by Pastor Dele Oyeleru

An arrogant person is one who has an exaggerated opinion of himself and therefore super-imposes it on others. He has a form of superiority complex, a holier-than-thou or better-than-you attitude. He has a kind of heart that makes him to overestimate his worth, therefore having an overbearing impact on others.

An hypocrite is one who pretends to stand for, or to have an opinion that he does not have. He pretends to be what he is not on the inside.

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Luke 18:9-14

From the text above, does it mean it is wrong to trust in yourself? Being arrogant as the Pharisee in the text was, is not something you sit down to think of, it is something you can subtly fall into.

One notable thing about the Pharisee in Luke 18, is his knowledge of the law. The account of Jesus in John 19, shows how He stood strong and tall before Pilate without compromising the truth, yet in all meekness. Also, Paul stood boldly before Felix, Festus and then Agrippa, and he addressed them in such a way as befitting their positions (Acts 24). The Bible says “honour the king, love the brotherhood, fear God” (1 Pet. 2:17 ).  All these people stood up for the truth without any iota of compromise, yet they did not disrespect the authority in place. They stated the truth, not facts.

Paul was bold to declare even how God called him before a heathen king Agrippa (Acts 26).  He declared boldly how God called him; testified of his exploits in the ministry, and gave praise to the Lord that saved him even in the midst of those who were unbelievers; yet he made not a statement of slight to them. There was a time he was slapped while defending himself, and he challenged the person. When he was told that the person he challenged was the High Priest of their land, he quickly apologized because in standing up for the truth, you cannot revile against the gods (rulers) of the land, or else you are not actually standing for the truth, but your ego, to show others that you know better than they.

The arrogant can also be referred to as the ignorant, because if he knew enough, he would not be arrogant. When knowledge reaches knowledge, it makes you know that you don’t know as you ought. It does not matter if you fall into either of these categories, what matters is what you do after now that you have received this message.

Acts 24-26 speaks of Paul’s defense before  Felix, Festus and Agrippa, how he stood tall for the truth even in the face of intimidating circumstances.

1 Corinthians 8:1-3 says “Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.”

Knowledge puffs up, but love makes you to use your “bigness” to make others big, not to sit on them and press life out of them.  The arrogant man by his bragging, puts a period (fullstop) on his knowledge and cannot know more because he already thinks he knows all.

Ephesians 4:15 says “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”  It is not enough to speak the truth, but you must speak it in love, else it would cause damage, losses and destruction. Love is what makes the communication of your faith as a Christian effectual. It is the ingredient that must not be lacking in anything a believer does (1 Cor. 13:3). Love is not arrogant, it is not a braggart. So, you may have much knowledge, but God says you should communicate the same with the spirit of love.

Understanding is the “why” and the “how.” Knowledge is the what.” Understanding is more comprehensive than knowledge. The Bible says “Get knowledge and in all your getting, get understanding for wisdom is the principal thing.” Why do you need understanding?  Because you need beyond knowledge in order to stand up for the truth, you need beyond knowledge in order to stand up for the truth, you need understanding.

One of the dictionary meanings of understanding is: it is having the knowledge of how and why something happens to somebody and being therefore willing to easily forgive. If all you have is knowledge, there is nothing you can do, you will be puffed up by the knowledge you have. By the time you begin to know the why and the how to stand up for the truth, then you will begin to see why you need to just forego somethings. There’s need for understanding.

In 1 Corinthains 9:1-3 Paul said: “Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. Mine answer to them that do examine me is this.”

Why do you seek knowledge alone, or do you want others to share in that same knowledge? It is important for you to get understanding with your knowledge. Is your quest for knowledge so that you can be better than others or is it for so you could make others better? The utmost purpose of anything a believer does, must be to build up, not just yourself but others also. The body of Christ is edified when every joint supplies what it has, not when you tear down the other party. We need love in all our dealings with people, not talking down on them to show how much we know – that attitude is by far inferior to what God is asking of us, it is the practical application of His word that He is looking for. God is indeed looking for those who would stand up for His truth in this crooked and perverse world and say yes to God and no to Satan; who will say no to bribery and corruption; say no to all forms of malpractices that we see in our society; people who would say no to indiscipline; but not doing it so that they can be seen as being better than others, but so that they can provoke others into doing likewise.

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Galatians 5:6

God wants us to stand up for the truth. With just knowledge, you will find yourself bragging about, but with understanding, you will know that there is the ‘how’ that God wants you to stand up for Him. In your preaching the gospel, which is good news, you should not just go about proclaiming God’s terror, His love comes first. He first came as a lamb, before He returns as a lion. God wants people to know about hell and His terror, but that does not come before His love; that’s why the Bible talks about grace and truth not truth and grace. Truth makes demands on you, without you having the power to do it, but grace gives you divine empowerment to do what truth is asking for.

In Mark 1:22 we read: And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

Jesus told the truth without compromise, yet there was no word of arrogance in His mouth.

The fact that you speak the truth in love does not mean that people will not take offence, so don’t kill yourself in going to compromise the truth in the name of love. Jesus did not compromise the truth even if people left because of His speaking the truth. He stated the truth, but in love. From what kind of heart do you speak the truth? God judges the heart. You can preach love with hatred in your heart.

