By Oyewole O. Sarumi
One of the greatest dangers facing the church today is not open unbelief but religious deception. Many church leaders and committed believers assume that spiritual activity automatically equals spiritual life.
Churches are full of programmes, rituals, conferences, vigils, deliverance sessions, prophetic declarations, and religious performances.
Ministers preach regularly, congregations gather faithfully, and ministries operate with visible energy. What we noticed beneath all this activity lies a troubling question: how much of modern Christianity truly reflects the New Testament pattern of life in Christ?
I have discovered from experience that it is possible to be deeply involved in religious work and still be spiritually empty. It is possible to speak the language of faith and yet be strangers to the life of faith. It is possible to build large ministries and still lack a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Scriptures repeatedly warns that religious activity is not the same thing as salvation and that ministry success is not proof of spiritual authenticity.
Many leaders today operate more like Old Testament priests than New Testament shepherds. Their focus is on rituals, sacred places, spiritual performances, and visible power. However we read through the New Testament, it presents a different picture.
Christianity is not fundamentally about activities, ceremonies, or outward demonstrations. It is about knowing Jesus Christ personally and walking daily in obedience to Him. Period!
The tragedy is that when this truth is emphasized, some leaders resist it because their identity is built on activity rather than relationship. But Scripture leaves no room for confusion.
LTrue Christianity is rooted in a living relationship with Christ, not religious busyness. At this junction, I remembered over two decades ago, I taught and wrote on a theme, “Death of Believers Through Activities”, it was met with brutal responses even from my fellow church leaders. The trends hasn’t changed, it has grown in breadth, length, depth and heights today.
Beloved, just a few passages reveal this truth more clearly than the sobering words of Jesus in Matthew chapter seven.
The Sobering Warning of Jesus
Jesus Christ delivered one of the most frightening warnings in all of Scripture when He spoke about the final judgment. His words were directed not at atheists or pagans but at religious people who believed they were serving God.
In Matthew 7:13–14, Jesus declared: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
These words overturn common assumptions. The broad road is not populated only by openly sinful people. It also includes those who trust in religious performance rather than in Christ Himself. Many who appear spiritual are walking a road that does not lead to life.
The narrow gate represents total surrender to Christ. It is entered by those who abandon self-righteousness and depend entirely on the grace of God. This gate cannot be entered through titles, ministry achievements, or church involvement. It is entered through repentance and faith alone.
Even research on global Christianity consistently shows a wide gap between religious identification and genuine spiritual commitment. Surveys by organizations such as the Pew Research Centre repeatedly indicate that large numbers of professing Christians rarely read Scripture, pray privately, or engage in personal spiritual disciplines. This pattern reflects a Christianity rooted in outward affiliation rather than inward transformation.
Our Lord Jesus anticipated this problem long before modern surveys existed hence His unambiguous declaration in the above scripture.
Religious Activity Without Spiritual Life
One of the most dangerous illusions in the church is the belief that activity proves authenticity. Many assume that if they are busy for the church, they must be right with God.
The One who knows all things, Jesus Christ warned otherwise. In Matthew 7:22, He describes a group of people who will stand before Him confidently: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”
These individuals were not casual church attendees. They were ministers and church workers. They prophesied. They engaged in spiritual warfare. They performed works that appeared miraculous. They used the name of Jesus. They believed they belonged to Him.
At the end, they were mistaken. Jesus responds in Matthew 7:23: “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Friends, this is one of the most terrifying sentences in Scripture. The problem was not that these people once knew Christ and lost their salvation. The problem was that they never knew Him at all, even though they have built empires in His name.
They had activity without intimacy. They had ministry without surrender. They had power without holiness. They had religion without Christ. The issue was relationship, and nothing else matters.
The Meaning of Being Known by Christ
For us to understand this passage properly, we must understand what it means for Christ to “know” someone. In the Bible, knowledge is not merely intellectual. It is relational. It implies intimacy, love, and obedience.
In John 10:14, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” So, to be known by Christ means to belong to Him. It means to live under His lordship. It means to follow Him in obedience.
However, many claim Christ as Saviour without submitting to Him as Lord. They call Him “Lord” with their lips but resist His authority in their lives. Jesus said in Luke 6:46: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” This question still echoes today.
The real evidence of salvation is not spiritual excitement but transformed character.
The True Fruit God Seeks
Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour explained that genuine spiritual life can be recognized by its fruit. In Matthew 7:17–19, He said: “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” The fruit Jesus described is not miracles or spiritual manifestations. It is the evidence of a changed life.
Even, Paul, The Apostle describes this fruit in Galatians 5:22–23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” These qualities cannot be manufactured through religious activity. They are produced by the Holy Spirit in a surrendered life.
The Puritan writer John Owen once wrote: “A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees before God Almighty, that he is and no more.” This insight cuts through modern religious culture. Public success is not proof of spiritual life.
Let it be known that True fruit grows in hidden places: It grows in prayer. It grows in obedience. It grows in humility.
Counterfeit Spiritual Power
There is another disturbing truth that emerges from Matthew chapter seven. The people Jesus described indeed performed works that appeared supernatural, but they were not truly His followers.
