also the Spiritual but not religious says a lot of things, but also says nothing. I've met people who were basically diests, pagans who were solitary practitioners, and atheists who believed in the supernatural but nothing outside of pop culture level of ghosts, demons and angels. All of these people used that tag but all were clearly different people.
This is so relevant Mike. I have felt ashamed of my religion in the past. As I grow especially in understanding and defending the gospel religion if held to the biblical standard is a beautiful part of our walk with Christ. Thank you for sharing as always.
Before I was born again I use to say I was ''spiritual'' and believed religion to be a system of oppression. As I've grown in my relationship with the Lord and the truth, I do indeed call my religious and am religious. I've come to realize just about every form of ideology is a religion whether it be ''spiritual'' ideology or not. There is only one true religion, one true faith, and to be ''spiritual'' means to have the Holy Spirit which is only possible through the Christian religion. I am religious and never thought I would say that about myself. Praise the Lord!
Amen. To be honest, I struggle with the idea of calling my faith religion because I've come into the mindset of "its not really a set of rules or a way of dealing with God, but rather a Spirit of kindness and truth". Of course, on the other hand, pure religion before God and the Father is to keep oneself unspotted from the world and to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction. So we see that religion is love. It's the very basis of our faith, to be religious. A set of ways to act and things to be done in every situation you may find yourself in, under every circumstance. Religion helps keep us grounded in the things that God would have us be and do. So long as religion doesn't become a snare, to continue in things we should and shouldn't do. Because at any time, any rule should be thrown out, according to the word of God.
Greatest man in history,he had no servants yet they called him master,he had no degree yet they called him teacher,he had no medicines yet they called him healer,he had no washing line yet he hung on a cross,he had no military yet kings feared him he had no military battles yet he conquered the world he committed no sin yet they crucified him they buried him in a tomb yet he lives today hes the only person to say goodbyes to death and the grave but he lives forever his name is king Jesus and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord 👉🔥🔱💘💞👍
Inanna is the earliest known resurrected god. For her, a clear-cut death-and-resurrection tale exists on clay tablets inscribed in Sumeria over a thousand years before Christianity, plainly describing her humiliation, trial, execution, and crucifixion, and her resurrection three days later.
@@paulallen7962 What it witnessed by over 500 people, written about by secular historians, or acknowledged by other religions like the resurrection of Christ was?
Totally fine. I think the argument he's making is a bit closed-minded dressed up to sound intelligent. I think you and I both stumbled upon a channel not meant for us 😅
This makes absolutely perfect sense. You cannot say you’re religious if you don’t follow a religion😂 but you can still believe in afterlife, God etc. That’s spiritual. I’m with you ❤
Thank you. This is the second video in 24 hours you put out that really hit home in a good way. Thank you for sharing Abba's blessing that the Spirit gave you.
@Mystery Girl I’m not glorifying anyone. I have one quote. And please actually stick to the question I asked you before bringing other things into your argument.
@Mystery Girl One issue at a time please. And you’re misrepresenting cessationism. It is not believing that no spiritual gifts exist. It is only that the miraculous sign gifts (prophecy, tongues, healing) have ceased residing in humans with the completion of Scripture. Prophecy gives authority to write Scripture. Scripture says not to add to Scripture. Therefore God will not give prophecy. Tongues is prophecy in another language. Read Acts 2. Give me one example of divine healing and I’ll withdraw my argument on that. Even mentioning that he is a cessationist does not make him wrong about the comment I initially made. Argue that point instead of gish galloping.
Having aligned myself with unsaved men in relationship and marriage, I think I used this to appear "open" and not dogmatic. At 69, with so much sadness and brokenness as my collected past, I am convicted to say "I am committed to Christ Jesus, religiously and spiritually" His Mind , His Heart, His precepts. Thankyou, Mike , for pushing into the "mas profundas" where Jesus sends us for the fullness is.
I don't say it to appear open, I think God who I believe is niether a he or a she but rather the light people see who have had near death experiences, but anyway I think God and the spiritual realm is so much deeper than organized religion. To me organized religion just seems rather shallow..and people are seeing things through thier personal ideas, often what their parents are culture teaches..buy there is a much bigger picture, which is much deeper than organized religion that people just don't understand.
I used to say this when I was a teenager. I said it due to the stigma, I wasn’t saved yet but was raised Christian and was finding my way to Christ. I also said it because I assumed I was a Christian, and because I had little understanding of the Bible I though Jesus himself was more “spiritual” and merely relationship and not religious because he chastised Pharisees. I’m glad I’ve grown up and matured in my faith now ✝️🙏☺️
CONGRATSULATIONS! This is something to be so humbly proud of. Because it’s been 17 years may I ask a question? If it’s personal I completely understand but here it is: did you have to go through a rehab program or did God instantly deliver you? I have a family member who is a alcoholic and in searching for a way to pray and minister to them I’m being told “alcoholism is something the person will or can actually die if not receiving a medical rehab”. I’d like to hear from someone who knows. Thanks
THANK YOU, Mike! I have been astounded for decades at how multitudes of Christians think religion is evil. I have heard preachers thunder, "GOD HATES RELIGION!" But God _loves_ religion, according to James 1:27!
Yes they're spiritual narcissists. I say this as an ex-New Ager that used to use this line as well. Now I cringe when I hear that it's such a lame cliche. Basically means "I use spirituality for the glory of the self"
@@nataliek5134 Hey, use that past experience to help change people! Loudly and proudly speak the truth to those who need it. You were there, you got out--use that to help others do the same!
True, it’s the same thing as saying all religions are equal, which really that means that they’re equally Null and void if they are equal! Except, Nobody comes to the father except through Jesus Christ of the Bible!
Or they don’t believe religion does god justice, they believe the same parts of the Bible as anyone else who has faith, they just feel religion is unnecessary
I am spiritual but not religious, as a pagan and part time witch apprentice, I am definitely spiritual and I can answer with honesty that I am not religious.
Great. But I must say that among "spiritual" people I have found a lot of religious people who didn't even knew they were religious. Couse they were FULL OF BELIEFS therefore made spiritualism a religion to believe in instead a road to knowledge
@@MulunaLewi religious how? that's no worshipping happening, no particular deity to pay mandatory tribute of (sometimes it happens but not always), no so called holy book written by uninformed ancient barbarians and no systematic practice to follow. If you call this religious you may as well call artists and book writers religious.
@@thekingofthings2002 pangalism is an umbrella term used to cover a bunch of stuff, it has no universal doctrines nor any recognizable religious leader and therefore does not qualify as a religion.
I had heard the quote attributed to William F Buckley, “the purpose of an open mind is to close it, otherwise you’ve merely abdicated the responsibility to think”
Would you say Christians who say “I don’t have a religion, I have a relationship with Christ,” as people who are trying to remove the stigma as well? I’ve heard this so many times and for me I don’t find anything wrong with saying I have a religion. (A defined system of belief).
Another point of view to consider is that having a relationship with Jesus is a spiritual relationship because God is a Spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Religion was never a commandment or mentioned in the Word other than True religion and undefiled is this, to visit the widows and the orphans. Not based on works but benevolence and compassion. I see how so many New Age and false teaching is growing, but I consider myself more spiritual (minded) than religious. Even Jesus was crucified by His own "Religious" people Anyone can eat, smoke, exercise, follow sports religiously, etc. or present a many number of religious sacraments which I do not relate myself with. Christianity to me is a Relationship with Christ. Not a Religion. The world lumps All religions into cults which is not good. I'll stick with born again Christian in a spiritual relationship with Jesus.
You’re right on with the point about seeking. As Christians, we seek to better “comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”(Ephesians 3:18-19 ESV) Through suffering and pain, we grow to live out the fullness of our knowledge of Him.
This gets into a similar issue I have with modern American evangelicalism where we say “it’s not a religion, it’s a relationship.” I really dislike that phrase and redefining if the word religion to mean “bad” “legalism” “works righteousness” etc. Religion and Relationship are two sides of the same coin and should not be pitted against one another.
YES! If I NEVER hear that again, it'll be too soon. I'd much rather lose this catchphrase than "SBNR", which is little more than "I believe in some sort of being but I'm just too lazy to get up Sunday morning for church..."
@@actionsub Haha. Same, my friend …same 🤦♂ @SovereignReformed27 nailed it here. The statement does more harm than good, in my opinion. All human beings are religious. All human beings take certain things as granted, so they exercise faith in someone or something. This is to be religious.
