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Religious Duties Without A Purpose
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We need to watch the deceptive dangers of religious duties without real purpose. Notice Luke 2:42-43, And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. The feast of the passover, an eight-day feast, was the highpoint of all the religious services that Judah enjoyed. It was right in the midst of that religious service that Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus.

Those of us who are (or have been) in a "fallen behind" (backslidden) condition, probably did not backslide at the beer joint, in a house of prostitution, or in a crooked deal. We may have "fell behind" (lost Christ), while "sitting right in the pew during a church service". The reason Mary and Joseph lost Jesus is the same reason people lose Him today: there was more thought being given to the feast than to the purpose of the feast. There is more thought of us "being seen in church by others" or going because "it's a habit", or "we're supposed to" than why we should be: to focus on Jesus. Jesus sternly laid the truth on literal Israel and called many of them hypocrites, because they had kept the letter of the law, but lost the real purpose of the law.

Verse 43 tells us: And when they had fulfilled the days... They had fulfilled the required time, but not the purpose. They made sure they stayed eight days; they made sure they attended the temple worship; they made sure that they ate of the unleavened bread---but they had lost the true purpose of the feast. The purpose of the feast was to remind them of the great deliverance that God had given them out of Egyptian bondage. They stayed in Jerusalem until they had fulfilled the days, and then they headed home.

Many today, go to the house of worship, stay a couple of hours, and say that worship is over. There's more involved than just "showing up at the pew". What should be the real purpose of us going to church? It ought to be in appreciation for the deliverance that God has given us from the life of sin and because He has made us a new creature, affording us grace and strength. Sadly, many go into the building, fulfill the required time and go back out without having ever lifted their hearts unto God in praise for His Mercy and Grace.

We need to be very careful about this thing of "going to church" merely for the sake of ritual (habit). It is very easy to slip into such a custom, yet it is without fulfillment of any real purpose. If every person who entered the church doors, stayed until they fulfilled the purpose for being there in the first place, surely there would be many more lost souls getting saved, and very few backsliders, indeed! Let's be very careful of this deceptive danger, merely going through the motion without accomplishing the purpose. It's very easy to slide into tradition instead of keeping on track of purpose. It is very easy to start missing services, the forsaking of the assembling of ourselves together, for minor reasons. If our focus is on anything but the worship of God, the enemy of our soul will use that very thing to twist our purpose of going to church and we won't gain what we could from our time spent there! [ The End ]




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