Discovering THE PHARISEE WITHIN ME . . .

2009-04-30T18:37:00.000-04:00

I was really surprised, a few years back, to discover that I was like the Pharisees in some ways. I was a pastor at the time, and very committed to my Christian faith (and I still am). So I was shocked to find that I might be like those guys! After all, the Pharisees were the notorious bad guys of the New Testament. Jesus was always confronting them on one thing or another--things like hypocrisy, judgmentalism, and self-righteous pride. But did you know:

(1) Most of the Pharisees were passionate about following God faithfully, and they thought they were serving him well. In fact:

(2) The Pharisees developed out of a great revival movement a few centuries before Christ.

(3) The Pharisees were guilty of at least a dozen other, more subtle errors that I've pinpointed so far, and that are common among Christians today (in all denominations). I know, because I've fallen into most of them myself at one time or another!

How did the Pharisees go so far downhill in just a few generations? And how can we avoid making the same mistakes? To answer these questions, I just finished writing a book on this subject: The Pharisee within Me: My Journey from Legalism to Grace. It addresses over a dozen pharisaic problems that are common among Christians today. Then it shows each problem as Jesus confronted it in the New Testament, and then shares both biblical and practical solutions to help us overcome these issues. These truths have been transformational in my own life, and many others have found the same results. Also, the book is written for both personal and small group use, including discussion questions and journal pages.

To learn more about the book, including a free look inside, go to www.waynehobbes.com.

To order the book, click here: www.amazon.com or here:
http://www.amazon.com/Pharisee-within-Me-Journey-Legalism/dp/1439229538/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241130762&sr=8-1

Meanwhile, I will post further thoughts here in the months to come.We'll cover some other aspects of Phariseeism, additional examples I encounter, and your own reactions to the book as you read it and wrestle with the issues there, as I have wrestled with them. Be sure to post your thoughts here, and tell a friend about this site. You can also email me at info@waynehobbes.com).

In God's amazing grace,
Wayne Hobbes
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

PS If you want to exchange links to your own site, email me at the address above. Let's network!