@Christ Is The Truth You just described true Christian religion my friend. No one spoke how you are speaking before the 1900s lol. Christians for 2000 years had no issue calling Christianity a religion. “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” - James 1:27
@@jasonnoble7302 you can trace your family tree back to the apes and You cannot out psychologize the Bible for God not to throw you into hell for all eternity. In other words, you cannot come up with a good enough excuse here and now, so you will not be able to on judgment day. If you say you did not want to be born, God is going to say you should’ve been born again, that means become a Christian so that’s not gonna work. And there are no other excuses try to think of one. So now you know for the first time in your life, that the Bible is smarter than you and it is a steel trap, smarter than all of mankind, What should you do then? So at least investigate and look to see that these things are true, because right now you just learned the Bible is smarter than you! Prophecy, the Bible is 27% prophecy, that’s future history written in advance. God‘s really sticking his neck out to get it cut off he’s wrong but he hasn’t been wrong about the thousands of prophecies that were fulfilled, so he’ll be right about the end of the world prophecies as well and you’ll have no excuse on judgment day for not looking for truth! Caveat: you cannot look for God in times of chaos says Isaiah 45:19, so you better do it now. In other words,You’ll be too worried about your own survival when chaos hits, than your eternal destiny! Statistic probability of 40 writers writing the Bible with zero margin of deviation, proves God wrote the Bible through the 40 writers! God authored the Bible! DNA does not auto encrypt, the code writer is outside of the code of the 3300000,000,000 lines of computer code in the human genome of our DNA! So who wrote the code to such sophistication? 1,000,000 seconds is 12 days, 1,000,000,000 seconds is 32 years! That’s the difference between 1 million and 1 billion! One person’s DNA could fill the Grand Canyon up to 50 times full of books. John 21:25 “I suppose everything Jesus did, the world wouldn’t have enough room for the books telling of it.“ this verse would be fulfilled! Psalm 139:16 “in my members you have written many books“! Psalm 139 is about the human body!
"Christian" is no longer sufficient as too many people claim to be a Christian and have no use for the Bible and are therefore false Christians. I am a Gospel Believer that follows, believes and accepts the Bible as the inerrant, inspired Word of God. I need a term for that. ❤
My term is Bible Reader . KJV only because it's the only one that has quickened the Spirit within (Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.)
@@alexandria1663 FACTS!! Far too often we allow the world to take hostage terminology and definitions to the point we as Christians begin to accept what the world thinks about us. That is a problem to which Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Rom 1:16) which makes us all who believe and have faith in Him Christians.
Great video! Love all your points, and I was curious how you feel about saying “it’s not about Religion, it’s about Relationship”. I would never consider or call myself religious, but I don’t fit under the categories you shared. When I explain my faith, I emphasize my love for Jesus and the truth that He’s the only way to the Father, to healing, freedom, eternity, etc. But I was taught that religion is all about rules, and it wasn’t until I learned that I can have a real relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit that I started giving my WHOLE life to Him, seeking & receiving spiritual gifts, getting revelation about and from scripture, etc. I feel like Rom 7 is a great reference for this
People ask me sometimes, are you a Christian. I find that a loaded question. So I just say, I'm a devoted follower of Jesus and his Gospel. I tell them take that however you will. No one ever pushes after my response. And if they ever did, I would restate the same answer.
@@alexandria1663 I know that you know there are multitudes of people in our world who deny Christ existence or just blatantly hate him. So when I say its a loaded question, (and I should have specified in my comment ) that the people goad you into a situation where they try to be the dominant one in the conversation by using history like the dark ages as to how Christians are not what they portray themselves to be. So when these types ask the question, your spirit warns you over the trap they are trying to set for you which in today's world can easily lead to violence against you on their part. Jesus warns us, when you see trouble coming, we are to run from it. The battle isn't ours, its Jesus battle. He already won, they just haven't got the orders yet that the war is lost on their end. They are still fighting a losing cause. So, I tell them I'm a follower of Jesus or it depends on the situation and my spirit at that particular moment, I may just tell them my beliefs are of my own and I don't feel comfortable sharing them with you today. It is only a title, it isnt anything to squabble over. I know who I am, I know I am sealed with my name written in the book of life. If it were a actual Christian, I don't hesitate. I say yes, I'm a Christian. But I try not throwing my pearls to the swine concerning anyone else.
@@Bigjakevet69 not that you shouldn’t chose your battles, but if this is your usual, go-to reaction in most cases I think you’re firmly in the wrong my brother. The excuse that it’s Jesus’s battle not ours doesn’t stand, we’re called to the Great Commission. Paul said “We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) for a reason. Better to be educated about the myths they spread relating to the dark ages or the Crusades or whatever else, so you can refute them, and also point out that Christianity doesn’t stand or fall on the character of people claiming the title “Christian”, but on the resurrection of Christ. Please be encouraged, the history of Christ’s church is a story of salvation that we should embrace, not ashamed of. Most of the things they say about our history aren’t accurate. Gain knowledge and refute them, and they will grow in respect for Christianity.
@@alexandria1663 Well you are entitled to your opinion but I don't agree with you. You'd have to know more about me, who I am, my life ECT to be able to make a more informed decision on my character than by chatting with me in small sentences on social media.
"spiritual but not religious" is for people for whom faith is largely irrelevant. It's an easy way to end a conversation since there's no way to understand exactly what it means. Its meaning can change to whatever is necessary to avoid conflict, meaning faith is always secondary (at the very least).
What's the difference between faith and blind belief? We should never have to believe anything without proof, or there would be no way to tell the difference between truth and falsehoods.
Thank you so much for this message! I never knew how to answer someone saying to me they are spiritual. I don't want to go into a long speach about it; they usually come back with a "but..." and it becomes this long argument. I am a Cristian, a child of the only Almighty God , through Jesus Christ who died in my place . Christ who was ressurected and is sitting on the right had of now also My Father in Heaven. And Jesus lives in me through the Holy Spirit. I will listen to this again . Thank you. May God bless you
I've said that before when evangelizing but it never felt right, was following what I heard Christian leaders say without actually believing it or giving it real thought like a fool.
Instead of speculating why someone would say “that,” try asking. You were way off in representing me in your assumptions. Watching this video literally reaffirms why I’m spiritual, not religious.
Exactly my friend exatly. Spiritualism is for people who doesn't want to focus vey much on materialistic things or ego, but for people seeking better understanding of themselves, world around, seek the meaining of their life, try to get to some deeper philolopshical understanding, and for me at leas, care about morality (not in form of human made ethics but transcendent truth). Religion is partially an atempt to give that but with tons of stuff to blindly follow, doctrines, beliefs, often guild or shame, with quite rotten organisation around called church etc. Spiritualism is also for people who seeks god/higher power but doesn't want some indoctrinated middle man standing in between.
I am that person that said “I am spiritual, not religious”. Thank you for walking me through this, and not just proclaiming that I was wrong. My reason for saying this and believing what I said, were not any of the reasons that you listed. It never occurred to me that it didn’t mean what I thought it meant. I thought I was saying “I believe in the Holy Bible. Period. Not a particular Christian denomination. I will not be saying that about myself any longer.
I've never been so triggered and irritated by your videos as this one. I've never been irritated by any of your videos, except this one. But this video blew my mind.
I used to say this because I was confused. I grew up in a very staunch LDS belief system, and when I started rejecting their teachings, I hadn't quite figured out where I was religiously, and so I would say I'm spiritual, not religious. I am very much a Christian now
This was totally me. And for me it was definitely mostly because becoming a Christian (at 29) was NOT something I would have ever imagined for myself. I didn't do it because it was cool, trendy or felt good but because I believed it to be true. But I felt very uncomfortable about it in many situations. My life was grounded in family, friends, interests etc that were definitely not Christian. I knew the negative connotations attached to the words religion, Jesus and Christian/Christ, and so the idea that I could say either that my faith was spiritual, or more often that it was about a "relationship not religion" felt like a buffer. The other thing was that I was taught a lot about how the religious leaders in Jesus' time were 'bad' ... And so it was part of trying to dissociate from that too. I now embrace the fact that I am religious, and actually hope I will become moreso! But in God's way, not my own.
