Ep 396 | Are You Religious, Spiritual or Both? - Frank Brancato

As has been already mentioned, we're thankful for the presence

of all of you and I am honored to be your speaker for just a

few minutes this morning. I can't dive into a topic.

Very deep or build a thought for very long when our sermons are

going to be 10 or 15 minutes long.

But I want to just talk about a subject that is often discussed

in the world and that is are you spiritual religious or both?

Maybe you've heard people say this.

I have in my life where somebody might say, I'm not religious,

I'm just spiritual. Well, the question is, is it

possible according to the word of God to be spiritual and not

be religious? Are these Concepts found in the

word of God. And what does all that mean?

Well, first of all the mindset basically that says, I'm

spiritual, I'm not religious. What people are saying, is this,

everything that is relating to religious practice, or organized

religion would be considered religious and Everything that is

associated with the mind or the attitude, or the behavior is

dealing with the spiritual. So here's the mindset.

As long as I am preparing my mind and my mind is right on the

inside. I don't have to be part of any

religious organization at all. I don't have to be a part of

organized religion. Maybe you've also heard this

where somebody might say, I believe in God.

I'm a Believer in God but I don't believe in any kind of

organized religion. Well, here's the point that I

want to make. We want to notice, is it

possible truly to be spiritual and not religious?

Well, first of all, I want to ask two questions.

Is this a distinction that ought to be made?

Should we be making a distinction between spiritual

and religious? And secondly is God.

Happy with such a distinction? Well, first of all, let's talk

about the definition of spiritual according to the

American Heritage dictionary and there are four different

definitions interesting. I thought especially number for

just a minute but here is how the dictionary defined spiritual

Relating to consisting of or having the nature of spirit.

It is something not tangible or material second definition.

It is concerned with or that, which is affecting the soul.

Number three, it is from or relating to God.

But then we get into number 4, and it says belonging to a

church or religion. It is that which is sacred And

you know what's interesting about this sometimes spiritual

and the definition of spiritual and religious are

interchangeable. In fact, this is the definition

of what it means to be religious, you belong to a body,

you belong to a religious organization.

Now it's also the same definition definition number

four, for the word spiritual they run hand-in-hand.

So I think that there are similarities and for good

reason. One scholar said it this way, he

said the reason that they're used interchangeably and there

are similarities is because there are some things that are

spiritual that are religious and things that are religious and

also spiritual we're going to get more into that in just a

minute. So those that set up a contrast

between spiritual and religious have a special definition for

each Here's the special definition for Spiritual.

They mean, specifically, religious Behavior relating to

the mind like meditation. Like prayer like devotion.

Let me ask you this. If meditation bad?

No, the Bible says meditate on these things meditation is

wonderful. If you're having a problem with

your thinking in your mindset, you have to rid yourself of all

the negative stuff. How do you do it by focusing on,

or meditating on that? Which is good, that which is,

lovely, and on, and so on, and so forth of good report.

And when the Bible says think, on these things, it means

meditate. So, meditates a great thing,

What about this prayer prayer is part of our life.

It is everything that we do. And by the way, if the only time

you pray is, when you pray for your food or you pray at night,

you're probably not praying enough.

Your prayer life should be that, which incorporates all that you

do. What about devotion?

Absolutely, but the special definition for those that are

Advocates of spirituality without religion, say it is

this. It is meditation.

It is prayer. And it's devotion.

Only, here's the special definition that they give when

they make a distinction between the two for the word religious,

they mean behavior that is associated with activities of

religion such as forms of worship and also Church

attendance, you know, I'll tell you I heard a guy say one time

about spirituality and about being a spiritual person and he

said it's better. And he quoted some author.

He said it's better to be like I am spiritually or be spiritual

he said, because it's better to be in the mountains.

It's better to be in the mountains thinking about God

than it is to be in a church building.

Thinking about the mountains. Now, when we come together in

the church building, we don't think about the mountains at

It's true and we assemble his worship, we don't think about

the mountains, and that's true, but the concept was this.

I can have, I can be spiritual without worship and without

attendance and without having a religious bond with anybody

else, okay? So is there really a distinction

between spiritual and religious? There is a distinction.

It is much as there's a difference between the inward

person, or the spirit and the activities of the Out were

person, that is the body. Let's give some Bible for that.

In 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 16, where for we faint

not. But though our outward man is

decaying yet, our inward man is being renewed day by day.

So there's a difference. There's a distinction between

the outer man and the inner man in our worship though.

There's also a distinction, Jesus talked about worship as

being in spirit and in truth, when Jesus was there, And the

woman at the well Jesus said, God is a spirit and those that

worship Him must worship him. We're going to get more to this

at the end to in spirit and in truth I want to make this point.

Please get this. It is not good enough to

robotically, go through the mechanics of worship.

We need to put our whole Spirit our whole heart behind it.

In fact, when the Bible talks about from the deepest part of

our heart or the bowels of our heart, it's talking about the

deepest part of emotion. So what do we do?

It has to be in truth. That is right but it also has to

be in spirit. It has to come from the heart.

It has to be the right motive behind it.

All Another word spiritual is in spirit religious is the part

that's in truth. So yes, there's a distinction

between the two words. However, The biblical

distinction between these two concepts is not nearly as great

as some might think it is. So instead of promoting the idea

that you can have one without the other, the Bible teaches the

opposite being religious is dependent on being spiritual and

being spiritual is dependent upon being religious.

