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CONNIE: Are you "religious?" What does that term mean to you? Is it good or bad? Join us today as we look at what Jesus taught about how to have good religion

Giving God’s trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery

LONNIE: And I’m Lonnie Melashenko. You know, Connie, the term "religious" can be a pretty heavy word.

CONNIE: It can carry a lot of baggage with it.

LONNIE: That's right-and it's not always positive luggage. The famous 18th-century philosopher Voltaire wrote that "religion is the source of all imaginable follies and disturbances; it is the parent of fanaticism and civil discord; it is the enemy of mankind."

CONNIE: Another well-known agnostic, from the 19th -century was Robert Ingersoll. His comment about religion was that "The hands that help are better far than the lips that pray."

LONNIE: And you know, that's not necessarily a completely negative comment. I know of a very spiritual--very Christian author by the name of Ellen G. White--who wrote something similar, about the same time. It's found in her famous book Steps to Christ. Here it is: "He who does nothing but pray will soon cease to pray, or his prayers will become a formal routine" (p. 101).

CONNIE: Religion has taken some pretty bad raps through the years--but could it be that when Christians are criticized today it's not so much for behaving as Jesus taught, but for forgetting to follow His word? Today we look at a biblical passage where Jesus cautions us against falling into the religion trap--the trap of just acting religious instead of letting God's love move us to do more than play at religion.

LONNIE: There's a group of people who are making their religion practical in a rather simple way, with the help of Don and Yvonne McClure of the Someone Cares ministry, and David Smith spoke with Don recently and got the story.

CONNIE: And here is that interview

DAVID: It’s just great to have you with us on the Voice of Prophecy again. Welcome Back.

DON: It’s a joy always being there.

DAVID: We sure appreciate it. You know Don, Lonnie and Ken Wade and I are here in Matthew chapter 6 which is a great ministry passage that tells us to “do good deeds” without playing trumpets and putting Internet banners on yahoo.com to brag about our wonderfulness and Don, if there was ever a ministry that was built not on the idea of getting famous but rather with the idea of not being famous, your prison pen friends program has got to be it. Tell our listeners what that’s about.

DON: We’ve got thousands of inmates receiving letters from thousands of Christians, and nobody knows anybody. In fact, most of the Christians use anonymous names, aliases, and yet with our marriage between Someone Cares and Voice of Prophecy over two hundred fifty thousand inmates have gotten to know Christ through your Bible studies.

DAVID: That is just unbelievable Don but, describe for our listeners exactly how the anonymity, the anonymity is your goal here, why and how does that work?

DON: Well, everybody in prison or everybody anywhere deserves to love Jesus. Guys in prison can be bad, guys in prison can be dangerous, so my wife devised a program where the Christian writes the inmates through our post office box, staying anonymous, and we forward the letters to the inmates. The inmate writes back, now the anonymity disappears because we read the letter and we know who everybody is.

DAVID: Sure.

DON: Just to make sure everything is cool and we forward it on to the Christian making suggestions, corrections and if something bad slips up we send the letter back and don’t cut off the relationship but remind the fact that we are Christians.

DAVID: And you nudge people back into the paths of righteousness.

DON: Amen, you know the first thing I think, one of the first sermons preached in prison is there is no “I” in Jesus, just “u” and us and we are here on this earth to make it a better place but let Jesus take credit for it.

DAVID: Yes, so Don, first of all, you’re paying double postage for the mail running both directions, and you and your life and your volunteers are reading all the mail going both directions. That’s a tough process, but apparently that is what is necessary for these people to in a protected way, get letters.

DON: Well, in some cases the only way. We have, I’ve got a hundred letters I can make reference to of guys that have written to organization after organization wanting to get rid of the loneliness. They deserve to be in prison, and we are not in favor of crime at all, but we love the fact that Jesus says, “sin not but if you do, I give you an advocate.”

DAVID: That’s right. Now Don, you know a lot of your volunteers, they contact you; they get themselves set up in the program. Why do Christians agree to write letters to the lowliest of people when they just aren’t ever going to get a pat on the back for it? It’s so anonymous.

DON: Unfortunately, there is a bad side and a good side, but the bad side is this is a comfortable way without getting exposed to witness for Christ and our people too often are sitting in the pews looking for something to do. They don’t want to knock on doors and certainly some of them are scared to hold a Bible study, but becoming a pen friend, we call it paper sunshine.

DAVID: Yes.

DON: Ah, it’s so easy that we’ve got kids writing to child molesters, leading them to Christ.

DAVID: Teenage girls, young kids, boys and girls are writing letters.

DON: Sunday school classes, Sabbath school classes.

DAVID: That is unbelievable. Now Don, staying with the Bible here from over in Matthew 6, coming down to where it says that “do it anonymously, do it quietly, do it in your closet and then your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” What is that reward?

DON: Our treasures are laid up in heaven, and heaven is the place we’re all going to be.

DAVID: So we will meet those prisoners first of all, then hearing the Lord just say, “Well done,” I guess.

DON: I know I’m waiting to hear it.

