Over the years I have traveled and worked with churches and church leaders all around the country. Once, a friend who knew of my travels and experiences asked,
"What have you observed as the greatest problem churches face today?" I
replied with two words, "pride and success." I explained that I had
observed over and over again, in the smallest and the largest churches,
that many times, when a church or church leader experiences success,
they begin to feel as if they have somehow become God's solution for all
Christendom. A spirit of pride arises within the church or individual, resulting
in an unteachable, unrepentant, and unaccountable heart; a feeling of
superiority; and even a snobbish attitude toward other churches and
church leaders.
While
we should be proud of all God does through us, success can become a
very dangerous drug if misused or misinterpreted. So many people,
groups, organizations, churches, and yes, even countries, who experience
even the smallest amount of success can become so inflated in their
view of themselves that it leads to their very downfall. We see this
happen time and time again; yet we are all still susceptible to the
selfish pride success can produce.
In
our continued study of Ezekiel, God turns His attention to the the sin
of other rulers in the region. Our study focuses specifically on the
ruler of Tyre who had become so inflated about his view of himself that
he felt there was no authority higher than himself, that he was above
other gods, even the idol god they worshiped, Baal (Ezekiel 28:1-5). He
also believed he had accomplished everything without the help of any god
and that he needed no one else because of his position.
Before
you teach this Sunday, prayerfully examine your own heart as you study
these passages to determine if selfish pride has crept in and blinded
you to vulnerabilities in your own life or ministry of teaching. Then,
prayerfully guide your group to focus on our TARGET:
To help adults avoid letting selfish pride gain a stronghold in their hearts.
I
have also provided you this week with PowerPoint slides to help you
with the discussion and to help you visually describe the city of Tyre.
OR
Hold Thursday Evening, August 21
On Your Calendar.
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