Would The World Be Better Off Without Religion - Part 2 // 26 July 2026

Dear Lord, thank you for who you are, that you are faithful.

Help us to hold on to these beliefs that shape who we are and shape how we live our life and how we respond to our circumstances, our situations, and what's going on in the world around us, Lord.

Let us hold that tension of knowing that we will run the end of our race at some unexpected time and come face to face with you.

And let us hold that tension of knowing that that is where we end up, that is where we're going, and let that continue to convict and shape who we are every day.

Because you are faithful.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

Do I have kids church in here this morning?

Can we not the adults?

A whole lot of people way past 40 just yelled out, yeah.

Is there any kids in the room?

Kids?

No?

Oh guys.

Ollie, is there any kids in the room?

Yeah?

Alright.

Well, okay.

The kids are busy colouring and cutting and whatnot.

I just want to say thanks to you guys for being here with us for the next couple of weeks.

I know you're colouring and you're cutting, but I know you're also listening, God's doing something in you.

But also thank you for giving your wonderful kids workers some reprieve and a break to refresh and get excited over summer for the season ahead come September.

The last uh last week and this week, so over two weeks, we were looking at the a statement.

We had a slide, which is the world is better off without religion.

And so the the idea came from Acts 17 when Paul walks around the city and looks for a statement from society and then chooses to speak the good news to that statement.

So we thought, let's try that out as a concept and see if it's something we might do a couple of times over the next couple of years.

And we thought we'd start with an easy statement to start with.

It seemed easy instead of other statements, but we started with the world is better off without religion.

So that's what we're looking at.

So last week we tried to narrow down the topic of world to the world we experience, Western society.

And so last week we looked at how Western society has been shaped by the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.

A good quote to summarize that is by Tom Holland, the historian, not the Spider-Man, who wrote a book called Dominion about the formation of Western society, and this is his quote where we can better understand.

He says, People in the West, even those who may imagine they have emancipated themselves from Christian belief, in fact are shot through with Christian assumptions about almost everything.

All of us in the West are goldfish, and the water we swim in is Christianity.

So we've established last week that the Western world is established by the teachings of Jesus.

However, we said last week that the teachings of Jesus are one thing, but for those to establish the fabric of society, they had to be lived out by his followers, the church.

So we said this week we want to look at the impact the church has had on the Western world.

So let's clarify what I'm talking about when I say church.

When I say church, I'm referring to the body of Christ.

I'm referring to the communion of believers.

The Greek word for church is ecclesia, which means assembly of people.

What it doesn't mean is permanent structure or building.

A church without a congregation, a church building, sorry, a church building without a congregation is not a church.

It's either a relic or an opportunity, but it's not a church.

The church is the body of Christ.

We are the church.

So if we establish church, let's establish religion for a minute.

Religion is the clarity of beliefs that we have and the systems and the organized structures around the practice of those beliefs.

So religion is clarity of beliefs and infrastructure around the practice of those beliefs.

Has anyone ever made the mistake of saying, I mean, since becoming a believer, so since being a Christian, has anyone ever made the mistake of saying, I'm not religious?

Come on.

No one has ever, when trying to share the gospel, trying to explain church, trying to explain faith, has never gone, I'm not religious.

I mean, I've done it.

I've done it.

I've tried to say, I'm not religious, because I'm I'm in a conversation with someone that's attached something negative to the term religious, whether it's about being legalistic, fake, or damaging, and I've tried to distance faith from religion in that conversation to say, I'm not religious, I just live by faith.

And and and we have the best intentions when we do that, but we're actually creating more confusion than we're creating clarity.

To create clarity, we need to be comfortable with the word religion.

We need to be comfortable with the word religion.

You see, we are religious.

We have a religion, it's called Christianity.

We are Christians.

The body of Christ is the communion of believers, but religion is the framework that helps us understand what our beliefs are and how we practice them.

Religion is meant to bring clarity and mobilize us as his followers by providing clarity on what we believe and what we practice.

Religion is not unique to Christianity though, because other faiths have beliefs and practices, so those two are religious.

They are religious, they're not Christian.

Now, religion does have a bit of a negative assumption a lot of times because religion can go badly.

