Every pastor, teacher, podcaster, and small group leader you’ve ever heard (including me) interprets the Bible through their own experience. We try to study carefully and set aside our biases, but none of us can fully do so. Our backgrounds always shape how we understand and apply Scripture.

I once heard a megachurch pastor preach on relationships, and it was obvious his family of origin had deeply shaped his teaching. This happens with every teacher, whether they realize it or not.

This is partly why you connect with some teachers more than others. Their experiences mirror yours, and things “click” when they preach. But it’s also why you shouldn’t rely on just one voice. Different teachers bring different vantage points, and what one misses, another may illuminate. Over time, a variety of faithful voices helps you spot your own blind spots, too.

So listen widely and read closely. Hold every teaching up to Scripture itself, asking God to show you not only what the text means, but what it’s revealing about your own heart.

The man in the video was describing his view of Christian people. He said that he did not go to Church, read his Bible, or pray. Then he said, “I believe in God, but I am not religious like that.”

From what I could gather, he believed God existed and wanted to go to heaven, but he was not doing anything in his life that would normally be evidence of that belief. At his core, he is religious, but not the type who engages in religious activities.

Throughout my ministry, I have met hundreds, if not thousands, of people like him. They are not atheists or agnostics because they believe in God. But there is nothing in their actions that would lead you to think they were Christians. They believe in God in theory, but not in practice. Their faith exists more as a concept than a commitment.

Scripture paints a different picture of belief. Biblical faith is never merely intellectual agreement. It is trust that moves the heart and obedience that shapes the life. Jesus did not call people to believe that He exists, but to follow Him in all their ways.

This kind of faith will always be evident in prayer, Scripture reading, worship, repentance, and love for others. These are not a religious checklist, but are the natural overflow of a life being transformed by God.

Saying “I’m not religious like that” may feel honest, but it also reveals a deeper issue. Christianity was never meant to be a casual belief held at arm’s length. It is a relationship that demands action. God does not call us to convenience, but to devotion. And while none of us follow Him flawlessly, a faith that costs us nothing is not the faith Jesus described.

The question, then, is not whether we believe in God, but whether our lives are being shaped by Him. I want to be religious “like that.”

The old expression is “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” A new one for religious people might be “Don’t judge a Church by social media.”

Recently, my wife and I visited two megachurches on our vacation. If you were to go online and search for a while, you would find some very negative things written about both of these Churches; from the comments on posts, scathing Reddit discussions, to TikTok reels that will tell you everything evil about these Christian communities.

What my wife and I discovered were people who loved Jesus, were welcoming to us, and whose lives were being transformed by the Gospel. We found our experiences to be encouraging and uplifting. We heard people teach from the Bible and loudly sing the praises of Jesus.

While I admit that neither of these Churches is “my style” of community, it was exciting to see all that God was doing through them.

My advice is that before you say a negative word about a Church, you should go and visit. Talk to the people, and ask questions about their faith. Sure, every Church has flaws because it is composed of flawed people, but most of the people I met were genuinely trying to serve the Lord with all their heart and love their neighbor.

God is working in this world in various ways through all kinds of people. Just because they don’t act like you or in a style you like doesn’t mean they are bad people. It simply means there is diversity in the body of Christ, and that is worth praising rather than condemning.

There are people in your life who are struggling right now because of poor decisions they have made. Those choices may have been made recently or decades ago.

There are people in your life who are making poor decisions currently, and you can see that it will hurt them down the road.

There are people in your life who have secret sins that will one day damage their life, and you know something is wrong, even when they won’t confess it.

What should you do for these people?

First, you need to pray for them. Second, you need to lovingly confront them, if possible. But often the most significant thing you can do is to love them through it.

Never stop praying for them. Never stop reaching out. Never turn your back and walk away. You do not need to condone their behavior or publicly praise them for what they are doing. But privately let these people know you still have their back and will be there when the dust settles. The Apostle Paul writes, “if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.” (Gal. 6:1)

One of the greatest gifts any person can receive is friendship when we have made devastating choices, and the weight of those decisions fully hits us.

I spend much of my time around Christians who attend Church. Sometimes the things they say and do leave me unsure whether to laugh or cry. Do I ignore their behavior and chalk it up to immature faith? Or do I grieve the lack of spiritual growth I see?

