There was a woman, let’s call her Jane, who had been attending a small rural church for about 3 years. One day she came to the pastor and said, “Pastor, I’m concerned about this TV show.”
The pastor said, “Oh? What TV show is that?”
Jane went on to tell the pastor the name of the TV show, and immediately the pastor thought, “Why on earth would she have an issue with that show? It’s a show about the life and ministry of Jesus?!”
“Okay…” the pastor said, “what are your concerns about this show?”
“Well,” Jane said, “it’s produced by Mormons!” She exclaimed.
The pastor pondered this for a moment and then responded. “That’s true, but from what I understand about producing TV and movies is that the producers just provide money for the project. They very rarely have any say in the dialogue or content of the show unless they’re actually writing or directing it.” He told her. “Do you know who is writing and directing this TV show about Jesus?”
“Yes,” Jane said. And she went on to name a very prominent Christian writer.
The pastor considered this as well. “Hmm, ok,” he said. “Has the show taught something that was incorrect? A wrong belief or wrong thought about Jesus?”
“No.” Jane said. Then she added, “I have some friends at work who are watching though, and I’m afraid they might become Mormons.”
“I see,” said the pastor. “Are your friends at work Christians?”
“No.” Jane said. “And I’m afraid they will become Mormons.”
“Do you trust God, Jane?” Asked the pastor.
“Of course, pastor.”
“Do you think God might be big enough, mighty enough, to use a TV show about Jesus’ ministry to lead people to Christ, even if it is produced by a Mormon?”
“Well, yes, but…” Jane started, but had no “but” to finish her thought.
“Why don’t you make it a point to talk with your friends at work about that TV and steer them toward Christ? Work with God to witness to them.”
Jane was caught off guard, but she agreed to do this.
A few weeks later, Jane came to the pastor again, this time just after Sunday service.
“Pastor,” she said. “I don’t think this church should be singing that song from that singing group because the church that group is from doesn’t believe some of the same things we do.”
Again, the pastor asked her, “Jane, do you trust God?”
“Yes,” Jane replied.
“Do you think God might be big enough, mighty enough, to speak to someone’s broken heart about the amazing love of Christ through that song, even if the group that sings it doesn’t believe all the things we do, but they do love Jesus?”
“Well, I just think we need to be really careful about what we watch and listen to, especially in church!” She exclaimed.
“I agree!” Said the pastor. “Was there any lyric or word of that song that you think is not in line with the Bible?”
“No, but that church!” She said.
“Is still a part of the body of Christ. In the vital parts of our beliefs, we are the same. In everything else, we will give God room to be God.”
Jane never went back to that church. Not because the Bible wasn’t preached; not because the pastor didn’t care; not because she wasn’t welcomed and loved; but because she took her eyes off the things that mattered.
Have you ever known a Jane? Maybe you were a Jane at one point? Maybe you still have Jane-like ways sometimes?
I found a word for people like Jane: spiritual umpires. Like the umpire in a game of baseball, spiritual umpires try to direct, control, and judge the spiritual lives of not only themselves, but all those around them. Unfortunately, it’s often misguided, and the focus of a spiritual umpire isn’t truly on the things of God, it’s on the things that look Godly. It comes out in a lot of different ways, too.
I’m going to be in the book of Colossians this morning, Colossians 3:1-2. “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” These were God’s words through the apostle Paul to the church in Colossae.
This church had a problem with a lot of Janes. Paul’s words to them were direct, but full of compassion and encouragement.
Earlier in the letter, he had told them, “Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your PRIZE.” (2:18).
Paul often spoke in his letters to different churches about the Christian life as a race, and eternal life as the prize for running the race well. He reminded churches in several places that though they will face sufferings and trials and will have to fight very hard to keep running the race, it will be worth it all when they receive the crown of glory. When Paul speaks about the prize here, he is talking about eternal life, the crown of glory, the privilege of getting to be in the presence of our Creator in eternal worship.
What does it mean to be defrauded of this prize? In the Greek, the word Paul used for “defraud” means “condemn”. What Paul was warning against was for believers in Colossae to not let themselves be condemned by others and rob themselves of the prize of eternal life with Jesus. He didn’t want them to fall into the trap of listening to the Janes, to the spiritual umpires, and be robbed of their prize of eternal life.
Paul spoke out specifically against a few things that can rob us of our prize. Colossians 2:16-17 says, “Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day— things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Paul spoke against legalism as one of the things that can rob us of our prize. Legalism is when we get caught up in things like: what kind of music is played during worship; if the church has chairs or pews; what translation of the Bible is used; the method of baptism; upholding a particular doctrine that you believe is “superior”; Christians can’t watch movies or dance; Christians shouldn’t go to a particular coffee house; and so many others. Legalism says, “I’ve got to stick to the letter of the law and so does everyone else.”
