Category — perfectionism

Have you ever had to push yourself to get something finished? Like get that best grade in school or complete that assignment on the job?
Remember how it felt when you reached that goal, no matter how much “pushing” you did prior to it?

I was on my company’s track team while stationed at Fort Campbell in the Army. I remember the training we had to do before the division race. Because we pressed hard, we took second place in division. That was a huge feat! I also remember when I completed my first forced road march in the Army. It was 17 miles under the punishing sun of White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. With full gear. I remember the joy of accomplishment that flooded me when I reached the end without stopping… and without any help. I kept telling myself “just keep moving”.  I will never forget that powerful lesson of endurance. Even though it was quite scary going into it, I made it. I think about it often when I am in the press of living holy.

Being in the press and pressing forward is a common theme in life. In fact, the stories we all are inspired by the most are those where the person pressed through difficulties and made it. Some even go on to achieve great things. What most saints fail to remember is that conflict and challenge confront all, whether saved or unsaved. The difference? We have supernatural help, hope and promise on our side.

If you discipline yourself,  it increases your ability to not only help others, but greatly decreases the possibility that you are caught off guard and fall by the wayside.

Consider if you will 1 Corinthians 9:

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

and 2 Tim 2:1
…if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully

The word strive means to “devote serious energy and effort”.

The reason why serious energy and effort is devoted because the challenge may have an extra ordinary degree of difficulty. As I have said before, difficult is not synonymous with impossible.

Notice that even with all the striving, there must be temperance (balance). We are not perfection freaks that need to prove we are “sin free” 24 hours a day. To be honest, such attitudes smacks of self righteousness and are an affront to the grace of God. On our “best day”, our righteousness is as filthy rags. In fact, in the very next chapter of 1 Corinthians Paul warns us to “take heed lest we fall”.

The doctrine of perfectionism is just as spiritually destructive as antinominanism.  The concept of perfection, as in never making a mistake, never committing a sin, never doing wrong, never being disobedient doesn’t exist in scripture.  Thus, the mastery Paul speaks of attaining refers to power over, not eradication.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:9 NIV

Don’t mistake this to mean the bible agrees with our sin. Rather, it simply acknowledges it while quickly providing God’s solution.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:10 NIV

Life —following Jesus Christ as a committed disciple— means there are times when you will have to moderate your progress based on multiple unforseen factors that occur during your sojourn on earth. Like driving I20 from Atlanta to Dallas (or any other traffic movers), especially with all the road construction, you learn to make adjustments while continuing on to your destination.  The adjustments may cause delays, but delays don’t spell finality.   But you can’t allow delays to become passivity and thus cessation of the goal.

Take some time to reevaluate whether you are striving for mastery in your struggle. Are you devoting serious energy and effort? Are you pressing to reach your goal? Do you have goals?  Even if there are temporary setbacks, are you willing to get up, look forward and press anew?

If you are not willing, failure is almost certain.  But if you are willing to follow the example of the Savior (Heb 12:1-3) who pressed his way to the cross, the rewards are beyond imagination.

We couldnt avoid this issue any longer.  Its about time we dealt with homosexual identity/behavior issue from a bibilcal perspective. Your feedback and critique is welcomed as we work this out with “fear and trembling”. An administrative note: this is somewhat lengthy.

Identity is defined as the essence of an individual. It is synonymous with our core being, therefore what we do extends primarily from who we are. The serious question in this matter is who are we? And how do we determine who we are? Is identity established by our own values or do we craft our values based on our identity? Is identity fluid translucent, affected by external circumstances or is identity fixed regardless of what we encounter in life –whether negative or positive?

Much of the current teachings in the church on identity (i.e. “find your purpose”) seem to be a mixture of scripture highly influenced by forms of existenialism and/or postmodernism. Existentialism is a philosophy  “concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. The belief is that people are searching to find out who and what they are throughout life as they make choices based on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook. And personal choices become unique without the necessity of an objective form of truth.  [source] Read why this is wrong for Christians to adopt this philosophy.

There is no doubt about it, that in scripture identity issues are addressed clearly but only in the spiritual context. The bible guides us into understanding who we are as children of God, saints, new creations, and yes even our sinful identities lived out in the flesh. The two are oftimes held in both contrast and comparison.

In this post I want to explore first of all identity and what it means by looking at Christ. Since he is the author and finisher of our faith, let us, as Hebrews 12 says, “consider him”.

The two most important questions a Christian should ask himself is (1) who am I? and (2) what should I be doing?

