Wednesday, February 19, 2020
The essence of the Kingdom of God part 1 by Daniel wabala
Mark 1:14-15
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
The purpose of the coming of Jesus Christ primarily was not to take us to heaven, His main purpose was to establish God's reign in the world, and that is why the bible says that when he was born he was named Emmanuel meaning god with us. The angels in heaven celebrated and said ' behold now the kingdom of God is with men. God's triumph came when he reestablished his reign on earth with the birth of our Lord and saviour.
Luke 17:21 "...nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst."
In Matthew 9:35-36 we read that…
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Just from verse 35 we can see that Jesus not only had a distinct message, the good news of the Kingdom, but also that He had a distinct ministry, which illustrated that message, in healing every disease and sickness.
- Jesus had a message and a ministry.
- everything Jesus did supported everything Jesus said.
- What He said was “The Kingdom of God is at hand”.
Through his message and actions it was clear that the rule and reign of God had come into this world in fierce opposition to the ruler of this world and that He was the Anointed One set apart to destroy the ultimate power of this world, Satan, sin, death.
What He did said “The Kingdom of God is at hand”
To be continued
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
THE RELATIONAL GOD (PART 1)
Exodus 3:10-14
Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
11And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
12And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14.And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exodus 6:3 and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
In all of Life God has always been a relational God. At the core of his Agenda when creating Man was relationship. In Gen (1:27) Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...God created Man for one sole purpose: relationship. In the Garden of Eden it is recorded that God habitually visited Adam in the cool of the day just to fellowship with Him. When we don't realize this we fall short of His expectation for our lives. Indisputably God has created us in order to relate with us at a higher level than any other being that He ever created.
The first relational being failed at this but yet we still find God yearning for the same experience and all over Genesis we see him looking for someone that he would establish an intimate relationship with(John 4:23 Yet the time is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Indeed, the Father is looking for people like that to worship him.)
In Jehovah’s quest for someone who would meet His need for worship and relationship He stumbles upon Abraham in Ur of the Chaldeans. God tests Abraham at different levels to find out what was in his heart. Abraham passes the test and qualifies to become the prototype of what he would do with the future generation of the nation of Israel and the gentiles who would later become sons of God.
Genesis 22 :1 Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Genesis 22:15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me.”
By Abrahams Offering to give that which he treasured the most without seeking for public opinion. This great deed was only between him and God not even His Wife knew about it. This act earned a place in the heart of God that he became the friend of God and God declared him righteous out of this expression. Our heart has a way of reveling what is in us whether we are after God for his hand or his heart can only be revealed by what is in our hearts and that is why God says that man looks at the outside but He looks at the heart for that is where our greatest secrets and motives are hidden
God created us with the innate abilities to relate with each other so that we may be able to know and understand how to relate with Him. Consequently He has placed in our lives different levels of relationships so that we can learn to relate with him at different levels: He has given us earthly fathers so that we may learn to relate with him as our father, earthly mothers so that we may understand his nurturing capabilities and earthly lovers so that we may learn to relate with Him as our Lover and Friends so that We may Esteem him as the friend who sticks closer than a brother. Undoubtedly our Heavenly father is a Relational God!