8:37 I for one would love for you to make a video on this topic. Ministering and outreach is important but I have seen far too many Christians put themselves too in the world in an attempt to engage in Christian outreach, often leading to them being stressed out all the time and perpetually angry at something as they are spending more time dealing with nonbelievers than walking in fellowship with other Christians. It also of course carries the risk of leading to compromise in one's beliefs. Honestly, how Christians can overprioritize outreach to the world and make an idol of it is a very important and oft-overlooked issue and I genuinely believe it would be beneficial for you to talk on this point. If you don't want to that's fine but I figured that I would give my two cents on the topic, God bless you and your ministry either way.
Thank you for speaking on this. I've never felt good using the word religious to describe myself. Always felt legalistic. Spiritual felt too "new age" to me. I'll say I'm a Christian woman. But, in these days, that can be taken in so many ways. Yes, I like the "religious and following Jesus Christ."
Me being spiritual, I like to learn about myself from myself. Not have someone read me a book and say this is how you have to live, and if you don’t donate you go to hell
Great video. My pet peeve is “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship!” Contrary to popular belief, something can be more than just one thing. Can you do a video on this?
There's an old saying that goes like this and I think a lot of people have forgotten this one DON'T BE SO OPEN MINDED THAT YOU'RE BRAIN FALLS OUT OF YOU'RE HEAD !!!!!!!!
I think, at least to many in the millennial generation, this line seems like a cop-out, since followers of Jesus are religious. I get more respect from my millennial peers when I own it and don’t try to obfuscate, it’s less patronizing and more boldly, unabashedly honest.
A lot of ppl call themselves a follower of Christ, but the ppl who shun the religious aspect of what that means are really just fans of Christ's miracles. Very few ppl actually believe Christ in Luk.. 6:46 when He said that He is supposed to be a Christian's _Master_ . The traditional "Christian" world love to preach Him as a Savior, but it never preaches anything about Him being a Master who rules over His followers.
I personally hate when people equate being religious with something bad. You can have a bad religion or a good one depending on your fruits. I always say your religion is the vehicle, your spirituality, rides in.
Pure religion is devotion to orphans and widows. Orphans dont know father, widows dont have bridegroom, so in a spiritual sense, religion is devotion/serving of those that dont know God.
That's a phrase that I use, "I try to stay open minded to others religious opinions." Not that I agree with their opinion, because I do believe in my core beliefs. But I do try to educate myself with the world to help understand why I hold my beliefs.
I agree with this, I also dislike it when people say, Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. No, we’re not. We’re a set of practices based on theism. That’s religion. The only difference is that we’re following the RIGHT religion.
True, but relationship with Jesus is still important. One might lack it and is only interested in church traditions and rituals. They may just go church sing a songs, to get that blessed feeling, but they have not actually given their life to Jesus.
This is exactly what the short film we're making is about! Specifically the crusades. It's about a knight who's stuck in the dead religion of the catholic church during the 1200s and he's forced to commit terrible sins in their name. He captures an Arab and is told to mistreat him since he's the enemy, but the knight doesn't feel right about it. It turns out that the Arab is actually a christian, but a true christian who ACTUALLY follows Jesus. The knight then has to decide between his dead religion and the true religion of the Gospel. It's called the Voice of Men if any one is interested. There's a trailer for it on our channel. Thanks for shedding light on this Mike. It is honestly hard to call ourselves religious these days because of the way that word has been tainted. But there is NO SHAME in sincerely following God.
Growing up, the women I would hear say they were religious did not appear to have a relationship with Jesus but rather seemed to believe that because they had pictures of angels and crosses and such all around their home, they believed they were religious. Therefore I always related “being religious “ to these older women surrounded by statues and photos. I wasn’t one of them so I’m not religious. That was my thought and that’s what I often still see from people at work.
One thing to keep in mind is that Ya'akov (James, the brother of Jesus and head of the Church in Jerusalem who wrote the book of James) understood 'religion' in terms of the original Messianic Judaism of his day-not just 'general' religion. But this is a great video! Thanks, Mike!
You'll be happy to know that when I read the bible, I imagine a Jewish (or at least a Middle Eastern) person is speaking to me. And I say this as a blonde hair/blue eyed Midwesterner in the US. I don't try to make the bible relate to me, I try to relate to the bible.
I didn't even listen to the whole thing yet 😅 but I'm interested to hear! I've said sometimes that I'm not religious but I'm a follower of Jesus (or about those words, in my language). I don't think I'm that "spiritual" and the whole word sounds a little new age to me.. But I also find the word "religious" troublesome at least in my language. People usually mean by religious that someone is kind of following dead habits without any meaning, a little bit like "a pharisee" or something. So it doesn't bear the meaning it should. Maybe it's that baggage. I try to find a way to talk that carries my intention best, sometimes it's difficult as the meanings of words are not fixed but change during time. Adding a little after listening.. In my translation it says in James "If anyone considers himself a servant of God".
I think the reason people say they are "spiritual not religious" is because they don't have any particular religious beliefs, but they do think that there could be something "out there," i.e., a god, goddess, etc. They don't necessarily believe that you die and that's it, but they also don't know what happens next and don't pretend to know. At least, that's the people I encounter who say that.
@Christ Is The Truth of course Christ saves and not religion, I never said otherwise. The truth of my statement stands. Christ calls us to a system of beliefs, a religion by definition.
Yup I remember saying that as a teen lol. I guess I was just capitulating to all the agnostics and atheists in my circle. Nowadays I'm just so glad that Lord in all of His grace led me back to him, and I don't care what other people think. 🙏
Being "religious" had a bad connotation. Ppl go 2 church and do believe in christ. I know ppl who talk about God all the time but say they are not Christian. Being "spiritual " is also so broad it could mean anything these days.
I never said "spiritual; not religious," but that's because the popular thing to say (which I did say) when I was a teenager was "it's not a religion: it's a relationship." As I got older, I realized that the structure of organized religion may be of secondary importance to a relationship with Christ, but it's still extremely important.
@Christ Is The Truth I know my punctuation isn't always the best, so I'll say it was my writing that caused you to miss the part at the end where I said organized religion was of secondary importance to a relationship with Christ.
@Christ Is The Truth Then you and I just have two different definitions of religion is all. I would define religion as "a personal or institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices, held to with ardor and faith." I pursue a relationship with Jesus because I love Him, but He said if I love Him, I must keep His commandments (John 14:15). The relationship with Jesus constitutes the system of beliefs and attitudes, and the requirement to keep Jesus' commandments constitutes the system of practices.
If a nation cannot function properly without an established hierarchy, then why do professing Christians act like God doesn't view government as being important? The first thing the American founders did after their rebellion was form a government because they knew that everything else revolved around it. It's no different with God's spiritual nation. Everything biblical doctrine revolves around government!
I remember that a prostitute said that exact phrase to me as she sat next to me on the subway up in the Bronx. She was trying to pick me up. You can use spirituality to excuse any sin. I got off the train a short time later.
To which I would say, "If you cannot feel Spirit calling unto Spirit and Deep calling unto Deep, then you are none of His! I KNOW He is Living and Active in me and all I do!"
God bless all Godly people with FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT and GOLDEN RULE Godliness, families, marriages, homes, parenting, morals, prayerfulness, lifestyles, churches, communities..
At work one of my coworkers kindly gifted me “pictures” of Jesus. When I relocated to another office building those photos were misplaced. My supervisor then kindly printed new photos and I displayed them on my desk. One of the temps (a lady 7 years older than me with a pansexual symbol tattoo on her forearm) approached my desk, pointed to the photos and asked, “are you actually religious or are you just chill?” I replied, “no, I’m actually religious, I’m a practicing Christian.” I have no shame in my faith or being called “religious” for following it openly.
“You want to be religious!” Haha.. no thanks. But keep preaching This video made me much more spiritual and absolutely less religious. Thank you. I’ll sit in my “embarrassment”.
this is comically fascinating. I would give so much to be in the room during this unmitigated one dimensional silliness. I dont fit into any of the hypothetical subjects covered here and that's partly why I find it so tone deaf and naive. This video is addressing people in a very demeaning way with half truths and subjectives. this whole bluster of false binaries and pretenses will not manifest well, because this inadvertently defines ignorance of reality, or a relinquishing of your critical thought; at best heavily dictating the bounds with which thought can journey. "dogmatism". also the hypocrisy is palpable. "what are you seeking if you never reach a destination?" truth, as it pertains to the world we are in which is ever increasing. you don't have a monopoly on the goal of traversing this world in a principle fashion. in fact I would call that a sin to think so. your religion owns nothing outside of its name. truth is an innate force of the world. whether God had anything to do with our existence or not it bodes poorly for you to assume that you have "found" anything approaching an end to the war of good and bad which ironically after scolding the "wrong people" for searching for these answers, he immediately goes on to claim that he does this too but its ok because he got the essentials that he deems sufficient already, so he's now free to repeat the study if these truths evermore defining them as reading scripture and so on. funny enough me and him would probably agree on most things and define them as truth. how we came to those conclusions is far different.
