Boasting

So after my boasting about how well my preaching went, don't we have a sermon about how we shouldn't boast. I've been processing that for a few weeks now because I have noticed that our church very down on compliments. I have received a few compliments which started out nice but ended with "but you are not perfect". I finally called this person on it because I would rather not get any compliment - I never remember anything nice that is said to me if it is followed up with a "but". To me the "but" is the real intended message. That's my sensitivity showing through. If you think about examples from life the "but" message is usually there for a reason. So it seems as thought there is a distaste for giving a compliment lest it makes us as humans think we can do anything good apart from God. The theologians out there probably note that this is an extreme reaction to Calvinism - that man can do not good on his own apart from God.

So after feeling very upset and down about the boasting I thought about the role of motivation. I don't get excited about preaching because of what I can or can not do. I do get excited about preaching because I believe it proclaims what God has to say to us. I am pleased that I communicated the text technically well - because if I don't communicate well then the Holy Spirit has to do a lot more work and I have to question whether I am in the right field. Anyhow, I have been thinking about this and feeling torn about it. It seems that if I do poorly then its my fault and if I do well, then its God's doing. I have been doing a lot of reading about Calvinism lately in order to ensure that my sermons for W are above reproach theologically. I think we can over apply the principles so that we become very neurotic, solemn people.