When Religion Gets in the Way of Faith

Can religion actually block your relationship with God? In this message from Mark 7, Pastor Kirt Anderson looks at the moment a group of Pharisees traveled from Jerusalem to confront Jesus about his disciples not following the ceremonial hand-washing tradition. Jesus pushes back hard, quoting Isaiah and pointing out that their layers of man-made tradition had buried the original intent of God's law. His verdict: worship that lives only on the lips, without a connected heart, is not worship at all.Pastor Kirt brings the message close to home with his own story of growing up in church without ever really connecting, and closes with a moving World War II account of two soldiers, a grieving priest, and a fence that got moved overnight. If you have ever wondered whether you have to have everything figured out before God would accept you, this message is for you.