Twice the Sons and Daughters of Hell, Selling Our Souls & Being Right

"Everything they do is for people to see....Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are." Matthew 23 4b-5, 15

I have heard people in Christian institutions and in a church say, "But if we do that, what will it look like?" I couldn't believe my ears. Perhaps without knowing it, they cared more about keeping up appearances than doing what was right. Being righteous by doing what is right can be costly; it can cost you friends, institutional or corperate money, maybe even a job/reputation. No doubt it can be hard decision should  you stare unemployment in the face, but at least you'll have your soul!

Nevertheless some in the church sell their souls in order to maintain their positions of power and good graces with funders or others. May it never be said about you and me. I was talking to a family friend. He said, "I don't know if I'd want to be in those positions of power. Who knows what I'd do." That's true. Power is able to corrupt, but God can keep power from corrupting us if we are committed to following Jesus in deed and in word and have wise counselors around us.

These same people who seem to be concerned about keeping up appearances perhaps only coincidentally are the some of the same ones who are hell-bent on being right. Meaning, if you don't hold what they hold to, every single jot and tittle, well then you are not on the straight and narrow--you are what's wrong with the world and with Christianity. They cannot fathom the possibility of being wrong.

It is wise for you and me to remember and to remind ourselves that we do hold some wrong beliefs. What those are might be difficult to identify because if we knew what they were, we wouldn't hold them. But we are fools if decieve ourselves into thinking that the way we view the world and even God corresponds perfectly to reality, to what actually is. There's an arrogance that comes from thinking we have all the answers. Not that there aren't some answers (we can't know everything of course). We start to see even other believers as less than--start making it about our way or the highway. We start training others in arrogance and in wrong ways of being and then make them twice the sons and daugthers of hell.

Those are strong words Jesus had for the Pharisees who "knew" their Bibles. Again, let's not kid ourselves, we could become just like them. The temptation is to make people and God into our own image.

So two things. Let's care more about righteousness and justice instead of keeping up appearances (and money) in our Christian institutions, organizations, and churches. Secondly, let's be careful about how we view and treat those who think differenlty than we do about matters of faith and practice (I am not talking about the central tenants of Christianity, but even if we run across those who clearly are acting as anti-Christs, Jesus tells us to love our enemies). We are to love our brothers and sisters, not lord it over them and not assert ourselves. Jesus tells us that the greatest among us will be servants and that those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Let us humble ourselves before the Lord so that in due time, he'll lift us up.

Matthew 23: 2-8,

“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries^[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷ they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. ¹³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. ^{[14] [b] 15} “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are."

Who's The Greatest Christian?

These are thoughts from Pastor Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in NY, NY (USA) as quoted in A Guide To Prayer For All Who Seek God (Upper Room Books)

He says: When I was growing up, I thought the greatest Christian must be the person who walks around with shoulders thrown back because of tremendous inner strength and power, quoting Scripture and letting everyone know he has arrived. I have since learned that the most mature believer is the one who is bent over, leaning most heavily on the Lord, and admitting his total inability to do anything without Christ. The greatest Christian is not the one who has achieved the most but the one who has received the most. God's grace, love, and mercy flow through him (or her) abundantly because he walks in total dependence.

~from Fresh Faith

Blessed are those of you who are able to receive the love of God, who understand that you are completely dependent on him and that without him you can do nothing. Yours is the kingdom of Heaven.

Is There A Way To Measure Humility?

"So outside of the laboratory, you might observe their behavior for yourself; humble people are relatively down-to-earth, intellectually open-minded, less focused on themselves, and have a relatively accurate view of their own abilities. Then, given recent research on humility, you might look at some of their outcomes to verify your hunch. Humble people have been found to be more helpful, more successful in the workplace, and more forgiving and thankful."

I snagged his excerpt from this study:
http://www.scienceandreligiontoday.com/2012/01/05/how-can-you-tell-how-humble-someone-is/

Mean Thoughts . . . Sharon Hodde Miller

I thought this was a great post by Sharon Hodde Miller (she is a fellow Her.meneutics writer).

