God's Call on Our Lives

I can think of no greater defender of the Gospel message than the apostle Paul.  Prior to his radical conversion on the road to Damascus, Saul (as he was originally named) was on the forefront of the attack on Christ followers.  He was a Pharisee of the worst kind; both self-righteous and cruel.  As we know from later accounts however, Paul was forever changed by his encounter with the real Jesus.  And from that point forward, his life would never be the same again.  

Paul was no stranger to suffering and difficulty.  Often times he would find himself in chains or in prison, all to the glory of God.  On multiple occasions, he ended up defending Gospel truth by way of debate or exegesis.  In chapter 25 of the book of Acts, Paul even finds himself before a Roman procurator, attempting to defend himself against charges brought from the local Jewish ruling party.

In this peculiar moment, the apostle throws himself at the mercy of the court.  He knows that being a Roman citizen grants him certain rights and privileges, so he decides to use that fact to acquire a meeting with Caesar himself.  A bold move for someone in chains, with half of the nation against him.  But Paul is nothing if not bold.

This begs the question for us today: to whom can we appeal as a true authority for our own lives?  Who can you and I go to in order to be certain we are treated fairly and with care one hundred percent of the time?  If there is a God up there, then is it true to say that He is the only god (or the one true god)?

Keep in mind that for many people in our country today, the God of the Bible isn't their go-to authority. In truth, many don't hold the words of the Bible in any authority whatsoever, and I believe the symptoms of this are everywhere.  Scripture says that as time goes on, people will become more unruly, and the love of most will grow cold (Matthew 24:12).

During times like this, I believe it truly behooves us to seek out someone or something that we can rely on as a singular truth in all circumstances.  Something in our lives that we can count on to help guide our ship into calmer waters when the storms are raging.  Our own modern-day version of Caesar. 

Let's look for a moment at the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20.  It says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Many will look at this passage and take from it the idea that followers of Christ are to go out into the world, and baptize people to make disciples.  This is absolutely correct, by the way.  But focus for a moment on the first sentence - it says 'all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'  This is quite a statement.  If we are to believe this (and I think we surely can, or Jesus wouldn't have said it), then it sets up the son of God as the one true authority over all things.

This means that not only does God command the Earth and the Universe around it, but that He has a calling on our lives as well.  We are not completely "free agents."  There are certain moral duties and obligations that we are called to live by.  Now you will note, that if someone or something calls us to behave a certain way, it also follows that it should be a two-way street I think.  Not necessarily that this being must also follow our desires, but rather that we can put our trust in Him.  This is our reciprocation.  God is our superior; our authority figure.  The one we can call on in times of difficulty, as well as times of great flourishing.

One more question remains, however.  Do we really believe this?  Can we throw ourselves on the mercy of the court like Paul when he called out to Caesar?  Will we allow God to be our superior?  It's an important question.  The outcome of our answer may just enable us to relax and lean into a loving God.

I invite you to lean in.  Take the leap of faith, and read through the Gospels again.  Take away from the Great Commission not only the concept that we must evangelize, but also the idea that we are helping convert people based on a real authority.  Not a power that comes from an earthly king or president, but from the throne of Zion and the Prince of Peace Himself.  God is no mere client king.    

 

 

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Spiritual Pride Syndrome

The longer I live on this planet, the more convinced I am that spiritual pride is one of the most prevalent sins.  It occurs in churches, among leaders, in the workplace, and in the home.  No venue is exempt from it.  I have often heard the following phrase applied when discussing our current culture of political correctness: 'I'm offended that you're offended.'  It's a snarky way of throwing whatever issue may be at hand, back at the person who feels slighted.  

One symptom for this type of pride comes in the form of what I like to call the "How Dare You" syndrome.  For example, if someone of a humble nature gets corrected by someone else, they may take a while to mull it over and think about it.  Maybe they did do something wrong.  But someone a bit more prideful might react to the same admonishment by thinking how dare you correct me?  How dare you disagree with me?  I'm offended now, so I will walk away angry and defensive.  

Think back honestly for a moment.  How many arguments have started this way?  How many family members or acquaintances hold grudges for years and years because something similar happened?  Maybe it was an insult at a family reunion, or perhaps someone spoke out of turn one day during a phone call.  Whatever the specifics, you get the idea.  And these situations can pop up at work just as easily.  I once remember a situation where two people refused to speak directly with each other, so the other employees had to deliver hand-written notes back and forth between them.  This is a true story (and these were adults)!

We recall the awkward prayer of the Pharisee (religious leader) from Luke 18:11 that deals with pride.  Scripture says, "The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector.'"

Keep in mind that tax collectors were frowned upon during Jesus' day, even more so than the IRS today.  Essentially, this person who was supposed to be a spiritual teacher and leader on behalf of God, saw himself as better than other people.  He was thanking God that he wasn't lowly like those 'other sinners.' 

This sounds silly when I point it out, and surely we realize that the Pharisee was really the one sinning in that story.  But this same prideful mindset is alive and well today; people just tend to hide it a little better.  Until eventually it rears its ugly head. 

And when we discuss things like spiritual pride, we eventually come to the paradox as it pertains to this next symptom.  Proud people will not only become offended easily, but they will also often indulge in the fallacy that they are right, while everyone else is wrong.  Sometimes we may very well be in the right, but there is a way to state this ... and a way not to state it.   Two deacons yelling at each other in the lobby of a church on Sunday morning would not be a good way to express themselves, for example.  People might witness this, and then the damage is done.  It doesn't matter who is right or wrong in that context, both people look bad (and so does the church).  

"'How dare you," we might hear one of them say.  "You have offended me for the last time" the other person may retort.  All of us have witnessed something like this in the past I suspect.  This type of grudge tends to linger for a while.  Now mind you, this becomes dangerously close to harboring unforgiveness.  Or at the very least, a lack of ability to experience empathy for the other person's position.  It's much easier to simply become offended.

Instead, listen to what 1 Peter 5:5 has to say, "... all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'"  Apparently God isn't fond of spiritual pride either. 

How much happier is the life of someone who listens first, and speaks last.  I have found that people who are humble will often remain quiet for some time in fact, at least until the chatter dies down a bit.  But it doesn't mean they aren't pondering things, or that they don't care about whatever topic is being discussed.  They just choose to go through life differently, in a way that never seeks to destroy or berate another person.  Their feathers don't seem to ruffle easily. 

But real life often sneaks in, and sometimes we lose our cool.  Some of us are simply created to blow our stack right away, and we become calm only afterward.  If we do come out of the gate swinging, we must remember that an apology may be necessary later.  If we start off with 'how dare you,' we can still finish up with 'I’m sorry, and I see your point.'  It just takes more effort sometimes.  Try to place yourself in the other person's shoes, prior to responding with hostility. 

Let's all try to leave the realm of spiritual pride to the Pharisees.  Remember Jesus described them as whitewashed tombs.  I would rather throw in with the humble crowd instead.  I find myself needing to apologize much less often that way.

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