In the opening scripture above we encounter the children of Israel who are in bondage are sighing for reason of their taskmaster. The children of Israel while growing up had heard a lot of yarns about the God of their forefathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob .Relating it with their present circumstance in Bondage -it did not make sense. The bible says that they kept on crying to Him day and night until their cry reached God and he remembered his covenant. Right around that same time there was a fugitive in the name of Moses who had given up on His youthful dream of liberating the Israelite and had retreated and relegated himself to taking care of his father in law's sheep. He was so engrossed in his new found occupation that God has to distract him with a spectacle to behold- the burning bush that wasn't getting consumed. At the back side of the desert God appears to Him and commissions him to go and deliver the children of Israel from bondage. Of course Moses knowing how the old sages who used to recount the oracles of God were knew what to expect. He knew that these same sages who acted as leaders for nation of Israel would demand to know what kind of God He was referring to that had sent him. At that particular time time the whole world was into idolatry which meant that the existing religion of the time had different kinds of God for different purposes.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Unless A Grain Of Wheat Falls On The Ground And Dies It Abides Alone
Unless A Grain Of Wheat Falls On The Ground And Dies It Abides Alone
John 12:24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
The above portion of scripture is laden with a lot of great truths. One of the principles that govern the world we live in today is the principle of seed time and harvest time. What is amazing is that all seeds have a process to go through before they can bring forth fruits and our Lord speaking on this subject highlighted the importance of the seed dying first before it can bring forth more seeds or fruit for that matter. As a believer there is no harder process than the process of having to sit back and watch your seed die, yet unless it dies it will abide alone. Whatever seeds you have been sowing give them time to die first before you ca n expect any form of harvest .a lot of time when our precious seeds are in the process of dying; money, resources, habits, selfish desires, it is usually painful to us. This is the kind of feeling you get when you sow your money, time , resources, life, good deeds ….you don’t get anything back at that same instance and because we live in a world of instant coffee , instant, tea, instant money and instant everything you will almost feel like whatever you scattered went to waste.
Psalm 126:6.He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [with him].
Sowing is never a pleasant experience…it is never joyful, it is painful yet if one can endure through this process of sowing and lose whatever you are holding, then undoubtedly after some amount of time through endurance you shall be able to come back with rejoicing carrying with you a harvest but the principle remains’ …unless a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die it abides alone. God also expects us to allow him to break us so that the life of Christ can also be manifested from us. We are jars of clay but within us we carry great treasure that can only come when we are exposed to painful circumstances
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
God is out to do us good but in the meanwhile we are expected to endure trials, persecution , pain, because what these things does to us is that they crush us and breaks our outer man so that the life of God that is hidden in our inner man, the spirit man can be exposed to the world and cause us to be a blessing to others but if we are adamant to die to self then we will not be fruitful in our service to God and will not bring fruit to God…unless a grain of wheat falls onto the ground and die…..It abides alone
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Rediscovering The Pearl of Servanthood Book Review
True servanthood that all should strive for, places great emphasis on service rather than recognition and titles
Reviewed by Nicholas Asego of ‘The Standard’ newspaper
The call to servanthood is a tough one for all mortals. While it remains one of the highest calls in life, rank or title, servanthood is the least admirable trait to many. It is this disturbing trait that the author sets out to correct and inspire many the pearl that is in servanthood .In this life characterized by a lifestyle commonly referred to as rat race, the majority’s desire is always to find the key to success that will ensure he or she ahead of his colleagues, peers or even snooping relatives
“Most people have their eyes on success and majority will do anything to achieve it,” writes the author. Daniel Wabala in Rediscovering The Pearl Of Servanthood sets to find out what true servanthood involves and explains away the misconception that many have regarding being a servant.
According to the author, servanthood is highest model of life, despite the worlds attempt to try and make it like the lowliest kind of life. People just need to try and rediscover, redefine and understand what makes it a fundamental virtue.
One of the key characteristics of servanthood is self denial, the ability to think of the good of others before oneself. This is in great contrast to what the author calls the self –syndrome that is behind most of the ills in the society including corruption.
“This is the reason someone would amass and hoard a lot of wealth for himself through corrupt means at the expense of many people languishing in abject poverty”, writes the author. In pursuing servanthood it is imperative for one to position himself or herself at a place of sacrificing their own interest for themselves and others.
Another shining light of servanthood is that servants don’t impose their authority on others despite the overwhelming temptation to do that.” in most institutions today, you don’t have to ask who is in authority, they are readily visible,” observes the author.
Many get their satisfaction and gratification from literally “throwing their weight and rank around”. Yet this “boss” mentality is a hindrance to meaningful relationships where people can mentor each other .This aspect robs humans of the right to use their own faculty of responsibility and accountability and instead creates fear insecurity and manipulation that negatively interfere with performance.
