Matthew 16:12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
I was thinking about the teaching of the Pharisees and how it was all about keeping the law and head knowledge of God. The Pharisees knew what to sacrifice for which sins, how often, and so on. I was thinking about how we might equate this teaching to today's culture, and it struck me, it's the self-help culture of today. Self-help is not a bad thing on its face. The issue occurs when your relationship with Christ takes a self-help turn; then it becomes the yeast in the dough. Self-help in Christianity is living in the "I give this much, and God will give me this much. I volunteer because that's what Jesus would do. I've read this five step book on how to love the unlovable, and practice it." (I don't think that's an actual book, by the way…at least I hope it isn't.) Here's the deal, this self-help life is completely opposite to what life with Christ really is. When you live your life in Christ and you have a relationship with him--and I mean a deep, Jesus is my everything kind of relationship--Christ comes out through you and you don't ever think about what you should or shouldn't do. I know it sounds crazy, but He leads you all the way in all ways. So giving, helping, and loving people becomes who you are. You can't help yourself because Christ is living through you. It's called Christianity because Christ is at the center of it. If you could live Christ-like on your own, then we would have millions of religions, each one named after each of us. I don't ever want to be seen as an Abbie-an. I want people to see Christ when they look at me, not Abbie. I want to live through Jesus, not myself. Self-help is great if you're trying to build a business or learn a new skill. However, it is the antithesis of Christianity.
I was thinking about the teaching of the Pharisees and how it was all about keeping the law and head knowledge of God. The Pharisees knew what to sacrifice for which sins, how often, and so on. I was thinking about how we might equate this teaching to today's culture, and it struck me, it's the self-help culture of today. Self-help is not a bad thing on its face. The issue occurs when your relationship with Christ takes a self-help turn; then it becomes the yeast in the dough. Self-help in Christianity is living in the "I give this much, and God will give me this much. I volunteer because that's what Jesus would do. I've read this five step book on how to love the unlovable, and practice it." (I don't think that's an actual book, by the way…at least I hope it isn't.) Here's the deal, this self-help life is completely opposite to what life with Christ really is. When you live your life in Christ and you have a relationship with him--and I mean a deep, Jesus is my everything kind of relationship--Christ comes out through you and you don't ever think about what you should or shouldn't do. I know it sounds crazy, but He leads you all the way in all ways. So giving, helping, and loving people becomes who you are. You can't help yourself because Christ is living through you. It's called Christianity because Christ is at the center of it. If you could live Christ-like on your own, then we would have millions of religions, each one named after each of us. I don't ever want to be seen as an Abbie-an. I want people to see Christ when they look at me, not Abbie. I want to live through Jesus, not myself. Self-help is great if you're trying to build a business or learn a new skill. However, it is the antithesis of Christianity.
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