Spiritual Pride

This dark sin grows like mold in a wet basement. Spiritual pride is a refined sin in the hearts of mature Christians... I didn't realize how bad or deep it was in me until I read an article about the uprise of young Christians that are passionate about doctrine and god-centeredness. It was a couple years ago now, but I remember it like yesterday. The reading of the article drummed up some pretty dark stuff. I was upset that I wasn't in an exclusive club. I was angered that there was a group of people that were experiencing the same truths as I was. I was frustrated that the Kingdom of God was advancing and I wasn't at the helm. Sounds weird right? It was very weird. The things that should have brought me deep joy were actually having the reverse effect. That's when I knew it was bad.

Spiritual pride is the result of a maturing Christian turning their heart away from the grace of God and allowing their worth to be found in their spiritual performance... For some it is their exemplary behavior--they have found a way to be very very good. Their trust isn't in Christ, it is in their morality. For some it is missions--they excel in spirituality based on their unique services abroad. They find their worth in their service for God not in their relationship with Him. For some it is prayer and fasting-- feeling that they have a corner on the Christian market because of their passion for prayer and the Holy Spirit's benefits. They trust more in their experience of God than do of God himself. For some it is a passion for being doctrinally sound--biblical study has lead to deep convictions on God's truth and now there is an elitist attitude and contempt for others who "get doctrine wrong." Spiritual pride has lots of different applications in the hearts of those that love God.

I would guess, from my own experience, that this is the key strategy that Satan employs to wreck the effectiveness of ministry and the closest Satan can get to adopting a child of God. When I operate in spiritual pride I am acting like a child of the devil. I can "parade as an angel of light"--saying and doing the right things, all the while having the heart and attitude of Lucifer as my motives cry out, "I will be like God." Jonathan Edwards says of spiritual pride:

This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of religion... the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit, to darken the mind and mislead the judgement...the main handle by which th devil has hold of religious persons, and the chief source of all the mischief that he introduces, to clog and hinder a work of God.(Thoughts on Revival, pg. 417)

To someone who hasn't made a habit of checking their own heart, this will sound like a foreign language. Spiritual pride sounds like an oxymoron. But in God's economy, the right things for the wrong reasons, is all wrong. "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Spiritual pride is a refined and hidden sin in the heart of even the saintliest of saints.

As luring and gravitational as the pull towards pride is, God has a strong arm that is flexing salvation. God breaks the bones of pride. He is absolutely committed to the completion of His work in you and I. And, God will use all things to accomplish the humbling of us for our good. God's goal is to break off our love affair with our pride and refocus our affections on Christ. God wants to defeat our spiritual pride. He wants us to to stop trusting in our performance and trust in Christ more fully. All that we need, for all of our lives, has been accomplished on our behalf, by Christ.

The grace of Jesus is humiliating. It is like having your heart depantsed. It strips off all of the spiritual pride that you are hiding under and shows what is really going on... While at the same time, grace is encouraging. It shows you that all that you need to be right with God has already been achieved for you... perfectly.

I need grace. Humiliate me Jesus for my good and your glory.

Acts 12- Deflecting Praise

How do you deal with praise? What happens in your soul when someone says something great about you? Herod gives us a great example of what not to do... "On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died" (Acts 12:21-23). 

What can we make of this? The first thing that I want to say is that there is a parallel between this text and the text of Isaiah 14:12-14 where Satan was cast down because he thought he will ascend to heaven and his throne will be above the stars of God. Pride. It is the deadliest of sins. It blinds us of our need for God and robs God of His godness. It places yourself on the throne and is absolute tyranny of the King of Kings. 

When Herod received the praise of man for his god-like stature, you have to read into the text the sin of pride. "He did not give praise to God, [therefore] an angel of the Lord struck him down (vs. 23). So, Herod enjoyed the praise. He took it to heart. He ascribed to himself the stature that he obtained. Herod, in fact, was quite the leader. He did accomplish many things with his life. He had built infrastructures that we still marvel at in the twenty-first century. He even constructed a mountain!? So he must have felt that he in some degree was a god. He did accomplish so much that maybe the people were right... wrong! So he was layed low.

This is a serious text. Because, if we are honest, we all climb on the throne. It is my favorite past time. Sitting on the throne and addressing people as the authority in my life is natural. I do a lot of great stuff, I deserve praise, I'm the king. Be honest, you do this too. So, why is the real king so gracious to us?

