Why Zealous Christians Should Not Shame Other Christians into Becoming More Zealous
Most of my days are fully given to the kingdom of God. I pray. I read. I write. I worship. Many years ago, in a coffee house in Midland, Michigan, I asked the Lord for this life of serving Christ. My prayer was answered and each day it continues.
I must admit that not much of my self-generated ambitions have ever come to fruition. When I made my plans for ministry, I had not yet learned the doctrine of God’s providence. From His eternal decree comes His willing and doing in time (Phil 2:13). God does all His holy will in each person’s life, whether that person is elect or reprobate (Rom 9:22–23; Eph 1:11).
Luke wrote the account of Saul’s Damascus Road conversion (Acts 9). He appointed a man named Ananias to receive the converted persecutor of Christ’s church, “But the Lord said unto him, ‘Go thy way, for he (Saul) is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake (Acts 9:15–16).’”
God did know the plans He had for Saul (who was named Paul). Not ripping Jeremiah 29:11 out of its context, the fact is that God’s sovereign will must be done, “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me…(Ps 138:8),” and “I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me (Ps 57:2).”
Some Christians are dissatisfied with the performance of Christianity, the church, and other Spirit-filled believers. What would change our critique of Jesus’ building His church in His sovereign way? What could alter our judgment of the Spirit’s “poor” performance?
Let me preface my answer with a confession of guilt in this matter. I loathe mega churches, American Christianity, marquee-named popular pastors. The fact is that God made provision for all these perversions. I have a sincere distaste for these and so many other deviations from what, in my judgment Christianity should look like in practice. The fact is that my judgment may be right one day and wrong the next day.
Jesus’ gardening illustration of the kingdom is helpful. God has predetermined that wheat and tares will cohabit the earth (Mt 13:29–30), until the last day, when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5). I do not like weeds in my garden. Weeds steal space, water, and nourishment from grass and other desirable plants. Weeds are brummagem greenery. God says, “Leave them be.” My soul objects!
The fact that I am a pastor/preacher wannabe, now for over two decades following my call to full-time Christian service, weighs heavy on me. A man recently asked me, “David, why do you write theological articles?” My reply was a bit desperate in tone, “It’s all I have.”
If someone were to come along and question my performance and its paucity, I would concur, wholeheartedly. Not every Christian gets to be a top performer. Therefore, if a zealous top performer came along with the Spirit of shaming the rest of us for being the underperforming sheep we exemplify, it would be a gross affront. This is a true story. I called out a zealous brother in this matter this week. In his zeal, he crossed the line into shaming other believers, who are not there being arrested, once per week, for preaching at abortion clinics (He currently has 13 charges pending, including 2 felonies).
We are sheep, not gazelles. We are not here to do great things. Granted, God chooses certain vessels to shine brighter than the rest, in their generations. Saul/Paul was followed by Athanasius, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Whitefield, Edwards, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones-types. We love their stories. They serve as inspirations, but behind every one of them is the Spirit of Christ performing the will of God.
This is the same Spirit, the seemingly least significant member of the body of Christ has abiding in him. The diversity of the body of Christ is vast in every category of characteristic. Each member has his or her place (Eph 2:20–22). Each place, as each person, is different. The Good News is that, together, we are the redeemed of the Lord.
The Lord knows those who are His (2 Tim 2:19). We, too, are chosen vessels for specific kingdom purposes. We share some titles (1 Pet 2:9), together, and we may have more specialized ones, too. These may be linked to the spiritual gifting or appointed offices (Rom 12; 1 Cor 12; Eph 4). Regardless, all things are from God (Rom 11:36).
As witnesses of Christ, what higher calling do we share than bearing witness of His works in, through, and around us? Christian good works are works done by the Holy Spirit. They align with the Word of God so that God is glorified. This is what it means for us to boast in Jesus Christ, exclusively.
The protest arises, “But the church is filled with goats and that is from the devil.” Yes, apostates are in the mix, as goats, and in leadership, wolves exist. It is impossible for these vessels to be used for good works, but they serve God’s purpose in warranting His judgment. The difficulty is discerning God’s blessing and His judgment.
Men use gimmicks to grow church numbers and then God judges them. This judgment is a blessing but people in churches get these things backwards. The ambitious are frequently men of the world, who find worldly success within the church. They are too shrewd for Christ’s people to see them for who they are in truth. They are loved by the goats, and they are eventually dealt with by the Spirit Himself.
Ambitious Christians are called, “zealous.” Zeal comes from the Holy Spirit. As with other good gifts, it comes with measured allotment determined by God’s will and for His intended purposes. Christians are to spur one another on to love and good works (Heb 10:24). The Spirit in which we do this is recognizable. It is encouraging, with a fragrance of challenge to faith, as doers of the Word (Jas 1:22).
In closing our demurral, it is against zealous Christians, with track records of performance, who opt to shame other Christians for underperformance. In essence, these are critical of the Holy Spirit at work in the brethren to varying degrees.
Let us instead, rejoice, in the sure work of the Father (election), the Son (redemption), and the Spirit (application) to secure everyone who belongs to our God (Jn 10:28–29; Rom 8:35–39; 1 Jn 5:11–13). Without fail, salvation is the Lord’s (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Rev 7:10; 19:1). He has done great things in both the great and small.
David Norczyk
Post Falls, Idaho
April 25, 2021
