No one likes to be told that they are proud, or at times have an air of arrogance about them. We do not like being told this because at the very core of our hearts we are proud and arrogant!
As pastors we are constantly cautioned against pride and arrogance, we are eager to root it out of our lives and become increasingly humble men. We are, however, also experts at feigning humility, adopting an attitude and response of humility that is external, but does not originate from a truly humble heart. This often comes to the fore when people praise our preaching, speak in admiration of our apparently great wisdom and deep insight into the Word of God. When they marvel at our ability to handle, what is in their mind a profoundly difficult theological question, with apparent ease.
By God’s grace, He has enabled us to study His Word for a period three or more years as we completed our theological degrees. The majority of us came out of seminary with a good foundation, and even the ability to read the Bible in the original languages, some with a greater ability than others. We have been in ministry for numerous years, notching up more and more experience, we, hopefully, read and study constantly, always seeking to increase our knowledge. We want to keep our theological pencils sharp, so that we can serve well in the ministry. It is the constant desire of our hearts that our preaching and our work as a pastor is one that is consistently improving, becoming increasingly better and clearer. We desire to be seen as strong, decisive leaders, who are marked by integrity and discernment. At the same time, we always want to be approachable, open, and ready to help those who are in need, or in distress. Few things cause us more pain as pastors than to discover that a member has been in great spiritual distress, but has been too afraid to come and speak to us. Why do I mention all this? Have you ever considered the fact that in your desire to become theological astute, an excellent preacher of God’s Word and a wise shepherd, it could have led you to a subtle form of pride and arrogance?
Allow me to suggest that what lies at the heart of this pride and arrogance that we as pastors struggle so much with, is the fact that we are over-familiar with the truth, we have allowed knowledge to dull our hearts and minds, we have become too comfortable with the One who is infinite, and beyond our comprehension. We have become increasingly critical, and have turned our calling into a profession that must be executed according to our standards and knowledge.
Take the following test to diagnose the condition of your mind and heart in this regard:
When you read the Bible, especially the very familiar passages, do you find yourself skimming over them, thinking to yourself, “I know this passage, I know how the story goes and I know what comes next”?
Can you remember the last time you read the Bible and after reading a certain verse or passage, found yourself amazed, stunned, speechless, driven to worship, adoration and prayer?
When asked a question by a church member, that in your sight is a basic Sunday school question, do you find yourself thinking, “How can you not know the answer to that, how can you claim to be a ‘mature’ Christian and ask questions like this?”
At a Bible study when Mrs. Jones prays, and of course, she prays every week, do you find yourself analysing and critiquing her prayer, cringing as she uses all the clichés in the book, and following the same formula and phrases week after week?
Do you ever find yourself wishing that you could play the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of certain church members, who just never seem to change, nor do they appear to take to heart God’s Word?
On a Sunday, during the time of singing, do you find it difficult to focus on the songs, because so often your mind is distracted by what certain members are or are not doing? “Why is Phil wildly waving his hands in the air? Oh boy, Mary is crying again, what is it this time?” Do you find yourself examining the congregation to see who is not at church and wondering why they are not here today, thinking "today’s sermon would be especially relevant to them"?
When you are in prayer, in the privacy of your study or office, how proportionate is the time you spend lamenting the lack of growth in the lives of the church members, praying and pleading that God would change them, as opposed to the time spent thanking God for evidences of His grace and work in the lives of the church members? When was the last time you prayed and thanked God for the church in which He has placed you, thanked Him for each of the members, and the work that He is performing but which is hidden from our sight?
How often do you encourage individual church members, commenting on how you have seen God at work in their life, mentioning to them how you are thankful to God for their progress in the Gospel?
How did you do?
I failed, miserably!
As I reflected upon those questions, I had to search my heart for at first sight my pride and arrogance was not evident, I do genuinely desire to serve God to the best of my ability. I desire for the members of the church to grow in maturity, to pray better, to be quicker to heed God’s Word and for the Sunday services to be excellent; my desire for this is so that God’s people, church and glory might grow.
This pride and arrogance is a very subtle one, it is not a public or an easily discernable one. This pride creeps slowly into our hearts and minds. It seeks to control our inner thoughts, and many of those thoughts will never be outwardly spoken, as our members would be horrified if they heard them. The problem is that so often what we think in our minds, then seeks to control the inclinations and attitudes of our hearts, which, if left unchecked, can begin to influence our behaviour and outward actions. A sigh of disapproval, a shaking of the head, a frown, a look of displeasure, or condescension, a sarcastic remark, or words of jest, are the ways and means that this pride and arrogance works its way through our hearts and minds, to our outward behaviour. Such behaviour can cause people to hold us at a distance, to see us as a super-spiritual guru with their own hotline to God and some hidden exclusive knowledge into the Bible that they will never gain. It can cause our members to become afraid of us, not in terms of being fearful, but afraid of us thinking them foolish or immature should they ask us a question. Worse still, it can cause our members to be hesitant to come and share their struggles with sin and seek out our counsel, for we give off the impression that we do not struggle with sin. Our behaviour and conduct, could hinder their worship of God, for they feel as though they are being watched, and their prayers are being analysed and critiqued.
As pastors, we would not want the above paragraph to be true of us, it would reduce us to a heap of desperate tears and destroy us, for we never, ever wish to be perceived as such a person. We therefore need to be diligent so as to guard our hearts against this subtle pride. The big question is how then can we guard against this pride? The answer is simple; we need to eat a healthy slice of humble pie, on a daily basis!
What are the ingredients needed to make a humble pie? In God’s grace I will seek to answer that question later this week with another post. Until then, brothers, keep a close watch upon your heart, your mind and your conduct.
No comments:
Post a Comment