Somehow we’ve come to believe that leadership and excellence are key pillars of the Christian life. Yet Jesus own ministry violated many principles that we teach in the name of these ideals.
Jesus chose blue collar workers without an education to be his friends and his representatives. His communication was often confusing. He didn’t play to the power structures of his day – political or religious. Instead he partied at the homes of the outcast and marginalized. He “wasted” his time on the weak and helpless. He didn’t try to convert the “influencers” at the expense of anyone else. He didn’t defend himself. He didn’t use political power to win the culture war of the day. He didn’t even start his ministry until he was 30 – but worked a blue collar job as a carpenter.
So how did we get everything so backwards? Jesus said not to “lord it over others” and now we hold seminars on how to use Scripture to do that very thing, albeit in a nicer way. There is little to nothing in the Bible about seeking excellence (which is usually defined in a very worldly way) and now we justify trampling the uneducated, the untalented or the unpolished because they don’t exemplify excellence (read: they aren’t good enough).
Teen Mania certainly is not the only place we’ve been taught these things, but living in an environment of constantly being sized up according to these two ideals can damage our confidence and our ability to understand how God sees us. When the pretty people, the popular people, the charismatic people are chosen over and over again for favored positions, it makes everyone else feel that they don’t measure up. And yet, God does not show favoritism like that. It doesn’t matter how skilled, talented, beautiful or smart you are in the world’s eyes – and let’s face it, there is ALWAYS going to be someone “better” than you. God created you just as you are and He loves you just as you are.
If you are living with the feeling of not being good enough, know that you will NEVER be good enough – and that’s ok. That is why Jesus came! He knows you aren’t good enough and He has mercy on you. He is pleased with you anyway. He sees your halting efforts, stumbling steps, your boredom in prayer, your waning zeal – and He is not mad at you! He is waiting for you to give up on your abilities to be a super-Christian and rest in His finished work. Are you tired of all this striving yet? Give it up to Him!
Psalm 103: 10-14
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His love for those who fear Him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him;
for He knows how we are formed,
He remembers that we are dust.
These posts below go into more detail on the perils of focusing on leadership and excellence. If you only have time to read one of them, check out the last one on excellence. It will blow your mind.
1) Leadership is never an aim for the Christian in the Bible.
21 comments:
Shannon Kish said…
RA,
That is good stuff. This applies to much more than TM as well. The Jesus of the Bible was one that lived and breathed with the downtrodden. He didn’t focus his attention on the rulers, kings, rich, or well-to-dos. The downtrodden are the ones who benefited from his ministry and needed his ministry the most.
March 24, 2010 8:17 AM
Eric P. said…
Thanks for the link on “excellence.” I feel a post of my own beginning to gestate on this subject–It may involve widows’ mites.
March 24, 2010 9:11 AM
Joy said…
Thanks RA for the articles above and this post. I just want to encourage you. This blog has helped me in many ways and I know from others’ posts, I am not the only one.
I do have to say that I find myself more useful to the kingdom of GOd when I am just being who God made me and dwelling with Him. Instead of striving for an unreachable excellence.
I believe He saved us so we would just enjoy being with Him like He enjoys being with us. And when we live and dwell with Him (even in times of despair) we will have strength and “contentment.”
In all truthfulness, getting rid of all the “excellent” and “measuring up” mindsets have reminded me why I became a Christian. And the real reason for my life.
March 24, 2010 10:55 AM
Curious George said…
“halting efforts, stumbling steps, your boredom in prayer, your waning zeal,” this is a summarization of my entire Christian life! I’ve always felt like I’m doing it wrong but I have never been able to muster an ounce of zeal that lasts more than a day or two, and have very rarely been able to find any focus in, or desire for prayer.
Very, very, very beautiful… Thank you.
When I think of the HA and their ideal of creating “world changers,” I don’t think Jesus would really add up. I mean, we were supposed to be world changers by the age of 19. Jesus was closer to 30 before he even started his ministry.
We were supposed to have a glamorous 5 year plan. Jesus was still a common tradesman, even after our 10 year plan has taken effect.
We would be really good world changers if we were gonna be a missionary in some less developed country in the 10/40 window. Jesus stayed in the same country and ministered to people who spoke the same language as him and had access to the religious institutions of the day.