I am spiritual not religious, what that means: I trust Jesus/ Yeshua/ Sananda and I called him my brother and he is around here. But I don’t trust the distort Bible & certain Church (still some people in some Church so adorable & innocent) and I don’t worship Jesus neither other religious Gods rather my heart 🤍
7:45 “so yes you have strings, they’re just not the right ones.” Wow! That says it all to me. That in itself is very dogmatic. It’s my way or the highway. I think there’s extremes here. Maybe you are focussing on those who say spirituality and are flippant with it. Maybe more “new age”, but that in itself is a stereotype. There are however, those of us who actually do the work. The difference is it’s only ourselves we answer to. I personally have the same values as most religions, like compassion, community, respect. The issue I have is I am my own person and do not need to be held accountable to a collective group of people and not made to feel shame if I’ve “done something wrong”. Where’s the compassion in that?
I use to say this because I grew up in Fort Mill SC, Jimmy and Tammy Fae Baker area and we have Elevation right up the road too. There is not one place I found in the area that stands by just reading and following scripture so I always equated religion with pious hypocrites. Religion is wide and faith is very shallow here. Now I just accept there is nowhere here to go and just read and follow as scripture teaches. It's not an easy walk but it's minus the denominational rejection of the complete Jesus Christ. That's a true statement here too. Each denomination picks and chooses the Jesus they like and rejects the rest of the teachings.
I have my own individual beliefs, some of them stemming from religious groups, but I do not label myself or identify with any of these religions. I believe in a higher power that is responsible in creating the universe, which I see as God source. God source for me is an energy that created all things and exists in all things. Like a vibration of love and wholeness that is always expanding and growing through us. Everything that makes up the universe, life and existence. I believe the divine power lies within all of us, and not just outside of us. Allows me to focus inwards on my own human spirit and soul, instead of a defined set of beliefs. How can I say I’m religious when I don’t follow a religion yet believe in God source? That’s why I say I’m spiritual. There’s no lies involved and I’m unsure why people get their backs up when people say it? I think if other people’s beliefs annoy you, ask yourself why. Does the Bible say “Do not judge, or you too will be judged”
Hey pastor! You explained well. Thanks for the insight. Sadly, I’ve seen so many people who are very religious. They really do good things, but they refuse to believe in God’s grace and peace through Jesus alone. They focus on doing all the right actions (and boast about their goodness) but would not really have that intimacy with God. I know some missionaries that do trips to third world countries and do really good things to them but it’s for the sake of humanity and not for the gospel. They are promoting the name of their religion instead of Jesus. I think it’s sad.
Thank you for this. The thing is that I know some Christians who really love God but say that they're spiritual and not religious. The reason they say this is because they relate being religious to being a Pharisee. And they say they're spiritual cause they don't follow the law but the Spirit. What do you say to people like that? Two months ago, when I had to leave my church because of their doctrine (prosperity gospel and the Word of faith teaching), someone told me that I was being religious... Like a Pharisee. I told her that being religious isn't what she thinks it is but I didn't really know what to say to refute her point.
1:35 anyone else had the song from the animated movie of Pinocchio happening in their head, or even noticed the song’s cadence in Mike’s words the second time he said it? No?
My mom always said be open minded but not so open that your brain falls out. 😂
I LOVE this, I've never heard this before 😂
Like a coffee filter. You want the good stuff, not all the gross gritty coffee grains lol.
I love that too...
not so open-minded that your brain falls out!!!😂🎉😊
Hahaha! I like that😂
You’re mom quotes G. K. Chesterton. Cool mom
"The journey is always more important than the destination".
"Not when it comes to truth".
Brilliant. 👏🏻 Will have to remember this next time I hear that statement.
I remember saying this myself when I was younger because of the stigma. Now I know, I am religious and it is a good thing because I follow Christ.
For good people to do evil things you need religion
@Mystery Girl
Is it good to kill children?
“And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.””
Matthew 19:17 NASB1995
@@jasonnoble7302 trust me people don't need any type of religion as an excuse to do evil things
@@benjaminvalenti1242
You mean evil people don’t need an excuse.
What I said was:
In order to get good people to do evil you require religion
Is it always not good to kill children ?
“Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.” - G. K. Chesterton
Boss quote! Thanks for sharing!!!
As it is written, He that believeth in me shall never thirst and he that cometh to me shall never hunger. Spiritually speaking after our first bite we never have any need to eat again. However, according to our walk, and the things that van be seen of us, we walk in a manner that says that we know and believe and have witness that, in every circumstance and in every situation, Jesus is our sufficiency.
@@xavierthomas5835 Amen brother.
Also the Spiritual but not religious says a lot of things, but also says nothing. I've met people who were basically diests, pagans who were solitary practitioners, and atheists who believed in the supernatural but nothing outside of pop culture level of ghosts, demons and angels. All of these people used that tag but all were clearly different people.
This is so relevant Mike. I have felt ashamed of my religion in the past. As I grow especially in understanding and defending the gospel religion if held to the biblical standard is a beautiful part of our walk with Christ. Thank you for sharing as always.
Before I was born again I use to say I was ''spiritual'' and believed religion to be a system of oppression. As I've grown in my relationship with the Lord and the truth, I do indeed call my religious and am religious. I've come to realize just about every form of ideology is a religion whether it be ''spiritual'' ideology or not. There is only one true religion, one true faith, and to be ''spiritual'' means to have the Holy Spirit which is only possible through the Christian religion. I am religious and never thought I would say that about myself. Praise the Lord!
Yup, just about everyone believes in good and evil and redemption
Amen... I think that is why more people are not getting married bcz they say marriage is oppressive...
Which religion are preaching the gospel of the kingdom around the world to all nations as Jesus christ said Mathew 4:23,24:14,28:19-20,Mark 13:10?
Amen. To be honest, I struggle with the idea of calling my faith religion because I've come into the mindset of "its not really a set of rules or a way of dealing with God, but rather a Spirit of kindness and truth". Of course, on the other hand, pure religion before God and the Father is to keep oneself unspotted from the world and to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction. So we see that religion is love. It's the very basis of our faith, to be religious. A set of ways to act and things to be done in every situation you may find yourself in, under every circumstance. Religion helps keep us grounded in the things that God would have us be and do. So long as religion doesn't become a snare, to continue in things we should and shouldn't do. Because at any time, any rule should be thrown out, according to the word of God.
@@xavierthomas5835 Is that from the Bible Psalms 119:105,2thimoty 3:16-17? Or is that from you own opinion Roman's 10;2-3?
Greatest man in history,he had no servants yet they called him master,he had no degree yet they called him teacher,he had no medicines yet they called him healer,he had no washing line yet he hung on a cross,he had no military yet kings feared him he had no military battles yet he conquered the world he committed no sin yet they crucified him they buried him in a tomb yet he lives today hes the only person to say goodbyes to death and the grave but he lives forever his name is king Jesus and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord 👉🔥🔱💘💞👍
Nah
Amen. Well said
Inanna is the earliest known resurrected god. For her, a clear-cut death-and-resurrection tale exists on clay tablets inscribed in Sumeria over a thousand years before Christianity, plainly describing her humiliation, trial, execution, and crucifixion, and her resurrection three days later.
@@paulallen7962 What it witnessed by over 500 people, written about by secular historians, or acknowledged by other religions like the resurrection of Christ was?
@dangeroso Not even close. 1 claim of 500 witnesses.
I’m spiritual but not religious. I have no religion. Just a spirit. Thank you.
Doesn’t make any type of sense
Totally fine. I think the argument he's making is a bit closed-minded dressed up to sound intelligent. I think you and I both stumbled upon a channel not meant for us 😅
This makes absolutely perfect sense. You cannot say you’re religious if you don’t follow a religion😂 but you can still believe in afterlife, God etc. That’s spiritual. I’m with you ❤
That is an open invintion to the invasion of the enemy. Come to Christ ☦
@JustinWhite- No it is.
Thank you. This is the second video in 24 hours you put out that really hit home in a good way. Thank you for sharing Abba's blessing that the Spirit gave you.