Lately, I’ve chosen grace.

That doesn’t mean I excuse sin or settle for spiritual immaturity. Growth still matters. Truth still matters. But grace reminds me that I, too, am a work in progress. The same patience God extends to me is the patience He calls me to extend to others.

Every day we face a choice: frustration or compassion, judgment or grace. When we choose grace, we create space for God to transform hearts, including our own.

Some people who knew you before your faith journey can’t reconcile the person you were with the follower of Jesus you’ve become. Your transformation might even shock them.

Similarly, you may be amazed by who accepts your invitation to Church, and even more so by the transformation that unfolds in their life afterward.

It’s incredible what an invitation might do.

There are several families under my leadership who are currently struggling in ways that very few people know. They are not people who post everything on social media; in fact, for many of them, the idea is repulsive. The mindset is that they would rather suffer in silence.

Several reasons exist for this situation. Some of it is pride, and people do not want to risk the embarrassment of letting others know. Another reason is the fear of being judged by respected members of the community. Still others feel utterly alone in their difficulties, and that no one else could possibly understand what they are feeling.

The biggest reason people do not know what others are battling is a lack of real connection. Church people will often settle for being a part of a community where they “know everyone” without developing genuine relationships. Sure, in general, the people of the Church will show their support and pray for others, but we need something more. Each of us needs 4-12 people in our lives with whom we can talk about anything. We need a circle of friends where we can not only pray but also confess. A group where we can cry and share our darkest struggles without fear of judgment or gossip. Every believer needs the support of people who remind them that they do not have to fight alone.

I am praying for the people who are fighting these private battles. I ask God to give them strength, courage, peace, and the power of the Spirit so that they will get through these dark nights of the soul. I am also asking God to help them connect with other believers.

Battles are coming for all of us, and the Church is here so that you do not have to fight them in silence.

In the movie “We Bought a Zoo,” Matt Damon’s character, Benjamin Mee, advises his son by saying, “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”

The context of this quote is about connecting with a member of the opposite sex. If a man can muster up twenty seconds of courage to speak with a woman, it could lead to a relationship, love, marriage, and a family.

While this is undoubtedly true, I have also come to believe that we can apply it to speaking to others about Jesus. If we can generate a few seconds of courage to talk with someone about faith when they are open to it, we can impact a life for eternity. And even when we don’t lead them to faith in that moment, we plant a seed that might one day take root.

One of the easiest first steps of connecting people to their Savior is to invite them to Church worship on Sunday morning. It takes about twenty seconds to ask someone to join you this week as you spend time in your faith community.

All that is missing is a little bit of bravery.

I spend much of my life attempting to understand the Bible as it was originally written. I read the Bible as a whole, do in-depth study, dive into Christian books, and open myself up to knowledgeable teachers. My quest is to have nearly flawless Biblical theology.

Recently, after a heartbreaking meeting with a couple, I jotted down a note as a reminder of that moment. I wrote simply, “Theological perfection only matters in the classroom, not in the hospital, cancer ward, battlefield, or funeral home.”

As a pastor, I am sometimes called into miserable situations, and in those, no one has ever grilled me on my theology to make sure I believed exactly as they did. In those circumstances, people do not care about your theology; they only desire your presence and prayers. It’s a little ironic: the places where Christian presence is needed most are also the places where precise theology matters least.

If you follow Jesus, you have enough information to make a lasting impact in the world for his kingdom. I want you to keep learning and growing in your faith, but know that in many situations, your overall knowledge is secondary. Make sure your heart grows along with your head.

There are several apps that contain the feature of giving you a daily Bible verse. Every day, you can receive a single passage by email, text, or pop-up on your phone.

At first glance, this is wonderful. And while I think there could be several positive outcomes, I also want to issue a warning.

The Bible does not come to us as individual verses. It is a book with an overarching storyline; there is context for everything that is written, both historically and Biblically. Taking a verse out of context can make the Bible say anything we desire, rather than honoring its true meaning.

While I am not against people reading a single passage each day, never let that replace your extended reading of whole chapters and books. It has been said that a text without a context is a pretext.

Our quest is not to make the Bible a bunch of motivational quotes to inspire us in whatever direction we choose. The goal of your Bible is to help us understand God’s work in the world and to find our place in his kingdom. Anything less is an improper reading of scripture.