Christian Living
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” – Mohandas Ghandi
I’m not sure if you’ve been listening to the collective voices within American society but generally speaking, Christianity isn’t held in too favorable a view. This is especially true of the younger generations coming up in the world. Of course, Christians are taught not to take stock in what the world thinks of us, right? I mean the world is going to hate and revile us because it hates and reviles our King. So it stands to reason that Christianity isn’t going to be held in a favorable position by a sin-cursed culture like America’s, right?
I agree with that sentiment to a point. Where I draw the line is when the criticism coming from ‘the world’ is actually true. You see, the thing about Jesus being hated and reviled by the world is he never actually gave them a reason to hate him other than speaking the unedited truth to them. Can you say the same about his representatives within modern Christianity? (Just so there’s no confusion, we’re all his representatives; not just the preachers).
The sad reality that few Christians want to face is there is a lot of criticism being lobbed at us that is 100% true. Generally speaking we ARE the intolerant, judgmental, backbiting, gossiping, hypocritical gas bags that everyone seems to rail against (I’m using the less insulting phrases I’ve heard over the years). These words may not describe us individually; there are a lot of great people serving God in the world. But, as Jesus said, it doesn’t take much leaven to leaven the whole lump. The trick with leaven is once it’s in a lump of dough, it’s impossible to get back out.
But then God specializes in the impossible, doesn’t he?
Proverbs 11:1 is the passage I’ve chosen as the foundational verse for this topic. On the surface, the verse has nothing to do with what we’re discussing. In its context, Proverbs 11:1 is about marketplace ethics. But as with most of the Bible there are deeper applications that can be taken from this verse than what applies to the contextual audience. To put this in simpler terms, Proverbs 11:1 is a blunt statement informing us that God hates selfish cheaters and loves fairness and honesty. If you believe that this divine attitude is only for the marketplace then you don’t know your God very well (John 13:34-35).
But we can take this concept even deeper. On a grander scale (no pun intended) Solomon’s “just weight” refers to a proper balance. “Balance” is a foundational component of godly wisdom and according to this verse, God “delights” in a proper balance. Again, if you believe God’s delight in this concept stops at the cash register then you really don’t understand God.
People who consistently walk in God’s wisdom are extremely pleasing to Him; they are also quite rare. Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, he worked hard to bring this concept of balance to his disciples, the crowds and to the religious leaders of his day. With his disciples and the crowds he mostly found ignorance and confusion. With the Pharisees and Sadducees, well, you know how they responded. Two millennia later and we’re really no better off collectively than the people of the first century.
You may find these statements upsetting; even insulting. I assure you my intent is neither. However, some truths are very difficult to hear and even more difficult to digest and it is digestion that I wish to speak of here. My thesis for this entire concept is the spiritual and practical imbalance within the Body of Christ. Like our physical bodies, the church’s diet is a very important part of our survival. For generations evangelical Christianity has had a steady diet of biblical knowledge. We’ve learned the Bible from every possible angle; from memory verses to Sunday school lessons to home bible studies to endless hours of sermons and even bible colleges. Now, this is not a bad thing and I am in no way complaining about the volume of resources and opportunities to learn your Bible. If I may be frank, the only reason someone is ignorant of the scriptures in this day and age is because they have chosen to be.
However, if there is a surplus of Biblical knowledge within the Body of Christ then there is an extreme deficit of godly wisdom. Wisdom goes with knowledge like peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, butter and corn-on-the-cob, steak and potatoes. The point is I have been deeply involved in evangelical Christianity the bulk of my life. I’ve heard a lot of sermons and series on wisdom, even preached a few myself, but I have never heard of nor have I ever implemented a program with the goal of obtaining godly wisdom.
To be honest, it’s a tough sell. Wisdom is too often viewed as an unattainable concept; something we’ll eventually get when we’re old or in eternity. It is unconsciously put into the same category as sinless perfection or a glorified body by most bible believing saints. It’s a great subject to teach or preach about, but to focus on it as an attainable goal is unheard of in most churches.