Thank you Heavenly Father, for pastor Mike!! He is teaching so much!! Thank You so much for all You do!!
🙏✝️🕊️
Which religion are true according to the Bible in this world? Because many religions are not true according to the Bible Mathew 7;21-23,1JOHN 4;1.
@@vusimngomezulu2500 Jesus is the only way.
John MacArthur I think correctly summed this up:
“If someone says they’re spiritual but not religious, it usually means they are their own god.”
@Mystery Girl By what standard do you define cessationism as heretical?
Also being wrong about one thing doesn’t mean being wrong about everything.
@Mystery Girl I’m not glorifying anyone. I have one quote.
And please actually stick to the question I asked you before bringing other things into your argument.
@Mystery Girl One issue at a time please.
And you’re misrepresenting cessationism. It is not believing that no spiritual gifts exist. It is only that the miraculous sign gifts (prophecy, tongues, healing) have ceased residing in humans with the completion of Scripture.
Prophecy gives authority to write Scripture. Scripture says not to add to Scripture. Therefore God will not give prophecy.
Tongues is prophecy in another language. Read Acts 2.
Give me one example of divine healing and I’ll withdraw my argument on that.
Even mentioning that he is a cessationist does not make him wrong about the comment I initially made. Argue that point instead of gish galloping.
Having aligned myself with unsaved men in relationship and marriage, I think I used this to appear "open" and not dogmatic. At 69, with so much sadness and brokenness as my collected past, I am convicted to say "I am committed to Christ Jesus, religiously and spiritually" His Mind , His Heart, His precepts.
Thankyou, Mike , for pushing into the "mas profundas" where Jesus sends us for the fullness is.
I don't say it to appear open, I think God who I believe is niether a he or a she but rather the light people see who have had near death experiences, but anyway I think God and the spiritual realm is so much deeper than organized religion. To me organized religion just seems rather shallow..and people are seeing things through thier personal ideas, often what their parents are culture teaches..buy there is a much bigger picture, which is much deeper than organized religion that people just don't understand.
@@PatriciaFarmer-kc3bv I feel the same way 🫡
I usually respond with, "You need to be more specific because demons are spirits too".
Based on reality,Humans are demonic and narrow minded.
I shared this to my 20+ yr old friend :) keep carrying out The Plan
I used to say this when I was a teenager. I said it due to the stigma, I wasn’t saved yet but was raised Christian and was finding my way to Christ. I also said it because I assumed I was a Christian, and because I had little understanding of the Bible I though Jesus himself was more “spiritual” and merely relationship and not religious because he chastised Pharisees. I’m glad I’ve grown up and matured in my faith now ✝️🙏☺️
17 years clean and sober by the grace of God to God be the glory and honour completely clean amen to that who the son set's free is free indeed
CONGRATSULATIONS! This is something to be so humbly proud of. Because it’s been 17 years may I ask a question? If it’s personal I completely understand but here it is: did you have to go through a rehab program or did God instantly deliver you? I have a family member who is a alcoholic and in searching for a way to pray and minister to them I’m being told “alcoholism is something the person will or can actually die if not receiving a medical rehab”. I’d like to hear from someone who knows. Thanks
Did you mix alcohol and hard drugs ?
@@jasonnoble7302 yes
@@Ryanjoned163
That’s why I only drink beer
@@jasonnoble7302i was a addicted to meow meow
THANK YOU, Mike! I have been astounded for decades at how multitudes of Christians think religion is evil. I have heard preachers thunder, "GOD HATES RELIGION!" But God _loves_ religion, according to James 1:27!
I mean when you look at the history of religion in it’s bloodshed, hatred, and butchering of innocents, coulda fooled me, lol
Ah yes. The Bible. That infallible book written by people.
Ah, yes. Anti-theist trolls. Shaking their tiny fists at Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Omniscience.
"Spiritual but not religious" usually means that they really care about themselves but not the idea of God
Yes they're spiritual narcissists. I say this as an ex-New Ager that used to use this line as well. Now I cringe when I hear that it's such a lame cliche. Basically means "I use spirituality for the glory of the self"
@@nataliek5134I'd say it usually means they're not spiritual at all and simply want to sound good.
@@nataliek5134 Hey, use that past experience to help change people! Loudly and proudly speak the truth to those who need it. You were there, you got out--use that to help others do the same!
True, it’s the same thing as saying all religions are equal, which really that means that they’re equally Null and void if they are equal! Except, Nobody comes to the father except through Jesus Christ of the Bible!
Or they don’t believe religion does god justice, they believe the same parts of the Bible as anyone else who has faith, they just feel religion is unnecessary
Love the content bro keep it up, God bless ❤
Between you , DML Christian Lifestyle and Melissa Dougherty I learn so much! Bless you all and your ministries🙏🙏🙏
Add allen parr😊
I am spiritual but not religious, as a pagan and part time witch apprentice, I am definitely spiritual and I can answer with honesty that I am not religious.
Great. But I must say that among "spiritual" people I have found a lot of religious people who didn't even knew they were religious. Couse they were FULL OF BELIEFS therefore made spiritualism a religion to believe in instead a road to knowledge
You are religious, just serving the darkness
@@MulunaLewi religious how? that's no worshipping happening, no particular deity to pay mandatory tribute of (sometimes it happens but not always), no so called holy book written by uninformed ancient barbarians and no systematic practice to follow. If you call this religious you may as well call artists and book writers religious.
@@thekingofthings2002 pangalism is an umbrella term used to cover a bunch of stuff, it has no universal doctrines nor any recognizable religious leader and therefore does not qualify as a religion.
White liberal atheist alert
I had heard the quote attributed to William F Buckley, “the purpose of an open mind is to close it, otherwise you’ve merely abdicated the responsibility to think”
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I wholeheartedly agree with your position on this.
"I'm spiritual, not religious" people when a demon takes up residence in the person's house: 😱
Would you say Christians who say “I don’t have a religion, I have a relationship with Christ,” as people who are trying to remove the stigma as well? I’ve heard this so many times and for me I don’t find anything wrong with saying I have a religion. (A defined system of belief).
Another point of view to consider is that having a relationship with Jesus is a spiritual relationship because God is a Spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Religion was never a commandment or mentioned in the Word other than True religion and undefiled is this, to visit the widows and the orphans. Not based on works but benevolence and compassion.
I see how so many New Age and false teaching is growing, but I consider myself more spiritual (minded) than religious.
Even Jesus was crucified by His own "Religious" people
Anyone can eat, smoke, exercise, follow sports religiously, etc. or present a many number of religious sacraments which I do not relate myself with. Christianity to me is a Relationship with Christ. Not a Religion. The world lumps All religions into cults which is not good. I'll stick with born again Christian in a spiritual relationship with Jesus.
You’re right on with the point about seeking.
As Christians, we seek to better “comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”(Ephesians 3:18-19 ESV)
Through suffering and pain, we grow to live out the fullness of our knowledge of Him.
This gets into a similar issue I have with modern American evangelicalism where we say “it’s not a religion, it’s a relationship.”
I really dislike that phrase and redefining if the word religion to mean “bad” “legalism” “works righteousness” etc.
Religion and Relationship are two sides of the same coin and should not be pitted against one another.
YES! If I NEVER hear that again, it'll be too soon. I'd much rather lose this catchphrase than "SBNR", which is little more than "I believe in some sort of being but I'm just too lazy to get up Sunday morning for church..."
@@actionsub church isn’t the house of god your body is…
@@actionsub Haha. Same, my friend …same 🤦♂ @SovereignReformed27 nailed it here. The statement does more harm than good, in my opinion.
All human beings are religious. All human beings take certain things as granted, so they exercise faith in someone or something. This is to be religious.
@Christ Is The Truth You just described true Christian religion my friend. No one spoke how you are speaking before the 1900s lol. Christians for 2000 years had no issue calling Christianity a religion.
“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
- James 1:27
@@brandonm2622 “The church” is not your body “singular”. The church is the gathering of believers “the body” plural.
I say, "I don't care what either means; I'm a Christian and that's all that matters to me."
Atheists here
Your God doesn’t exist
But you do you 😊
@@jasonnoble7302 If you are breathing there is still hope! Stay well, Peace and Love!
@@karlfausek7299
Yes, there is still hope for you to learn
@Mystery Girl
Yeah ?
What am I learning bra ?
That Christians will use any form of mental gymnastics to keep up with modern secular social values?
