I do certain things just to make religious folks scratch their heads. One thing I have learned is that people will hold you to their personal standards, and if you don’t meet their checklist, they will reject you. They have a formula, or a model of what they think works. Pride will have them thinking that anything that doesn’t follow their blueprint isn’t from God nor can it be used by God.

I make rap music, I have facial hair, I have been divorced, I have a stained past, but I am no different than most of the flawed Bible characters God used. I continue to do certain things because I hear people say, I couldn’t take you seriously when you prophesied because you’re a rapper. I didn’t want to watch your videos, and I kept scrolling past them because you looked too young. We can’t use you here because of the way you dress. We can’t have you come to our church because your political views don’t line up with ours. People will literally walk by the flesh with this checklist and ignore all the fruit of your life because you don’t fit what they had in mind. The Bible says a tree is known by the fruit it bears. The Bible says to test every sprit, the problem is most people test with the standards of the flesh.

Don’t get it twisted, I believe in holiness and dressing modest. I also believe there is a lot of men made interpretation and definition of what that looks like. One of the reasons the church is so divided is because people feel that if you don’t look like my interpretation, then God cannot use you. This is very dangerous and very arrogant. I even believe it can be blasphemy against the Holy Spirit if you are not careful. If someone is flowing in the Spirit and you say that isn’t from God, or something along those lines, I think you put yourself in a dangerous situation. I will tell you when it comes to these matters, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

I have seen many churches actually reject anointed and appointed people and even try to come against them because they didn’t look like what they thought they should look like. This lets me know how many people truly lack discernment in the church. People walk around trying to look and sound spiritual and deep but can’t even recognize the hand of God on somebodies life for something as foolish as they don’t dress like you. Sometimes it can be even deeper than that. Sometimes because of your visible mistakes, past, and resume, people will sit on you and reject you. The funny thing is, all of the people God used in the Bible had serious issues or a terrible past. Most of the people God used in the Bible would be rejected by the church today.

Just imagine if Saul lived today, and last week he was on CNN killing Christians in the church, and this week he is preaching to them with a new name. Just imagine if David was chosen to be president and a leader of the people of God, but the only thing you know about him was his adultery and plot with Bathsheba. Just imagine if Jonah was preaching a message, but you knew just a few days before he didn’t even want to waste his time with you, and he posted some prejudice things on his twitter account. Just imagine Abraham walking in the church with his two baby mamas. See what I mean?

When people live by what they feel and what they had in mind, this creates idols of ideologies and religious restrictions in the church that keep God from moving the way he wants to move. You want revival but you only want people to come who look like you. You don’t want the “problem” souls. You don’t want the broken families, drug addicts, and demon possessed people. Many churches act like they do, but the reality is these people often take lots of work and patience to deal with and disciple. They may not just come in and start paying tithes and being faithful. You might have to work for it.

I see so many churches trying to act like they have power, or give this impression that they walk in power. You see people in church trying to push people to the ground, but can’t cast a demon out. They act like they have all this deep prophesy and are so spiritual, but if a demon possessed person walked into their church they wouldn’t know what to do. Just because you have a well oiled machine that runs smoothly doesn't mean God is in your church. I would rather be saturated with the anointing and will of God, than lubricated by political correctness and ear tickling. The arrogance has come from the fame and prestige many have received by faking the funk. God is not pleased with this. He wants us to use us no doubt about it. The church must realize though, He wants to use us for his glory and to bless, lead, guide, and love His people. He wants us to have real power, so why are people faking it?

The arrogance of men often blocks the move of God. We want God to move on our terms, through who we want. God wants to move when He wants, and use whoever He sees fit. We need to kill the arrogance in the church in order to really see God move the way He wants to move.

Marcus Rogers

The Arrogance of the church