Don't let your views be determined by a particular denomination or by what you've always been told. p. 47
I've always been an outsider. A rebel, if you will. Yes, there is a part of me who loves going against the grain, but this isn't really why I've always been viewed and treated as such. I've just always thought differently. Even though I was in fundamentalist churches my entire life, I never really fit in. Unfortunately, I went along with and agreed with entirely too much of what I was told, but I never bought into enough to be accepted. Having said that, I have learned in the last 5 years, that I let my thinking be determined by what I was told entirely too much. And still do. But, really, all of us do.
We must constantly refocus. Are my opinions and beliefs on this subject or that subject entirely rooted in Scripture? Or is it based on what I've always been told. This is a great way to open any subject, book, chapter, etc.
Following up that statement, Francis Chan writes:
Fear has a way of channeling our thought process. Fear of stepping outside of a certain theological framework causes us to be biased in our interpretations. We work diligently to "prove" that our presuppositions were correct (another example of eisegesis) rather than simply and honestly pursuing truth. -p.47
This was really what took me so long to part ways with Independent Baptist Fundamentalism (IFB). This was what kept me for so long from even remotely exploring any branch of reformed theology and thinking. FEAR. Fear still drives me more than I care to admit. I've worked hard and long to "prove" those misguided and errant ways of thinking to prop them up, when in reality, I just needed to turn back to Scripture alone. Toss man's thinking out the window. Look at God's.
But why are we afraid? Chan gets down to a deeper issue within all believers.
When it comes down to it, many of us do not really want to be led by the Holy Spirit. Or, more fundamentally, many of us don't want to be led by anyone other than ourselves. - p. 50
As the old saying goes, "Aye, there's the rub!"
How often has this kept us from truly serving God? How often has this thwarted, subverted and brought about the ruin of many local bodies of believers? Why are we surprised when preachers, churches and organizations fall when they were never led by the Spirit of God but the Spirit of themselves and their own fallen desires?
While some are driven by their own lusts, many of us are driven by "The Fear of What Others Think About Us".
...We Americans tend to care about what others think of us - to an unhealthy degree. And believers are certainly not exempt from this trend. - p.52
It's seen in children and teenagers, and adults never get over it. We are afraid to say what we really think and believe because we fear what others will think of us. We dress a certain way - whether for church or our daily lives - because we fear the thoughts of others. Hairstyles, hair color....the list never ends. It's amazing that collective thinking has such a power over us. But let's not stop materially, let's think theologically and biblically. We care more about what others say and think about any and all issues more than what God Himself has said. No wonder the world thinks the church is dying. They know we're afraid of their thoughts!
When we become overly concerned about our appearance, our spiritual reputation, our coolness and our acceptance, we are living as citizens of this world rather than as ambassadors.
This is not something that just goes away. It is an ever-present struggle to maintain your true allegiance. - p. 54
This is part of our spiritual warfare. The real battleground, the real theatre of war is not the local, state and federal governments; the public schools; the universities; the media; Hollywood; or any other man-made battleground. The real battleground is individual believers and our local churches.
...I think that quite often we worry a lot more about how people will respond to us than we do about how the Holy Spirit of God will respond. We think about making our friends mad or not being accepted or being thought of as different or strange. But rarely (if ever) do we consider whether our actions or lifestyle are grievous to the Spirit of the Living God. - p. 54
Let's stop caring about what society, the media, our friends or even our family thinks about us. Let's be consumed with what God thinks and being led by His Spirit.
Thanks for reading.
Darth Baptist
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