In John 6 and Matthew 17:24-27 Jesus faced two situations and in both cases He did not compromise the truth even though His approach to dealing with them varied. In John 6, Jesus had to uncompromisingly speak the truth – “if you don’t eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you.” Some ran away and He did not care to call them back. At another time in Matthew 17:24-27, when He was asked to pay the temple tax, He told Peter to give them the money so that they would not be offended, even when Peter tried to defend Him.

When do we do that? We can only react this way when what we are compromising does not contravene the word of God. If you go to a church where they cover their heads, cover yours, it does not remove anything from your salvation. Don’t go there bareheaded to dare them or to show them that you are more knowledgeable in the word of God than they, even though you don’t need a scarf for God to hear you. We need wisdom, we need understanding, without these two, knowledge alone kills. We need to have understanding with people, be compassionate, look to their background, so as to know how to present the truth to them. You can’t reach out to somebody when you approach them with a holier-than-thou attitude, he or she would block their heart to what you’re saying.

If the way you preach to your colleague who comes to work at 9.am and signs in on the register that he came in at 7.am, is by carrying yourself about as the righteous one, you will not have a convert in that place.  People should know that you care for them, seek to understand where they are coming from. Don’t look at them as people who just choose to be rebellious or ignorant, give them the benefit of doubt, let them know what they are doing that is wrong, but in love. Also remember to give them time to change.

Are you a braggart, a boaster? Are you arrogant or ignorant? None of the two is good for you.

God has fashioned out a way for us to declare truth, and it is in speaking it in that way that we can get the expected results. “ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” 1 Peter 3:15-16

We should be able to give the answer of the hope we have in meekness and fear; not with arrogance of speech or as a braggart. We are not just called to speak the truth, but in love. That means when we speak the truth, we must be willing to be patient, for others to buy that truth.  We must be willing to “long-suffer” with people, while they are batting to live by the truth.  We must not speak it in arrogance or pride.  The declaration of truth must be by the spirit of truth and meekness. It must not be a way of self aggrandizement, but it must be to the intent that the body of Christ might be built. The truth of God must be declared with all humility and lowliness of mind, and yet uncompromisingly.

We saw how the Apostle Paul handled it before Felix, Festus and Agrippa (Acts 24-26), how in all reverence and submission to the powers that were; he declared the whole truth of God without compromise, yet without any form of arrogance in it. We must also note that there are times we are pushed to react in certain ways in declaring the truth. There was a time Paul had to boast because the people constrained him to, even though he knew it was wrong (We are supposed to be better than Paul).  God had to give Paul a thorn in the flesh. Why? Paul was so loaded in the spirit that God gave him a thorn in the flesh to match; not only so that Paul would not destroy himself, but that the very essence of his revelations might be fulfilled – the edification of the body of Christ. So anytime Paul wanted to boat and remembered the thorn in his flesh, he would just regain himself.

Excerpt from the writing of Evangelist Neal Frisby – Scroll page no. 51

There shall be a total and full redemption by Christ [we have not gotten the full redemption yet]. This is a hidden mystery not to be understood without the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

So we see that some will have revelation and for them to be able to transmit it right they must be tempered down. Just like you cannot bring high voltage electricity to your house without a step-down transformer. Something must “step the man down,” else he would be speaking above people’s heads, and it would be difficult for him to come down. Maturity is actually the ability to condescend to the low estate of those you are reaching out to, not just the ability to speak. Anybody can speak bogus English and revelations, but how many can condescend to speak to an old illiterate? If you preach and people don’t understand you, then what is the essence of your message? Knowledge puffs you up, but understanding balances knowledge. Understanding makes you know why a person is not where you are, and makes you to condescend to a man of low estate. Understanding makes you know that you can’t make a child walk at your pace because he is just learning how to walk. You need to stoop, hold his hands and lift your legs as if you were also just learning how to walk (it is usually not convenient).

Jesus is at hand to reveal the same unto all holy seekers and loving enquirers. The completion of such a redemption is withheld and abstracted by the apocalyptic seals.  Wherefore as the Spirit of God shall open seal after seal, so shall this redemption come to be revealed both particularly and universally. Scroll page 51, Neal Vincent Frisby

What is this supposed to mean? Particular people will receive it, and as they spread it, it would go around the world. So how would it have its effect, if the truth is not spoken in love.  The problem which we had in the past is that we have known the truth and it was not communicated to us in love and we are also transmitting it without love.  That is why we only can talk, we don’t have the works.  When you transmit the word without love, you only talk but have not the works.  It is divine love that will rapture the bride, not how many Scriptures you know.

Where is love in our speaking to people? where is understanding? We forget that grace brought us thus far, and we should be extensions of that grace to others and they don’t have to merit it.  They may even be arrogant, but we should be humble and bring them down to understanding.  If there is no effectual communication in love, God will not have the results He is looking for. But mind you, you cannot hold God to ransom, He has a replacement for every man. That is why it is important for us to take these things seriously, and we will be raptured, based on how much love we have. And love is not love until it is shown – that is the major problem between fathers and their children. A father can swear that he loves his child, while the child can swear that his father hates him. His father is only loving the child in his heart, there is no expression. He is too macho to show love to his child, to kiss the child, to hold him. Love is not love until it is expressed. I have found out that people cannot resist love.  Explanations and talking do little, but when loves enters, it melts everything.

