Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I got this from a friend today... thought I'd share with you....
Others, if you are not a student of the Scriptures, this may not mean much of anything to you, but if any of it pricks your heart and you want to know more, please reach out to me or others on here who you know to be followers of Christ.
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GOD'S WORD: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." - Matthew 23: 27-28
Chances are that if you're a Christian, your desire is to be more like Christ. That's great. But are you? How would you know? A Barna study done a few years ago revealed a lot to me. The survey revealed that 51% of the North American Christians polled all possess attitudes and actions that are more like the Pharisees than they are like Christ. In other words, the attitudes of most Christians were described as self-righteous and hypocritical.According to the study, only 14% of Christians surveyed reflected attitudes and actions that better resembled the attitudes and actions of Christ.
I understand that in many church circles, to simply say the word 'Pharisee' is to immediately conjure up an image of a villain. Pharisee equals bad. And yet the Pharisees were, to some extent, well-meaning people. They studied the law and knew it as well as anyone. Their downfall, among other things, centered on their self-justification and self-importance. But there's evidence that some Pharisees were sincerely seeking God. After all, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, both Pharisees, arranged for Jesus' burial. They were sympathetic to Jesus and, from what we can tell, ultimately ended up following him. Similarly, the mission of the early church was radically advanced by a converted Pharisee-Paul. And yet Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their pride, lack of compassion and hypocrisy. (1)
In looking at my own Pharisaical Quotient (PQ), I look for those things that I do, think or feel that mark me as a Pharisee rather than the kind of follower Jesus wants of me. And being the East Texas Bubba that I am, I frame up these identifiers in the fashion of Jeff Foxworthy of "You Might Be a Redneck" fame:
1. You might be a Pharisee if you look down upon others or look more highly upon yourself because of how well you know the Bible and someone else doesn't. Arrogance is not a Christian virtue.
2. You might be a Pharisee if you pride yourself (and let others know) that you follow all the rules of the Law and Prophets.Following the rules doesn't keep you in the love of God any more than it got you into the love of God. Following the rules is a response to the love of God.
3. You might be a Pharisee if you avoid spending time with non-Christians. If many of us were preaching the parable about being the salt of the earth today, we'd switch it up and command the salt to stay in its hermetically sealed box and never touch any food. Of course, Jesus said the opposite. Salt needs to get out of the box to season food.
4. You might be a Pharisee if you are quick to point out how righteous or presumably more favored by God you are. This goes beyond just the obvious and flagrant display of self-piety. It also includes those times when you tout your position or title in the church or your own righteousness (which didn't come by your own means anyway). Jesus admonished the Pharisees, saying "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men 'Rabbi'" (Matthew 23:5-7)
5. You might be a Pharisee if you like to promote to the rest of the world that you are a Christian in the same fashion that you tout being a member of a social club. Religious people say things like "Of course I'm a Christian" and underneath that statement is a pernicious idea that they have somehow earned the favor of God by their obedience and faithfulness. True Christians, by contrast, are filled with wonder, amazement, and gratitude that God would accept them despite their brokenness.
But there's good news for all of us Pharisees! Jesus came to set us free from this spirt of religion! Because of God's love for us, the Holy Spirit convicts (but never condemns!) us in our errant ways and lovingly leads us to repentance and God's cleansing, eye-opening presence. If you are one like me who at times lets religion overpower faith, then join me in the following prayer:
Father of grace and mercy, we know that at times we fall short of what it means to follow Jesus. Create in us clean hearts and renew steadfast spirits in each of us, keeping humility above honor, service above sainthood and redemption above recognition. Make us into new wine skins, that we may receive the new wine you have prepared for us. May all we do and say be pleasing and glorifying to you, our Rock and our Redeemer. In Jesus' name, Amen.
(1) From Carey Nieuwhof; former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church.
From "Thoughts Along the Way" by Glenn Miller. Reproduction permitted for non-commercial use only. Copyright 2020 by Glenn W Miller
To subscribe to this free daily devotion, email gwm1012@att.net and put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
Reproduction permitted for non-commercial use. Copyright 2020 by Glenn Miller.
