June 15, 2011

Obeying on the outside…

Do you know this person?  They go to your church.  They have some years of experience in church under their belt, and they are reasonably faithful attenders now.  There’s even an air of spirituality to them… 

Now and then, though, you get into a conversation with them that goes to the dark side a little bit.  They might compare your church to one they’ve been to in the past, or they may be irritated with a person or group for some reason; you never noticed the thing that was wrong, but now you’re thinking about it.

After all, good church folk have had the wool pulled over their eyes by preachers who end up with their names in the headlines, right?  Part of being an American is subscribing to the rugged individuality that makes our country great, right? 

Well, according to the Bible, we are supposed to evaluate everything we see and hear in our church.  We’re to be on the lookout for false teachers – people who, intentionally or unintentionally, aren’t speaking the whole truth – and we’re to test the spirit when there’s a prophecy.  What’s the difference here?  I believe it’s the heart. 

Where is the questioning coming from?  Is it from a place of pride (sin), or humility? 

I’m pretty consistent with my kids.  If I promise a time-out, they know I’ll follow through.  There are times when I remind them of their less-than-favorite chair, and although they comply with my wishes at the moment, I can see in their eyes that their heart is elsewhere.  I’m obeying you on the outside, but on the inside, not so much…

We have to be careful when we give ourselves a pass to indulge in pride, complaining, fault-finding, and, well, rebellion, simply because we’re going to church every Sunday and in general, we’re on the right path.  The Bible’s pretty clear here – rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23).

Submitting isn’t a concept we like to embrace, but it is the essence of what Jesus came here to do.  I have to die to myself, let someone else be the boss of me; when I do, I allow God to cover me and bless me.