Self Promotion and Holiness

BLJ: Self promotion will prevent one from seeking holiness because one that promotes self will not die to self. When you think more of your self than God, you are at best backslidden. A disciple of Christ should to be like his or her Master. Christ went outside the camp to suffer and shed His blood to save and sanctify the people. We are to follow His example. We must be willing to die to self, to renounce self, and to crucify the self (flesh). Don't allow self to keep you from the highway of holiness.

SELF-ESTEEM, THE SABOTEUR OF SAINTHOOD

Is it not the most formidable, destructive leaven that could ever ferment in a Christian organization -- that of self-importance, self-esteem, and self-elevation, instead of the Biblical self-renunciation which should characterize all of its members? (Matt. 16:25; Luke 14:26; Phil. 3:7, 8). Basic New Testament Christianity can never look upon "uncrucified" and unsanctified leaders and followers as examples to accept and pattern after.

BLJ: When self is the center of the church, you may be assured that the church is carnal and will be appealing to the world and the flesh. When the music makes you think you are in a dance hall or bar, you know self is reigning.

Christians who have never been crucified, and thereby are not sanctified, are yet in the initial stages of Christian experience. In Hebrews 6:1 we are admonished not to be satisfied to remain in an immature state, but to leave the initial stages of Christian experience, and to go on to perfection. In this passage we are told not to continue to lay "again the foundation of repentance from dead works." In other words, we, as Christians, are not to continue sinning and repenting continuously, but rather to leave that bottle-baby state (I Cor. 3:2) and go on to perfection.

BLJ: The new convert is to crucify self, deny self and renounce self. They are to be encouraged to begin this process immediately become being born again.

No greater dwarfing tragedy could ever come upon a Christian church than to have its members fail to die out to carnal self and become sanctified "holy" and "wholly." And is it not most regrettable that the more prominent church leaders and officials, who wield the most controlling influence over the flock, are the very ones who find it the most difficult to obtain or maintain a spirit of self-abandonment, especially when the temptation to self-importance is a persistent decoy? The danger increases when some are highly esteemed by others, praised, and made to feel the elevating sensation of power over people. Mr. Schuller's anti-crucifixion of self, under the disguise of Christianity, finds its counterpart even in conservative holiness circles, when backslidden church members evidence that they have given in to a spirit of self-importance. When such professed Christians are followed, the flock will be influenced in the same direction, and cannot remain deeply spiritual. The only true safeguard is for every Christian in the ranks to be utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost.

BLJ: I have seen church boards that were so carnal. They try to protect their little kingdom. They hinder the pastor, hinder growth and hinder the general work of God in the local church.

"Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!
Seeking all His fulness at whatever cost;
Cutting all the shorelines, launching in the deep
Of His mighty power -- strong to save and keep.

Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!
Oh! the sinking, sinking, until self is lost!
Until the emptied vessel lies [submissive] at His feet;
Waiting till His filling shall make the work complete." [50]