In this powerful message from Hosea 6, Pastor Devon Ortiz calls the church to move beyond superficial faith and ritualistic religion into a deep, experiential relationship with God. He opens with the plea in verse 1: “Come, and let us return unto the Lord”, highlighting the strange but essential truth that God sometimes tears us to heal us—much like muscle being broken down to grow stronger. This tearing is not for destruction, but for restoration.

The passage outlines Israel’s repeated return to God—but only in form, not in heart. Pastor Ortiz draws a sharp line between performance-based Christianity and authentic faith. We can serve, give, attend, and still miss the very heart of God. God says in verse 6: “I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”Israel gave God religious acts, but not real devotion. And we often do the same—settling for looking holy instead of being holy.

Ortiz explores the word "know" in verse 3—“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord”—explaining that it refers to an intimate, experiential knowledge (Hebrew: yada). It’s not just head knowledge or biblical trivia—it’s the kind of knowledge that comes from a genuine relationship, like knowing exactly how your spouse takes their coffee. God doesn’t want rituals; He wants hearts.

Superficial faith is dangerous because:

1. It relies on emotion over truth. Israel made big declarations with no real brokenness or repentance.
2. It fails to produce lasting change. Like a seed that never breaks open, many Christians remain spiritually undeveloped.
3. It substitutes ritual for relationship. Checking religious boxes doesn’t build intimacy with God.
4. It feels good enough. The tragedy is, we can fool ourselves into thinking we’re right with God just because we're doing Christian things.

Pastor Ortiz warns that this kind of shallow walk creates fake converts, shallow churches, and Christians who look more like Judas—outwardly close to Jesus but inwardly far from Him.

So how do we go deeper?

• Recognize God’s invitation. He wants us to know Him more than we want to know Him.
• Pursue Him intimately. Not through checklist religion, but with heart, love, and consistency.
• Expect His return. Be spiritually awake and prepared.
• Recognize His love in all seasons. God uses both former and latter rain (preparation and maturity) to grow us.
• Respond with loyalty, not empty action. God desires mercy (steadfast love), not just sacrifices.

The ultimate question posed is this: Do you truly know God, or just know about Him?

Because knowing Him—not just obeying Him—is where real life begins.