Breaking the Grip of Arrogance and Legalism

Churches are filled with arrogance because we think we know things we don’t and believe we’re doing things we aren’t.

The Pharisees – the most arrogant people in the New Testament – thought they were keeping the law but they weren’t. They were actually breaking it. They thought they understood the law but Jesus said it was all about Him. They missed it completely.

Arrogance and legalism go hand in hand.

Moving toward grace and away from law:

1. Avoid comparisons. “I’m better than …” is pure law! If we must compare ourselves with someone try Jesus. We are no better than anyone! Sure, we may commit “smaller” sins. Well aren’t we special? Grace isn’t extended based on performance, ever. Everyone always needs grace.
2. Help rather than instruct. Get dirty – get up close and personal. You can see arrogance in self-justifying huddles that stand aloof. When I’m in legal mode I get smarter and smarter.
3. Trust God with others. Legalists are great at wringing their hands over real or potential mistakes. What if someone makes a mistake? Get over it. Jesus choses people who make mistakes. He chose you didn’t He? (This has nothing to do with organizational policies and procedures that help people succeed and minimize the chances of failure.)
4. Keep giving chances. Grace doesn’t say, “I’m done with you.” Dang that’s uncomfortable…unless we are the ones getting more chances. Then it’s great.
5. Ask for and extend forgiveness. Few things exemplify grace better than forgiving.

First and foremost:

Ungraceful believers don’t believe grace. Everyone who receives grace extends it. If we aren’t extending it, like the Pharisees, we think we understand something we don’t.

Overcoming Narrowitis

Narrow Christians think other Christians should be like them. That’s what makes them narrow.

Some are all about evangelism and others about fellowship. Still others are about caring for the needy. Then there is the “righteous group” who are all about truth and teaching. Diversity isn’t the issue, arrogance is. When we believe others should be like us we become arrogant asses. (Ass is in the King James Bible)

I’ve been an arrogant ass many times. I judge others by my gift, for example. I think my gift – which expresses my way – is the best. All others are less important than mine. In arrogance, I think mercy-showing is fine but my way is better.

Different is different not necessarily better.

If legalistic ungraceful believers had their way, the whole body would look like them, ugly!

An illustration of diversity and humility:

Galatians 2:8-9 (ESV) … for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised (Jews) worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles … and when James and Cephas (Peter) and John … perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. (Diversity)

The power of the church is in diversity and openness not narrowness. Grace is wide and free. Law is bondage.

On more step:

Grace goes beyond allowing, it enables. It’s one thing to say, “That’s great for you, go serve the gentiles.” It’s graceful to say, “How can I help you on your way.” Allowing is passive. Enabling is active. I don’t want to allow diversity. I want to enable it.

The desire to make people into our image is natural. Passion to help people become the people God made is graceful.

Becoming a Graceful Believer

One goal of grace is the creation of graceful beauty in believers.

Graceful beauty:

1. Humble.
2. Kind.
3. Loving.
4. Gentle.
5. Compassionate.
6. Inclusive.
7. Serving.
8. Selfless.
9. Forgiving.
10. Hopeful.

On the other hand, Christians who believe in the beauty of law end up ugly.

Legal ugliness:

1. Rigid.
2. Demanding.
3. Harsh.
4. Narrow.
5. Arrogant (when they successfully obey).
6. Exclusive.
7. Self-protective.
8. Self-centered.

What I mean by grace and law:

Grace = benefit flows to us by faith alone, not works. The benefit you received when you trusted in Jesus is grace-benefit, exclusively.

Law = benefit flows to us by works. Benefit comes to us based on performance.

Both sides:

I find myself on both sides of the divide; sometimes beautiful – sometimes ugly. The thing that frequently determines where I land is my view of grace provision alongside seeing my own frailty. The more I see frailty the more beautiful grace becomes.

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Why Church Leaders Become Mediocre

Churches and their leaders become mediocre when they try pleasing everyone. Try to please everyone and you’ll end up pleasing no one. Engaging in this ridiculous activity denies diverse gifts, embraces medocrity, and insults our maker.

Challenge:

When Christians say they believe in leadership, what they really mean is lead as long as you do what I want. Add up the number of people you’re shooting to please and you have the depth of mediocrity you’re shooting for.

Who should church leaders please? They should please the ones with money and power, of course! (sarcasm)

Seriously, it takes faith to trust God’s diversity. He sure uses “interesting” people.