Thanks Sharon!

http://sheworships.com/2011/07/06/mean-thoughts/

Cross Bearing and Humility

From John Calvin's Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life:

"Even the greatest saints, though realizing that they can only be strong in the grace of God and not in themselves, are nevertheless more sure than they ought to be of their own bravery and persistence, unless he leads them by the trials of life into a deeper knowledge of themselves. This proud idea even induced David to say: 'In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved; Lord, by thy favor thou has made my mountain to stand strong. Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.'

For he confesses that prosperity had so stupefied and benumbed his senses that he disregarded the grace of God on which he should have depended, relied on himself instead, and imagined that he could not fall."

Spiritual Poverty

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)

Most of us Christian folk think ourselves to be much holier than we are. We point the finger at others, not realizing that the very things we see and despise in them reside in us. Yet others see it. And we wonder why we are labeled hypocrites. If we could just resist pointing out the wrong in others and trying to right the wrong in others, maybe we'd see the wrong, or as Jesus says, the plank in our own eyes. If we are to confront, we should do so gently and lovingly.

In no way should we expect unbelievers to act like Christians or believe what Christians believe. When they do or say things we wouldn't...that should come as no surprise. Show them Christ and let him Christianize them.

But O the day when we realize that we too are very much like those we perceive to be less mature than we are! Perhaps that is the day when spiritual poverty (humility, sense of weakness and reality--sober and accurate judgment of ourselves) will begin to reign in our lives.

Have you noticed that we thoroughly resist others when they point out our sins and shortcomings though they may be dead on?

Then again, once we do realize who we really are, we are tempted to fall into despair. But we need not. Let us see ourselves for who we are and beg for God's grace. In him, in our weakness, we are strongest. He is gracious to those who are humble. He resists the proud, not the humble.

We need Jesus desperately, Immanuel, God with us. We need the God who comes and is coming.

O Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner. Amen.

Three "Nevers" Having To Do With Humility

It is true. Lately, I've posted much about humility. I know not why exactly except that it has been on my mind. It just seems I am reading about it and also hoping that God will knead it deeper into my soul and that I will do (or be) my part, too.

That said, here is a morsel I gleaned from our Renovare discussion thread. It is from my friend in Huntsville, Texas, Helen.





1. Never pretend
2. Never presume – that you deserve things.
3. Never push – standing for what is right is different than sticking up for your rights. Standing up for what is right is not a personal issue. Get out of the business of making things happen. You don’t push…you let God do it. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God means let him carry the load. Don’t trust your best.

This is from a discussion about Dallas Willard's book, Renovation of the Heart.

Stories on Humility from the Desert Fathers

An old man was asked, “What is humility?” and he said in reply, “Humility is a great work, and a work of God. The way of humility is to undertake bodily labour and believe yourself a sinner and make yourself subject to all.” Then a brother said, “What does it mean, to be subject to all?” The old man answered, “To be subject to all is not to give your attention to the sins of others but always to give your attention to your own sins and to pray without ceasing to God.”

An old man said, “Every time a thought of superiority or vanity moves you, examine your conscience to see if you have kept all the commandments, whether you love your enemies, whether you consider yourself to be an unprofitable servant and the greatest sinner of all. Even so, do not pretend to great ideas as though you were perfectly right, for that thought destroys everything.”

I copied these stories  from Father Vasile Tudora at OrthodoxyToday.org with permission

Pride and Arrogance Contrasted With Humility

"The proud and arrogant person is a trouble to all that converse with him, but most of all unto himself: every thing is enough to vex him; but scarce any thing sufficient to content and please him. He is ready to quarrel with any thing that falls out; as if he himself were such a considerable person, that God Almighty should do every thing to gratify him, and all the creatures of heaven and earth should wait upon him, and obey his will. The leaves of high trees do shake with every blast of wind; and every breath, every evil word will disquiet and torment an arrogant man.

But the humble person hath the advantage when he is despised, that none can think more meanly of him than he doth to himself; and therefore he is not troubled at the matter, but can easily bear those reproaches which wound the other soul. And withal, as he is less affected with injuries, so indeed is he less obnoxious unto them. 'Contention which cometh from pride,' betrays a man into a thousand inconveniences, which those of a meek and lowly temper seldom meet with. True and genuine humility begetteth both a veneration and love among all wise and discerning persons, while pride defeateth its own design, and deprives a man of that honour it makes him pretend to."

