Are we Gospel Based, or just Religious?

I have been thinking a lot lately about my ideas of church and how we seek after God, and I am truly troubled by the state of American Christianity. From the mindset these ramblings flow. I don’t claim to have the answers; this is just what I have been reflecting on from Scripture and listening to DesiringGod.org

In Matthew 23 Jesus seems to deal with a very religious group and analyzing why they weren’t growing, even though they were super religious and were passionate and knew their Bibles and had good morals.

I don’t think the reason the church is declining is in America is because people’s hearts are harder than they have ever been. People’s hearts have always been hard. People outside of God has always been dead. Every human being needs a new birth, it has always been the miracle of

God to save and it is no newer today than in the past.
Is 59:1-2 reminds us God’s arm is not shorter today, his ear is not more deaf today. God is every bit as powerful and compassionate as the day He stayed on the cross and said “Father forgive them”
The more I read the Bible the more I am convinced a lack of the move of God is never the result of a God who is too small to save, but of His people to believe God.
Is 30:18 The Lord waits to be gracious, He waits. He rises to meet us.
It’s not a shortage of God; the fields are still white with harvest.
If God is not moving we should ask why.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about this.
In Matthew 23 Jesus makes some observations

1.) Over time religion seems to choke out the gospel among God’s people. Religion grows up out of the heart of man like a virus, like an idol choking out what is true for a shadow of the truth.

2.) We can easily see this conflict in the past but fail to see it in ourselves. (vs. 29) Ironic for the Pharisee’s for they were about to kill the greatest prophet. Jesus even acknowledges in verse 15 they love missions and Scripture (vs. 5) and doctrine (vs. 16). In verse 23 they are into disciplined obedience the kind of people who say “I’ve never seen an R rated movie” or “Didn’t kiss my wife until we were married”. They thought these things meant God should be blessing them and they should be growing, but He wasn’t and they weren’t.

3.) Religion makes us horribly ineffective at evangelism (vs. 15) They travel far and wide to make a single convert. Compare that to Jesus and those who flock to Him. Not just the religious, but the irreligious: prostitutes, tax collectors, soldiers, people from different cultures. Jesus preached hard things, He was into discipleship. Religion makes us unattractive to the world and if our church is not healthy it’s probably a good sign we are too religious…
And Jesus goes on to give 7 woes. My next writing will be a condensed description of religion. Unless we repent of these things no program, no strategy will help our church. Perhaps the lack of health in our church is a merciful sign from God proclaiming loudly above our religious pretext that we are not walking with God any longer.