DAVID: Yeah, inasmuch the least of the children and so forth.

DON: Yes and you know, the powerful thing about Matthew 6 is it leads into the Lord’s Prayer which is the guidance to all of us and that is, it’s such a joy to receive, I got a letter from a chaplain a couple of weeks ago and he says, “Don, you’ve got the only ministry in this prison that works.”

DAVID: Yeah

DON: And I said, “Well, no, I don’t but the Lord does through us and a lot of people both Christian and inmates are going to make it to heaven because the anonymous fact that the inmate knows that the person is using a pen name.

DAVID: Yes

DON: They know that they don’t live in Columbus, Indiana.

DAVID: That’s right.

DON: They also know that this reason is there to protect their friend.

DAVID: Well Don, it’s a wonderful ministry. We salute you. We salute your wife. We certainly salute all these anonymous people who won’t get saluted any other way and again our Lord and Savior Jesus has a record of it in heaven.

DON: Amen.

DAVID: We sure appreciate talking to you again Don.

DON: All right David.

DAVID: God bless.

DON: God bless. Bye.

CONNIE: Don and Yvonne McClure certainly have a wonderful ministry– helping Christians to reach out and touch the lives of men and women in prison. It's a unique program that allows anyone to carry on correspondence with a prisoner without placing themselves at any risk. Because the prisoner never finds out where the person is writing from, or even their real name.

LONNIE: It's a great thing, Connie. And I know whenever we talk to Don or Yvonne on our program, many listeners want to know how to get involved in this ministry. So, why don't you share the address and phone number.

CONNIE: I'd be delighted to. To get involved in this ministry, contact Someone Cares at 812-373-9819, or write to them at P. O. Box 472, Columbus, IN 47202. They also have a web page at someonecares.org. That's www.someonecares.org .

LONNIE: Why don't you give the phone number one more time too, in case someone was scrambling for a pencil.

CONNIE: The phone number is 812-373-9819. And of course you can also look up this information by visiting our own web page at VOP.com and looking up the transcript of this program, or use the search engine on the "Previous Broadcasts" page to look up "Someone Cares."

LONNIE: It's a great ministry to get involved in if you want to reach out and touch someone with the love of God.

“Reach Out and Touch”, Charles Haugabrooks

CONNIE: That was one of our favorite musicians, Charles Haugabrooks, singing "Reach Out and Touch." And as always, if you'd like to know more about the music or musicians you hear on our broadcast, the place to go is the Internet at www.VOP.com.

LONNIE: It's your personal link to the ministry of Voice of Prophecy, and one of the greatest things there is the online version of the Discover Bible lessons.

CONNIE: Voice of Prophecy has operated a correspondence Bible school, sharing the basic message of the Bible in easy-to-understand lessons for more than 60 years, and the Internet has made this even easier. You don't need postage or anything. You can study the Bible right online. Just go to VOP.COM and click on "Free Bible Guides." It's as easy as that.

LONNIE: The guides are easy to use, and the quiz at the end helps to make sure that you really understand what you study. So, why not enroll today.

CONNIE: But don't do it right this minute. Because it's time for Lonnie's message for today, "How to Be Religious."

How to Be Religious

LONNIE: What does it mean to be religious? What is true religion?
You've seen them, I know. I have. Preachers who give the impression of being very holy, very uplifted, very spiritual! You see them preaching on television--behind the pulpit for a moment, then pacing back and forth on a gigantic stage, shouting their message, now pausing, taking out a handkerchief the size of a beach towel to wipe away the perspiration.

The audience is in the thousands, shouting hallelujah and waving their arms, and it seems that something great must be going on.

But is it?

Well, friend, I wouldn't want to judge. Perhaps it is. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is really moving on that preacher, and on the congregation.

But is that the epitome of true religion?

Or is it something quieter. We'll look at Jesus' answer to that question in a moment, but first, consider another picture of ministry, typified in the lives of two quiet missionaries who got the attention of the world without really trying.

When Gracia Burnham signed up for mission service, she didn't expect to come home to a hero's welcome. She didn't expect a crush of reporters at the airport with cameras rolling and satellite dishes beaming her story to the sky. She didn't expect a Highway Patrol escort when she made the trip from the airport to her in-laws' home 200 miles away. She didn't expect her personal testimony to be published in the Newsweek Perspective column.

No, when Gracia and her husband Martin signed on with the New Tribes Mission organization in 1986, they just wanted to go to the Philippines and give their lives to the cause of spreading the Jesus' Good News of the kingdom to that part of the world.

They didn't count on being kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf rebels and becoming the center of a multi-million-dollar manhunt.

Nor did Gracia count on coming home alone--to tend to the details of her husband's funeral.

They, like thousands of other Christian missionaries, take the words of Jesus found in Matthew 6:1-6 to heart.

After looking around at the way religion was practiced in His day, Jesus called His disciples aside--not to a synagogue, not to the temple in Jerusalem, and not to a street corner where their activities would be on public display--but up onto a quiet mountainside. And there He talked to them about the essence of true religion. Here's what He said:

" 'Be careful not to do your "acts of righteousness" before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you' " (Matt 6:1-4, NIV).

