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Coffee and Jesus – Balance

ByRandy Nicholas

Goooooood morning! Have you ever met a religious person who is so fixated on one specific spiritual element that he or she makes everyone uncomfortable when he or she enters a room? Yep, I bet you have a person’s face popping into your mind’s eye right now! Let me preface this post by saying I am not throwing stones at anyone, nor am I thinking of any specific person. I imagine that some of my brothers and sisters would think that “I” have fit into that category during certain phases of my own spiritual journey.

If you are still not clear on my topic of discussion, let me give you some examples. Oh, and PLEASE don’t get your brain too knotted up; and heavens to Betsy, don’t take this TOO seriously. This is just food for thought, ahem…

  • The instant theologian… you know, that person who just got saved (born again), a few months ago, but they know more about scripture than anyone – living or dead. This person often targets one specific spiritual tenant to hang their hat on, so they can feel superior to those they rub elbows with. Heh, sorry for the overt use of figures of speech 🙂 Anyway, if he happens to be a closet Calvinist, he talks to you like you are an idiot because you haven’t been enlightened yet. If she has recently “received” some miraculous spiritual gift, she feels obligated to tell the lesser denominations (like we Baptists) that they simply aren’t spiritual enough and are afraid of the Holy Ghost!
  • The spiritual gift whirlwind… you know, that man or woman who has suddenly “got it” and believes that the Holy Spirit has endowed them with the ultimate spiritual gift that simply MUST be used every waking moment of the day without regard to when, where, how, or why. They remind me a little of the Evangelism Linebacker. If that person believes that he or she has suddenly been gifted with tongues, he or she trys to exercise that gift during every prayer session and make sure he or she is loud enough for everyone on the block to hear. If he is convinced that he has the gift of healing, he constantly looks for someone to lay hands on and anoint with oil, no matter if he is in Walmart or at the funeral home. Maybe she believes she has been gifted as a prophetess. She gets so focused on “giving a word” to everyone that people begin to avoid her. (naturally… he or she can be interchanged in this posting)
  • The doctor of record… you know, that guy who did the work and got his degree (maybe a few of them) and demands that everyone call him Doctor this or that. I vividly recall one traveling Baptist evangelist that I met when I was a younger Christian. I happened to be with another fellow as we delivered the evangelist to a hotel where he would be staying. The young lady who was trying to check him in was obviously not having a good day and seemed a little upset about something (probably in her personal life). The evangelist stood there for a few seconds, wrapped his knuckles on the counter, and said “LOOK SWEETIE, get a move on. Don’t you know who I am???” His tone was condescending and rude. I recall how embarrassed I was and how I was SO disappointed that this “man of God” was so rude to a, possibly, lost young lady who likely needed compassion in that moment, but received an arrogant pompous jackass instead. It still makes me bristle to this day.

I hope by reading the third bullet point you will realize that I am perfectly willing to speak truth about my denomination as I am about any other. Honestly, it is more about the individual believer than it is about a denomination. In my service to the Lord Jesus, I have traveled through four continents and worked with several different denominational constructs and cultures. I have brothers and sisters (saved folk) who affiliate denominationally with Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Nazarenes, Brethren, Pentecostals, and many other flavors of Christianity. So, please know that I worked through the quandary of proprietary faith some time ago. In my view, God judges the heart and no denomination has the corner on the salvation market… just sayin’.

Alright, here’s the deal… regardless of your denominational leaning, seek balance in your walk of faith. When you read the Bible, read it as a wholistic guidebook, not as a secret book of esoteric knowledge that can give you super powers. You and I are nothing more than flawed pots of corrupt clay in the hands of the Master. We have no power. Jesus, the Mighty King, has it all.

There are times when a child of God needs to be quiet and there are times when we need to be loud. There are times when we should stop and pray vocally for a hurting soul and there are times when we need to walk on by. There are times when your many degrees will help you understand doctrinal positions and there are times when you need enough common sense to get out of the rain. Hmm, this part of my post is starting to sound a bit like Ecclesiastes 3. Get the picture?

I honestly hope this post has not been offensive to you. I could go on and on, but I’ll wrap up by saying that I do understand that the redeemed are children of the Most High God. Through the blood of Jesus, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and given gifts that are sometimes manifested in supernatural ways. Yes, I do believe in the proper application of our giftedness. Just be careful to make sure your purpose is to magnify Jesus, not yourself. He is to increase and we are to decrease in those moments. As a wise man said a long time ago, there is a time for everything under the sun, amen.

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