The proud are usually boastful, and the boastful are generally proud. Some things just go together and complement each other, like peanut butter and jelly or pineapple on pizza. You’ll never find a humble man boasting of his humility, nor will you hear a proud man waxing poetic about his modesty unless they’re self-deluded enough to ignore the paradox they’ve created in their own minds.
That pride comes before the fall has been wholly ignored in
the contemporary church lately. The pervasive materialism has led to an ongoing
competition among those deemed our spiritual betters to try and one-up each
other, or as the kids call it nowadays, flex. If one sheep shearer gets a jet,
the next one has to get two. If another comes along and gets two, his two must
be bigger and more luxurious than the others; otherwise, what’s the point?
You can turn on what passes for Christian television on any
given day and find someone talking about how they’ve just acquired some
material thing, whether a new car, plane, or mansion, all the while
brow-beating their followers into yet another round of sacrificial giving. Your
prioritizing feeding your kids over sending Brother Jesse a fat check is what’s
keeping Jesus from returning!
We’ve come a long way, but not in the right direction. Once
upon a time, it was common knowledge that in and of ourselves, we have nothing
to boast in, for all good things come from God, and nothing that we have is of
ourselves but a gift from Him. Men used to walk humbly with their Lord, and if
God chose to use them in any measure, they gave Him the glory and the honor due
Him, not taking for themselves that which was rightly His. This humility and
gratitude were the standard for all believers, inspiring them to live a life of
service and worship.
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
anyone should boast.”
That used to be the standard for all believers, something
that compelled gratitude and thankfulness of heart because they knew the magnitude
of the gift they’d received. Fast forward some two thousand years, and you have
self-titled pastors denouncing the words of Jesus, calling Him an obtuse, misogynistic
racist to whom the current culture couldn’t possibly relate. Keep in mind that these
are individuals who shepherd other individuals, are fully ordained in their
chosen denominations, and claim to be of the Kingdom. How does it work exactly,
vilifying the one you claim to serve and worship?
Due to men’s pride, many have come to believe that they are
on equal footing with Jesus. They’ve convinced themselves that if they don’t
like something He said, they can insist He was wrong and go about their lives
as they will without a moment’s hesitation. The narcissism is off the charts,
and it’s only made possible by the influx of pride the church has allowed and
accepted. Pride warps reality. It makes people see what isn’t there and gives
them a false sense of authority when they have none.
Well, yes, Jesus said to go and sin no more, but I don’t
count my preferred perversion as a sin. Therefore, I don’t have to cease
indulging in it! I wish I were exaggerating, but I’m not, and a few minutes
worth of research will confirm that it’s even worse than that.
The image many have in their minds as to what they believe
the church is and the reality of what it has become are markedly different, and
what it is, in reality, is akin to a carbon copy of what Paul warned the last
days of the church would look like. Somehow, there’s still that disconnect
wherein although we are seeing the heresy, deception, and turning away from the
truth obliterating denomination after denomination, we’re still fully expecting
the sweeping revivals men promised us.
Why are you so dour? Why can’t you be more optimistic?
Because I cannot ignore what the Bible says about the last days just because I
want to see them play out differently than how the Bible says they will.
The only ones who don't see the perilous times of which Paul
spoke coming to pass in real time are those who choose not to. Just because we
ignore the uncomfortable things doesn’t mean they cease to exist. On the
contrary, ignoring them only precipitates their dissemination.
The spiritual condition of the church during the last days
explains how so many will be deceived and why the love of many will grow cold. It
also explains why there will be so little resistance to the darkness and to
those preaching another Christ. If churches are too busy churning out NDAs and
hiring crisis management firms to keep the shockwaves of certain revelations
localized, how can they also be expected to preach against sin and be a light?
Priorities are priorities, after all! Business first, then if we have time for
Jesus and if His words aren’t overly offensive, we might mention Him in
passing.
The Word of God has much to teach us if we are willing to
learn. Among the things it teaches us is that as servants of God, we must walk
uprightly and, rather than boasting in our accomplishments, boast in our
infirmities so that the power of Christ may rest upon us. They are not our
accomplishments to begin with. If you are a vessel of honor in the Master’s
house, acknowledge that it was the Master’s good pleasure to choose you and use
you rather than insist that He would have never accomplished His will without
you.
Posted on 16 July 2024 | 10:40 am
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