Danger:

Church leaders can be idiots. For example, some ignorant Church leaders wrongly believe they should lead like Moses and Joshua – command and control. If you are hearing the literal voice of God, command and control works. If you aren’t – and I doubt you are - then Biblical principles, values, mission, and vision guide leadership. But… there’s more…

You:

If you’re a church leader, have the guts to lead with zeal. Pleasing everyone destroys zeal. Trust the person God made!

Sound New Age and touchie feelie? I don’t think so. It’s an act of faith for both leaders and followers to trust God with leadership – to trust the Maker.

For example, I’m an informal country boy. That’s who God made. I’ll never be formal. It’s true that my rough edges need lots of work. But at the core, I’m learning to trust God to use who I am, frailties and all.

Remember:

Great leadership is about making others great. There’s no room for serve-me leaders. If you’re functioning within Church values, mission, vision… if you’re a servant leader… then for goodness sake, get off your butt and GO FOR IT!

Why Believers Don’t Know Jack

Christians are great at saying they believe in something but acting otherwise. James calls it looking in the mirror and forgetting what you see.

We say we believe in grace but impose rules.

We say we believe in freedom but bring people into “righteous” bondage.

We say we want others to trust in Jesus but add religious ceremonies and activities. It’s ridiculous!

We say we want to be like Jesus – who was the friend of sinners – but we make sinners the enemy. Rather than adapting to them, like Jesus did, we expect them to adapt to us. He became human. Perhaps we should try it.

Frequently the message we send to outsiders is act like a believer before you become a believer. Not only is it foolish, it’s selfish. We demand comfort for ourselves while making others uncomfortable. It’s disgusting!

It’s no wonder nonChristians have a low view of church and Christians. We have a reputation of wanting things, demanding conformity, rejecting sinners, and pretending we are better than we are. It’s nauseating!

Questions for the day:

1. How can I help someone think highly of Jesus?
2. How can I love someone without expecting a return?
3. How can I bring positive value? Value doesn’t occur until we give more than we take, not before.

I can imagine believers nodding while they read that list of questions. Yet, truth be told, we haven’t the first idea of what it looks like. Our heads are so buried up our righteous butts that we’ve convinced ourselves we are doing things we aren’t.

How can you practice the questions I asked? If you can’t describe it, you can’t do it. Period!

Truth be told, we want to talk it but we DON’T want to do it. We don’t know jack till we practice what we preach!

No One Ever Asked Me

I asked my Christian friends what Easter means and they said, “Hope.”

I have some unbelieving friends who don’t like the term hope. It feels weak to them. It has a victim’s feel. “I hope things get better.” I understand their distaste.

Hope in the New Testament, however, isn’t weak.

Explanation:

The New Testament term hope means, “To look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial.” It’s not wishful thinking.

It’s confidence about the future that bleeds back into the present.

The resurrection transformed defeat to confidence, weakness to strength, and despair to hope. Of all people, we have the best opportunity to live hopefully. I fear we live well below our opportunity.

Clarification:

Hope isn’t denial. Hope isn’t pretending it doesn’t hurt. Real hope enables us to see ourselves and our world as we are. Hope fuels the journey.

Preparation:

Peter, the defector, put it this way:

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV) “… always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”

Has it happened:

When has someone asked you to explain your positive outlook?

Peter’s challenge to have our answer ready is based on one colossal assumption. Believers are unusually, remarkably, noticeably, hopeful.

No one askes:

I’m not worried about preparing an answer that explains my profoundly positive outlook on life. No one has ever asked me why I’m remarkably hopeful, ever.

I need a large dose of Easter every day – a dose that lifts me above platitudes to recognizable hope.

Vitality: Received and Given

In a way, Easter signals the Christian New Year. Christianity, if it’s about anything, it’s about newness.

1.  New life.
2.  New covenant.
3.  New commands.
4.  New wine.
5.  New creation.
6.  New self.
7.  New world.
8.  New song.
9.  New name.
10. New start.

I wonder why I, frequently, feel “old” rather than “new?” I’m thinking “old” in my spirit, not my body, which is rapidly getting older.

Thinking back, the thing I’m most proud of – the thing that makes me feel new – is bringing newness to others. The moment a fellow believer believes in their gift and sees themself in a new light – with new potential – is pure, invigorating joy.

The great day-to-day faith challenge is believing in newness in a broken world where past failures suck everything downward.

Jesus answers the downward pull.