@@jasonnoble7302 you can trace your family tree back to the apes and You cannot out psychologize the Bible for God not to throw you into hell for all eternity. In other words, you cannot come up with a good enough excuse here and now, so you will not be able to on judgment day. If you say you did not want to be born, God is going to say you should’ve been born again, that means become a Christian so that’s not gonna work. And there are no other excuses try to think of one. So now you know for the first time in your life, that the Bible is smarter than you and it is a steel trap, smarter than all of mankind, What should you do then? So at least investigate and look to see that these things are true, because right now you just learned the Bible is smarter than you!
Prophecy, the Bible is 27% prophecy, that’s future history written in advance. God‘s really sticking his neck out to get it cut off he’s wrong but he hasn’t been wrong about the thousands of prophecies that were fulfilled, so he’ll be right about the end of the world prophecies as well and you’ll have no excuse on judgment day for not looking for truth!
Caveat: you cannot look for God in times of chaos says Isaiah 45:19, so you better do it now. In other words,You’ll be too worried about your own survival when chaos hits, than your eternal destiny!
Statistic probability of 40 writers writing the Bible with zero margin of deviation, proves God wrote the Bible through the 40 writers!
God authored the Bible!
DNA does not auto encrypt, the code writer is outside of the code of the 3300000,000,000 lines of computer code in the human genome of our DNA! So who wrote the code to such sophistication?
1,000,000 seconds is 12 days, 1,000,000,000 seconds is 32 years! That’s the difference between 1 million and 1 billion!
One person’s DNA could fill the Grand Canyon up to 50 times full of books. John 21:25 “I suppose everything Jesus did, the world wouldn’t have enough room for the books telling of it.“ this verse would be fulfilled!
Psalm 139:16 “in my members you have written many books“!
Psalm 139 is about the human body!
"Christian" is no longer sufficient as too many people claim to be a Christian and have no use for the Bible and are therefore false Christians. I am a Gospel Believer that follows, believes and accepts the Bible as the inerrant, inspired Word of God. I need a term for that. ❤
The term for that is “Christian”. Don’t let them take our Biblical label, stand up for Christianity and point out that they aren’t Christians.
I am a catechumen Chrestian
My term is Bible Reader . KJV only because it's the only one that has quickened the Spirit within (Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.)
I use Bible believeing Christian.
@@alexandria1663 FACTS!! Far too often we allow the world to take hostage terminology and definitions to the point we as Christians begin to accept what the world thinks about us. That is a problem to which Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Rom 1:16) which makes us all who believe and have faith in Him Christians.
Love this, thanks brother for taking the time to share your thoughts on this, I found it very insightful & useful
Great video! Love all your points, and I was curious how you feel about saying “it’s not about Religion, it’s about Relationship”.
I would never consider or call myself religious, but I don’t fit under the categories you shared. When I explain my faith, I emphasize my love for Jesus and the truth that He’s the only way to the Father, to healing, freedom, eternity, etc. But I was taught that religion is all about rules, and it wasn’t until I learned that I can have a real relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit that I started giving my WHOLE life to Him, seeking & receiving spiritual gifts, getting revelation about and from scripture, etc. I feel like Rom 7 is a great reference for this
When people ask if I’m religious, which I do associate with rules , I say I’m a believer and follower of Christ and I have a relationship with Him.
That’s religion. A set of beliefs and a system based on religious texts. The Bible tells us to practice religion in James.
God bless you Pastor Mike, your videos help me grow and get closer to God❤
“I want all the moral leverage of Jesus without any of the accountability of the community and leadership of the Church”
That’s what they mean.
I literally came to this conclusion today as I read about holistic nursing. I think it is very intentional of the Lord to give me a video about it!
I think it was TH-cam's logarithm
I say neither. I am Christian, a born-again believer, and a disciple or follower of Christ Jesus. Maranantha 🙏🏼
There’s an air of animosity and sarcasm when he says that. He’s a thinker and always in his head for sure.
People ask me sometimes, are you a Christian. I find that a loaded question. So I just say, I'm a devoted follower of Jesus and his Gospel.
I tell them take that however you will. No one ever pushes after my response. And if they ever did, I would restate the same answer.
How is it loaded? The Bible calls you a Christian, own the title my friend.
@@alexandria1663
I know that you know there are multitudes of people in our world who deny Christ existence or just blatantly hate him. So when I say its a loaded question, (and I should have specified in my comment )
that the people goad you into a situation where they try to be the dominant one in the conversation by using history like the dark ages as to how Christians are not what they portray themselves to be. So when these types ask the question, your spirit warns you over the trap they are trying to set for you which in today's world can easily lead to violence against you on their part. Jesus warns us, when you see trouble coming, we are to run from it. The battle isn't ours, its Jesus battle. He already won, they just haven't got the orders yet that the war is lost on their end. They are still fighting a losing cause. So, I tell them I'm a follower of Jesus or it depends on the situation and my spirit at that particular moment, I may just tell them my beliefs are of my own and I don't feel comfortable sharing them with you today. It is only a title, it isnt anything to squabble over. I know who I am, I know I am sealed with my name written in the book of life. If it were a actual Christian, I don't hesitate. I say yes, I'm a Christian. But I try not throwing my pearls to the swine concerning anyone else.
@@Bigjakevet69 not that you shouldn’t chose your battles, but if this is your usual, go-to reaction in most cases I think you’re firmly in the wrong my brother. The excuse that it’s Jesus’s battle not ours doesn’t stand, we’re called to the Great Commission. Paul said “We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) for a reason. Better to be educated about the myths they spread relating to the dark ages or the Crusades or whatever else, so you can refute them, and also point out that Christianity doesn’t stand or fall on the character of people claiming the title “Christian”, but on the resurrection of Christ. Please be encouraged, the history of Christ’s church is a story of salvation that we should embrace, not ashamed of. Most of the things they say about our history aren’t accurate. Gain knowledge and refute them, and they will grow in respect for Christianity.
@@alexandria1663
Well you are entitled to your opinion but I don't agree with you. You'd have to know more about me, who I am, my life ECT to be able to make a more informed decision on my character than by chatting with me in small sentences on social media.
@@Bigjakevet69 I didn’t make any claims about your character though? I refuted an argument you presented, that’s all.
Please, I would buy every books written by you!
Thank you, Mike for your videos!
Hugs all the way from Brazil!
"spiritual but not religious" is for people for whom faith is largely irrelevant.
It's an easy way to end a conversation since there's no way to understand exactly what it means.
Its meaning can change to whatever is necessary to avoid conflict, meaning faith is always secondary (at the very least).
Eh, or for people who aren't keen on organized religion
What's the difference between faith and blind belief? We should never have to believe anything without proof, or there would be no way to tell the difference between truth and falsehoods.
Thank you so much for this message!
I never knew how to answer someone saying to me they are spiritual. I don't want to go into a long speach about it; they usually come back with a "but..." and it becomes this long argument.
I am a Cristian, a child of the only Almighty God , through Jesus Christ who died in my place . Christ who was ressurected and is sitting on the right had of now also My Father in Heaven. And Jesus lives in me through the Holy Spirit.
I will listen to this again .
Thank you.
May God bless you
I've said that before when evangelizing but it never felt right, was following what I heard Christian leaders say without actually believing it or giving it real thought like a fool.
I live in California. “Spiritualism” and “New Age” is here in abundant.
Instead of speculating why someone would say “that,” try asking. You were way off in representing me in your assumptions. Watching this video literally reaffirms why I’m spiritual, not religious.
Same here.
Exactly my friend exatly. Spiritualism is for people who doesn't want to focus vey much on materialistic things or ego, but for people seeking better understanding of themselves, world around, seek the meaining of their life, try to get to some deeper philolopshical understanding, and for me at leas, care about morality (not in form of human made ethics but transcendent truth). Religion is partially an atempt to give that but with tons of stuff to blindly follow, doctrines, beliefs, often guild or shame, with quite rotten organisation around called church etc. Spiritualism is also for people who seeks god/higher power but doesn't want some indoctrinated middle man standing in between.
Also spiritualism is or at least should go hand in hand with logic. Religion abandon logic as quickly as it gets in the way
Definitely alot of wrong assumptions.
I am that person that said “I am spiritual, not religious”. Thank you for walking me through this, and not just proclaiming that I was wrong. My reason for saying this and believing what I said, were not any of the reasons that you listed. It never occurred to me that it didn’t mean what I thought it meant.
