I hear this word used to describe churches and pastors and teachers and leaders and sometimes their families. Again, it reminds me of that scene in The Princess Bride: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Or let’s say, “I don’t think you understand the implications”.

1. Amazing compared to who?

None of the rest of us are amazing? That’s discouraging. But I guess I’ll just keep donating to pay your salaries because at least you’re amazing. Then I can feel part of something amazing. Until you disappoint me. Then I’ll feel betrayed.

We’re all amazing? OK, I feel better now. We’re amazing. Yeah. But, wait. Who isn’t amazing? Oh, you’re not saying it but I think it get it: all those other churches are all average. Good thing I’m here with all the amazing people. Until they hurt me. Then I’ll be really mad.

Or, all Christians are amazing? Right! New life in Jesus. Full of the Holy Spirit. Dead to sin and alive in Christ. Living in victory. Just like all the heroes in the Bible. Actually, most of them were messed up. Fortunately, we learned from their mistakes and we are now all amazing. Except I know I’m not. So now I’m excluded. And really sad.

2. It’s hard to stay amazing

We work alongside nationals in lots of countries. We used to ask them each year how many churches they had planted. For example: 12, 27, then 42. What if they plant 5 the next year? Or zero? How easy is it to tell us that? Or do they need to be amazing again?

Troubles closer to home are harder to see. It’s sometimes numbers. But often it’s a whole stream of character flaws that we choose to make excuses for because “they’re amazing”. So they must just have too many important things on their mind to think about you.

You have to create a persona and maintain the shine. The emperor has no clothes, but if you keep using the word “amazing”, no one will dare say anything that challenges that.

3. Everyone wants you to be amazing

I work for a missions agency. Everyone wants the director to be amazing. The board wants to know they hired an amazing person. The donors want to give to an organization led by someone amazing. The staff wants to be led by someone with amazing vision. Who wants to admit that the leader isn’t that great? Why did you hire them? Why do you give to them? Why do you work for them?

It’s hard to think clearly when it’s obviously in everyone’s best interests for you to be amazing.

4. If we’re amazing, what’s God’s role?

So I just checked and yes, the NIV has 41 verses where God is amazing. There’s one story where Jesus is amazed at a person and it was because a Gentile had more faith than the Jews. So maybe he was more amazed at the Jews lack of faith.

The Bible does record one story of an amazing man (Acts 8:9-24). He was a sorcerer in Samaria that Peter described as “full of bitterness and captive to sin”.

Isn’t this kind of the whole message of the Bible? God’s amazing; we’re not.

5. It’s a subtle trap

It’s easy to see other people falling for this, but here’s my last couple of days….

I created a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) where I stated that our strength was our global network of ministry partners. I just as easily could have said “they’re amazing”. Our real strength is found in Christ.

I came home from a meeting and told my wife, “I love working with that guy. We got so much done so quickly.” Can you hear it? “He’s amazing!” or worse “We’re amazing”. What really happened is the Holy Spirit gave us revelation. I should be thanking and praising Him.

I am seeing so much potential unfolding in the team I serve. It gives me great hope for what’s possible in mission in this next decade. Yuck! They’re amazing? That’s not where our hope lies. Our hope is in Christ alone.

This is harder than it looks, but we need to strive not to be amazing.

6. It takes deliberate work to be free

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. – 1 Co 2:1-5

You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. – 1 Co 3:3-7