What is astonishing about this text is that I am not dead yet. That Herod got what he deserved but I haven't. I am a tyrant. I am a rebel against the King and yet he is so patient and gracious towards me. That is why the Bible tells us that His loving kindness draws us to Him (Jeremiah 31:3). When we see our rebellion and know that our offense is punishable by death, it makes us realize that His dealings with us are totally unfair and unwarranted. He does the opposite of what we would expect. He loves us, forgives us, redeems us, and clothes us with honor. That's why we praise Him. He is so upside down and backwards. 

So, next time you receive praise, think about that every good gift is from above, everything you have every experienced that is good has been a grace to you. You know the King and He is so loving and gracious. So, worship Him and deflect all praise to Him, the One who is worthy.

Conversion

Last night at bible study we looked at the nature of conversion... I was lost in the texts as I prepared for 1 Cor 15. We dwelt on the word "received" because Paul says that the Corinthian church received the gospel and on which they were taking their stand... What does that word receive mean? You received the gospel? We looked at several forms of receiving the gospel that I found in scripture:

1) Birth: This concept is seen in a few places but probably the clearest is Ephesians 2. "You were dead in your sins and transgressions... but because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ... it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:1,4-5) So before you knew Christ, you were dead, but God graciously said this word to you, "LIVE!" (Ezekiel 16:6)

2) Kingdom Change: Romans 6 helps us with this illustration. Before receiving Christ we were a part of a nation. It is a nation of darkness. It is the kingdom of sin and we all were slaves to this sin. Sin was our master and we gladly took orders from it. God in his grace brought you into His kingdom, the kingdom of light. So, we have changed teams in a sense.

3) Adoption: Before we received Christ we were spiritually poor. We were put out. We were orphans. Sin was our father but he abandoned his own. We were in a sad state and left to ourselves we would perish. God in His mercy adopted you and I (Ephesians 1:5). He saw our poverty and was moved to act on our behalf. He reached out His hand and brought you into his home with the promise of  sharing in His inheritances.

4) Bride: The Bible also teaches us that when we receive Christ we are betrothed to Jesus. We are wed to the King of Kings. We become His object of love and commitment and we gladly receive our beloved with deep heartfelt appreciation. Before we were wed to him we were harlots so it is extremely gracious that Jesus would take us in and provide for us and love us. These word pictures are drawn from Ephesians 5 and Ezekiel 16.

Let us end by thinking about these analogies and what they mean for us personally. Each of them leads us to throw ourselves on Jesus in humble adoration. So take a few minutes today to praise Him for your receiving of the gospel.

Humble Servant

I am just a humble servant. I want to share these verses with you...

"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to so, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" (Luke 17:7-10)

Jesus spoke those words to His disciples when they asked Him to increase their faith. It seems like a great prayer. But, the heart behind it is the issue. Why do you want more faith? Is it to elevate yourself? 

I just recently posted an article on bringing the message of Jesus. Sometimes my pride creeps back in and wants to set up shop. Sometimes I want to point out how great preaching is because I do it a couple times a week. So even though I might not call attention to myself I can still say, 'hey look how important what I am doing is!?' God has humbled me this week by teaching me that I am just a servant. An unworthy servant.

Acts 10- Anticipation of The Message

"Falling at at his feet in reverence... now we are here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us" (10:25, 33)

The story is found in Chapter 10 of Acts. Peter is arriving at Cornelius's home after receiving a vision from God that indicates that God's love is for all mankind. There are no social boundaries. And, after being sent for Peter set out for Caesarea. Upon arriving "Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself"" (vs. 25,26). When Peter went inside he saw a large gathering of Gentiles and asked why he was sent for. Then Cornelius explained how his prayers were met by a visitation from an Angel that told him to send for Peter. (vs 30-32). Then in verse 33 it says, "So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."