Let's face it. Most of us never would have heard of the Burnhams. Never would have had the chance to be inspired by their quiet self-sacrificing ministry, or remembered them in our prayers, if it hadn't been for the tragic events of May 27, 2001.

Martin and Gracia were celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary that day, when rebel soldiers stormed ashore and rounded up guests and staff from the resort. In the ensuing months, prayer warriors all over the world united in prayer for their safety. Individuals, families, and prayer gatherings sent petitions heavenward on behalf of the captured couple. Then on May 27, congregations around the world included special prayers for them and their families in their worship services. Then came the stunning news on June 7, 2002. After 376 days in captivity, being dragged through the jungles day after day, fleeing from pursuing troops, the Burnhams and their captors had finally been located.

Unfortunately, in the firefight that erupted between the pursuers and the pursued, both Martin and Gracia, as well as a third hostage, were wounded. Martin and a nurse died there in the jungle. Gracia's wounds were less serious, and she is expected to make a full recovery.

During and after the ordeal, the Burnhams' names became household words in many homes. Gracia and other family members have had the opportunity to testify on a global scale to their continuing faith in the goodness of God despite the tragedy.

So, if there is anything good that can come out of such tragic events, I suppose it would be that more people around the world are exposed to the loving, forgiving, persevering spirit of Christians who have given their lives to serving the needs of others.

But notice something here. The testimony that will do the most good in the world is not that these Christians said some wonderful prayer, or did some wonderful deed. The message that goes out to the world in circumstances like this is that Christians, because of their commitment to Jesus, will continue to give their lives in service to others. Not for publicity, not for acclaim, not to see their names up in lights, but simply because Jesus calls them to do good for others just for the sake of doing good.

The question Jesus raised in Matthew 6 is not whether we should do good works, say prayers, and the like; but why we do it.

Only those deeds done for God get God's attention, He says.

In other words, earthly acclaim doesn't matter. It's what we do in secret--with only God watching--that counts.

Someone has said that "character is what you do when no one else is watching."

And Jesus affirms that. Religion practiced for the purpose of making an impression on others is self-worship, not God-worship. And Jesus put it plainly. That kind of worship receives all its rewards here on earth--from people--not from God.

Even acts of charity, when they're practiced for the sake of publicity, fall into the same category with Jesus. He says, " 'when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.' "

You know, friend, I've been in churches where everything seems to have a plaque. Have you noticed it? You go and look at a picture hanging on the wall, and there's a little brass plaque beside it saying "Donated in loving memory of . . ." You look at the pulpit where the Word of God is preached, and there, on a conspicuous corner, it says "Donated by the ____ family." And every pew, almost every folding chair even! Has a name attached to it.

Now, don't misunderstand. I fully believe that those who are generous should be recognized. And I don't really have anything against those little plaques. But there is a potential problem here. If the reason for your donation is so that you can have a plaque, and everyone will read about your generosity--well, maybe you need to rethink your motivation and reconsider whose purpose you're serving with your gifts.

And it's not just the worshipers who need to be careful. What about the minister himself (or herself?) What's the motivation behind ministry? Even in the apostle Paul's day, he recognized that there were some apostles who preached Christ for their own selfish reasons. He wrote about them in the first chapter of Philippians. And friend, I know how easy it is to fall into that trap. To begin to enjoy the spot up front--on the platform, behind the pulpit--where everyone looks up to you. It can give you a sense of power and importance. So much so that eventually the importance of the message takes second place to the supposed importance of the messenger.

It can happen to anyone--no matter how sincere. Remember that Satan himself took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and invited Him to jump off--not so he'd be killed, but so that a great miracle could be worked, attracting people's attention.

But Jesus didn't take him up on it. He didn't need to draw attention to Himself with stunts. His words and His compassion for those in need would soon cause His fame to spread throughout the world.

Not because He called attention to Himself, but because He gave attention to others.

And that's still what spreads the gospel most effectively all around the world. Here at Voice of Prophecy we're constantly involved in new evangelistic thrusts, going out and preaching the Good News of Jesus at every opportunity.

But do you know what I've noticed? As we've gone to places around the world--in the former Soviet Union, on the African continent, in the islands of the sea, in South America, and right here in North America also. It's always the same. The best evangelistic results always come about in places where the lay people have laid the groundwork well--where they've been reaching out and touching their neighbors' lives with genuine Christian concern. Giving Bible studies, enrolling friends in the Discover Bible School.

When the lay people in an area have done that--not for their own glory, but for the glory of God's kingdom--the rewards have always been great in a harvest of souls.

Our Father in heaven pours out His blessings on all who practice their religion in this way--in secret, small ways that don't get the attention of the press, or even of other Christians. They see their blessings in the smiles of those they've helped. In lives transformed by the power of the gospel. And in the knowledge that they are living, not just for the things of this world, but for the things of eternity. Their treasures are in their real home--heaven.