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Christian-Centric

Words of Faith Final

Christian-Centric
Words of Faith 11-30-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Romans 15
    We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. [2] Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. [3] For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." [4] For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

    There is a common malady among Christian people. I will call it Christian-centrism. More simply put, it is the ailment of self-centered Christianity. It is often hard to spot because it usually has all the right language and trappings of Christian servanthood. But rather than being Christocentric or Christ-centered, the believer becomes Christian-centered, or actually self-centered, in a cloak of Christian identity. Call it by any name you like; it is sin.
    A Christian-centric person is one who is saved, and seems to love the Lord, but who has become self-absorbed and self-centered within the Christian culture. This is the person who may know lots of Scripture and will appear on the outside to be a very committed Christian, but in subtle religious ways manipulates their world as much as possible to revolve around them instead of Christ.
   This is the person who has little patience for the failings of others but expects great patience when it concerns their mistakes. This is the person who strangely interprets that the purpose of the church is to serve them. This is the person who ultimately thinks of God as the servant of the believer, rather than the other way around.
   This is the person who may be overheard justifying ridiculously selfish extravagances by saying, "Jesus wants me to have nice things!" This is the person who somehow has a "peace" about decisions that have no Scriptural support but are comfortable or self-serving. This is the person who has never realized that the Christian life is NOT about pleasing self.
   Paul speaks to this when he points out that a strong believer does not lead a life focused on pleasing self. A strong Christian bears with the failings of the weak and does not exist to please self. Our example is that of Christ Jesus Himself. Christ chose not to please Himself but chose rather to take upon Himself the insult of the world.
   Christ gave us the example of the towel and basin telling us we are to wash one another's feet. This is the message and ministry of Christ and the church. We are to be Christocentric and people-directed as servants.
   Paul's comments leave us with the familiar question: What would Jesus do? When we defend our "rights" or become offended at fellow Christians-- when we become impatient with the failings of others, or we are tempted to demand our own way-- when we are tempted to manipulate things so that they serve self-- we must realize that we cannot do so "in the name of Jesus," for this is not the way of Jesus.

   Lord, help me today to get my eyes off of me and onto You. Help me to see the needs of people around me. Help me to be Christ-centered and people-focused today. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.