Resurrection is the ultimate new beginning. It calls us from oldness and failure to vitality, opportunity, and fresh starts. Undoubtedly, we’ll get dragged backwards, again…and again… But, Jesus persistently calls us back to new life.

New life is best enjoyed by receiving and giving others life. How are you giving life to others? That’s newness in practice!

Think back to what makes you proud, what makes you feel new. Can you do more of that?

2 Corinthians 1:12 (ESV)
For our boast (NASB has “proud confidence”) is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

Easter provides hope that, personally and in service to others, we can bring vitality – help them believe in their gift and see new possibility – to those around us.

Following the Example of a Whore

Rahab’s courage in Joshua 2 challenges cowards and lifts the timid. She lays her life and future on the line by choosing to help God’s people.

Joshua 2:3–4 (ESV)

³ Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” ⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them…

Following the example of a whore:

Are there ways you can follow the example of this prostitute? Can you put your life and future on the line for Jesus?

1. Serve and add value in imperfect environments. Excuse makers wait around for perfect conditions before adding value and end up doing nothing. Worse yet, they blame others for their lack of performance.
2. Serve with what you have not what you wish you had. So what if you aren’t so hot! If God can fulfill his purposes with a whore, He surely can use you.
3. Prioritize giving above getting.
4. Let God’s grace change the way you think of yourself. Grace opens a world of possibility based on faith. You matter.
5. Find a friend and dream their noble dreams with them. Rahab helped others reach their noble goal. Does grace energize you enough to rise up and give yourself to others? If it does, you’re following a prostitute’s example.

How does this example of grace challenge or encourage you?

How to Stop Wasting Time Fixing Weaknesses

God gives gift(s) to all believers.

Among other things gifts are enabling.

Live in your enabling. Stop wasting time improving your weaknesses. (Notice I said weaknesses not sins)

One goal of gifts in the Church is your uniqueness compensates for and rounds out the weaknesses or inadequacies of others. Don’t shoot to be well-rounded, that’s average. Average is next to mediocre.

Shoot for unique. Live in and leverage your God given abilities. Celebrate your strengths rather than fix your weaknesses. When you do, you honor your maker and you’re more effective. It’s not arrogant.

It’s arrogant to think you can function at your best without the strengths of those around you. It’s humble to think that God has a place in the body that only you can fill.

God made you for a purpose. He gifted you to fulfill that purpose. Live in your gifting, your ability, your strength.

The concept of body-life suggests you aren’t good at everything. Spend time being great at one thing. Stop working to be good at many things.

Push back 1:

Doesn’t the Bible say, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Shouldn’t we live in our weaknesses?

You’re mistaken if you think that means you should spend your time emphasizing what you can’t do. Additionally, weakness passages aren’t an encouragement to waste time fixing your weaknesses.

If you examine the “weakness” passages, you’ll see they are about weaknesses that come to us from suffering and adversity. It’s silly to think we should try to make ourselves weak. Make yourself dependent yes, but weak, no.

Weakness passages are not an encouragement to live apart from your gifting.

Push back 2:

Won’t you become arrogant if you live in your enabling? You won’t if you are thankful to God for how He made you. Gratitude defeats arrogance.

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I’m just fleshing these ideas out. I’m interested in your thoughts, pro or con. At this point, I believe we are most useful when we live in our giftedness (strength/ability).

The concept of strengthen strengths while not wasting time fixing weaknesses isn’t perfect. I think it’s a central concept. Perhaps you can think of exceptions or applications.

Get Your Head Out of the Clouds and Get Real

“WWJD” is dumb. For those smart enough not to know what “WWJD” means it means, “What would Jesus do.”

Thinking you know what Jesus would do sounds great but if you think you know, you’re dangerous. Stay away from me. You don’t know what Jesus would do.

I suppose you know that Jesus would redeem mankind. At best you can apply that principle. But, you won’t be redoing the redemption of mankind. Once and done.

You can know:

1. You can know what Jesus did. Frankly, what He did was often confusing to His followers.
2. You can know the principles Jesus taught.

What you can do:

You can do your best to apply the principles Jesus taught. Bring them to bear in your life in this culture. It’s challenging and messy.

“WWYD” (What Would You Do) is better than “WWJD.”  WWYD requires real gutsy faith. It means you give traction to the eternal principles Jesus lived and taught. Jesus isn’t here in the same way he was 2,000 years ago, but you are. Let’s get real. Let’s get dirty. WWYD?