Let's look at an example. In the Book of James James

James 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 and verse, 26, and 27. James says, if anyone thinks

he's religious If anyone thinks he's religious and does not

Bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's

religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion

before God. And the father is this to visit

the orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself

unspotted, from the world. Now we might think that

controlling our speech, controlling our tongue is a

spiritual thing. And James says, it's religious.

We might think visiting orphans and so forth and widows is an

activity that we might consider spiritual because it's not

worship and yet James calls it. Pure religion.

Now, the point is, this, you can't be religious without being

spiritual. You can't the opposite.

True is true as well. You can't be spiritual without

being religious, it goes both ways.

Galatians chapter 6. Notice what Paul says here, he

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

said Brethren. If any man is overtaken in any

trespass. You that are spiritual.

Now first of all, who are they who who are the people that are

spiritual some person that's reached a higher level of

perfection know some person that's reached a higher level of

spirituality know whose it talking about.

It's talking about a faithful Christian.

Someone that is walking by the dictates of the spirit, Guided

by the word of God. Not a perfect person because

there is no such thing. What it's talking about is if Is

overtaken in a trespass. Somebody has to come to the

rescue, who's the person that which is spiritual a Christian,

has to come to the rescue. And restore such an one in the

spirit of gentleness considering yourself.

Lest you also be tempted, that's a very powerful Passage.

When you go to try to help somebody interestingly, the word

restore means mend that which is broken and sometimes were

unsuccessful in doing that. But we need to try to do our

best to do that. And the one that is spiritual

goes and tries to restore such an one to mend that which is

broken, but do it in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself

two things. One don't act like it can never

happen to you. Don't ever act like it could

never happen to you. That's number one.

Number two, don't be tempted into thinking that it could

never happen to you, therefore, you've never done anything that

bad. You would never do what this

person did and Elevate yourself with a haughty Spirit, don't do

that. Lest you also be tempted?

I'm going to taste something anybody can fall.

So do so with the spirit of gentleness consider yourself,

lest you also be tempted but what about this?

Bear one another's burdens. You know, one of the most

powerful things that we have is each other.

And it is true. It is true.

That we bear one another's. Burdens in the word burdens

means heavy. Loads, or heavy weights.

That are hard to bear or carry. That's true.

And it is true that in a general sense.

A Christian principle is to be there for each other and help

each other get through stuff. That is true.

But the context of this passage is specific and not General,

it's talking about heavy burdens that cause your brother, or your

sister to sin. That's what it's talking about.

Help them through that. And really, that's exactly what

the Bible is talking about. When it it says confess your

trespasses or your sins to each other and pray one for another

that you may be healed, the effective fervent prayer of a

righteous man avails much. In other words have helped in

getting through those times and struggles that we go through

that our burdens that are lead us to sin and help each other in

that. And the Bible says, you fulfill

the law of Christ. So helping people that go astray

is a religious thing Helping each other.

Those that are spiritual. Do a religious thing.

Bearing one another's. Burdens is fulfilling the law of

Christ, which is the law of love.

One more idea of though in First Peter chapter 2 and verse 5.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

The church is a spiritual Institution.

In First Peter 2 and 5. You also as living stones are

built up a spiritual house. So we're talking about that

which is religious. We're talking about organized

religion. We're talking about the church,

the body of Christ. What does Peter say?

It is a spiritual house. What are we doing the spiritual

house? Where a holy priesthood and we

offer up spiritual sacrifices, they go hand-in-hand.

In our service to God worshiping.

God involves our self in religious activities.

You cannot be spiritual without being religious as well going

back to John chapter 4 and verse 24.

John 4 · chapter mention

Once More Jesus said, God is a spirit and they that worship Him

must worship Him in spirit. And in truth, the idea of in

spirit is the very idea of being spiritual and in truth is

talking about religious. SLI another words.

What the internal is here manifest itself in the external

and we talked about the heart, right?

People struggle with things in their life, it's because they

don't fix it on the inside. Everything is about that.

It's about the inside and the outside, and they go together

the internals and the externals and they're both there.

What does God want them in? Conclusion.

God wants us to be both spiritual.

And also religious do you know why?

Because you can't be one without the other.

Now I want to just say one final thing.

Sometimes people that profess Christianity.

Hurt the cause of Christ because they're not spiritual.

What I mean by that, is this, sometimes people profess

religious things or they call themself a religious person or

they're a part of some religious affiliation but their life is

not demonstrated in that they don't profess that at all.

I'm going to give you one example years ago.

There was a general contractor and he told me this he said any

time that somebody as subcontractor has on their

business card. Anything at all that resembles

that there are He said I take that business card and I throw

it in the trash and I said, why he says, because everyone that I

have dealt with that professes to be religious.

Has been untruthful has lied and has not been what they said that

they were. That's the damage that happens

when our life does not manifest. What we profess to be, we are

religious people members of the body of Christ, but we also live

a spiritual life and we demonstrate our spirituality in

the things in which we do every day.

God wants us to be both. Both spiritual and religious.

I'm through this morning. I hope that something was said

in this little short little lesson about the subject.

If somebody asked the question, are you spiritual religious?

You say I'm both because it takes both and they go together

and you can't have one without the other We thank you for

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