Pride Divides

THEME: We are stronger together

One verse drew my attention as I listened to Pastor Dan’s message this past Sunday

morning and read along in Chapter 16 of Paul’s letter to Christ’s Church in Rome. The

verse was, “For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By

smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the minds of naive people.” (Romans‬

The main motive for those who sow division is to “serve their appetites.” Look around

you today at the number of buildings carefully disguised as churches of Christ, packed

to the rafters with sheep being sold a false doctrine by Pastors seeking riches and fame

instead of God’s Glory and Praise. Paul’s warnings, seen throughout his letters, are as

valid today as they were when he wrote them. Satan is still at work, using the tools that

have always worked best. What is Satan’s best tool in fooling the sheep? Leaders with

“smooth talk and flattery” igniting the pride within us. The dictionary defines flattery as

“Excessive and insincere praise, especially to further one’s interests.” To further one’s

interest! Serving one’s appetite, as Paul said. 

Paul restated the same warning, along with the same motivation, in many letters,

including his first letter to Timothy. In his letter to Timothy, he wrote, “If anyone teaches a

different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and

the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands

nothing.”

“He is puffed up with conceit.” 

Conceit, self-interest, serving our appetites, and puffed up are all terms associated with

Satan’s number one tool used to destroy individuals and Christ’s Church. That tool is

pride. It was pride that caused Satan to rebel and Eve to pick the forbidden fruit. Pride

caused Absalom to rebel against his father, David, and divide the King’s empire. Pride

caused Judas to forsake his Lord and Savior for a few pieces of silver. Pride triggers the

need to be right, and the desire to bring others into agreement with that need. 

Jesus often warned us of the sin of pride, teaching us that “he who desires to be first

must be last,” and that we must deny ourselves, die to self, and live in Him alone. 

A.W. Tozier wrote, “Has it ever occurred to you that 100 pianos tuned to the same fork

are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to

each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow.”

No matter how charismatic a person may be, we must resist the temptation to align

ourselves with them as if we are their followers. The true team players encourage us to

follow Christ and His teaching. There is only one head to the Body of Christ: Christ!

When we tune ourselves to anyone else, we become a dissonant note, a divisive

influence in the Church. The best way to remain in tune with the other members of the

Body of Christ is to stay in tune with Christ and Christ alone, and to unite in doing only

Christ’s work in the world. 

“Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat." -Jean-Paul Charles Sartre.

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SCRIPTURE: ‬‬‬Galatians‭ 2:20 (‭NIV)

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and

gave himself for me.”

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PRAYER:

Lord, is it too simple for me to see all sin being the fruit of lust and pride? Is it also too

simple to see all your teaching as being boiled down to denying myself, dying to self,

and living in you as the answer to succumbing to pride and lust? I find myself smiling at

the simplicity and freedom of it all, and yet how complex it is to carry out daily. Lord, I do

not want to cause division, yet it is so easy to seek my own desires and being right.

Holy Spirit, work in me increasingly to die to myself, place others' needs ahead of mine,

and live in the freedom that comes from living for Christ alone. Amen!