Little Book People
Can I confess something to you?
I am Self Righteous.
I tend to think I am right on just about everything.
I hate to admit it. I am often wrong.
There. That’s on paper.
This past year has really put me on an edge.
Here’s why.
Church People.
Church People as defined by me, are those that live by what I like to call “The Little Book”.
The Little Book People are everywhere in the church.
What do I mean?
These folks have a very, very specific set of rules they believe make them (and you) right with God.
Often times the rules are those they have gleaned from how they are interpreting the bible and it’s instruction on a particular topic. It’s as if they have a Little Book of rules to which they refer. (in many denominations they indeed do)
Since moving to Florida I have taken note in particular with the Baptist (Southern) denomination along with those in the John Calvin camp, there seems to be a tendency toward thinking they have the corner on righteousness. These particular folks seem to believe they have been given authority to determine whether (or not) someone is really saved by Jesus.
In order to get into heaven, you must meet their standards of righteousness. The standards, of course are from, yes, you guessed it, their little book of rules.
Do you pray enough?
Do you read your bible enough?
Do you attend enough church?
Do you attend enough small group meetings?
Do you attend enough bible study groups?
Do you carry your bible with you to church?
Is there a bible on your car dash?
Is there a bible in view on a table in your home?
Do you wear long enough skirts?
Do you wear acceptable levels of make up?
Are your fake breasts too big?
Are you tattooed?
Do you believe women should never be allowed to teach in church?
Does the wife submit enough to the husband?
Oh, almost forgot.
The Real Deal
Have they received the Holy Spirit? A baptism by fire?
(that last one has caused more than one of my friends to begin to question their own faith…often)
On more than one occasion my own particular ire has been raised by a question such as;
“Is he a ‘real’ Christian?”
Or a statement like;
“I wonder if her faith is really real.”
Often times the folks asking questions or making statements are applying their own personal litmus test to the person who’s being judged.
If they don’t go to church regularly, this is an IMMEDIATE sign they may not be for real.
If they attend church, but do not have a bible under their arm, this is another sign.
If they refuse to participate in small group, another.
If they refuse the prayer meeting, yet another.
Yet, these same folks…
Are often fat (gluttony)
Physically Lazy (sloth)
Talk too much about others (Busy body)
Just to name a few.
So you see, the “religious” are still alive and well. Living in their own self designed system of righteousness by their own reasoning.
Yet, they too, are living in sin.
As an example that I can relate to.
I don’t attend small groups. The pressure from inside the church is immense on this issue.
I am having currently, a very difficult time even mustering a desire to attend church any longer (after 26 years of faithful, consistent, week in, week out attendance).
Heck, I might even go so far as to say that I could possibly be eligible for a perfect attendance award, like the one given to my father for 30 plus years of perfect attendance in Rotary years ago.
Of course, there is no such perfect attendance award for church people. Yet., I’m sure there are some Little Bookers who would love this as an identifier for 1) themselves to attain and 2) for them to have yet another test they can apply to a persons “real” Christianity.
No, my apathy is developing strongly in response to the incredibly weak stance the church proper has taken against tyranny this past year. Not to mention so many of them who are now embracing this Marxist Critical Race Theory ideology.
These two factors will give cause for some to call into doubt my commitment to the Lord and my true faith in our King and Savior Jesus Christ.
In talking this week with a fellow believer, he wondered why I haven’t been at church as of late.
“I am pretty upset with the church overall and I am having a very difficult time reconciling a lot of the hypocrisy being demonstrated from the pulpit as well as from various lay leaders and church attendees.”
To which he responded
“Well, you can’t walk away from the Lord man. I’d hate to see you walk away from your faith”.
WHAT?!
But therein you see one of the little book rules he uses to judge a persons “true” faith.
I could, were I inclined, judge these same folks in a reversal of sorts, using my own little book.
For example;
Why do I work out?
I work out for a number of reasons. They are as follows.
This body is on loan to me. It’s absolutely priceless. It is an awesome, undeniably amazing machine, with intricacies science cannot still fully understand. I have an obligation to take care of it. It’s on LOAN TO ME FROM THE MANUFACTURER.
It is infinitely more valuable to me than your Tesla, Your Sprinter Van, your Church building, your Mercedes, your Small Business, your 401k, your SEP, your “retirement”, your far to oversized house, or your government benefits are to you(get it?).
315lbs for 10…at 51.