They should be asked in that order because I submit that if you do not know who you are, you will never do what you (being who you are) should do. Of course this “knowing” and “doing” can be discovered only in relationship with Christ, not through some program at the local junior college. Moreover, these two questions mirror the two most important questions about Jesus, the Christ. Both form a core doctrine of our faith insomuch as to not believe who Christ was and what he accomplished merits an automatic label of antichrist. Any teaching which alters the true identity and mission of Christ is to be completely rejected.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 1 John 4:1 NIV

Identity is everything

According to Merriam-Webster’s, the word identity is “derived from Latin ident-idem , a contraction of idem et idem, which literally means, same and same.” Thus, this “same and same” is defined as “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual.” The very first temptations encountered by Jesus challenged his unique identity as the monogenes [only genetically birthed], the only begotten of the Father. He was unique,” or “incomparable” in his identity.

Jesus’ identity continued to be challenged by the powers of evil throughout his ministry. Just as the devil challenged Jesus in the desert as the “Son of God”, so in the course of his ministry the demons (or demon-possessed) confronted him (Mark 1:24).” By saying “what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth…I know who thou art, the Holy One of God” This was not a compliment from the demonic but rather a angry sneer at the power and authority Jesus had over them as the Holy One of God.

Today, in our society, we deal with our own set of challenges about who and what we are as individuals and more importantly, people redeemed by God. Statistics show that there is an explosion of identity based crimes: mistaken identity, fake identity and identity theft. Men and women are confused about their sexuality and their gender. People are confused about their color and their ethnicity. People are confused about their financial worth. In every sector of our world, there are clear markers of an identity crisis.

More than ever, it seems the question posed by Jesus to his disciples during his three year ministry is just as urgent and necessary to His contemporary disciples. “Who do men say that I am?” As it did then, the question still evokes great controversy. Yet, it is one we must collectively and individually answer beyond a shadow of a doubt. Simply put, the establishment of his identity was fundamental to divinely branding the mission of Jesus. If we cannot determine who Jesus is, then we can never come to believe that what he did was because of who he was. Jesus’ question has clear implications. To wit, identity parallels one’s mission.

Not only was identity verification applicable for Jesus, but for others who preceded him in the Biblical record. Even before his birth, the prophets had foretold his coming and in some cases, the very details of his life. Some of the prophecies concerning him are framed (much like a DNA sample) in such a way it would be impossible for anyone except Jesus to fulfill them.

We know that Jacob’s name was changed to reflect his new identity as a “prince of Israel” (Genesis 32: 27, 28). And God said to the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) NIV. As a result of who he was, Jeremiah was charged by God to “uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” In these examples, we see that identity preceeds mission. Perhaps if you are frustrated with what you are doing now, you have not yet truly discovered who you are.

But who and what did Jesus really claim to be? According to the synoptic Gospels, he made serveral controversial claims: he claimed that he was from above, he was the long awaited Messiah, he claimed equality with God, that access to God was exclusively through him, that he would rise from the dead, and that he was the “revelation” of God in the flesh.

One can only deduce that these very public claims were either true or false. If they weren’t true, or if He knowingly permitted people to make such claims on His behalf, then He would be a liar, a fraud and a false prophet. On this, his life would have been taken in just retribution for his “sins”. How ironic that he accepted the mission to die as a liar, fraud and false prophet to save those who condemned him although he was vigorously tried and found to be completely innocent.

Ultimately, it was the unapologetic verbalization of these claims which led the Pharisees to press Pilate for Jesus’ death. This my brothers and sisters was the fatal flaw in their religious positioning. They did not know who he was and consequently rejected him for what he did.

When we talk about identity you must understand that identity is rooted in truth. Its no wonder then that Pontius Pilate asked Jesus “What is truth? The Lord responded by saying that he himself was truth. Truth, was not a thing, truth was a person. It was truth the person who stood in the midst of a false trial. While Jesus remained silent to the accusations about his works, in contrast he quickly responded when questioned about his identity (Mark 14:60-62). He understood that he could not conceal who he was. To do so, would deny the very reason he was sent into the world.

That’s why when we introduce Jesus to those who don’t know him, they have a right to ask who is Jesus and why should I trust him? Why should I give my life to him and obey him? Knowing Christ is a much richer experience than knowing about him.

Finally, the obfuscation of one’s identity is a tactic in the arsenal of satan. It is the deceiver who attempts to hide his true nature, mission and identity. Like a criminal, he uses elaborate disguises and false promises to lure you into the death zone. This is why it is imperative that we combat the false picture of sexuality being endorsed and promoted by the gay christian movement. Like other satanic schemes, it is an attack on the personage of Christ which consequently distorts the mission of Christ.