What an amazing story! I want to look at it from two separate angles. First, let us look at the anticipation of Cornelius and those that were gathered... Do you have this sort of anticipation? Do you hold those that teach and encourage you in high regard? When Cornelius met Peter face to face he fell at his feet in reverence. Why would he do such a thing? Why was he inclined to decline? Why would he literally fall at someones feet? Cornelius was a centurion, a man in high standing that knew what it meant to be honored and obeyed. So, why would he do the complete opposite in the presence of a mere fisherman from Galilee? The answer is that Cornelius and those gathered with him were anticipating the Words of God to be brought to them through this vessel... through Peter. So, in anticipation of what God was going to speak and at the arrival of the messenger humility poured forth in the expression of reverence. "How beautiful are the feet of those that bring good news!" (Romans 10:15, cf. Isaiah 52:7). There is a respect for the messenger but not solely on the basis of his good looks or his reputation. No it is on the basis of his message. He is a receptacle delivering a treasure. (2 Cor. 4) So they were eager to hear everything that God was going to speak through him to them.

Do you have that sort of respect or admiration for the messenger and more importantly the message? Do you eagerly look forward to the times when the messenger pours the treasure of surpassing greatness out on you? Do you look forward to church? When the Word of God is opened and explained making things clear so that the people can understand (Neh. 8:8). When a passage of Scripture is the basis of teaching the good news of Jesus (Acts 8:35). Do you look forward to church with and anticipation of hearing from God?

Do you pray for the messenger? Do you lift up in prayer those that teach you and hold them in high regard? Do you put expectations on them to do things other than carefully sit in the counsel of God to recieve the message and faithfully deliver that message? Many church goers think that their pastors should be a 'jack-of-all-trades' and that they should be able to come up with a message from God in hurry but what is really important is that they jump at every 'beck-and-call' of the congregation. "Attend these events and accomplish these tasks" they say, "after all, what are we paying you for?" So, the message loses its place as supreme and is replaced with lots of other seemingly good things. Let us pray for our spiritual leaders to sit un-distracted on the mountain of the Lord. Let us pray that they would descend and speak to us with radiating faces and a message that makes us terrified of the Almighty (Exodus 19,20). A message that helps us to be the community of God (1 Peter 2:9).

Sometimes it is Good that Progress is Slow

Sometimes progress in the faith can seem slow. Sometimes I will think about my current condition and just beg God that He would make me better. When I survey a couple years and see that not much has happened it makes me sad. I wish I was a better man and I wish I could be more godly in a hurry.

But, on the other hand I am so grateful that the process is at times slow and steady. I have changed quite a bit in the past few years. Thankfully, I have been changing from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Hopefully, other people can see my progress in the faith (1 Timothy 4:15). And all of this to the glory of Jesus. The transformation is taking place. The sanctification is happening one day at a time and God is pruning one thing at a time.

I am thankful that it comes at me gradually... It is a process and pruning isn't the most pleasant experience I have went through. The refining fire is really hot. The impurities are resilient to the heat and they don't go easy. And, to be honest, if I knew what I was signing up for I probably wouldn't have been so thrilled at first. If I knew the changes that God had in store for me and the humility it would take, I probably would have shied away. I probably would have done something else that would have accentuated my skills and stroked my ego. Being a sold out Christ follower doesn't allow for those things. That is why this morning I say, "thank you God that it is slow." Thank God that He is working on you and the pace isn't so break neck that you can't handle it. Thank God that He is a patient potter that slowly crafts on His vessel. Because when after many many periods of time, after much reshaping and sculpting, and after the heat of the oven gives permanence to His work, you will be ready... to see His Glory.

Please Gaurd My Understanding

Because I am taking an online course and working towards my degree... I have been thinking lately about the studying of the Word. I am a student of the Bible. I want to be mastered by it and I believe that it has the power to transform.

My question tonight is when does it plateau? When is the learning curve less steep? When is understanding and theology closest to accurate? I picture a spiraling line that is getting closer and closer and closer to the center. At the outset it is broad and sweeping circles that take up an immense amount of space. As you get closer to the center the circle gets tight and close. That is how I picture myself understanding theology. At the outset there is a little uncertainty but as the bible is mined day after day after day I think that God becomes more and more clear. I wonder where I am at in that mental picture? Over the last year I have really examined the faith as best I can to make sure that I know what I am telling others. I am so unqualified for the position God has placed me in other than the fact that God has placed me in it.

So, I hope my understanding of God is getting tighter and closer to the truth. I pray that I might make less and less mistakes in assessing the Almighty. God help me to accurately proclaim you to the world. Amen

Jesus the Hero

During my quiet time today I was reading in Romans... and the thing that I was being hammered with today is that humanity is so sinful. That is a vague and general statement but when you apply it on a personal level it begins to make sense; I am sinful. You are sinful.