I submit that one of the church’s greatest flaws in modern times is our collective negligence in making godly wisdom as high a priority as biblical knowledge.
Biblical knowledge without wisdom is dangerous. It is deadly and the Body of Christ has the scars to prove it. A zealous disciple armed only with knowledge too often will rush at every opportunity to instruct, exhort and (especially) rebuke with all the tact of a pitbull and the subtlety of a hydrogen bomb. The body is filled with saints who have spent years ingesting a steady diet of biblical knowledge; many of whom fail to recognize they are still looking through a dark glass and do not hold a monopoly on biblical truth and doctrinal understanding. The believer who only has knowledge can easily fall into the trap of pride and arrogance believing their opinions on all doctrinal issues are the standards by which all others are to be measured. The imbalanced student can easily take God’s jobs of conviction and leading onto themselves as well as become blinded to the identity of their true enemy; usually anyone who disagrees with them is branded as such. The Bible, in the hands of a student devoid of wisdom, can quickly become a deadly weapon that can cause (and has caused) more damage than can ever be accounted for. It is due to this imbalance that Christianity has earned the lion’s share of the criticism it receives today.
But a wise disciple of God understands the need for a balanced approach to reproving, exhortation and rebuke. Wisdom teaches there is a time to speak and a time to hold your peace, a time to act and a time to be patient, a time to sharpen your swords for battle and a time to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. The wise follower of Christ knows the difference between opinions and convictions and still knows that God brings different convictions to different people in different ways. The saint who walks in wisdom understands that they are not God and therefore are not obsessed with trying to do God’s job for him. The saint who follows wisdom knows who his true enemy is and does not treat those who despitefully persecute them as such. The wise student is able, under the guidance and power of the Spirit of God, to wield the Sword of the Spirit like a scalpel in the hands of a surgeon to bring about healing, encouragement, and yes even constructive correction and rebuke.
“Kurt” had a wealth of biblical knowledge. Unfortunately he lacked an understanding of how and when to use that knowledge. What I came to learn was “Kurt” was not alone in his lack of wisdom. I was guilty of the same deficit. My pride was wounded by his attacks and I reacted accordingly. Instead of operating from a place of Spirit-led wisdom and grace I gave in to my selfish nature and I, like Moses, Elijah and Jonah, got angry. From my perspective, God wasn’t fixing the problem to my satisfaction so I stepped in and did God’s job for him. Instead of seeing my brother through God’s eyes of selfless compassion I saw him as an enemy and chose to operate from a place of selfishness. The fiery darts of the enemy wasn’t the battle over music; it was his masterful manipulation of the selfish nature of humanity on all sides and the result of that battle was the destruction of a church body. Had just one of us been walking in the wisdom and knowledge of God, none of this would have happened.
The Word of God clearly teaches that godly wisdom is not only attainable, it is a vital part of the believer’s life. Just imagine the difference in the Body of Christ if all of God’s people were as focused on gaining God’s wisdom as they are His Word. Imagine the difference in the world. To relegate God’s wisdom to the purview of the elderly or the dead in Christ is to rob the Body of spiritual nutrients necessary to keep it alive.
If you’ve ever been to a dead church then you know the pain and suffering that can occur within its walls. Speaking as a pastor who deeply loves God’s church, there’s nothing more tragic. Speaking as a pastor who has had his share of losses and defeats in the spiritual warfare, the heartbreak is indescribable. But, despite the losses and the defeats there is hope. The church’s foundations are being shaken (Hebrews 12:27). The status quo does not have to remain. All it takes is one faithful and wise servant to slay the giants, lead the horn section and watch the walls fall down. God is still the I AM of scripture; not the I WAS. He still delights in the same things he always has and he’s searching for those he can pour his knowledge and wisdom into in order to bring the dead bones back to life. The wounds can be healed and the strength renewed like an eagle’s.
The starting point to all of this is His Word; specifically James 1:5:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
Here is where we start. Just like when we met him the first time. With God the answer is always just a question away.
Just ask.
Just seek.
Just knock.
Just wait…
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 761 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Andrew Wright or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 761 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.