Meet Anthony Venn-Brown, who tried for 22 years to change his “sexual orientation” when he should have been asking God to change his heart.

Venn-Brown is self described ex-exgay who’s part of a move to “apologize” to people for believing and teaching others that homosexuality can be overcome by the power of Christ.

After reviewing Mr. Brown’s video snippet, I realized that he carries a lot of unresolved pain and is clearly still confused about what God requires to be in true relationship with Him. I’m not sure if Brown’s problem is a “I failed the Lord” Peteresque type of hurt or “the church lied to me” hurt. Whatever the case, he is a wounded man.

Its wrong for churches to tell people that overcoming homosexuality is about becoming straight. That, is a lie, but apparently Brown, like other homosexuals who tried to be an exgay believed it. In this case, the church is at fault for wrongly dividing the Word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). Throughout the video, Brown and the off camera interviewer refer to the word “straight” as if it were some prized spiritual goal.

But as we have explained before here, “being straight” is never a goal taught by scripture. Holiness is the goal. When one pursues the lie of being straight or heterosexually “normal” instead of being holy, they are headed straight for failure. Its all but garunteed.

The lie Brown accepted forced him into “aversion therapy”. Not only is aversion therapy (in any form) unbiblical, its quack psycho-science that’s been proven to harm an individual’s mental health. Brown also said he “believed that God would be the answer”. In other words, he wanted a miracle. It doesn’t take a miracle to be set free from homosexuality. Salvation and deliverance is the gift of God to all people, not a special case of divine charity. Such beliefs hyperspiritualize the issue to the point that some individuals are led to believe homosexuality is a “special needs” case for God. Brown himself says “it would take a miracle to become a heterosexual”.

Brown’s false beliefs took him to Bible college, an excorcism and exgay programming. None it worked and no wonder why. Of course, Brown believes the reason is that one “cant change the orientation on the inside.” Although he is perhaps unaware, he is still searching for truth having parked at gay christianity. Sexual orientation is a false construct being used to persuade people that such a thing is intrinsic or immutable to one’s being, therefore it cannot be changed.

Overcoming homosexuality is not about going to bible school, being a pentecostal, getting married, having children, preaching to lots of people or trying real hard to be straight. Those external, tangible efforts will result in external changes, but real change is an inside job. Thus, it is the intangibles of our faith that bring about holiness. Holiness is an ongoing learning and acceptance (discipleship) of discipline, trust, humility, faith, patience, repentance and much more as the Holy Spirit illuminates the logos in one’s journey. Adding these valuable intangibles to your life produces a confidence in God in such a way the Bible says you will “never fall”

Neither is holiness about perfectionism, better known in churchspeak as being “completely delivered”. The Bible defines perfection as ongoing maturity. Making right choices as right information is revealed and accepted in response to temptations to sin.

Brown believed he only had two choices: “be heterosexual and go to heaven or be homosexual and go to hell. Its not clear if this is what the Assemblies of God told him or something he came up with on his own, but both are false choices. There is no presumption in scripture that being heterosexual equals holy. Scripture says that anyone who continually commits sexual immorality of any type will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10). Being a heterosexual fornicator is no better than a homosexual fornicator. Lusting after women is the same as lusting after men.

If youre like Brown and have been told these lies by your church, or heard them from another source, you should rethink your thinking. Make every effort to live in peace with all men, the Bible says and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord Hebrew 12:14.

Related: Longer transcript interview with Anthony Venn-Brown

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind; be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
As obedient children, do not fashion yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as He who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of living, 1 Peter 1:13-15 NKJV

As I have read and seen the incredibly corrupt responses to our aggressive exposure of the public lies and activities of the pimps, wolves and false prophets in the gay christian movement, I realized that there is a monumental struggle throughout the whole of Christendom for control of the church of Jesus Christ. While there is no doubt in my mind that the false prophets will come to no good end, we must be vigilant and sober in dealing with this seemingly perpetual proliferation of falsehood. To that end, I want to share with you two great blog posts which really capture the struggle we are in and the hope that we embrace.

I am declaring them mandatory reading.

The first is from Cry Loud. If I didn’t know better, I’d tell Cry Loud to require everyone to “sow a seed” to get this information. But integrity and a sincere concern for the flock is at the heart of this clear and straightforward instruction. Which, by the way is good for both pastors and pewmen. The post is entitled What happens when wolves are exposed?

Today’s African American church, actually the American church as a whole, has put on blinders. They are in denial that those they admire the most are false teachers and prophets, often referred to as wolves. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Mat 7:15) who have infiltrated the Church. As Jude says, they have crept in unawares. The mainline media has facilitated this poison in the church by concentrating on giving exposure to the false and only occasionally giving exposure to the true prophets of God.