Servanthood has everything to do with humility. Its one of the principles that defies the worlds rule on greatness and has also been the waterloo of many politicians “serving others will not strip you of your rank, title or position; that view is held by insecure people who feel that they have to perform to appear to be in authority .” This was perhaps best exemplified by former US president Ronald Regan after the assassination attempt.
While recuperating in hospital the still weak president went down on his hands to wipe the water that he had accidentally spilled on the floor. The most powerful man in the free world didn’t want to bother his aides or his nurses for a problem he had caused’. This meekness, which according to the dictionary is strength under control. Meekness for a leader means setting strides that are comfortable for others and helping them catch up with you.
While everybody is obsessed with titles, true servants are not title seekers. Watchmen and cooks would rather be called security personnel and food specialist respectively.”…The value of one is not in the job and responsibility you fulfill”, cautions the author. Though the author declares that he’s not opposed to titles, he cautions that they can be a snare especially when conceived from the wrong motives.
The true servanthood that all should strive for places great emphasis on service rather than recognition and titles.
The author attributes many failures in leadership both political and even in the church to lack of faithfulness, again a key component in servanthood.
“Many people will only behave well when there is someone watching; that is why we have people who normally develop two faces, one in public and the other for the private life,” he writes. The lack of this vital component is greatly responsible for marital breakups, failure of business partnerships, bitterness in friendships etc. The tragedy of our society is that it has discarded faithfulness and all related words like commitment, loyalty, reliability and integrity.
In a chapter entitled “servants bear the heat of the day” the author takes a look at Nelson Mandela one of the Africa’s leading statesmen. His rise to becoming one of the most significant black leaders in South Africa and a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement was due to the fact that he constantly and consistently refused to compromise his political position in order to obtain his personal freedom. He was willing to bear the heat of the day to see his people liberated.
Another example is martin Luther who endured numerous police arrests and other difficulties few would be willing to undergo. Yet their unselfish acts earned the freedom that no money could buy for many. True servants are willing to endure difficulties in their service for their masters. Like in the case of both Mandela and Luther their master was the struggle for freedom for the people.
These are just some of the principles on servanthood shared by the author, a reading of the book will reveal more. Drawing examples from the bible and the contemporary world, it is ideal for both practicing and aspiring leaders. Given its candidness, explicitness, depth and penetrating revelation, Rediscovering the Pearl of Servanthood will definitely help the reader unravel the rare gem only found in servanthood
This book can be ordered from amazon.com,barnesandnoble.com and walmart.com
Reviewed by Nicholas Asego of ‘The Standard’ newspaper
The call to servanthood is a tough one for all mortals. While it remains one of the highest calls in life, rank or title, servanthood is the least admirable trait to many. It is this disturbing trait that the author sets out to correct and inspire many the pearl that is in servanthood .In this life characterized by a lifestyle commonly referred to as rat race, the majority’s desire is always to find the key to success that will ensure he or she ahead of his colleagues, peers or even snooping relatives
“Most people have their eyes on success and majority will do anything to achieve it,” writes the author. Daniel Wabala in Rediscovering The Pearl Of Servanthood sets to find out what true servanthood involves and explains away the misconception that many have regarding being a servant.
According to the author, servanthood is highest model of life, despite the worlds attempt to try and make it like the lowliest kind of life. People just need to try and rediscover, redefine and understand what makes it a fundamental virtue.
One of the key characteristics of servanthood is self denial, the ability to think of the good of others before oneself. This is in great contrast to what the author calls the self –syndrome that is behind most of the ills in the society including corruption.
“This is the reason someone would amass and hoard a lot of wealth for himself through corrupt means at the expense of many people languishing in abject poverty”, writes the author. In pursuing servanthood it is imperative for one to position himself or herself at a place of sacrificing their own interest for themselves and others.
Another shining light of servanthood is that servants don’t impose their authority on others despite the overwhelming temptation to do that.” in most institutions today, you don’t have to ask who is in authority, they are readily visible,” observes the author.
