6.29-Why religion is often completely off track as far as helping people know God.

6.29-
Jesus had a very different way of changing the world.
He did it by getting some active workers to get together and learn together how to help people to know God.

God is pursuing a relationship with men and women and has been since He created Adam and Eve.  Even though we as humans rebel and run from God, He pursues us because of His love.

If we ever get to know God, we experience something Jesus referred to as eternal life.  This life includes a vertical relationship with God and a horizonal relationship with our fellow man.

When we leave our home we get out and do life on our own and we decide who we hang out with and how often and where we hang out with them.

In that process we can get so scarred and broken that we just don't want to associate with people without some serious painkillers.  These can be in various forms of idolatry that do kill the pain, but don't actually help long term.

I am a very social person, so I am not tempted to isolate from people, but I am tempted to have superficial relationships rather than deep relationships.  Then I get cut off from the real life of God and I die spiritually and shrivel up.

Good connections of depth and truth can be found in many places.  The workplace.  The healthy family.  The hospital.  The funeral home.  The battlefield.  The marriage counseling office with a healthy counselor.  The AA, NA or Alnon or Celebrate recovery group.

But there are some danger sin the horizonal relationship situation.  Religion may not be a good place unless it is focused on helping the weak and oppressed.(Fairly rare.)  Church may not be a good place unless is it focused on disciple making and not money raising and comfort and pleasure producing. (Fairly rare.) (But available in most places where I live.) Politics may not be a good place unless it is someone who does not love money and power.  (Fairly rare.)  Television, radio and social media may not be a good place. (Unless it is rooted in real people sharing real life. In social media extremely rare.  Real deep spiritual development requires privacy and confidentiality not broadcasting of our worst moments which may involve other people who do not want to be publicaly mentioned.)

Jesus found men and women in the marketplace of life when He was tired and offered them a new kind of life that was not destructible.  He offered and life of pursuing high goals.  100% love of God with heart, soul, mind and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself.  These will yield an life of connection with God and one's fellowman.  These connections cause one to remain in the vine of God's life and God will overcome evil with good.

John 15.

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.