~ Henry Scougal in The Life of God in the Soul of Man p. 73

Those Who In Humility Depend On God

Hello Dear Ones. This morning I read this from Philip Kenneson's book Life On The Vine:

"Arrogance, pride, haughtiness. These attributes characterize those who through power and strength of will attempt to secure their own future well-being. By so doing, they deny their need for God. Israel is itself often characterized as stubborn or "stiff-necked" . . . . The image is telling: not only does it suggest stubborness but a refusal to bow to another's authority . . . . Opposing the Holy Spirit. Quenching the Spirit. These are dangers that must be avoided by anyone who desires to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. In the above contexts these dangers arise on account of our stubborn pride and our desire to secure our own futures apart from God.

Rather than placing our trust in ourselves and our own abilities, God calls us to humble ourselves and place our hope and trust in God and the kingdom that God is ushering in. The kingdom is an upside-down kingdom, where God's order is restored by reversing or inverting the order routinely instituted by human beings. The kingdoms we construct almost always exalt the rich, the powerful, the proud and the aggressive."

pp. 201-202

Downward Mobility - Henri Nouwen

"The compassionate life is the life of downward mobility! In a society in which upward mobility is the norm, downward mobility is not only discouraged but even considered unwise, unhealthy, or downright stupid. Who will freely choose a low-paying job when a high-paying job is being offered? Who will choose poverty when wealth is within reach? Who will choose the hidden place when there is a place in the limelight? Who will choose to be with one person in great need when many people could be helped during the same time? Who will choose to withdraw to a place of solitude and prayer when there are so many urgent demands from all sides?

My whole life I have been surrounded by well-meaning encouragement to go 'higher up,' and the most-used argument was : 'You can do so much good there, for so many people.' But these voices calling me to upward mobility are completely absent from the Gospel. Jesus says: 'Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life (John 12:25).  He also says: 'Unless you become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). Finally he says: "You know that among the gentiles the rulers lord it over them, and great men make their authority felt; among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among  you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:25-28).

This is the way of downward mobility, the descending way of Jesus. It is the way towrad the poor, the suffering, the marginal, the prisoners, the refugees, the lonely, the hungry, the dying, the tortured, the homeless--toward all who ask for compassion. What do they have to offer? Not success, popularity, or power, but the joy and peace of the children of God."

From Here and Now pp. 138-139

I Will Not Share My Glory

I thought I would post something I wrote several years ago. I may have posted a while ago...but I thought it was worthwhile and that it'll be a nice addendum to a blog post I have elsewhere.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in humility that come from wisdom." James 3:13

The humble are indeed the most wise. Why? Because they have a proper understanding of both God and themselves. Their fear of God compels them to spread his fame rather than their own. Often they are overlooked because they do not call attention to themselves.

Are we seeking celebrity status in the Christian culture or are we content to be inconspicuously placed mirrors reflecting his glory? Who do others see when we minister? More of us or more of Jesus? Are we unknowningly redirecting the glory he deserves to ourselves? We must not let our charisma or natural talent blur his reflection in our  lives. Instead, we demonstrate our wisdom when we curb our tendency toward self-promotion so that in all aspects of our lives he has preeminence.

Let us examine ourselves to determine the motives behind our actions. Is there any hint of applause-seeking in the good deeds done in the sight of others? Do we, like Annanias and Sapphira, desire that others validate our righteousness (Acts 5:1-10). Do we desire that we, our ministries, or churches, become the next Christian superstars? Let's be honest. We must confess that such accolade-seeking is rampant in the Christian culture.

All of us have lacked, and some of us still lack the humilty that comes from wisdom. God demands that we be honest, that we have "truth in the inner most parts" (Psalm 51:6). If we primarily seek celebrity, unbelievers will sense this and put no more stock in God than we do. Even they can figure out if we are using God as a means to elevate our selves. Often believers are the ones more easily hood-winked.

We must remember that the Lord is a jealous God who refuses to share his glory with anyone else, including his children (Isaiah 48:11).