Excellent article. And I need and want to be held accountable for my responsibilities as a Pastor Elder mentioned near the end....PB
Narcissism Destroying our Vision
Doctrinal Thoughts
Let us begin with what the word narcissism means. The Dictionary says: “Excessive admiration for or fascination with oneself.” Ok now lets define the title of this devotion. How is an excessive admiration with oneself destroying our vision? I use the word vision here in the sense of purpose or direction of life. Your eyes help you to see where you are going. So how is this destroying our direction in life? The church, the modern day organization that you see all over the land, you know all of the buildings that you pass that say “So and so church” or “Church of so and so,” how are these organizations killing us? And yes, hang on; this is a Christian devotion, I promise. These organizations are in this age notorious for filling us with narcissism, a self-inflated love with ourselves! The very institution, organization, and body that God has designed to direct us to service for others is now in multiples of thousands teaching us to serve ourselves instead of others. People now come to the church by the thousands asking what will it offer them and the church has capitulated (caved in) by giving the people every kind of program under the sun that sends these people on down the same road of self fulfillment. I have a great theological term for this type of mentality, GARBAGE! How’s that for good academic language? Well, anyway, on to my point. Listen to what one writer has said of the modern day church. Even though he is from a very different theological tradition than myself his words ring true today more so than ever before: “. . . in Baptist theology in general . . . the individual receives all of the emphasis.” He goes on to add that this excessive “individualism” has caused much of the church to abandon the biblical principle of church discipline. Instead of covenant headships governing and covenant bodies following we have separated people who are in all kinds of disunity. Together yet separate, in one building but in different worlds!
The majority of American Christians can walk into the doors of the Americanized church today and never really be in the true spirit of the church. In the church, but really not in the church? Yes, and this is what is killing us today in this generation. The church is often really not the church. The majority of Americans can go into the church today and sit underneath what is called the pastors. Yet many are not really pastors because they do not truly pastor the people! Pastors who are not really pastors? Yes, and this is killing families, homes, businesses, government, and other organizations today because people are really not getting pastoral guidance, discipline, training, and shepherding. The church today is in many places not the church! We are reeling down a road of reprehensible disaster, a road named Narcissism and now so many are so blind visually that they can’t even read the road signs along the way. But oh my friend, my dear reader, you may still have time to feel the bumps in the road, the rough terrain that may grab your mind and heart so as to realize the danger that looms if you continue down this road to ruin. The road my friend is filled with superficial relationships, loud, neat, pretty, exciting sermons that are not backed by doctrinal discipleship, Christians who only get together on Sundays for the time commonly called worship, and then these people walk out and do not relate to one another in any real intimate way, and powerful singing that is full of motion yet with no motive of God honoring exaltation! There is no discipline in these bodies. There is no love for unity in spirit, life, and it shows itself in the individualistic mentality of the people. Life becomes about them, about their goals, their dreams, their needs, their wishes, and on and on it goes. What does the Bible say about such a road named Narcissism? Jesus Christ chided such a church in Revelation when he said: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is at the point of death . . . . Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold on to it firmly and turn to me again” (Rev. 3:1b-3a) What is the answer? The church must return to where she originally began in the first century!
Life Application
Stop a minute and ask yourself some honest questions about your church and pastors! Wake up for a minute, please, look at the road you are on. Ask yourself some questions. Do the pastors and the people get intimately involved in your life? Do they, the pastors and the people, actively, regularly, and often look into your life? Do they get involved with you outside the doors of the Sunday service and do they truly one another each other? Will they and do they discipline you in truth? What road are you on in light of your answers?
Narcissism Destroying our Vision
Doctrinal Thoughts
Let us begin with what the word narcissism means. The Dictionary says: “Excessive admiration for or fascination with oneself.” Ok now lets define the title of this devotion. How is an excessive admiration with oneself destroying our vision? I use the word vision here in the sense of purpose or direction of life. Your eyes help you to see where you are going. So how is this destroying our direction in life? The church, the modern day organization that you see all over the land, you know all of the buildings that you pass that say “So and so church” or “Church of so and so,” how are these organizations killing us? And yes, hang on; this is a Christian devotion, I promise. These organizations are in this age notorious for filling us with narcissism, a self-inflated love with ourselves! The very institution, organization, and body that God has designed to direct us to service for others is now in multiples of thousands teaching us to serve ourselves instead of others. People now come to the church by the thousands asking what will it offer them and the church has capitulated (caved in) by giving the people every kind of program under the sun that sends these people on down the same road of self fulfillment. I have a great theological term for this type of mentality, GARBAGE! How’s that for good academic language? Well, anyway, on to my point. Listen to what one writer has said of the modern day church. Even though he is from a very different theological tradition than myself his words ring true today more so than ever before: “. . . in Baptist theology in general . . . the individual receives all of the emphasis.” He goes on to add that this excessive “individualism” has caused much of the church to abandon the biblical principle of church discipline. Instead of covenant headships governing and covenant bodies following we have separated people who are in all kinds of disunity. Together yet separate, in one building but in different worlds!
The majority of American Christians can walk into the doors of the Americanized church today and never really be in the true spirit of the church. In the church, but really not in the church? Yes, and this is what is killing us today in this generation. The church is often really not the church. The majority of Americans can go into the church today and sit underneath what is called the pastors. Yet many are not really pastors because they do not truly pastor the people! Pastors who are not really pastors? Yes, and this is killing families, homes, businesses, government, and other organizations today because people are really not getting pastoral guidance, discipline, training, and shepherding. The church today is in many places not the church! We are reeling down a road of reprehensible disaster, a road named Narcissism and now so many are so blind visually that they can’t even read the road signs along the way. But oh my friend, my dear reader, you may still have time to feel the bumps in the road, the rough terrain that may grab your mind and heart so as to realize the danger that looms if you continue down this road to ruin. The road my friend is filled with superficial relationships, loud, neat, pretty, exciting sermons that are not backed by doctrinal discipleship, Christians who only get together on Sundays for the time commonly called worship, and then these people walk out and do not relate to one another in any real intimate way, and powerful singing that is full of motion yet with no motive of God honoring exaltation! There is no discipline in these bodies. There is no love for unity in spirit, life, and it shows itself in the individualistic mentality of the people. Life becomes about them, about their goals, their dreams, their needs, their wishes, and on and on it goes. What does the Bible say about such a road named Narcissism? Jesus Christ chided such a church in Revelation when he said: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is at the point of death . . . . Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold on to it firmly and turn to me again” (Rev. 3:1b-3a) What is the answer? The church must return to where she originally began in the first century!
Life Application
Stop a minute and ask yourself some honest questions about your church and pastors! Wake up for a minute, please, look at the road you are on. Ask yourself some questions. Do the pastors and the people get intimately involved in your life? Do they, the pastors and the people, actively, regularly, and often look into your life? Do they get involved with you outside the doors of the Sunday service and do they truly one another each other? Will they and do they discipline you in truth? What road are you on in light of your answers?
Comments