Paul puts it like this in Romans 3 where he quotes the Psalmist, "there is no one righteous, not even one; no one seeks God... there is no fear of God before their eyes." There is not a person on the planet now or ever that can get the title righteous (except One). And when we look at the Law we are brought to the realization that we are sinful, I am sinful and God would be just in punishing me severely. So, what do we do? We look to our Savior. We look to Jesus to be our remedy.

But, that is not so easy. It is humbling for people to say to themselves that they are 'wicked' (quoting Paul again) and that they deserve punishment. It is so hard to submit to that truth and I would say even harder for 'religious' people that attend church and tithe and go to small group and what not. It is harder for them to see that they are sinful because after all they are good people.

Mark Driscoll puts it like this in his book Vintage Jesus, "religious people often read the bible looking for ways to be the hero of their own life rather than reading it to see themselves as the villain and Jesus their hero." And that is the truth that hit me this morning. I am a villain and Jesus is my hero. Jesus rescues me from my self. Jesus takes my punishment by faith and gives me His right standing with God by faith and justifies me before the Father by faith. But, I am a thief that doesn't deserve any of those things!?

What a humbling and liberating truth! Jesus is my hero. I'm a crook but Jesus is my hero.

Thank You Carson

I just listened to D. A. Carson address a group of graduating Bible students with a message called "The First Thing To Do in Your Ministry." Carson has been a recent God send for me. His books are extremely soaked in biblical wisdom. He knows his stuff and listening to and reading Carson's material has been good for my soul.

When I listened to this address available here I was so encouraged.  

The text he unfolds for the present graduates and future evangelicals is Deut. 17:14-20. It is God's command to the Israelites for choosing their leader once they enter the land that God will provide. Carson reasons that there are parallels from that text that can be applied to anyone going into a ministry leadership role. So I tuned in to see how many I actually line up with.

1. Make sure it the man that God chooses.

2. He must be an Israelite (I'm assuming this can mean born again Christian in our context)

The above two I added just by looking at the text. The points below are the ones that Carson presented.

3. Don't acquire horses.(hehehe)

The point behind the acquiring of horses was to show the power of the king. The more horses, the more power. God warns us against trying to leverage our position to gain more and more power or acclaim. This is a real tension in ministry. How do you keep yourself humble? It is  struggle that all leaders face. Even the disciples struggled with this. James and John's mother asked Jesus if one son could sit on His right and the other on His left when He came into His Kingdom. We need to follow the leadership of Jesus. With a servant leadership that humbly leads the people. Verse 20 of Deuteronomy 17 says it this way; "[do not] consider yourself better than your brothers." Serve with humility. Make it your ambition to humbly accept the position God has placed you in and don't try to climb the success ladder if that is not God's plan for you.

4. Don't take many wives

The concept here is that kings could network by marrying into different families. Avoid letting your allegiances spread too thin. (I couldn't hear this portion very well. The audio was pretty sketchy) I believe it is a good idea to let your commitment be to the Gospel alone. To let that be what you are wed to and avoid other passions that take your commitment away from the gospel. "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor 2:2). Let your passion be singular; Jesus Christ.

5. Don't accumulate large amounts of silver or gold

This should be a given. Carson says,"your heart follows your treasure." Let your treasure be God and your portion Himself. Do not strive after what the world strives for.

6. Write for yourself on a scroll a copy of the law. Keep it close and read it all the days of your life so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of the Law and decrees. (This is my fave!)

Our job as pastor, leaders, teachers it be obedient to the Word. We need to take the Word and copy it. Take it in its original language and re write it. I don't know how literally to take this but the concept is obviously pure and good. Understand and know the Word of God. Keep it close and read and reread and read and reread. This is the role of the christian leader. To know the law. "Then,  he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel" (vs. 20b). God will bless those that keep near to Him and revere Him and obey Him. We are to be students of the Bible. Completely mastered by it. 

Wow! What a great message. It is encouraging and confirms the strategy that God has laid before me. 

