I’m Really Quite The Christian

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

“Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” Ephesians 5:2 (NLT)

 

A very close brother in Christ posted this statement out there on the interwebs. “Arrogant Christians carry an offensive stench.” Now when I saw him at a men’s fellowship breakfast recently, I not only told him that I thought this was a “Jumbo Shrimp” kinda comment but that it took me back to a time when I believed I actually ran into one of these oxymorons.

 

It’s around the winter of 1986 and I was working a job cleaning up an “infamous” restaurant’s kitchen at the Jersey shore when I met a “Christian” named George. George hadn’t been on the job about two hours when he started up a conversation with me about accepting Jesus into my life. I was telling him I didn’t wanna be bothered and did my usual “shock jock” routine to get him off my back. But then, in the following weeks, we both watched as an assistant supervisor was fired and then the supervisor, which left yours truly in line for a promotion…or so I thought. George the “Christian” had taken all the info he gleaned from me, spoke badly of me to the higher up’s and then got himself the supervisor’s position. He then picked his assistant (which wasn’t me) and in time I was looking for another job as George proceeded to fire me. That was my first scent of an arrogant Christian.

 

In the 30+ years that have passed since then, I’m gonna guess that 7.6 Christians (using the Gideon’s stats here) have shared the Gospel with me until it finally shattered my stony heart. But that hasn’t stopped the flow of arrogant Christians crossing my path, of which, at times, I also have been accused of. Sad, but true. So, what precautions do I need to take to keep that thorn of humility in my flesh? Well, let’s examine that, shall we?

 

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” (Romans 12:3)

 

I wish I could leave that verse there and be about my business but I can’t. One of the flipped script theologies out there is that if there is an uncertainty to what we know about the things of God then we need to stay humble. However, if we are certain about the things of God then, according to the intellectual world, we are guilty of the cardinal sin of arrogance. I think that’s a lie straight from Hell, but what do I know, right?

 

I have read somewhere that Christian knowledge is dependent knowledge. This means I can only understand God’s truth because He has revealed it to me. As much as that alone should lead to personal humility for all of us who study God’s truth, is as much as it doesn’t. Somewhere along the pathway of revelation, some folks forget God’s grace. Somewhere along the pathway, we suddenly say to ourselves, “How Great I Art” and we lift our Pharisaical hands, stand at the gates of Arrogance and say “At least I ain’t like the residents of Secularland.”

 

I believe the crux of the biscuit in all of this mess is what we read in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. By all means, open your Bibles and turn there and you’ll read what I read. Only a few of us were wise in the world’s eyes when God called us. It was He who chose to make foolish what the world considers wise. It was He who chose to use what is powerless to shame who is considered powerful. It was He who chose what the world considers nothing to bring what it considers important to nothing. All this done so NO ONE can ever boast in the presence of God. So, if ya wanna boast, boast in the LORD!!

 

One of the things that Paul wrote, “Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them” (1 Cor 6:13a), may have been written to address sexual sin but I would even dare say that it deals with any desire that may take us over. This would mean elevating ourselves above others just because we wear the badge of Christian is subject to destruction.

 

As much as we know that God is concerned with our holiness rather than our happiness let’s not be too reverent about ourselves in this. Granted, we need to understand that we’re set apart, but we’ve been set apart to do good works and share the love of Jesus Christ with the folks around us. Don’t smell like George did! Amen?

 

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) has been married for 25+ years (Kathy), has a married son (Kevin) and a daughter in college (Karen). He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

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Think About This: “Shall it be a religion or shall it be Christ? Shall it be Christianity or shall it be Jesus Christ? Shall it be pride or shall it be humility in Jesus Christ?” — Aiden Wilson Tozer

The Daily Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 14-18 | You can download our 2020 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the ^[b]beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. –Psalm 27:4

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.