In the gradual opening of the mystery of the redemption in Christ, doth consists the unsearchable wisdom of God; which may continually reveal new and fresh things to the worthy seeker. In order to which the ark of testimony in heaven shall be opened before the end of this age. And the living testimony herein contained shall be unsealed.

“THERE IS NOT AT THIS DAY (1619) visible upon the earth such a church, all profession being found light when weighed in the balances, therefore they are rejected by the supreme Judge. Which rejection will be for this cause that out of them may come a new glorious church! Then shall the glory of God in the Lamb so rest upon this typical tabernacle so that it shall be called the tabernacle of wisdom, and though it is not known in visibility yet but it shall be seen as coming out of the wilderness within a short time; then will it go to multiply and propagate itself universally, not only to the number of the first born (144,000?) But also the remnant of the seed, against whom the Dragon will make war continually.”

…there are two mysterious groups of 144,000 – One is in Rev. 7:4 which is Israel (the Jews) and they go through the Tribulation with the foolish virgins. The other mysterious group is in Rev. 14:1 called the first fruits (verse 4). These evidently are associated with the wise as a particular group. First fruits would put them ahead of the Tribulation (Jews) more will be written on this subject later.) Wherefore the Spirit of David shall revive in this church and most especially in some elect members of it as the blossoming root. These will have might given to them to overcome the Dragon, and his angels, even as David overcame Goliath and the Philistine army. Scroll page 51, Neal Vincent Frisby

We as children of God standing up for the truth, must get to the point where we carry others along.  Many have been replaced already.  God has waited too long.  He is now in a hurry to finish His work, and nobody can waste His time any more, He replaces instantly. That is why we must do His work per excellence, if you are still working on it, don’t preach it yet. Make up your mind to give God an excellent service.

Attaining this level in Christ looks very far-fetched; but my consolation is that I have not come this far in Christ by my power, so I will still get there, not by my power. My part is to contend. And if I don’t attain, it will not be that I did not contend.  God is not tricking inby asking us to do it, if we could not attain it He would not tell us to.

We need to be careful, the fact that you are right today does not mean you will be right forever; and wrong today can be right tomorrow; so we must be sober and humble.  In your arrogance there are things you still don’t know, and somebody that does not know the big things you know, may know that small thing you don’t know. If you are not humble, you will miss.  That is why you must walk in love, so that as you love those that are not at your level today, you will receive succorers when your own time comes, people who will be patient with you to take you through the things you don’t know, so that you can attain to where God wants to take you to.

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:9

Let your love to people be without pretension, without deceit, let it be plain. Don’t let it be hypocritical, like laughing with someone and then saying something else in their absence.

You must learn to condescend to people’s level, in whatever bondage they are. In education, you teach from the known to the unknown.  Do you start from the unknown so that you can appear big in the eyes of people? Many don’t have testimonies of being a Christian yet, but they go about talking about extra-biblical revelation. Jesus talked as one that had authority, He spoke on clear terms and people knew where He stood. So many of us have destroyed God’s harvest by arrogance.  A lot of us have personality problems, we only use bogous revelations that many do not know to cover our problems up. Why is it that everybody in a ministry are of the same socio-economic status? That is not of God. A pastor must have his eyes open, to the kind of people in his church. People think that being a pastor is sentimentalism – a fool, always begging people. But the Bible in Proverbs 23:4 says “….thy rod and thy staff comfort me,” which means when it is time to be tough as a pastor and you are not a terror to evil works, go and resign, you are not worth the name of being a pastor. A true pastor is happy when riddance is done to bad rubbish, because he is not after rubbish, he is after the sheep.

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:15-16

Upon all you know, the Bible says that there are somethings that you need in your life from the people you are ministering to; it may not be revelation. There is something that you need from the people you view as spiritual minors; God made it so, you cannot change it. That is why you must be humble, you must present the truth in love.  We cannot truly fellowship if we are at different levels, we must be able to condescend and bring people up to where we are, if we can’t, then we have failed God.  In our humility, God will draw the scattered flock to us to lead.  Such humble people may never be on television, yet they would know God in originality and will be most humble.  This is so because understanding balanced them.  God knows man and will not give him what he cannot handle, this goes also for our relationships.  There are relationships that God ordained for you for particular reasons, don’t throw them away. You will have some friends that cannot keep secrets, and God ordained them to be in your life, it would be suicidal for you to throw them out. What you do is to deal with them in wisdom. Don’t tell them what you don’t intend to hear on TV and they are still your friend. If you throw them out, it is suicidal because there is something they are doing in your life that is unique for which God has sent them. The best way to help them deal with their weakness is to mind what you say to them.

Without adequate knowledge and understanding, we cannot love. When we get advanced and comprehensive knowledge that is called understanding, then we can really stand up for the Truth as we teach in love.