5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.
I am always very wary of someone who is using too much flattery. If it sounds sticky sweet, I am always looking for the bee sting right around the corner. We can be honest about the good we see in others, building each other up in Jesus, but when that crosses the line into flattery we must take guard. Flattery always has an extra agenda that stands right behind it, lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce the moment someone swallows the flattery. It might not show up the very next second, but it will show up. Even some preachers are too complimentary about their congregations, never discussing any of the struggles, never pointing out the corporate shortfalls. If the message does not contain some things that are hard to swallow because they speak to our sinfulness, then I am wary of flattery. The Gospel is life and death; life to those who accept the honest appraisal of sin and death to those who reject that appraisal. Unfortunately, the world can look at parts of the church and see the hypocrisy around finances. They see the extravagances and can see the double standard. This week one of the presidential candidates said we should all learn Spanish, but of course he doesn’t know Spanish. And I doubt he will learn any more than is necessary to get elected. The world economic leaders who met at the G8 summit made great speeches about the need to cut back on food consumptions in order to feed the poor, and yet they had huge multi-course meals at their conference. The Hollywood elites say we must cut back on our consumption of evil oil while they drive their limos & fly around the world in their private jets to their multi-million dollar, fuel inefficient homes. But before we throw too many stones, we are to make sure our own lives, the message we proclaim matches our lives. We must not wear a mask. Let’s be honest about our shortcomings, our sins, not only before God, but before each other. We all struggle with sin, and to pretend that we don’t is like wearing a mask. The Church is a hospital, not a trophy case. People are messy, and we are too.
The Arnold Journey 