Religion can go badly.

When religion becomes about the organizational systems and structures instead of the beliefs and practices, you suck the life right out of it.

And it becomes much more about an institute than a living faith.

And that's one way religion can go bad.

Another way religion can go bad is when we impose our beliefs and practices upon everyone else.

If we're talking about the world being better off because of Christianity, because Jesus' teaching shaped Western society, if you try that side of the argument, someone will also remind you of a whole lot of other things Christianity have done for 2,000 years.

The reality is historically Christians have committed acts of cruelty and violence towards each other and others in the name of Jesus.

And they may have done it in the name of Jesus, but they were actually acting from a place of religion and imposition.

They weren't acting with a true understanding of who Jesus is and what he's asked of us.

Religion is meant to serve the church.

The church is not meant to serve religion, it's meant to bring clarity to mobilize us.

But what I want to do is look at what those mobilized believers have been able to accomplish over the last 2,000 years.

What of the church historically?

So we established that Jesus' teachings were radical to a harsh Roman world at the time, and a lot of how we look at the world today is based on those teachings.

But how was it advanced?

What did those mobilized believers do?

In his book, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born, Dr.

James Kennedy lists the following things the church has added to the world since Jesus, with the assumption that if Jesus was never born, we would not have any of these things in Western society.

His list of the things the church has added to the world since Jesus is hospitals, university, literacy and education for the masses, the abolition of slavery, modern science, the elevation of women, balevolence and charity, higher standards of justice, and a high regard for human life.

Okay, there we go.

The list is longer than that in the book, but I've just tried to include the highlights.

And if you've heard anything and you're like, are you sure?

Look into it.

Look into it.

Utilize your time to look into how the church, following the practices of Jesus, has shaped some of the things we take for granted in society today.

I really like being fact-checked.

If if you hear something I say and you're unsure if it hits a wound spot, look into it.

That means this is working.

If you take everything I say for granted, this is not working.

But if you actually go, well, I've got to look into that, or I'm not sure about that, or I want to follow that up, or I want to think about it, or I want to talk to Scott about it more, that means this is working.

That's that's working, that's good.

But the church, living out the teaching of Jesus, historically shaped the fabric of society.

But what about the church today?

Because I've been told recently when I told someone I was doing this topic, someone outside of the church said, Well, maybe you should include the fact that the church is a relic and it's had its day.

That was a fun conversation.

So let's talk about that relic today.

The Guardian a few years ago ran an article trying to establish and highlight the benefit of the church and everything it does to society today.

And so it tried to list a little bit of what the church offers British society today.

And the list is events for the elderly, homeless services, night shelters, soup kitchens, clothes, food, clothes, toys, collection and distribution, youth clubs and events, drug and alcohol supports groups, mental health and counseling services, church cafes, parent and toddler groups, community events, children's activities like holiday clubs, fundraising for charities, practical assistance in the community like painting and gardening, litter pickup, work in local schools, debt relief, financial advice, advocacy campaigning, just to highlight a few of the things the church does in the UK today.

However, the heart the article then went on to try to establish the market value of that.

It tried to establish what the market value of that would be if the government had to fund that because the church decided to stop doing it, with a focus of thinking of what would the cost of paying those volunteers be at the national living wage.

And the article worked out that the cost to the government to do all of this as the church across the country stopped would be 2.4 billion pounds a year.

They would have to find 2.4 billion pounds a year to cover the gap.

But they worked out that that, although that would cover the gap, that the actual cost, like the benefit of society of what we do, is more like 12.4 billion.

The financial benefits of society is 12.5 billion.

So the UK wouldn't be better off without religion because I mean, in all fairness, we should then examine all the other things the other faith groups do that help the society.

That would add to the picture even greater, and then it would prove that the country isn't better off without religion.

However, should the country be better off than it currently is?

Should the country be better off than it currently is?

See, the church right now in this moment of history has more buildings, resources, money, and members than it ever has at any other point in history.

But why do we not feel as impactful as we have in the past?

See, when you look at what the church has done historically, you constantly see more being done with less.

So, to try to understand what that drift is, and to try to challenge ourselves with this question like we should, let's go back to the starting point of the early church really quickly and just establish what started them, what was behind how they established themselves immediately after the resurrection of Jesus.

