pucker up?
Posted by Chilly | Posted in Leadership, Missiology | Posted on 02-10-2008
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you know, there’s a lot of butt kissin’ that goes on in the Christian sub-culture… we’ve elevated some leaders, authors, bloggers to rock star status. we buy all they sell, and apply every principle they promote. we dress the same and even style our hair, churches, and conferences just like them. it’s like in high school, when the angry teen said leave me alone, I don’t want to be preppy like everyone else … and then he went and surrounded himself with 20 other kids all dressed in black doing the same thing, talking the same way. we’ve found a ‘group’ that we’re either in or trying desperately to be included in…
yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s true; we need friends & allies in this whole thing we call life & ministry. big time! but, we also need a personal relationship with God. we need to KNOW that what we’re doing is ordered and ordained by HIM. cause even a God thing for another church or ministry may not be HIS plan at all for you/yours. and if we’re doing it just because ‘they’ are and not obeying or following God’s voice – whoa, we’re in trouble.
today, part of my daily read via my iPhone (on YouVersion ) was Galatians 1. A familiar verse popped out at me again…
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. v. 10
this isn’t some “throw up your rock fist” kind of slogan by Paul the rebel – it’s rather an explanation that pertains to the previous four verses. you see Paul begins his letter to the galatian people with a challenge to stick with the Gospel (and he rebukes them for being led astray so easy). He says…
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. v. 6-7
sometimes we throw ourselves into confusion by reading anything and everything EXCEPT the Bible! we talk to anyone, anytime EXCEPT the Lord! and we preach, teach, blog and live a feel good, all about me, life that leaves one drained and disillusioned… but, hey, IF we give some loot to a good cause (like Africa) we’re golden! ouch…
I read books & blogs … I listen to podcasts … I attend and/or speak at a conference from time to time … (you want to pay for an inner-city pastor to join you for Catalyst?!) … these things are not sin. but, they can become idols & distractions.
friend, this is why our foundation must be FIRM, our Gospel must be PURE, our message must be TRUE, our prayer life must be REAL, our thoughts must be HOLY and our love must be GENUINE.
face it, insecurity isn’t from God. you’re not earning any points for kissing someone’s bum (whether with a comment or a tweet)… respect isn’t earned like that. BE the person God created you to be and have a BLAST! Jesus set you free, so BE FREE INDEED!!
puttin’ the pucker away… chilly
that’s really good! I gotta always remember that there is no exception when I shouldn’t be reading God’s Word more and hearing his voice more.
TJ
So good Pastor Chilly! I’ve noticed over the years that the more time I spend with God and the more humble I remain in Him, then the less insecurity I battle each day! It’s so easy to look to man for answers, for encouragement, for a “word” to live the next week on, for vision and passion… But the truth is that I need to look to God for ALL those things! What good is a weekly pick-me-up from a guy behind a pulpit, if I’m not daily hearing from the Author and Finisher of my faith?
Wanting to live more free, indeed!!!
As someone who has kissed plenty of butt and got sucked into the whole sub-culture and missiology-war of words, I have to say – YES! You are right on! The easy access we have today to read someone else’s revelation from God makes many of us too lazy to see God’s revelation to us.
Thanks, Pastor Chilly!
LOVE IT! really good stuff here. the truth is, no one TRULEY enjoys a suck up. everyone is annoyed by them including even the person they are following around, kissing up too. plain and simple, be who the LOrd created you to be!
Needed to hear that today. I try to make up for my own lack of creativity by running to other pastor’s wells, when I just need to drink deeper from God’s.
so good. It is easy to become what is around us, but God created and calls us for His own purpose and for that He equips us differently. So if we’re all the same we won’t reach the life He us created to live.
Thanks for the check.
i’ve heard that verse taken out of context so many times. i really appreciate you saying how it’s not “i’m being a rebel” thing but it’s a “i’m following Jesus” thing. following Jesus does mean rebelling, but rebelling doesn’t always mean following Jesus.
thanks Captain
Hello Pastor Chilly,
I really like your messages. REAL. So refreshing and to the point. Thanks for the straight talk which points to the clutter in my life. Often I wonder why it’s easier to read and talk to anyone but God when I know he has the answers and that my rambling doesn’t lead to much. You’re awesome!
i revisited this post by accident today, but i think that i really needed to re-read it and re-apply it to my life. so thanks. again.
i think it’s like my previous comment: you can definitely rebel without following Jesus, but you also can’t follow Jesus without rebelling. God has had me ask/answer some hard questions about myself this summer, and the questions are not done being asked. so it’s like you said, “our foundation must be FIRM, our Gospel must be PURE, our message must be TRUE, our prayer life must be REAL, our thoughts must be HOLY and our love must be GENUINE” …and if it’s not we must realize it and change it asap.
for me, becoming the person God created me to be is gonna take more “search me o God” moments. and lots more dying to self. it’s gonna be really hard & at times really painful… but, it is also gonna be a BLAST! …so bring on the dying, so i can really live.
Really spot on. I’ve caused myself so much pain in the past at the least in terms of mental peace when I’ve subordinated God’s will to that of pleasing/looking for credibility with those around me.
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