I felt so much guilt while at the HA because I had no desire to be a missionary in some exotic country and I had no desire to stay on for another year. I felt like I was taking the easy road by just going home and ministering to my family and finally resting. I felt like I was living in fear and didn’t trust God enough. I felt that many were perishing because of my lack of commitment. “God needs me” and if I’m not out there innocent people are going to perish in Hell and their eternal damnation is on my head. Whooh! I honestly think that this pressure and guilt was one of the reasons I gave up on everything and almost ended it all. I couldn’t handle it. Even though I’m far removed from all these things I still feel that guilt. What gives…
March 24, 2010 11:08 AM
Recovering Alumni said…
Curious George – I hear you. Living with that heavy burden of guilt and condemnation is just unbearable. And TM keeps foisting it on a new crop of eager, naive kids every year…
This guilt is so ingrained in us after the HA – it can take a lot to dislodge. It begins to feel like a PART of our Christianity – if we let the guilt go, we must be letting God go. But that is not the truth.
Just recognizing this is a huge thing. Be patient with yourself and God as you learn to let go of those burdens. And realize that He is not behind them.
March 24, 2010 11:46 AM
Lisa said…
This is my mind…
This is my mind being blown!!!!
OMG so much good stuff to chew on in here and at such a pivotal point in my journey to find my authentic faith as opposed to the second hand religion I’ve been toting around for the last 30 years! I aim to follow Christ and this post and these links have been instrumental in helping me shed this excellence mentality that has been clogging the pipes of so many areas of my life!
Thank you Jesus!!
March 24, 2010 12:22 PM
Aaron said…
I agree that this does apply to more than just TM. I have been listening to the song “By Your Side” by Tenth Avenue North. Amazing song about the unconditional love of Christ. I definitely agree that is something that gets easily lost in churches that focus more on excellence.
March 24, 2010 7:47 PM
Anonymous said…
Jesus never used “influencers” of His day?…
yeah, like Saul was just a nobody.
…
March 24, 2010 8:31 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
Anon – Where are you getting that? I didn’t even say anything like that. I said: He didn’t try to convert the “influencers” AT THE EXPENSE OF ANYONE ELSE.
Meaning, he didn’t push aside the weak to focus on the powerful.
March 24, 2010 9:03 PM
katydid said…
RA—Wow–this is an awesome post with a lot to process and contemplate….and then re-think SO many things we have been taught in/by the church…
Powerful. Makes me feel that being a ‘lazy unexcellent sinner’ is not so bad after all….
Thanks–it’s freeing to know I don’t have to strive to be an elite warrior…
March 24, 2010 11:39 PM
Dan Gross said…
Last Anon…yeah, and Matthew was a tax collector and Luke a doctor. But RA didn’t say that Jesus ONLY recruited blue collar guys or NEVER used influential people. The point of the post is that Jesus loves, values, and uses everyone.
One of the great egocentric beliefs that we Christians tend to hold is that God’s only at work in the lives of people who look, think, and behave like we do.
When Jesus was asked to sum up what God wants us to do, didn’t he something akin to “Love God, love people.”? Nothing about being excellent or being a leader. These things aren’t bad, but they should never be our focus. That’s what damages. Our focus should be on Christ, right?
Great post, RA.
March 25, 2010 12:37 AM
Philip Estigoy said…
Dan,
Matthew was a tax collector, but that wasn’t really a position of esteem. The Romans viewed them as useful, but the Jewish people viewed them as sellouts(or traitors among the zealots).
That does nothing to invalidate the point that you are making(which I fully agree with). I think it actually shows even more that Jesus was impartial in who he chose. A zealot and a tax collector are about the farthest extremes that one could find, politically speaking, among the Jewish people of the times.
RA,
I have a tiny, tiny, tiny quibble in the wording of one of the linked posts that you posted. To say that Leadership is “never an aim” is a little incorrect, as Christians are called to serve in leadership if that is their gifting via Romans 12.
It would be correct to say that leadership is never the primary aim of a christian, and while I think the article itself speaks greatly about the problems involving leadership in the church, the wording in the title is a little too strong to be completely accurate.
Other than that tiny quibble, I fully agree that leadership and excellence are certainly not anywhere near the most important pillars in the Christian life. I think the real pillars are faith, hope, and love. With love trumping all. Any “leadership” training that doesn’t train love as well, is a hollow gong.
Great post,RA.
March 25, 2010 1:30 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
Philip – I think you’re right. Mad props for catching that!
March 25, 2010 1:32 PM
Dan said…
Philip, totally see your point, and not really countering to prove myself right, but I think a tax collector’s “influence” is probably relative to your interpretation of history.
You’re absolutely right that the average Jew of his day would have had very little respect for Matthew (which as you said, all the more illustrates Jesus’ impartiality), but within Roman society, Jewish tax collectors would have been much more influential than say, a fisherman. Some of Josephus’ writings suggest that many tax collectors were Roman citizens, with the voting powers that come along with that privilege. Of course, these men used their “influence” to embezzle money from the Jews more often than not, but that’s another issue, I suppose.