Working out like I do is suffering. It’s purposeful suffering. It’s pain and agony in short lived bursts.
Why?
Life is suffering. By reminding my spirit (which hates suffering) it can endure a workout which may be short term suffering, dictated by my mind, that it will be okay.
When the body’s lactic acid burns, when the lungs burn hard as they gasp for Oxygen (HIIT Training), when the muscle is pushed to failure, it tells my spirit, when it’s over, “You made it…and survived”.
This little trick helps me to weather the Spirit Suffering so common in our spiritual walk.
Now here’s some Rob Self Righteousness coming at you.
My walk with Jesus Christ is as serious as my working out. It’s intense, it’s real, and I am fully committed to the end. I am living this crap out ‘til I die. Nothing is going to stop me from doing so.
I want the same ferocity in it as the founders of our movement demonstrated, honestly hoping I never have to face being skinned alive as many of them were.
I judge others using the same model.
Here’s how.
I have seen countless “Christians”, fellow church attendees at my gym.
Some are those who will sit on a recumbent bike (a bike that is basically a recliner) or will walk on a treadmill, watching a movie or TV show on their phone. Hardly breaking a sweat.
I could, if my Self Righteousness were not beaten back, look at them and wonder “Are you a ‘real’ Christian?” “Do you walk your faith with this kind of watered down, weak, pathetic effort?”
I could easily argue that as it is you do one, so it is you do the other.
How can I argue such?
Why else would obesity be such a problem in the church?
Why are these professing such profound personal faith afraid to board an airplane to fly?
Afraid to hike?
Afraid to scale a mountain?
Afraid of the cliff edge?
Afraid of a dark forest?
Afraid of being alone in the desert?
Afraid of a virus?
Afraid of an illness?
Afraid of…you name it.
These all translate into being Afraid of Dying.
But right there, I must stop myself.
Why?
I believe Christ makes it clear that what other believers are doing, how they are doing it, and whether or not they are a “real Christian” is absolutely NONE OF MY BUSINESS and NOT for me to spend time talking about or even pondering.
I have had employees working for me in the past who felt it was within their purview to know how and what I was doing with other workers.
Of course how and why I do things as a boss is absolutely none of their concern. (Matthew 20: 1-16)They are hired to do their job. No one else’s. The folks who have been like this in my life and under my employ have been some of the biggest thorns in life with which I have had to deal.
I think this is how Jesus sees us and I think this is backed up in his parable on the log in your own eye as well as his very staunch rebuke of the disciples wanting him to tell other believers to stop casting out demons.
See, it started back with the 12.
Jesus didn’t like it then.
He doesn’t like it now I would suspect.
Are there times which call for an attempt to talk to another believer about something they are doing which may be dragging them down, worse yet, harming other believers?
Sure.
James, Peter, Paul, they all counsel us so.
Two times in my own life I have had another member of the faith do this very thing in an extremely legitimate form with me.
However, I believe today, there are far too many who have taken the above authors counsel to do so and applied too much liberty in doing so.
Calling into question someone else’s profession of following Christ is very, very dangerous water to be treading into. It’s a spot on the lake I prefer to avoid.
At times, when I am honest with myself, I find it far too easy to swim near this part of the water. Well, maybe in my case, it’s more of an “I’m right, your wrong, so you’re an idiot” attitude.
In any case, Jesus came and died for all of us because none of us are worthy of heavens gates. Without his sacrifice we would all be sentenced to hell.
Yes, the rules are important, for he came to fulfill the law. But none of us live up to them fully enough to be Christian enough; regardless of how many rules we manage to get right.
In closing, let me throw this out there for all of you reading who may be a little more than aggravated by this writing.
Be careful in putting too much trust in your tests.
Just this week, I believe the trail starts for a young man and his father for the murder of the young man’s estranged girlfriend.
By all accounts, everything points to the pair of men as the killers.
The girl came up missing. Later to be found buried on the father’s property. Not in one spot mind you, but dismembered and cut up buried all around the property.
The young man is the fathers son. This young man attended the church I attend and brought their little boy to the kids Sunday school every week. He even befriended and shook hands with Ed, my son.
A weekly attender, making sure his little boy was in weekly Sunday school. He regularly beat the living crap out of the girl, once almost killing her.
Ultimately, it appears he did just that. And added a little Fargo style chopping up to boot.
I wonder. Is he a “real Christian?”…to you?
~rob out