God help me be faithful in leadership. Help me to be humble. Help me to have a singular passion for you and your fame. Help me to be faithful to the Word. Completely mastered by it and in complete submission to it. Help me to faithfully lead the students that you have blessed me with. Help me to be the leader you desire me to be. Amen

Acts 7- Table Waiter or Courageous Preacher

Acts 7 shows us the depth of the man who only sees a couple chapters in the new testament, Stephen. Stephen was selected to help with the distribution of the food to widows. A waiter if you will. His job was to make sure that no favorites were played when the food was being handed out. That every widow received, with equal opportunity, food to survive. When the selection of men was taking place the prerequisites were high but Stephen meet them with ease. He was a man full of the Spirit and filled with wisdom (6:3). 

Then in chapter 7 we see the character of the humble waiter unfold. Not only was he a servant and willing to distribute food. He also had an understanding of God's story in the scriptures. He begins to unfold how God acted throughout history but people were prone to forsake Him. But, Stephen wasn't preaching in the church, he was preaching to the high priest and religious leaders!? Talk about an intimidating audience. But, Stephen was not dismayed by their human standing because he cared more about pleasing God and not so much about pleasing men. 

He saw that these men were doing the same thing their forefathers had done and turned from God disobeying the prophets that God had sent and sinning against God. So he called them out, "you stiff necked people... you always resist the Holy Spirit!" (vs 51) When Stephen continues to point out their sinfulness the men covered their ears and ordered the stoning of Stephen.

What a man! What an amazing man of God! He was humble. The type of humble that could easily go unnoticed like the 6 other men chosen in chapter 6. But God chose to highlight this one's faith. He was courageous. He was committed to God. He was bold. And most importantly he had fellowship with God: "He was full of the Holy Spirit." 

What can we take away from this story? At least a couple things this morning. First, are you humble? Stephen was willing to do whatever would bless the body of believers. He was willing to 'wait tables,' as the apostles described it. He was humble. Are you? Do you have to have recognition? Do you gravitate to things that will highlight your abilities or do you humble yourself and do what is required no matter how boring or insignificant the task may seem? Secondly, do you have fellowship with God? I would say this is the most important element of the Christian faith. A right relationship with the Almighty. All other things are secondary. Are you enjoying the fellowship of God. Do you love your time with Him? Do you look forward to meeting Him in His Word? Or do you crowd that time out with other tasks? Lastly, do you know your stuff? Do you know your bible? Could you in the heat of a moment tell the story of God's people? Could you explain God's working throughout scripture and use it to convict? Do you have a right understanding of God as He reveals Himself to us through His holy Word? Or, are you a confused Christian. Matt Chandler, a pastor in Dallas, recently said of some men in his congregation pointing out the ridiculousness of not knowing the word, "they (some men in his church)  know every player on the Dallas Cowboys. They know where they played high school ball and their stats... but when it comes to their bibles!?! ...futility calls to futility and Deep calls to Deep." Do you know your Bible? Stephen knew scriptures and he wielded them mightily by the Holy Spirit.

Let us look to Stephen as a model believer. I'm sure he had flaws but God chose to highlight some strengths and it would do us well to follow in his footsteps. 

Luke 22 -Fighting to be Humble

24 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be the greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves..."

This is not an easy lesson to learn! I promise you will not perfect humility by reading this little blog. But, God wants us to be humble and it goes against every fleshly fiber you have in you. And, it infiltrates your Christian life to the point of arguing with fellow brothers, "who is the greatest!? Surely it is ME!" This has been hard for me lately... There is a romance of being a popular pastor and longing for attention from a big congregation or having a large youth group that is hanging on my every word. But, I am instructed by the word to be like a child. To be like a servant and, to take it a step further, to 'be faithful with the little things.' What situation are you in right now? Do you not realize that God wants you to strive at it with excellence? Whether it is cleaning toilets or as working as a missionary in a foreign country... whether it is being a student or teaching the masses. God says that the greatest are actually like the youngest. They are humble. They are servants, like He is a servant. Jesus didn't gripe that He was followed by a bunch of fishermen while Herod commanded tens of thousands. He knew that His Kingdom is different. Some of the biggest influences we can make are by humbly doing what God sets before us.

Are you faithful with the situation you are in? Or do you eagerly desire more? That desire is not from God. It is the same attitude that landed Satan in Hell. A desire to be greater. To command more respect. To have more responsibility. Be careful, it might even sound biblical rolling off your tongue... "increase my borders" or something like that. Make sure that your prayer is an echo of what God is speaking to you and not simply a petition to make yourself better, or greater, or more popular. Are you humble? Or, do you attempt to take back the throne of your heart that so rightly belongs to the King?