I thought I was saying “I believe in the Holy Bible. Period. Not a particular Christian denomination.
I will not be saying that about myself any longer.
I've never been so triggered and irritated by your videos as this one. I've never been irritated by any of your videos, except this one. But this video blew my mind.
This is video is so helpful! A lot of great points and perspectives to think about when talking to people. Thank you!
I used to say this because I was confused. I grew up in a very staunch LDS belief system, and when I started rejecting their teachings, I hadn't quite figured out where I was religiously, and so I would say I'm spiritual, not religious. I am very much a Christian now
Amen all facts its refreshing to hear someone who knows what theyre talking about winger doesn't wing it !
This was totally me. And for me it was definitely mostly because becoming a Christian (at 29) was NOT something I would have ever imagined for myself. I didn't do it because it was cool, trendy or felt good but because I believed it to be true. But I felt very uncomfortable about it in many situations. My life was grounded in family, friends, interests etc that were definitely not Christian. I knew the negative connotations attached to the words religion, Jesus and Christian/Christ, and so the idea that I could say either that my faith was spiritual, or more often that it was about a "relationship not religion" felt like a buffer. The other thing was that I was taught a lot about how the religious leaders in Jesus' time were 'bad' ... And so it was part of trying to dissociate from that too.
I now embrace the fact that I am religious, and actually hope I will become moreso! But in God's way, not my own.
Religious= followers. Spiritual = leadership
8:37 I for one would love for you to make a video on this topic. Ministering and outreach is important but I have seen far too many Christians put themselves too in the world in an attempt to engage in Christian outreach, often leading to them being stressed out all the time and perpetually angry at something as they are spending more time dealing with nonbelievers than walking in fellowship with other Christians. It also of course carries the risk of leading to compromise in one's beliefs. Honestly, how Christians can overprioritize outreach to the world and make an idol of it is a very important and oft-overlooked issue and I genuinely believe it would be beneficial for you to talk on this point. If you don't want to that's fine but I figured that I would give my two cents on the topic, God bless you and your ministry either way.
U just described my life in a nutshell.😅 I’ve since repented. Thank God for grace.
Thank you for speaking on this. I've never felt good using the word religious to describe myself. Always felt legalistic. Spiritual felt too "new age" to me. I'll say I'm a Christian woman. But, in these days, that can be taken in so many ways. Yes, I like the "religious and
following Jesus Christ."
Me being spiritual, I like to learn about myself from myself.
Not have someone read me a book and say this is how you have to live, and if you don’t donate you go to hell
Religion is associated with traditions which are not all biblical and sometimes can be abusive
Great video. My pet peeve is “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship!” Contrary to popular belief, something can be more than just one thing.
Can you do a video on this?
I used to say the opposite, I used to say "I'm religious, not spiritual", don't know why I said this, but I did.
To be contrary perhaps?
@@knutolavbjrgaas1069 perhaps, I was 13, I had plenty of things going through my mind to make me say the contrary to everyone.
I'm a believer and I love God , I am not religious not spiritual 🙏 God is good , I have faith in Jesus Christ
There's an old saying that goes like this and I think a lot of people have forgotten this one DON'T BE SO OPEN MINDED THAT YOU'RE BRAIN FALLS OUT OF YOU'RE HEAD !!!!!!!!
“That’s for some other video…or never..” I laughed harder than I probably should have at this 😂
So, how do you all feel about simply saying:
“I’m a follower of Jesus Christ”??
That’s been my line, for many years. ❤
I think, at least to many in the millennial generation, this line seems like a cop-out, since followers of Jesus are religious. I get more respect from my millennial peers when I own it and don’t try to obfuscate, it’s less patronizing and more boldly, unabashedly honest.
I think that’s an honest and clear way to describe your beliefs.
@Mystery Girl yes, and that’s literally what the word “Christian” means. Christ follower.
I say that. I point them to Jesus and his words his actions his gospel & say follow him not religion.
A lot of ppl call themselves a follower of Christ, but the ppl who shun the religious aspect of what that means are really just fans of Christ's miracles. Very few ppl actually believe Christ in Luk.. 6:46 when He said that He is supposed to be a Christian's _Master_ . The traditional "Christian" world love to preach Him as a Savior, but it never preaches anything about Him being a Master who rules over His followers.
Yep! Governments! I said it right before you said it, I swear we are so much on the same page 😂 I'm thankful to have online teachers such as you!
I personally hate when people equate being religious with something bad. You can have a bad religion or a good one depending on your fruits. I always say your religion is the vehicle, your spirituality, rides in.
I don't view religion as bad if it brings you peace, i just think their is something deeper out there then organized religions.
Pure religion is devotion to orphans and widows. Orphans dont know father, widows dont have bridegroom, so in a spiritual sense, religion is devotion/serving of those that dont know God.
🙌🏾 🙇🏾♀️ AMÉN!!
That's a phrase that I use, "I try to stay open minded to others religious opinions." Not that I agree with their opinion, because I do believe in my core beliefs. But I do try to educate myself with the world to help understand why I hold my beliefs.
Cool
What does the God hypothesis predict ?
Apologetics is being able to dismantle all the other false religions! All of us need to keep growing in the Lord by reading the word and obeying it
I agree with this, I also dislike it when people say, Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.
No, we’re not. We’re a set of practices based on theism. That’s religion. The only difference is that we’re following the RIGHT religion.
True, but relationship with Jesus is still important.
One might lack it and is only interested in church traditions and rituals.
They may just go church sing a songs, to get that blessed feeling, but they have not actually given their life to Jesus.
"I'm spiritual, not religious" = "I don't like rules but I'm still afraid of dying".
Thanks Pastor Mike
This was me in my 20’s l thank God that the being open minded actually does stop when you find the TRUTH of Jesus
This is exactly what the short film we're making is about!
Specifically the crusades. It's about a knight who's stuck in the dead religion of the catholic church during the 1200s and he's forced to commit terrible sins in their name. He captures an Arab and is told to mistreat him since he's the enemy, but the knight doesn't feel right about it. It turns out that the Arab is actually a christian, but a true christian who ACTUALLY follows Jesus. The knight then has to decide between his dead religion and the true religion of the Gospel.
It's called the Voice of Men if any one is interested. There's a trailer for it on our channel.
Thanks for shedding light on this Mike. It is honestly hard to call ourselves religious these days because of the way that word has been tainted. But there is NO SHAME in sincerely following God.
Growing up, the women I would hear say they were religious did not appear to have a relationship with Jesus but rather seemed to believe that because they had pictures of angels and crosses and such all around their home, they believed they were religious. Therefore I always related “being religious “ to these older women surrounded by statues and photos. I wasn’t one of them so I’m not religious. That was my thought and that’s what I often still see from people at work.
Nobody has a relationship with Jesus.
@@Mavors1099 I do. Together we culture it every day.
@@Mavors1099 I do
@@LB-ec4uf
You believe you do.
One thing to keep in mind is that Ya'akov (James, the brother of Jesus and head of the Church in Jerusalem who wrote the book of James) understood 'religion' in terms of the original Messianic Judaism of his day-not just 'general' religion. But this is a great video! Thanks, Mike!
You'll be happy to know that when I read the bible, I imagine a Jewish (or at least a Middle Eastern) person is speaking to me. And I say this as a blonde hair/blue eyed Midwesterner in the US. I don't try to make the bible relate to me, I try to relate to the bible.
I didn't even listen to the whole thing yet 😅 but I'm interested to hear! I've said sometimes that I'm not religious but I'm a follower of Jesus (or about those words, in my language). I don't think I'm that "spiritual" and the whole word sounds a little new age to me.. But I also find the word "religious" troublesome at least in my language. People usually mean by religious that someone is kind of following dead habits without any meaning, a little bit like "a pharisee" or something. So it doesn't bear the meaning it should. Maybe it's that baggage. I try to find a way to talk that carries my intention best, sometimes it's difficult as the meanings of words are not fixed but change during time.
Adding a little after listening.. In my translation it says in James "If anyone considers himself a servant of God".
I think the reason people say they are "spiritual not religious" is because they don't have any particular religious beliefs, but they do think that there could be something "out there," i.e., a god, goddess, etc. They don't necessarily believe that you die and that's it, but they also don't know what happens next and don't pretend to know. At least, that's the people I encounter who say that.
I'm not religious or spiritual. I'm a follower of Christ.