Many get their satisfaction and gratification from literally “throwing their weight and rank around”. Yet this “boss” mentality is a hindrance to meaningful relationships where people can mentor each other .This aspect robs humans of the right to use their own faculty of responsibility and accountability and instead creates fear insecurity and manipulation that negatively interfere with performance.
Servanthood has everything to do with humility. Its one of the principles that defies the worlds rule on greatness and has also been the waterloo of many politicians “serving others will not strip you of your rank, title or position; that view is held by insecure people who feel that they have to perform to appear to be in authority .” This was perhaps best exemplified by former US president Ronald Regan after the assassination attempt.
While recuperating in hospital the still weak president went down on his hands to wipe the water that he had accidentally spilled on the floor. The most powerful man in the free world didn’t want to bother his aides or his nurses for a problem he had caused’. This meekness, which according to the dictionary is strength under control. Meekness for a leader means setting strides that are comfortable for others and helping them catch up with you.
While everybody is obsessed with titles, true servants are not title seekers. Watchmen and cooks would rather be called security personnel and food specialist respectively.”…The value of one is not in the job and responsibility you fulfill”, cautions the author. Though the author declares that he’s not opposed to titles, he cautions that they can be a snare especially when conceived from the wrong motives.
The true servanthood that all should strive for places great emphasis on service rather than recognition and titles.
The author attributes many failures in leadership both political and even in the church to lack of faithfulness, again a key component in servanthood.
“Many people will only behave well when there is someone watching; that is why we have people who normally develop two faces, one in public and the other for the private life,” he writes. The lack of this vital component is greatly responsible for marital breakups, failure of business partnerships, bitterness in friendships etc. The tragedy of our society is that it has discarded faithfulness and all related words like commitment, loyalty, reliability and integrity.
In a chapter entitled “servants bear the heat of the day” the author takes a look at Nelson Mandela one of the Africa’s leading statesmen. His rise to becoming one of the most significant black leaders in South Africa and a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement was due to the fact that he constantly and consistently refused to compromise his political position in order to obtain his personal freedom. He was willing to bear the heat of the day to see his people liberated.
Another example is martin Luther who endured numerous police arrests and other difficulties few would be willing to undergo. Yet their unselfish acts earned the freedom that no money could buy for many. True servants are willing to endure difficulties in their service for their masters. Like in the case of both Mandela and Luther their master was the struggle for freedom for the people.
These are just some of the principles on servanthood shared by the author, a reading of the book will reveal more. Drawing examples from the bible and the contemporary world, it is ideal for both practicing and aspiring leaders. Given its candidness, explicitness, depth and penetrating revelation, Rediscovering the Pearl of Servanthood will definitely help the reader unravel the rare gem only found in servanthood
This book can be ordered from amazon.com,barnesandnoble.com and walmart.com
Sunday, January 28, 2007
A SERVANTS ATTITUDE
Over and over in the Gospels, Jesus reinforces the idea that the Kingdom of Heaven is different from the kingdoms of the world. For instance to be great in the Kingdom of God, one must be like a little child, one must be the servant of all, one must be the least.
This is hard for us to do as human beings. We have a lot of pride. We don’t like to be weak, powerless and used. We really don’t care for the idea of being servants. Yet that is what the Bible calls all of us to do.
How can you tell if you have a servant attitude?
By the way you act when you are treated like one.
The first job that I had immediately after High school was selling doughnuts—I used to spend considerable time vending this goods from my small confectionery to shop owners. This to me seemed to be like one of the lowest jobs….I couldn’t even talk about it to my friend s in church and some times when I met them I would want to hide .My customers also used to think I am at their mercy and so some times they could be rude fussy and even arrogant at the way they treated me. This really used to get to my nerves some times I also had to develop some instincts like them to survive. Some days it was all I could do to keep from screaming at people, “Don’t you realize who I am? I don’t have to be doing this. I’m only here because I am waiting to join some college. I’m not just some moron you can push around and scream at!” But I didn’t. Most of the time, I just complained to my mother after the exercise and just let it go.
