Teaching the Teachers - Don't Go Overboard
Philippians 4:8-9 MSG
[This is the 6th lesson of this series]
So we come to this unavoidable and somewhat awkward moment when we have to talk about what sometimes happens when some people get "too much" of God.
We saw this happen to the religious people during the time of Jesus. And unfortunately it happens in each successive generation since. And we do not want people to be ignorant of this. So many unbelievers have been turned off with Christianity over this. Jesus was all for love and unity, especially within the Body of Christ but some Christians didn't get the memo.
Overshooting Heaven
The enemy of God having no way of preventing red hot believers to study and talk about God, will find ways to make them go overboard instead -- by having them focus on how much they know about God, how righteous they have become and how they are so good they may actually have no need of God.
Sounds familiar? Because it is. This is the story of Lucifer before the fall, before becoming the enemy of God.
Now, the same thing that happened to Lucifer, the bright morning star, is what happens to those who go overboard and overshoots heaven.
Isaiah 14:12-15
Paul the Pharisee
Paul knows about this well for it happened to him. With his much learning and his vast knowledge of God, with his works of righteousness and holiness (piousness), he came to that point where he thought of himself head and shoulders taller and better than everyone else. This is typical of the religious leaders of his day. They know of Christ through head knowledge. They failed to recognize Christ Himself speaking and standing right in front of them. And to top it all off, they publicly persecuted Christ and had Him killed, and then did the same to His followers.
Blinded
Paul was so blinded by his own greatness and became so used to the accolades of men, he went the way of the bright morning star.
God had to make his physical eyes blind, so his spiritual eyes can see what is really going on.
Blinding of Saul Acts 9:1-18
After having seen the light, he repented (turned his life 180 degrees). He then went on to plant and teach churches in different places.
There is a wave of persecution of the church that is happening today, like in Apostle Paul's time.
Every hour, somewhere around the world, brothers and sisters in Christ are threatened, imprisoned and killed.
And as we read from the excerpt above, he wrote to the first church in the City of Philippi telling them to think about whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable... to look for the good instead of the bad in other people and in everything else.
Human Nature
Humankind has been involved in looking at every little thing that is bad and worth criticizing in others. This is a waste of time and just makes people miserable, judgemental and an all-around toxic person to be around with.
Paul advised the brethren to practice what they have heard and seen him say and do -- make it a way of life, to foster love and unity, to build people up and not tear them down, to gently teach and instruct and lead them to Christ, who is the Way and the Light. It is nothing about us. It is all about the Truth -- Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Galatians 2:19-21 MSG
"What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that."
Persecution Continues
Human Nature
Humankind has been involved in looking at every little thing that is bad and worth criticizing in others. This is a waste of time and just makes people miserable, judgemental and an all-around toxic person to be around with.
Paul advised the brethren to practice what they have heard and seen him say and do -- make it a way of life, to foster love and unity, to build people up and not tear them down, to gently teach and instruct and lead them to Christ, who is the Way and the Light. It is nothing about us. It is all about the Truth -- Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Galatians 2:19-21 MSG
"What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that."
Persecution Continues
Watch until the end
There is a wave of persecution of the church that is happening today, like in Apostle Paul's time.
Every hour, somewhere around the world, brothers and sisters in Christ are threatened, imprisoned and killed.
What is unfortunate is that all some (unknowledgeable) self-righteous believers, safe in their comfortable homes are concerned about is nitpicking at other believers who do not belong to their church, for example criticizing how other believer's "style" of worship is different from theirs.
They would shout, we will not listen to Bethel. We will not listen to Hillsong. We will not do this and we will not do that, the list goes on and on, planting seeds of chaos within churches and creating disunity within the Body of Christ.
They would shout, we will not listen to Bethel. We will not listen to Hillsong. We will not do this and we will not do that, the list goes on and on, planting seeds of chaos within churches and creating disunity within the Body of Christ.
What they may not be aware of is that in certain places the only refuge embattled Christians have is pouring their hearts out and singing these songs to God. The Holy Spirit have used these songs to bring millions of people all around the world to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (which is the necessary first step, once caught in the net, it is not our business to clean new believers -- that's God's job, our job is to share God and to foster love and unity).
And these songs continue to usher in the Holy Spirit's presence to those whose hearts are pure and are looking at whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely... most times singing songs like this during their times of suffering and as they are being martyred for their faith.
Let us not be out of touch with reality, out of the presence of God, and the mind and heart of Christ. God loves everyone, even us when we were so unlovable before Christ found us, picked us and cleaned us up. Let us not be like what the bright morning star wants us to become.
Jesus Christ did not criticize anyone, much less publicly, maybe His closest followers, and only those who think so highly of themselves, those who have overshot heaven.
Let us not be out of touch with reality, out of the presence of God, and the mind and heart of Christ. God loves everyone, even us when we were so unlovable before Christ found us, picked us and cleaned us up. Let us not be like what the bright morning star wants us to become.
Jesus Christ did not criticize anyone, much less publicly, maybe His closest followers, and only those who think so highly of themselves, those who have overshot heaven.
Closing Notes: If you have issues with Hillsong or Bethel or Elevation or any of the so-called heretical churches or preachers, we are not condoning any false teachings. There is always something we can find wrong in all churches, including the one we call ours. But there is one faith, there is one baptism, there is One God, there is One Spirit and One Savior, Jesus Christ. If we agree on all these then let's all work together for good. The Lord is coming back. Let us stop wasting time with nitpicking, criticizing other believers because they wear strange clothes or sing weird songs, or read a version of the bible we don't, or speak in tongues or do or believe something which we don't, instead let us do what God has really called us to do. God has called each one of us to do something. Let's do that.
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