The Plank In My Eye

A confession of self-righteousness

The Belonging Co. - Photo by: Young Yi

^“‘3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?’”

- Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Matthew 7:3-4 (NIV)

The Belonging Co.

A few months ago, I was privileged to get personally invited to attend a young pastors gathering hosted by THINQ in Nashville, TN. The event happened about two weeks ago and I must say, I am hopeful for the next generation of believers and those who have yet to find the Lord because of the faithful pastors and ministers I was surrounded by at this gathering.

On the second day of the gathering, we ended up going to, “The Belonging Co.”, a church I did not realize was a force for the Gospel, not just in the Nashville area, but nationally (and perhaps even globally). Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes are two notable names attached to The Belonging Co., along with the founding pastors Alex and Henry Seeley. But that’s a bit beside the point.

One of the “events” in our itinerary was joining their Tuesday night service focused primarily for young adults and being able to sit under the teaching of their young adult pastor. The motive behind this was to be poured back into, since we were a gathering of young pastors who often face the pressures and reality of burnout and exhaustion as we carry on in the early years of our pastoral careers.

The Blinding Plank In My Eye

Let me cut to the chase.

The worship was phenomenal.
The “hosting” was exceptional.
The production of the service was top-tier.

But the sermon?
The Word of God being preached?
The exhortation and edification of the saints?

The message taught that night was perhaps one of the worst exposited sermons I had ever heard. It felt as though there were four different sermons wound up into one incoherent idea.

Harsh, I know. But I’m just being honest of what was going through my mind.

I found myself slumped in my seat, unmoved and questioning what I was doing in this Pentecostal church, reminding myself that this was one of the reasons why I am not Pentecostal.

I found myself sitting and wondering how in the world anyone would come to know the Good News of Jesus Christ through this type of sermon.

I found myself mid-way through the sermon, arms crossed, thinking this is more like a self-help TED Talk, than a carefully crafted message to bring glory and fame to Jesus Christ and bring clarity to the Word, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

I found myself thinking, “I wouldn’t have said that.” or “That’s not the point of that passage!”

And yet…

At the end of the message as the pastor prayed, a young man came up to the front of the stage, weeping, fully repentant of his life and sin. I couldn’t make out the conversation between him and the pastor who had just preached for about 40 minutes, but what I do know is that this young man gave his life to the Lord that night and the entire room erupted in celebration, including me.

And in that moment, I realized the large plank in my eye.

John 17

My tendencies during my “young, restless, and Reformed” years reared its ugly head again. I found myself yet again on the high peak of “Mount Stupid”¹. I experienced a somewhat painful moment of my sanctification, realizing the ugliness of my self-righteousness and judgmental heart.

I honestly do attribute this judgmental heart posture in the early years of my theological formation. Not necessarily by, from, and through Reformed theology, but rather a part of the culture that was formed from the new wave of Reformed teaching that hit America/the West in the last 30ish years. Something about it created bitter, angry, judgmental, and defensive men, of whom I was not spared. And this is something I have been intentionally working through to undo in my formation as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Ironically enough, my favorite chapter in the Scriptures is John 17. It is a theologically rich and beautiful chapter. But I particularly fancy it because we as the reader and disciple to Jesus, get to see a glimpse into the heart of Christ. Namely His heart for unity among His people.

It was my self-righteousness that night which prohibited me from fully embracing and enjoying the corporate worship that night.

It was my self-righteousness that night which built a mental and spiritual wall from sitting under the teaching from a faithful pastor to whom we share the same Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It was my self-righteousness that would betray my very self from following in the heart of Jesus Christ and remain "as one as we are one.”²

That night, the Lord was kind to quietly teach me a lesson, in the midst of a packed room of what was nearly filled with about a thousand people. Not necessarily about being judgmental or self-righteous, but rather, about not putting the work of His Spirit and power in a theological box.

That night, Jesus reminded me that He will call whomever He chooses to Himself through whomever He chooses to use.

That night, Jesus reminded me He is Lord and I am not.

That night, Jesus reminded me He not only died for that young man who accepted the Gospel, but also for me, the young pastor who still wanders with a large plank in his eye.

1. A term found in “The Dunning Kruger Effect” where the person who has just learned something new believe they know most, if not all things, regarding this newfound knowledge. See https://dale-peterson.com/2023/05/09/unwarranted-confidence-on-mount-stupid/

2. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2017&version=NIV