SOW Curriculum Blog

The Danger of Perfectionism in the Church

Perfectionism exists in the Church; it may exist in your Church. Perfectionism is defined as “A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.” At the heart of what I refer to as “perfectionism” is the praise of man. Perfectionism usually masquerades as “attaining to excellence” for the glory of God, but let there be no doubt, it is all about the glory of man. The most interesting expression, which I have heard that describes this leaven, is “The glory of the Church.” It seems to me that this is nothing short of idolatry.

We live in a culture that worships idols; not in the same sense as graven images, but rather a worship of the creature rather than the Creator. Our culture is driven by the superstars. Make a quick survey in your mind. We have the stars of Hollywood, Politics, Military, Business, Pop-culture, Athletics, and Academia. As Americans, we are either in the process of pursuing this exalted position or we are living vicariously through the success of another. Who Dat!

The reality is that the vast majority of the people will never be a superstar, but the allure of the illusion continues to seduce them. This false hope is the carrot that leads us to the altar of idol worship.

Why is it that we so readily recognize this pattern in our culture, but we totally miss it when we examine the spiritual health of our churches? As Christians, we must confront this deception. It must be confronted in our individual lives, in our families and in our churches. It is no less an enemy of the gospel than legalism.

A legalist uses the law or religious standards to exalt their religious system and their superstar team. In the culture of perfectionism, certain God given gifts are exalted and certain gifted believers, like the cream of the crop, rise to the top as superstars among the competition. The superstar, through the practice of his gift, presents himself as the high standard set for representing Christ. Many Christians would be abhorred at the idea of walking in legalism and yet they allow themselves to be seduced by perfectionism.

The error of this practice in the Church was addressed in the letter to the Corinthians. As a result of walking in this error, the Corinthian Church was bound by spiritual immaturity and carnality, leaving them with the appearance of worldliness. Rallying cries such as “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” demonstrated their desire to follow superstar leaders, but the Apostles would have nothing do with it. Paul exhorted them, stating that such thinking and practices resulted in divisions, and reminding them that they were not superstars, but servants of the true superstar, Jesus Christ.

The net effect of this practice is the focus on man rather than God in worship and ministry. The fruit of this practice is an unhealthy spirit of competition and misaligned loyalties. Other harmful effects include false humility, false piety, an emphasis on the outer man, neglecting the nurturing of the inner man, an unhealthy emphasis on knowledge rather than obedience, fear of being exposed, no context for confessing sins one to another, a lack of compassion for the weaker brethren, a separatist mentality, an unhealthy view of grace and a failure to exercise true pastoral and body ministry. In essence, it is an attempt to use godliness for personal gain, rather than for the interest of Christ.

The goal for the believer and the Church is not perfectionism but maturity. 

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13 (NKJV)

The word rendered “perfect” in the KJV and NKJV comes from the Greek work telios, which carries the idea of full grown or mature. Note the context. We are to become mature believers as opposed to children. AT Robertson, in his Word Pictures in the NT comments, “teleios in sense of adult as opposed to nēpioi (infants)”

Maturity is not measured by comparing ourselves to one another (competition) but is measured by our growth spiritually in Christ. We start our journey with God as babes in Christ, but our goal is reaching the full stature of maturity – the image of Christ. Theologically, this maturing process is called “progressive sanctification.”  Sanctification is accomplished through faith and the knowledge of the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the process as the abiding life in John 15 – “if you abide in me and my word abides in you.” We are called to abide in the living Christ and his Word. The result will be a life filled (empowered and controlled) by the Holy Spirit and growing not only in our knowledge of the word, but in obedience to God.

God has placed pastors and teachers in the body to teach us these truths and demonstrate by example what this looks like. They have been charged by God to equip us through training, so that we might be effective co-labors in ministry. We are to emulate them only as they imitate Christ (I Cor 11:1). It is wrong to show improper honor to a man, but it does happen.

How should we respond when people try to exalt us to superstar status in our culture of perfectionism? A glimpse at Paul’s response can help us out here.

“And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.  Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.” Acts 14:12-16 (NKJV)

I appreciate how compassionate Paul was here. He did not blast them with condemnation, but instead related to the weakness of their flesh and immaturity and instructed them in the ways of God. Paul’s goal was to connect them with God and not himself. He was not seeking some personal advantage or gain by exercising the gifts of God. He realized that God’s desire was to set them free from the worship of idols so that they might serve and worship the living God.

What a beautiful picture of integrity in ministry. We need to be reminded to renew our mind with the word of God. Our culture is pounding us 24/7 with the glory of man and his worship. Sometimes, we just need to hit the pause button and lift our eyes to heaven in prayer and renew our mind with his word.

If we are going to overcome, we need a heavenly mindset, not an earthly mindset. If we are going to overcome, we need an eternal perspective not a temporal one. If we are going to overcome, we must receive the words Christ taught us,

“And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.” Luke 22:25-26 (NKJV)

This is more than a lofty idea, it is the example that our risen Lord demonstrated for us to walk in. (Phil 2:5-8) It starts one on one; a walk between you and God. It is intended to overflow into the world around you; at home, at church, at work, in the market place, while driving your car, on vacation, during your leisure time, and even in your relationship with your enemies.