And now I’ve completely gotten off the topic of the blog. 😉 Not necessarily trying to get into a historical debate as much as explain why I’d list his name in that comment.
March 25, 2010 3:01 PM
Philip Estigoy said…
Dan,
I can see where you’re coming from on that.
March 25, 2010 3:42 PM
Jeremy said…
Uhmmm..first off, there’s nothing wrong with having a spirit of excellence, and therefore nothing wrong with teaching it.
secondly, as far as the teaching of leadership and yes At HA Leadership is the Aim, because that what it is, raising leaders. how is that wrong, Jesus, himself raised up the disciples to lead, to continue his ministry, in fact He told then to make more disciples, to do what? to lead and gain more disciples.
Mathew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
“Disciple – if you are someone’s disciple, you are influenced by their teachings and try to follow their example”
so..my point isn’t that what Ron & Dave are trying to do? yea they call it leadership, but all they are doing is preparing interns, for life in the real world as Christ followers. yea “living above reproach” is hard, even living up their standards they have may seem impossible. but lets face it..Jesus standards are set far higher than HA’s. (ex: Mathew 5:1 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”)
and yea how many of you have those kind of thoughts? I know is asinine but so is attacking the HA. it has it’s flaws I’m not doubting that, but to say that the teachings on leadership and excellence are hurting people, come on, these teaching are not force upon any intern, they are simply guide lines, nothing more nothing less.
BTW, um..Im pretty sure that what HA is all about.
“The Honor Academy is designed to give you a balanced, strategic approach to Godly character and lasting leadership skills.”
what else would they be teaching to the interns?
March 31, 2010 7:44 PM
Anonymous said…
Quoting and responding to Jeremy…
“Mathew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
“Disciple – if you are someone’s disciple, you are influenced by their teachings and try to follow their example”
so..my point isn’t that what Ron & Dave are trying to do?”
…….Ron and Dave are training interns to be disciples…of themselves. Not of Jesus. There is very little of Jesus example taught at the HA.
“but all they are doing is preparing interns, for life in the real world”
…..Interns leave the HA with little to no preparation for life in the real world.
“BTW, um..Im pretty sure that what HA is all about.
“The Honor Academy is designed to give you a balanced, strategic approach to Godly character and lasting leadership skills.” “
……There is nothing balanced about the teachings of the HA
March 31, 2010 9:23 PM
z said…
Jeremy,
“Jesus standards are set far higher than HA’s.”
I disagree. The HA standards are set higher for sure! I meet all of Jesus’ criteria to be a Christian. I wouldn’t meet the HA criteria to be an Elite Warrior Christian.
March 31, 2010 9:28 PM
Shannon Kish said…
“but all they are doing is preparing interns, for life in the real world”
Life in the real world? If you want to train people for life in the real world you don’t put them in a bubble and stick them in the middle of nowhere Texas.
You teach-
1)Finances 101- what to avoid, what not to avoid, budgeting your finances, how to pay for a leak in the roof, where to turn when you are broke.
2) Job Hunting 101- how to search for a job, how to interview, how to negotiate salary, how to build a resume.
3)Raising Kids 101- It is harder than one would think.
4) Relationships 101- not just marriage, but friendships and social skills.
5) College 101- paying for, preparing for, going to, etc.
It is rare that these topics are touched on in the HA. If they are touched on they are very skewed versions of what the HA thinks we should do rather than practical advice.
I DID NOT RECEIVE REAL WORLD TRAINING AT THE HA! The real world is much messier than the HA, much more difficult than the HA, and doesn’t resemble the HA in the slightest.
March 31, 2010 9:35 PM
Jeremy said…
You can change your world.
Come cultivate and develop your leadership potential while impacting your world for Christ. The Honor Academy is designed to give you a balanced, strategic approach to Godly character and lasting leadership skills. Come encounter the Lord like never before!
I dunno if HA can be clear on what is they are trying to accomplish. I dunno what anyone was expecting when they signed up attend the HA.
to respond to anon, I never got that when I was there — Aug 04,05– I never felt as if Dave was trying to make me in to Him, the same goes for Ron.
March 31, 2010 10:03 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
Jeremy, you did nothing to rebut any of the points I made in my post or the ones I linked to…so why should I take the time to rebut yours?
I could point out the errors in your logic or your misunderstanding of Jesus’ leadership style, but its clear from the multitude of comments that you’ve made that you aren’t hear for a discussion…
March 31, 2010 11:27 PM