Others, if you are not a student of the Scriptures, this may not mean much of anything to you, but if any of it pricks your heart and you want to know more, please reach out to me or others on here who you know to be followers of Christ.
________________________
GOD'S WORD: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." - Matthew 23: 27-28
Chances are that if you're a Christian, your desire is to be more like Christ. That's great. But are you? How would you know? A Barna study done a few years ago revealed a lot to me. The survey revealed that 51% of the North American Christians polled all possess attitudes and actions that are more like the Pharisees than they are like Christ. In other words, the attitudes of most Christians were described as self-righteous and hypocritical.According to the study, only 14% of Christians surveyed reflected attitudes and actions that better resembled the attitudes and actions of Christ.
I understand that in many church circles, to simply say the word 'Pharisee' is to immediately conjure up an image of a villain. Pharisee equals bad. And yet the Pharisees were, to some extent, well-meaning people. They studied the law and knew it as well as anyone. Their downfall, among other things, centered on their self-justification and self-importance. But there's evidence that some Pharisees were sincerely seeking God. After all, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, both Pharisees, arranged for Jesus' burial. They were sympathetic to Jesus and, from what we can tell, ultimately ended up following him. Similarly, the mission of the early church was radically advanced by a converted Pharisee-Paul. And yet Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their pride, lack of compassion and hypocrisy. (1)
In looking at my own Pharisaical Quotient (PQ), I look for those things that I do, think or feel that mark me as a Pharisee rather than the kind of follower Jesus wants of me. And being the East Texas Bubba that I am, I frame up these identifiers in the fashion of Jeff Foxworthy of "You Might Be a Redneck" fame:
1. You might be a Pharisee if you look down upon others or look more highly upon yourself because of how well you know the Bible and someone else doesn't. Arrogance is not a Christian virtue.
2. You might be a Pharisee if you pride yourself (and let others know) that you follow all the rules of the Law and Prophets.Following the rules doesn't keep you in the love of God any more than it got you into the love of God. Following the rules is a response to the love of God.
3. You might be a Pharisee if you avoid spending time with non-Christians. If many of us were preaching the parable about being the salt of the earth today, we'd switch it up and command the salt to stay in its hermetically sealed box and never touch any food. Of course, Jesus said the opposite. Salt needs to get out of the box to season food.
4. You might be a Pharisee if you are quick to point out how righteous or presumably more favored by God you are. This goes beyond just the obvious and flagrant display of self-piety. It also includes those times when you tout your position or title in the church or your own righteousness (which didn't come by your own means anyway). Jesus admonished the Pharisees, saying "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men 'Rabbi'" (Matthew 23:5-7)
5. You might be a Pharisee if you like to promote to the rest of the world that you are a Christian in the same fashion that you tout being a member of a social club. Religious people say things like "Of course I'm a Christian" and underneath that statement is a pernicious idea that they have somehow earned the favor of God by their obedience and faithfulness. True Christians, by contrast, are filled with wonder, amazement, and gratitude that God would accept them despite their brokenness.
But there's good news for all of us Pharisees! Jesus came to set us free from this spirt of religion! Because of God's love for us, the Holy Spirit convicts (but never condemns!) us in our errant ways and lovingly leads us to repentance and God's cleansing, eye-opening presence. If you are one like me who at times lets religion overpower faith, then join me in the following prayer:
Father of grace and mercy, we know that at times we fall short of what it means to follow Jesus. Create in us clean hearts and renew steadfast spirits in each of us, keeping humility above honor, service above sainthood and redemption above recognition. Make us into new wine skins, that we may receive the new wine you have prepared for us. May all we do and say be pleasing and glorifying to you, our Rock and our Redeemer. In Jesus' name, Amen.
(1) From Carey Nieuwhof; former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church.
From "Thoughts Along the Way" by Glenn Miller. Reproduction permitted for non-commercial use only. Copyright 2020 by Glenn W Miller
To subscribe to this free daily devotion, email gwm1012@att.net and put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
Reproduction permitted for non-commercial use. Copyright 2020 by Glenn Miller.
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