Stinking, Rotten Meat

Read:Colossians 2:18-19

Are you impressed when people deny themselves food, drink or comforts in the name of spiritual growth? Some people are, obviously. Is God impressed? I think perhaps, not.

These people are happy to go on at length about their spiritual experiences with angels, visions, voices, messages, words and tongues - and probably many more things I've forgotten, or not yet heard of. These people make their own experience and "faith" the new standard, and come down on others that don't measure up. They will try to disqualify you. They insist that unless you do [fill in the blank for the crazy things they do] you're not a real Christian.

Don't be deceived: these are not Super-Christians. They're just full of themselves. That's what "puffed up without reason" means: they're full of themselves. They're certainly not full of Christ, anyway. They're disconnected from Christ, who is the head of the body: the church. Body parts that are disconnected from the head aren't really part of the body at all. They die, rapidly. Soon, they begin to smell.

Don't let the stinking, rotten meat within Christ's body convince you that your simple faith and simple worship are not good enough for God.