One of my guilty pleasures is
watching home fixer shows such as Flip or Flop, Fixer Upper, Flipping Vegas,
Flipping Boston, etc. On these show the experts purchase homes which are not in
the best of shape and “flip” them, they make repairs and renovations to the
house. In watching these shows I have learned that the most destructive things
are the things that you cannot see. The worst of which is termites. Those
little bitty seemingly harmless looking little creatures who can and will do
great damage if left untreated. One colony of termites can eat away at the wood
in a house to the point that the house can literally collapse.
When we examine the church there
are spiritual termites which many times effect, or better yet infect, our
spiritual houses. These “termites” are unseen and tend to manifest behind the
scenes and when left untreated they destroy a spiritual foundation. Here are 5
major spiritual termites that I have encountered in ministry:
- Lack of Prayer – James 5:16 “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” When we forget or neglect to communicate on a regular basis with God through prayer we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we should. We begin to believe that we are a superior person, we replace Christ with me.
- Gossip – Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” Far too often church members are more inclined to talk about someone else instead of talking too that person.
- Half-truths – Genesis 3:5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” Satan tricked Eve into believing something that was half true. Telling just enough truth that she believed him. Far too often we tell just enough of the truth to get what we want in church, but a half truth is a full lie.
- False Trust – Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” The person many people trust the most is themselves. They falsely believe that they know what is best for their lives and the church. Instead of trusting God in all, including that those He placed in leadership are seeking Him, they rely on their limited human wisdom.
- Pride – Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” Pride is the belief that I am superior to you in EVERY way. It is pride that fuels the lust for power and belief that what I want and/or what I desire is what is owed me. I should get my way every time I want it.
The treatment for spiritual
termites is found in Philippians 2:5-11” You must have the same attitude that
Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as
something to cling to. Instead, he gave
up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born
as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in
obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God
elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all
other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.”
AMEN and AMEN
No comments:
Post a Comment