That created the influence they were for 2,000 plus years.

So we're going to go to Acts 2, 42 to 47, which is largely recognized as the first passage of the emerging church.

It says, They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Everyone was filled with awe at the many signs and wonders performed by the apostles.

All the believers were together and had everything in common.

They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts, they broke bread in their homes, they ate together with glad and sincere hearts, they praised God and enjoyed the favor of all people, and the Lord added to their number daily those who were saved.

So if you look right there at that starting verse, the starting point for the early church, for the early followers of Jesus was they were devoted.

They were devoted.

And devotion for them was a wholehearted, active commitment, deep loyalty to God that affected every aspect of their life.

They were that level of devoted.

And then it tells us what they were devoted to.

It says they were devoted to the apostles' teachings.

Because it was what the apostles' teachings that built the foundation of their beliefs, but it also built the substance of their devotion.

And we say the apostles' teaching because at that point the Bible was still being written and compiled.

So they had the apostles' teaching, the teachings from those who walked and witnessed, walked with and witnessed Jesus.

And so these teachings are important because they they form the basis of their beliefs and the substance of their devotion.

So they were important then, they're important now.

And if you know the Bible, then you know what these teachings are.

You know that one of those teachings will be of them talked about how John the Baptist said, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is here.

Another teaching would have been them reminding themselves that Jesus said, Follow me and I will make you fishes of men.

Because Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, the life.

The way to God is through Jesus.

That we are commanded to love God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and love others as we love ourselves.

See, those basic teachings were important because it helped them know how to be devoted.

It helped them know that to follow Jesus we need to repent of the life that we had, to take up a new life of following Him and being transformed according to the purpose he has for us.

And we do that in confidence because we believe and we know that He is the way, the truth, the life.

But then we take that commandment serious.

This is how it affects whole heart all aspects of their life, because they take that command serious to love God with all their heart, all their mind, all their soul, to not compromise and to love each other as they love themselves.

And then I'm sure the apostles would have reminded of them of the commission where Jesus said, All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples, baptizing them then in the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have taught you, and know that Jesus is with you to all ends of the age.

I'm sure they covered that.

Because those commands formed the basis of their beliefs and the substance of their devotion.

But they weren't just devoted to the teaching, they were devoted to the breaking of bread.

They were devoted to communion because Jesus was at the center of everything they did.

Because communion reminds them that Jesus died for them, that he beat the power in sin and death and was resurrected.

That the Holy Spirit came down, promise fulfilled, to dwell in those who chose to follow Jesus.

Communion reminds them that they live under the oak tree of righteousness, of his righteousness.

They live under his name according to who he is and what he's done, not who they are and what they've done.

Communion reminds them that it was his body that was broken, not theirs, that it was his blood that was spilt, not theirs.

It's not something they've done and earned, that's something they sit under because of who he is, what he's done, and what he's earned on our behalf.

Communion was at the center of everything they did because it kept Jesus at the center of every relationship, every practice, every belief, every structure, everything they did, he was the center.

But Jesus at the center was empowered by their devotion to prayer.

So they were devoted to the teaching, they were devoted to communion, and they were devoted to prayer.

See, prayer is the ultimate posture of humility if you do it right.

And Jesus told them how to do it right.

He said, Pray this way.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So he's saying, when you pray, remember who you're praying to, remember his sovereignty, and remember what you're ultimately playing for.

See, prayer is the ultimate posture of humility when we come before God and say, God, your kingdom come, your will be done.

It's a distorted posture when we come to God and say, My will be done.

My plans fulfilled, my desires met.

My, my, my.

When we pray, my, my, my, I look at you and go, My, my, my.

That was really bad.

Learning to pray, His kingdom come teaches us who we are, but what we should see.

See, it challenges our perspective to be a kingdom perspective.

It challenges us to look at the world with a with a desire to be aligned with his sovereignty, with a lens of hope, an active compassion, and an understanding of eternity.

See, God wants us to see the world for what it is, so that we can know it's not the kingdom of God.

And when we see the world for what it is, then maybe we can see the world for what it could be.