We must stop relying on the success or failures of others in order to exalt ourselves. Each man will give an account of himself to God.  Let each of us examine our hearts and repent if needed, so that we can set our affections on our loving Father, who rules from heaven and walk with him in a manner worthy of our calling.

In Christ,

David Reece

Trials

“ Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you” 1Peter 4:12

My desire in posting this blog is to encourage you in your faith. If you are struggling with a trial, Satan will attack your faith with his fiery darts. His goal is to make you doubt the love of your heavenly father. It is the same scheme that he employed when tempting Eve in the garden.

Trials are always an opportunity to grow in our faith. However, it must be admitted that there are difficulties when enduring a trial. I usually wrestle with thoughts like these – why is this happening, where is God’s deliverance, what can I do, and when will it be over.  To add to the mix, at times, it may seem like we are facing them all on our own. Some trials take us to the edge and others may seem like mere inconveniences, but God wants us to know that nothing is happening by chance. He is in control of our affairs and is working all things for our good.

The Scriptures are our guide and teacher for walking with God through trials.   The word teaches us God’s strategies for overcoming the enemy and glorifying him.  2 Tim 3:16,17.  Having faced some trials that have taken me to the edge, I am learning how to exercise some of these proven strategies.  It is my I hope that what I am learning will be an encouragement to you.

First, Give thanks. Yes, give thanks in all things for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Giving thanks is an offensive against the lies of the devil who wants you to doubt God’s love and care for you. Giving thanks positions you for favor with God by walking in obedience. Hebrews teaches us that Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered. Romans 1 illustrates that rebellious man is characterized by a heart that does not honor God nor give thanks to God.

Second, Rejoice. Paul a man well acquainted with suffering says, Rejoice always and again I say rejoice. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit not an emotional response to circumstances – that is happiness. This joy of the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to rejoice. Ask God to fill (empower) you with Holy Spirit and let His joy be manifest in you despite the circumstances. True joy can only come from God. God is not asking you do to the supernatural, He is declaring that He will do the supernatural in you.

Third, keep your mind focused on things above. When Paul addressed his trials, he reflected on them as momentary afflictions when compared to the eternal weight of glory which awaited him in heaven. Having an eternal perspective aligns us with God’s heart, mind, and purpose for our lives. All of our earthly existence has one goal – to prepare us for our eternity. Hebrews declares that it is appointed unto man, once to die and then the judgment. The ultimate enemy of life is death and death is defeated in Christ’s resurrection. Paul declares, for me, to live is Christ, to die is gain. This is the hope of every believer. The world does not have this comfort and assurance.

Fourth, Remember God’s promises. The word is of no value unless it is mixed with faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God and those who come to him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Rom 8:28 is home base – he promises to work all things to the good. Not that all things are good, but will be worked to the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. As God’s child, his Holy Spirit indwells us and is actively with us and is working his work in and through us.

Fifth, ask in faith.  Faith is the confidence that God is faithful to keep his promises towards us even when the evidence before us tempts us to doubt. It is this confidence that enables the believer to approach God boldly in prayer, knowing that he both hears us and is answering our call for his deliverance. God in his grace promises to comfort us with his peace that surpasses human comprehension. (Phil 4:6-7)  The presence of God and His peace sustains us in trials. I held the hand of a man dying who did not have that peace but the fear of judgment was upon his face. God’s peace goes beyond what logic would reason or the heart would embrace and fills us with the calm assurance that He who did not spare his only son will do whatever it takes to work His loving plan towards us.

Sixth, Our God is able. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego declared, our God is able to deliver, but whether he does or doesn’t we will not bow down and worship the image. Hebrews 2:4 teaches that signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit are according to His own will. We pray for healing, we pray for deliverance, we pray for favor with men, we pray for peace in our land – but we also entrust ourselves to God in faith and not by sight like the prophets of old who saw from afar the promises of God but never experienced them while living. It is his will, not mine that must be done.

Finally, others may not understand. They may even misjudge you like Jobs friends did. I have found that when I struggled with God’s purposes and love during trials that I also battled anger and bitterness. During these times, I purposed to refrain from speaking my thoughts so that I would not have to repent of them later. I have been guilty of causing others to stumble by my response to a trial, but I have also learned that there is a great opportunity to speak life and encouragement by focusing on God’s love and purpose in trials. Paul said that God has brought us near unto death that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. Once we have endured successfully then the ministry of comforting others who suffer awaits us and we will have a good word of God’s grace and power towards us to help encourage their faith. Surround yourself with those who have learned to encounter trials with thankfulness, joy, peace, and assurance that God loves you and working His loving purposes in your life.

Blessing and love in Christ, our Lord, the Good Shepherd

David