But as Paul pointed out, legalism can steal away your prize in Christ. You can get so caught up in doing all the things that look Christian, that you forget to walk with Christ. We’ve likely all seen how damaging legalism can be.
Paul also spoke about spiritual pride, “Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding firmly to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.” (2:18-19).
Spiritual pride, Paul says, is being puffed up in how spiritual or religious a person things they are. They take over-inflated pride in what they know, or how disciplined they are in certain spiritual things like prayer or fasting or studying the Bible. This was one of the challenges Paul faced with the church in Corinth, that some with certain spiritual gifts were seen as having superior gifts than those with other gifts. Now, we want to have Biblical knowledge, we should have robust prayer and fasting, and we should have quiet times with the Lord that challenge us to truly grow and change, but Paul warns against allowing these things we do to deepen our relationship with Christ to make us so prideful that we are no longer holding firmly to the humility of Christ and His ways.
The last thing Paul talked about here was rituals and ASCETICISM, which is a twenty-dollar church word which basically refers to self-denial which is related to spiritual pride. “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of man? These are matters which do have the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and humility and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.” (2:20-23).
Paul warned against rituals, traditions, things that we just do because we’ve always done them and we’ve always done them a certain way, but they have no meaning anymore. Be on guard against those things, because when we allow those things to become our focus, we forget what a real, active, alive relationship with Christ looks like.
Paul also warns against asceticism, or denying yourself things like food or drink, as a form of punishment for sins, or denying these things because some leader said you should to be more holy. Some go so far as to beat their bodies to punish themselves. Paul says that these things have no power to actually save you from your sins, so why do them?
These are all ways that the church in Colossae were being deceived, being pulled away and allowing their prize to be taken away. They were caught up in legalism, they were spiritually proud and puffed up, holding on to dead rituals and self-denial that did nothing for their spirits.
Paul’s advice to them was simple, and it’s advice that still holds true because God’s Word is always true. “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are ABOVE, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” (3:1-2).
Paul makes it very clear in this and all his letters that we are set free from legalism, we are set free from the need to be spiritually proud, we are set free from dead rituals and self-punishment. Christ’s victory over death gave us victory over those things that we’re tempted to become spiritual umpires with. Paul reminds us to keep seeking the things that are ABOVE, the things of Christ, the things of God, and let the Lord work out the rest.
Paul reminds us that just living a moral life, just checking the boxes and being “spiritual” are not the same as living for the Kingdom of God. Lots of people who are not believes live fairly moral lives: they don’t steal, they don’t murder, maybe they don’t even lie, but they don’t walk with the Lord. Lots of people come to church and check the boxes and look very religious, but their hearts are hard and made of stone. Lots of people seem very spiritual and mindful of all their “negativity” and “toxic ways”, but are still bound by sin.
But we have been raised with Christ, raised from the dead, including all these things that threaten to steal our prize. So, keep seeking the things above. Keep setting your eyes on Christ. Keep seeking the Kingdom.
In 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, Paul wrote, “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.”
Paul tells us that we can know the thoughts of God because we have received the Spirit of God in us. So, if we want to keep seeking the things above, we need to LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT. Tune your ear to hear Him speak. Spend time with Him in prayer, in His Word, so you will know what He sounds like.
Philippians 2:2-8 says, “make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.”
If we want to seek the things above, BE UNIFIED AND HUMBLE WITH OTHER BELIEVERS. Just as Christ was one with the Father, but also humbled Himself for our sake, we must seek to do the same. Be one with each other. Do not allow legalism, spiritual pride, rituals, or self-punishment to create divisions in the church. Be humble with each other and look out for each other. This is one of the ways we seek the things above.
1 Corinthians 14:12 adds this, “So you too, since you are eager to possess spiritual gifts, strive to excel for the edification of the church.” To seek the things above, we should BUILD UP THE CHURCH. That’s what it means to edify the church. Build it up because doing so furthers the kingdom of God.
Seek the things above.
1. Have you ever found yourself playing the spiritual umpire? For which of the reasons above (legalism, spiritual pride, rituals?) If you’ve never confessed and repented of that, give that to God today!
2. How does Galatians 2:19-21 help us understand how we are freed from the things that steal our prize so we can set our minds on the things above?
3. James 1:27 talks about more ways we seek the things above. What are those things? How do they help us keep our eyes on the things above?