Then you are both, since Christ called you to a spiritual religion. Please stop this kind of stuff, it’s not helpful.
@Christ Is The Truth of course Christ saves and not religion, I never said otherwise. The truth of my statement stands. Christ calls us to a system of beliefs, a religion by definition.
Yup I remember saying that as a teen lol. I guess I was just capitulating to all the agnostics and atheists in my circle. Nowadays I'm just so glad that Lord in all of His grace led me back to him, and I don't care what other people think. 🙏
Jesus spoke out against organized religion more than any other group or person.
Being "religious" had a bad connotation. Ppl go 2 church and do believe in christ. I know ppl who talk about God all the time but say they are not Christian. Being "spiritual " is also so broad it could mean anything these days.
I never said "spiritual; not religious," but that's because the popular thing to say (which I did say) when I was a teenager was "it's not a religion: it's a relationship." As I got older, I realized that the structure of organized religion may be of secondary importance to a relationship with Christ, but it's still extremely important.
@Christ Is The Truth I know my punctuation isn't always the best, so I'll say it was my writing that caused you to miss the part at the end where I said organized religion was of secondary importance to a relationship with Christ.
@Christ Is The Truth Then you and I just have two different definitions of religion is all. I would define religion as "a personal or institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices, held to with ardor and faith." I pursue a relationship with Jesus because I love Him, but He said if I love Him, I must keep His commandments (John 14:15). The relationship with Jesus constitutes the system of beliefs and attitudes, and the requirement to keep Jesus' commandments constitutes the system of practices.
If a nation cannot function properly without an established hierarchy, then why do professing Christians act like God doesn't view government as being important? The first thing the American founders did after their rebellion was form a government because they knew that everything else revolved around it. It's no different with God's spiritual nation. Everything biblical doctrine revolves around government!
I disagree that organized religion - formal gatherings of church groups - is of extreme importance
I remember that a prostitute said that exact phrase to me as she sat next to me on the subway up in the Bronx. She was trying to pick me up. You can use spirituality to excuse any sin. I got off the train a short time later.
The perfect response to those people is "demons are spirits too, please be more specific".
To which I would say, "If you cannot feel Spirit calling unto Spirit and Deep calling unto Deep, then you are none of His! I KNOW He is Living and Active in me and all I do!"
@@BlazingTorch1517 So you're one of those people who is "spiritual but not religious"? Did you mean to say that?
@@arspsychologia4401 Yes I did, and my Definitions of how I use those terms is stated on this site also.
@@ftur.4139 How do you know it's God? Demons are known to lie about who they are
Mannnnn!!! You explain a topic SO well😮 thanks pastor Mike 🕊️🇿🇦
Sounds like they're saying, "I shower, but I don't clean myself."
It's no longer I that live, but Christ!
God bless all Godly people with FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT and GOLDEN RULE Godliness, families, marriages, homes, parenting, morals, prayerfulness, lifestyles, churches, communities..
Love this. Thank you for doing this topic bcz I have been hearing more people saying this who are supposed to be "christians" . I agree with you!
Always learning but never coming to the Truth. They are been deceived.
I am not spiritual nor religious, I follow Jesus Christ.
At work one of my coworkers kindly gifted me “pictures” of Jesus. When I relocated to another office building those photos were misplaced. My supervisor then kindly printed new photos and I displayed them on my desk. One of the temps (a lady 7 years older than me with a pansexual symbol tattoo on her forearm) approached my desk, pointed to the photos and asked, “are you actually religious or are you just chill?” I replied, “no, I’m actually religious, I’m a practicing Christian.” I have no shame in my faith or being called “religious” for following it openly.
“You want to be religious!” Haha.. no thanks. But keep preaching
This video made me much more spiritual and absolutely less religious. Thank you.
I’ll sit in my “embarrassment”.
Exactly bro!! Same!! Lmaoo 💯
" I can drink from every well" All but one well are deadly poison.
Good thing Scripture promises, "When they drink Deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all!" Mark 16:18
this is comically fascinating. I would give so much to be in the room during this unmitigated one dimensional silliness. I dont fit into any of the hypothetical subjects covered here and that's partly why I find it so tone deaf and naive. This video is addressing people in a very demeaning way with half truths and subjectives. this whole bluster of false binaries and pretenses will not manifest well, because this inadvertently defines ignorance of reality, or a relinquishing of your critical thought; at best heavily dictating the bounds with which thought can journey. "dogmatism". also the hypocrisy is palpable. "what are you seeking if you never reach a destination?" truth, as it pertains to the world we are in which is ever increasing. you don't have a monopoly on the goal of traversing this world in a principle fashion. in fact I would call that a sin to think so. your religion owns nothing outside of its name. truth is an innate force of the world. whether God had anything to do with our existence or not it bodes poorly for you to assume that you have "found" anything approaching an end to the war of good and bad which ironically after scolding the "wrong people" for searching for these answers, he immediately goes on to claim that he does this too but its ok because he got the essentials that he deems sufficient already, so he's now free to repeat the study if these truths evermore defining them as reading scripture and so on.
funny enough me and him would probably agree on most things and define them as truth. how we came to those conclusions is far different.
I am spiritual not religious, what that means: I trust Jesus/ Yeshua/ Sananda and I called him my brother and he is around here. But I don’t trust the distort Bible & certain Church (still some people in some Church so adorable & innocent) and I don’t worship Jesus neither other religious Gods rather my heart 🤍
@@EmmanuelD136 you said this so beautifully! I am of a similar mind ❤️
@@ev7568v 🤍🥰🤍
7:45 “so yes you have strings, they’re just not the right ones.” Wow! That says it all to me. That in itself is very dogmatic. It’s my way or the highway.
I think there’s extremes here.
Maybe you are focussing on those who say spirituality and are flippant with it. Maybe more “new age”, but that in itself is a stereotype.
There are however, those of us who actually do the work. The difference is it’s only ourselves we answer to. I personally have the same values as most religions, like compassion, community, respect. The issue I have is I am my own person and do not need to be held accountable to a collective group of people and not made to feel shame if I’ve “done something wrong”. Where’s the compassion in that?
I use to say this because I grew up in Fort Mill SC, Jimmy and Tammy Fae Baker area and we have Elevation right up the road too. There is not one place I found in the area that stands by just reading and following scripture so I always equated religion with pious hypocrites. Religion is wide and faith is very shallow here. Now I just accept there is nowhere here to go and just read and follow as scripture teaches. It's not an easy walk but it's minus the denominational rejection of the complete Jesus Christ. That's a true statement here too. Each denomination picks and chooses the Jesus they like and rejects the rest of the teachings.
Vanity of vanities, my favorite after reminded nothing new under sun.
I have my own individual beliefs, some of them stemming from religious groups, but I do not label myself or identify with any of these religions.
I believe in a higher power that is responsible in creating the universe, which I see as God source.
God source for me is an energy that created all things and exists in all things.
Like a vibration of love and wholeness that is always expanding and growing through us. Everything that makes up the universe, life and existence.
I believe the divine power lies within all of us, and not just outside of us.
Allows me to focus inwards on my own human spirit and soul, instead of a defined set of beliefs.
How can I say I’m religious when I don’t follow a religion yet believe in God source? That’s why I say I’m spiritual. There’s no lies involved and I’m unsure why people get their backs up when people say it? I think if other people’s beliefs annoy you, ask yourself why. Does the Bible say “Do not judge, or you too will be judged”
Hey pastor! You explained well. Thanks for the insight. Sadly, I’ve seen so many people who are very religious. They really do good things, but they refuse to believe in God’s grace and peace through Jesus alone. They focus on doing all the right actions (and boast about their goodness) but would not really have that intimacy with God. I know some missionaries that do trips to third world countries and do really good things to them but it’s for the sake of humanity and not for the gospel. They are promoting the name of their religion instead of Jesus. I think it’s sad.
Thank you for this. The thing is that I know some Christians who really love God but say that they're spiritual and not religious. The reason they say this is because they relate being religious to being a Pharisee. And they say they're spiritual cause they don't follow the law but the Spirit. What do you say to people like that?
Two months ago, when I had to leave my church because of their doctrine (prosperity gospel and the Word of faith teaching), someone told me that I was being religious... Like a Pharisee. I told her that being religious isn't what she thinks it is but I didn't really know what to say to refute her point.
1:35 anyone else had the song from the animated movie of Pinocchio happening in their head, or even noticed the song’s cadence in Mike’s words the second time he said it? No?