Separation of State and Religion - a call to Holiness

(1 Pet 1:15 KJV) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
(1 Pet 1:16 KJV) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Jesus was well disliked by the businesses, and the Political Powers, and the religious groups, and ministered to a narrow range of the population. It was not a common mainstream ministry but ministered to those that nobody bothered, those on the fringes.

There was a distinctive separation of the Kingdom of God, which is said not to be the Kingdom of this world ie the plillars of Family, Religion, Business, Education, Authorities, Arts andMedia. The most pertinent point came when Jesus' mother came to seek after Him, and Jesus redefined family as His disciples and followers as equally His family. The Authroties - Herod and Gang, tried to kill Him since young. The Law based Religion tried to silence Him, and to say that He did not follow the Jewish laws. The Media turned against Him after being controlled by the religious authorities and they begin to potray Jesus as the cause of all their sufferings,

Jesus emphasised that His Kingdom, is not of the Kingdom of this world. He did not mixed the secular, with the Holy. He deliberately did not have a roof over His head, or a big auditorium, He had nothing because He did not want to be mixed with the Kingdoms of this World. For example, the Cathedrals in the medieval times were so expansive that they started to offer indulgences!.

So mixing the Kingdom of God, with the kingdoms of this World have taken away its Holiness. When there is call for Holiness, living a life of frugality and very few pocessions. And people came, because of Love, acceptance, and power evangelism. People flocked to see the dead rises, those with incurable diseases healed. Those despised as uncleaned by religion was accepted by Jesus. He touched them, when everyone especially the clergy stayed a mile away.

When we mixed the State and Religion, we ended up mixing the Holy and the common, we mixed the Outer Courts and the Market Place with the Holy of Holies. With mixed Law with Grace. At the end, people see religion instead of relationship with God.

Yes, the air conditioning, the audio system, the large auditorium ministering to thousands are important, but what is much more important is the presence and move of the Holy Spirit for Jesus ministered to outdoors without all that we have.

There is a call to return to Holiness, a separation of our lives, that we can listen, see, and touch God, and see Christ, the Hope of Glory.