Secondly, Seeing God’s Breath (our August Monument Award winner) has penned a powerful post entitled Teaching Falsely or False Teachers?

How is it that thousands of preachers decade after decade disagree with one another with the Bible sitting on their desks? Does anyone read it? Are most indoctrinated? The differing views throughout “Christendom” show evidently that most are not reading and if they are then they are not reading it as the authority for belief and practices. Now, if they are reading the Scriptures as the authority, someone has at least one fallacious assumption attached to their understanding of authority. One thing is apparently true. There are false teachers among the churches,

Please read, take head and be informed. Spread the word and put the false teachers on notice that we intend to fight for the faith once delivered unto the saints.

I was reading on Neil’s 4Simpson’s blog a post entitled The importance of sound doctrine. The post is excellent, if you can understand its importance. If an individual is fed a diet of wrongly divided Word or doctrine, that person will live a life reflective that doctrine. The false prophets and teachers who intentionally feed them such poison, will come to no good end. But in the meantime, we have to guard against, warn and expose such things as the scripture commands and following the example of the Apostles before us. I won’t ask the shallow critics of this blog to read it as I’m sure it would be water off a duck’s back.

However, if you value your salvation, don’t take the teaching of sound doctrine lightly. It literally keeps the church —and you— from sinking into an abyss of perdition.

I also want to include this from Project Probe. A link to it is in the sidebar resources.

Cognisant of the fact that this kind of ministry is by no means a popular one, especially when it involves addressing aberrations and heresies coming from within Church circles, the following points should always be kept in mind:
1. As Christians we are enjoined to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4: 14-15).
2. Endeavouring to speak the truth can make one seem like an enemy (Gal. 4: 16).
3. Divisiveness in the church is not caused by the apologists in the church, as some claim, but rather is caused by those who stray away from sound apostolic/biblical teaching (Rom. 16: 17).
4. While we must all promote unity in the body of Christ, and endeavour to live peaceably with all men (both in and outside the Church) as the apostle Paul encourages us to do in Rom. 12:18, in light of Gal. 4: 16 we must equally be prepared to take a stand for truth even when it means loosing friends and favour.

Like Pulpit-Pimps, we often get accused of “name-calling”. Even our proven assertion that the gay christian movement is led by false prophets was rejected (by a non-Christian source) as just another example of mean spirited name calling.

While we agree that some terms are indeed perjorative and unnecessarily punitive in nature, there can be no denying that the words are used in the Bible to present the most accurate word picture of those engaged in leading others into serial sin are purposeful. The Bible hates the false prophet- false christ-false doctine triumvirate because they all are animated by satan. It is all a part satan’s grand, but delusionary scheme to overthrow the rule of God and then crown himself king of heaven and earth. Read more about satan’s grand scheme and its eventual outcome in Isaiah 14:10-15.

Thankfully, courtesy of Pulpit-Pimps, there is a fairly concise listing of appropriate names in the bible which accurately portray the character and nature of false prophets:

• They are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15-16)
• They are practicers of lawlessness (Matthew 7:22-23)
• They are hypocrites ( Matt 15:7-9)
• They are thieves (John 10:1)
• They are slaves of their own appetites (Romans 16:18)
• They are men of flesh (1 Cor 3:1-4)
• They are peddlers of the word of Christ(2 Cor 2:17)
• They are accursed (Galatians 1:6-8)
• They are tricksters and schemers (Ephesians 4:14)
• They are deluders (Ephesians 4:14)
• They are deceivers (Colossians 2:8)
• They are defrauders (Colossians 2:18-19)
• They are teachers of strange doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3)
• They are blasphemers, and have been handed over to Satan (1 Timothy 1:19-20)
• They are teachers of myth (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
• They are paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1-3)
• They are liars (1 Timothy 4:1-3)
• They are conceited and understand nothing (1 Timothy 6:3-4)
• They have gone astray (1 Timothy 6:20-21)
• They are evil men, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13)
• They are empty talkers, after sordid gain (Titus 1:10-11)
• They turn away from the truth (Titus 1:13-14)
• They are false prophets, false teachers, greedy exploiters (2 Peter 2:1-4)
• They are stains and blemishes, greedy, loving of wages of unrighteuosness (2 Peter 2:13-15)
• They are slaves of corruption (2 Peter 2:19-20)
• They are ungodly (Jude 4)
• They are rebellious people (Isaiah 30:9)

There may be more. Let us know if some are left off this list.