We have already contemplated the importance of community and humility, but it cannot be overstated that “pride comes before a fall” and I wanted to revisit this whilst unpacking different thoughts.
I have been aware of an increasing desire in me for the “simple” gospel. I have wanted to declutter my thinking. There is a lot of content screaming for our attention. I have had a longing to get back to the bible and the spirit of God and to simplify things.
I think that the advent of social media has fed our pride. I was pondering Paul’s instructions to Timothy and to Titus, firstly in 1 Timothy 1:3-4 urging him to:
… stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work – which is by faith.
And then in Titus 3:9 where he exhorts him to
… avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.
I feel like the internet is full of these controversies and speculations and people (including Christians) spend huge amounts of time defending one side of the argument or another, expounding complex theories. Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, in chapter 11 verse 3, expresses concern:
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity and purity that is in Christ.
I believe that one of the ways that Satan deceives us is through our desire to look good, to gain knowledge that gives us an extra special insight, extra special revelation. It appeals to our intellect, and our desire to belong to a group of people who are “advanced” in some way, elite. In truth, there is always more to be understood, to be experienced of God but how much are we overcomplicating things? We do not necessarily recognise pride as the motivation. I wonder if the desire to be “at the cutting edge” of things, exploring the “new thing” that God is doing, has not led some of us a bit astray. We have become disillusioned with the simple gospel, bored with foundational truths, as our fleshly desires have been titillated by what more there might be. I believe it has created in some of us an inability to be part of the fellowship where God has put us because we are looking for the next thing. We constantly look for the next dopamine hit of excitement, of stimulation, instead of learning to be content. Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 8:1 that
Knowledge puffs up but love edifies.
Let’s not overcomplicate things, getting sucked into endless debates about the minutiae of scripture, and missing the point of the whole thing. The gospel is good news. The gospel is simple enough for uneducated shepherds, for fishermen, for ordinary people, for children to understand. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing. We have a commission and it is about being ministers of reconciliation, about making disciples, reconciling people back to God. The man on the cross next to Jesus, did not understand the intricacies of salvation, of theology, of all the things that as Christians we argue over, and yet Jesus let him in! The simplicity of grace, of the gospel, is offensive to the intellect.
I believe that having knowledge that others don’t have, learning about things that are in the “cutting edge” zone, can feed our pride and make us feel superior to others. I have seen it when denominations feel like they have correct doctrine or have revelation about some aspect of spirituality that makes them more in tune with the spirit of God than others. It produces some ugly attitudes, arguing over being right, over which version of the bible to use, over whether or not we should or should be singing certain songs, praying certain ways. As a young Christian, being discipled in evangelical/charismatic circles, I saw this in relation to more traditional churches, and I have seen it in some prophetic circles in relation to others who may not be as familiar with or comfortable with the things of the spirit. I have certainly had to repent of some of my own attitudes and words in relation to other members of the body of Christ who do things differently.
When our hearts enjoy flattery, or the boost to confidence that comes from status or significance outside of our identity as children of God, belonging to an elite group, it makes us vulnerable. In this way we can enjoy the idea of becoming a source of knowledge. Those of us who preach or teach need be wary of this. God is the only source. We are his representatives. I am grateful for an older lady in my previous church who, when I preached, often gave me feedback but prefaced it with “I don’t want you to get puffed up!” It was good reminder. We need to remember our “qualifications” for being chosen, as outlined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 26-20:
… think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
Remembering that what qualifies us is his grace, not our intellect or our ability to expound scripture, or bring revelation, or pray for the sick or anything else, helps us maintain a right heart. It is ALL grace.
This thought of being someone who might lead others astray, whether as a disciple discipling others, or as one who has the responsibility of teaching or preaching in some way in the body of Christ, is not insignificant. There is a responsibility that comes with leading others in any context, even as a parent in the home. This is not to incite fear but to ensure we are not careless. However, I believe that it is important for us as the body of Christ to grow up into maturity and not being like baby sparrows opening our mouths and receiving whatever we are fed without thought. There is a responsibility on the listener too.
I have been revisiting a lot of what I have been taught over the last however many years with a simple question:
Is what I believe even biblical?
It has made me delve deeper into scripture and talk to Holy Spirit about some of the things I believe about God, about Christianity and how to walk it out. We are much more likely to be deceived if we never ask questions, if we passively accept whatever we are told. Some of us have been taught that asking questions is rebellion, is a lack of submission to leadership. Not true. The scriptures exhorting us to test what we receive attest to that. The celebrity culture, in which we currently live, has to some degree invaded the church, and certainly exists online, encouraging us to read, watch, and consume all manner of content by “popular” creators. I wonder how we decide who or what to listen to. How many of us are swayed by who else has “liked” a post or reposted it? How many of us “like” a post without filtering it with Holy Spirit? How many of us have “trusted” voices that we always listen to? 1 Thessalonians 5:21 instructs us
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
‘Eat the meat and throw out the bones’, I often say, but how do we know what is good meat? 1 John 4:1 exhorts us:
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
I have read books and not even checked the scriptures, in fact even if the scriptures are quoted, I have sometimes skimmed over them. I have listened to preachers and not checked out whether the statements, the assertions they are making are even biblical or just their own thoughts. I have listened to people because someone I trust, or respect in the body of Christ has promoted them. Paul warns in 2 Timothy 4:2-3
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
We read that and assume it is not us but how often have I listened to online teaching that backs up my opinion, my beliefs, and been reluctant to listen to something that challenges me? How often have I been reluctant to engage with something because it is hard to understand and requires me to think? How often have I preferred the “soundbite culture” of a 5-minute video rather than engaging with scripture myself? I think honestly that I have been lazy. We live in a microwave generation where meals are readily available for us, precooked, just heat and serve. Maybe we have brought that concept to our bible reading and preferred to listen to someone else’s video where they have chewed the meat for us. This is not me saying I don’t need to listen to good teaching. That’s another form of pride that leaves me vulnerable to deception. A warning from Proverbs 26:12
Do you see a man [who is unteachable and] wise in his own eyes and full of self-conceit?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
We have never had access to so much content and some of it is deceptively seductive. Satan is a master of half-truths, sowing lies about God, leading us to believe wrongly about ourselves and the way things are. Proverbs 3:5-7 gives us the right way forward
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
We cannot rely on our own understanding, or on Google for that matter. How often do we turn to Google before even asking the Holy Spirit to help us? How much do we try to work things out in our own head, instead of asking for His wisdom? According to 2 Corinthians 3:6
… the Spirit gives life
He is the one who leads us into truth, he is the one who helps us discern the spirit behind what we hear, he leads us along paths of righteousness, into life. We will come back to this thought next time but in the meantime, the acronym KISS, allegedly first used in the US Navy, is a good reminder, although feel free to change the last word!
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
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