I was perusing website the other day, compliments of a like-minded friend of mine, and came across a number of articles that set me off. This one in particular caught my attention because of the subtlety of its deceit. Most people can spot blatant falsehood, and therefore I find a great necessity to speak out concerning falsehood that is not so blatant. What makes this hard is that due to the less obvious nature of the falsehood, I run the risk of tossing grace to the side and saying “thus saith the Lord” when the Lord has not said thus. But in this case, I feel I am justified in this written form of my anger. For reference, you can read the article for yourself HERE.


My first point is not especially critical to me, however it is something that annoys me from time to time when people say it. The writer says “Sunday is a very important day. It is the Lord’s Day and is when so much spiritual work is accomplished in the lives of God’s people as well as the unconverted.” I hate this. Not that God does work in people’s lives on Sundays, but that Sunday is so often set apart as “God’s day” as if God doesn’t really work as much throughout the other days of the week. Sure, it’s the day when Pastor preaches. Sure it’s the day when we all congregate. These are great things. But 1. The church should be congregating on their own in brotherly love, biblically, any and every day of the week. And 2. The day the Word is preached is no better than the days that the Word is lived out or experienced on a more personal level through the reading of the individuals. In short, Sunday is NOT set apart as the Lord’s day. Every day is set apart the Lord’s day.

Second, he blames Sunday ill spirits on the devil: “Satan wants to affect my attitude so as to affect the preaching of the Word of God.” The devil is not ultimately responsible. Too many people attribute their sins to the devil, when in reality it’s just their own immoderate, unchecked flesh. And this flesh continues to go unchecked as long as you think it’s the devil pushing you over the edge. Does the devil go throughout the earth seeking to devour? Yes. But I really believe that most of our sins are not due to his involvement. They are due to our own futility. Isn’t it the heart of man that is deceitful and desperately wicked? So stop blaming the devil.

This is just from the introduction. And granted, I think the author has good intentions for writing this article. Doubtless he wants pastors to be the best they can be when they are preaching the Word. But my problem is with his foundations. One of these foundations is the level of involvement the devil has on our attitudes. I think he is over the top. Like I said above, I believe that our own heart has a far greater affect on our attitudes than the devil does.

That said, you can see where the rest of this is coming from.

The author suggests several points throughout the article that emphasize running from any external influence that might aggravate your spirit. But is it not better to have the kind of spirit that is not so easily aggravated in the first place? Are you seriously angered to the point that you can’t properly minister the Word because you can’t find your belt or shoes? Then you’ve got problems! The author is right that “Preparation brings confidence.” But sometimes things happen that are beyond the control of our preparations. These times are “tea bag” times. They are the hot waters that reveal what’s inside of us. If that is ugly, then you are the one with the problem, not Satan. And this I believe is the overwhelming false premise of this article. Reactions come from within, initiated by things that are without. They are not initially caused by what is outside of us. Reference my previous blog about immaturity and moderation for more on this. Most of the points this author makes are actually pretty good points…if you’re living according to the flesh. They are good external restraints. But they are external restraints that overlook the power of the flesh and the need for a deeper spiritual walk.

The second great fallacy of this article is very emphasis of a few of his points. He’s basically saying “stay away from people.” Really? In order to handle the Word effectively I have to stay away from people because they might exacerbate my attitude? Put on your man pants (or, gird up your loins). Stop being so delicate, because it’s ruining your cross-centered ministry. And if I’m not mistaken, the same Word tells us to be intimately involved with people. The same Word emphasizes personal exhortation, not proper pulpit pounding. Being personally involved with people, pointing them towards Christ, is your first priority. Not the pulpit. The pulpit is great, and we need to hear a properly divided Word. But this cannot be separated from being personal! Referencing point 6, no conversation is “unnecessary.” Even the casual ones are necessary. Every conversation is a chance to edify, even the ones that start out about yesterday’s game or the weather. Your tactic is not to flee conversations that might distract you from God’s Word, but to be the kind of person who reflects God’s Word even during these conversations.

So, in conclusion, tend to your relationship with Christ rather than cover up your personal failures with these boundaries.