The Scripture teaches that supernatural manifestations do not automatically come from God. In Exodus 7, the magicians of Egypt duplicated some of Moses’ miracles. The Apostle Paul later identified them as Jannes and Jambres in 2 Timothy 3:8. They had power, but it was not divine power. Also, Paul warned the Church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11:14, that, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” to deceive people, presenting evil as good and darkness as light. This tactic involves appearing as a messenger of righteousness or truth to manipulate, tempt, and lead believers astray with false teachings.
Furthermore, Jesus warned in Matthew 24:24 that false prophets would show “great signs and wonders.” Hence, all spiritual experiences must be tested by Scripture. Why? It is not every prophecy that is from God. Not every miracle is from God. Not every spiritual manifestation is from the Holy Spirit.
Modern Christianity often emphasizes power more than purity, gifts more than godliness, and manifestations more than maturity. But Scripture places the highest value on obedience.
The Danger of Old Testament Christianity
Many church leaders function as if Christianity were still an Old Testament religion.
Their model is based on priests, altars, sacred objects, rituals, and special anointed individuals. I have wonder why are they cherry picking, why don’t they go the whole hog and start slaughtering goats, bulls, sheep, pigeons etc on their so called altars if they prefer Judaism that Gospel of Christ?
The New Testament reveals a different reality. In Hebrews 10:19–22, believers are told that they have direct access to God through Christ. There’s no more intermediaries. No earthly priest is required. No ritual is necessary. No physical altar is needed. Jesus Christ Himself is the High Priest.
The temple is no longer a building. We the believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). The New Covenant emphasizes inward transformation rather than outward ceremony.
Even Jeremiah prophesied this change centuries before Christ: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). The New Testament Christianity is heart-centered. It is relational. It is spiritual. It is internal. The Puritan pastor Thomas Watson wrote: “Christ went more willingly to the cross than we do to the throne of grace.” These words remind us that true Christianity is built on communion with Christ, not religious activity.
The Disciples’ Lesson About True Joy
As I read through the Bible, even the disciples had to learn that spiritual power was not the main thing. In Luke 10:17, they returned from ministry rejoicing: “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”
They were excited about spiritual authority they were able to demonstrated. Jesus did not deny the reality of their power. Instead, He redirected their focus. So, in Luke 10:20, He said: “Rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
This statement reveals God’s priorities. The greatest miracle is not casting out demons. The greatest miracle is salvation. The greatest privilege is not ministry. The greatest privilege is belonging to Christ.
Many ministers today rejoice in influence, results, and recognition while neglecting the quiet assurance of knowing God, but eternity will reveal what truly mattered, and eternal life start from knowing Christ.
The Centrality of Repentance and Faith*
May I reiterate that the gospel message has never changed as we move from one age to the other. John the Baptist preached repentance. Jesus preached repentance. The apostles preached repentance. The Apostle fathers preached repentance. The Puritans preached repentance. Dear church leaders, what are you preaching?
Let’s note that true repentance is not merely feeling sorry for sin. It is turning away from sin and turning toward God, not towards church or leader.
Faith is not believing in religion. It is trusting in Christ alone. Salvation rests not on works but on Christ’s finished work on the cross.
In Ephesians 2:8–9, Paul writes: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” This truth destroys religious pride: No ministry achievement can save us. No religious effort can justify us. Only Christ can save.
The Puritan Richard Baxter wrote: “Take heed of resting in a form of godliness without the power of it.” These words remain urgently relevant today.
We are Called to Examining Ourselves Daily
The Scripture calls believers to examine themselves honestly on regular basis. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”
This command is especially important for church leaders. Why? Because Ministry can hide spiritual emptiness. Public success can conceal private distance from God. A person can preach every week and still not know Christ deeply.
The question is not: How busy am I? How gifted am I? How successful is my ministry? The question is: Do I truly know Christ? And does my life reflect His character?
The Charge: Returning to True Christianity
Friends, Tthe solution is not abandoning the church. It is returning to Christ personally, and stop playing religion.
True Christianity begins with humility. It begins with repentance. It begins with surrender. It begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The narrow gate remains open. The way is still available. Those who come with empty hands will find mercy. Those who seek Christ sincerely will find Him. Jesus said in John 17:3: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Eternal life is not primarily a destination. It is a relationship.
Conclusion
The greatest tragedy imaginable would be to spend a lifetime in religious service and still hear Christ say, “I never knew you.”
Let me be blunt as I close this piece: “There is no sermon preached, no demon cast out, no miracle performed, and no ministry built can replace a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. Nothing more, nothing less!”
I am fully persuaded that the New Testament does not present Christianity as a system of rituals or religious performances as it is done in most of our churches today. It presents Christianity as a living union with Christ. Why?
This is because activity cannot substitute for intimacy. Power cannot substitute for purity. Ministry cannot substitute for surrender.
As Church leaders, we must strive to recover the simplicity of New Testament faith as it was delivered to the Apostle s if old, even as we serve only the Lord Jesus. The church does not need more activity as much as it needs deeper relationship with Christ.
My dear readers, the narrow gate still stands open, but it must be entered personally. Each believer and church leader must answer the ultimate question: Do I know Christ?And more importantly: Does Christ know me? I strongly declare this to all: Nothing matters more than this.
Maranatha!!!
Prof. Sarumi, a Bible Scholar, write from Lagos