More from Accidental Pharisee

Quote: "In my mind, the quest for spiritual maturity was like an onion and a video game. With regard to sin, it was like an onion. There was always another layer to peel off. If people weren’t feeling seriously guilty about something, they obviously weren’t listening to the Holy Spirit. I rated Christian books and sermons by how bad they made me feel. The worse I felt, the better the sermon. The more difficult and challenging they were, the more faithful the message. With regard to growth, it was like a video game. There was always a higher level to attain. No matter how much people grew, no matter what sacrifices they made to get to that point, there was always a next level they needed to reach to fully please the Lord. Worse, I chided people who grew weary. I pushed them to work harder, pray longer, and study more.

Taking a break or temporarily stepping to the sidelines was simply not an option. Satan didn’t rest; why should we? My discipleship motto was simple: no pain, no gain. If you wanted rest, a lighter load, or an easier path, you’d come to the wrong place. I didn’t think that’s what Jesus offered. He offered a cross to bear, death to self, and eternal rewards to the faithful few who were willing to pay the price and stay the course. Or so I thought. In reality, as we saw earlier, if I’d read my Bible a little more carefully, I would have found that Jesus did offer something I had never considered worthy of a Christ follower. He offered rest, a light burden, and an easy yoke to those who were weary and heavily burdened. Imagine that! Maybe it’s a misprint. Maybe he didn’t really mean it. But then again, maybe that’s why he called his message good news. Maybe those of us who constantly demand more are the ones who’ve missed it.

Matt. 11:28–30: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

For over two thousand years, those who fashion themselves as spiritual leaders haven’t been able to leave well enough alone. They keep trying to raise the bar to entry higher than Jesus placed it. They pile on heavier and heavier burdens and call it discipleship. They shut the door to the struggling and weak and call it purifying the church. Their intentions are noble. But their fruit is rotten. They unwittingly play the same role as the Pharisees of old, trying to keep out the very people Jesus came to reach. So why do we do that? What tempts someone to want to thin the herd that Jesus came to expand?"
Read the answers in the book!!


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