Maybe we could be an active imagination of a kingdom reality.

See, the early church set the standard for the way we're meant to follow Jesus because they were the example of devotion.

They were devoted to the teaching, they were devoted to communion, and they were devoted to prayer.

I love that order too, because it says they were devoted and what they were devoted to, and then it says then there was awe, and then there was signs and wonders.

How much of us sit there and say we want the awe before the devotion?

We want the signs and wonders before the devotion.

We want the moment, the event, the experience, the feeling before the devotion.

But the scripture says they were devoted, and from that devotion there was awe.

From that devotion there was signs and wonders.

See, it's asking something of us.

Decide who we are and what we believe, and then give ourselves to it if it's what we believe.

Their example helps us to know whether we've drifted today.

That's why it's always great to go back to this passage.

Because have we drifted?

The answer comes down to asking ourselves some tough questions today to determine that drift.

So I'm just going to ask three questions for us to ponder to determine this drift.

The first question is this Is your world, your sphere of influence, your family, your workplace, your neighborhood, is that world better off because of your religion, your beliefs, and your practices?

Is your world better off because of your beliefs and your practices?

The second question is, do the people around you in that world experience your devotion?

Do the people around you in that world, that sphere of influence you have, experience your devotion?

And then the last question is are you discipling the world around you?

Are you discipling the world around you?

So are we living up to our commission?

And they would have understood the commission as their charge with authority and power of Jesus to go into the world and make disciples.

You know, we can disciple the world around us before they even choose to become Christians.

See, because he is the way, the truth, the life.

The way you live your life, the way you expose the world to your devotion dictates the way you respond to the world around you.

Do you know some of us, I'm not saying anyone here, no one here, of course, but some of us, we have advice for people.

And depending on whether that person in front of us is Christian or not, depends on what kind of advice we give.

We give a certain kind of advice to our Christian friends that come from the core of our Christian beliefs and values, but when we're speaking to our non-Christian friends, workmates, colleagues, whatnot, we change the kind of advice we give to match who they are but deny who we are.

That's not discipling the world.

That's submitting to it.

He said, Go into the world and make disciples, which means if this is what you live, if this is what you believe, then it needs to come out and how you advise people how to live.

That doesn't mean you have to bash them with the Bible.

It doesn't mean if someone's hurting, you say Jesus said this, but it does mean you bring the values of who he is into your answer.

And don't shy away from the fact that if you were in that situation, you would turn to your faith and prayer.

Because disciples are someone who come under a teacher.

So if someone's going to choose to come under a teacher, they need to be exposed to the aspect of your life that is under that teacher.

So we need to expose the world to our devotion.

Your values need to be exposed.

So as I close and invite the band up, because we've got to sort of try to tie a bow on this little two-week experiment and activity, I just want to make it really clear.

The purpose of these last two weeks was not to equip you to win an argument.

We're not supposed to run away now going, great, if anyone ever tells me now the world is better off without religion, I have everything I need to win that argument.

We started hospitals and universities, and Jesus is teaching is why you reacted.

No.

We're not here to win arguments.

We're here to win hearts.

We're here to see hearts won for Jesus.

The point of this activity for the last two weeks was to teach you that we need to be comfortable with sharing the good news, but we also need to know the good news and live the good news.

But additionally, we need to have the wisdom to understand the best way to answer these questions is to accept that there's something behind the question every time.

There's something behind the question every time.

If someone comes to you and says the world is better off without religion, there's something behind that question that dictates what's actually going on inside of them.

If someone comes to you and says, Why does God allow suffering?

There's something behind that question that speaks to where they are right now.

We have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us.

So the best thing we can do is have the wisdom to respond to that question with further questions.

So that we can get unearth what is actually happening behind that statement and trust the Holy Spirit to lead us in speaking to and ministering to the part of their heart that really needs ministry.

So as we worship, why don't we let ourselves be challenged?

We can be challenged by the questions I've asked, but why can't we also be challenged by determining whether the world around us is actually better off because of our devotion?

In what way have we drifted from the example set by those early believers?

Because without that drift, our world, the church, Tova, the UK, wouldn't be better off without religion.

I'll hand it over to you guys.