What does it mean to be a servant? Ephesians 5:21 gives us the Big Picture: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
What a short verse, but that says so much. How much trouble, hurt feelings and divisions in our church could be avoided if we all just took this verse to heart and lived by it? This verse comes before all those troublesome teachings of Paul toward husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves. Man, those teachings are hard to swallow for us thoroughly modern 21st-century enlightened people!
We don’t want to submit to anyone or anything — not masters, not a parent, not a spouse, and certainly not to God. That’s our sinful nature. That’s the root of our sin. We want our own way and we don’t much care who gets hurt as long as we get it.
And so, serving others can’t possibly come from our flesh. It can only from the power of the Holy Spirit to love others. Why do we submit to one another? Out of reverence for Christ. Don’t think of it as submitting to your husband, or your boss, or your pastor, or that troublemaker on the worship committee … give up having your own way as you would yield to Christ.
Eph. 6:5-9
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
“And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”
The slave is a person who is not his own, but his master’s purchased property. And are we not purchased by God by the price of His Son’s blood? The slave’s only business is to do as he is told. This means, first of all, that we are slaves of our Lord. But to be slaves of Christ, He tells us that we must be the slaves of our fellow servants.
What does submission look like? How far does it go? Well, the standard is pretty high.
Phil. 2:5-8
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”
You and I have no choice about being obedient to death. We can try to stave it off, but inevitably we will die physically. Not so for Jesus. He really could have come down from the cross if he wanted. He could have commanded a legion of angels to save him. But he didn’t. So he could be our Servant and our Savior.
Jesus knew who he was. He knew that he was God the Son, second Person of the Trinity, the Word made flesh. But Jesus didn’t grasp for the honor that was due to him as God. He submitted his will to the Father’s and became a man and sacrificed himself on our behalf.
Our problem so many times with having a servant attitude is that we somehow feel that our rights will be violated. It hurts our pride. But here’s the thing: You are no less the person God created you to be when you allow yourself to become a servant. You haven’t lost anything. You aren’t less of a person. It’s your attitude, not your latitude.
When the apostle Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta, we read in Acts 28, it was raining and cold, but Paul went to help gather brushwood for the fire. He could have easily left that for the islanders to do — after all, he’d just survived a terrible shipwreck — but he made himself as one of them, not as a special guest. It’s a very concrete example of Paul putting others before himself.
Dwight Moody was probably the greatest U.S. evangelist of the 19th century, the Billy Graham of his time. Once a group of pastors from Europe came to Massachusetts to attend one of Moody’s Bible conferences. Following a European custom, the guests put their shoes outside their rooms to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But this being America, there were no hall servants.
Walking down the halls that night, Moody noticed the shoes. He didn’t want these guest pastors to be embarrassed. He mentioned the need to some ministerial students, but nobody wanted to help. So Moody gathered up the shoes himself, took them to his room and cleaned and polished them.
When the foreign visitors found their clean shoes the next morning, they had no idea who had done the work. Moody was a powerful preacher who attracted tens of thousands to his sermons. Surely preaching is a more valuable service to the people of God than shining shoes. But Moody didn’t see it that way. He had a servant’s heart, and whatever he did, he did it as unto the Lord.
Wherever we are, the work we do is a service to God. If we work at home, we honor the Lord by preparing meals, cleaning house, working in the yard and making home repairs.
If we are employed outside the home, we honor God and serve Him by serving our bosses well. In a sense, they are our “earthly masters.” It does not matter whether they are Christians or not, or whether our work directly furthers the Kingdom of God or not. It serves God and others when we do our work as unto the Lord.
Think of the example of Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were taken into exile by Babylon and forced to be trained for 3 years for the king’s service. But they submitted themselves to the king’s training except in one area — the observance of God’s dietary laws. They insisted on being faithful to God and God rewarded their integrity.
Daniel 1:17-21
“To these four young men, God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. And Daniel remained there until the first year of king Cyrus.”
Daniel and his friends could have seen the Babylonian king as their enemy — he had after all conquered their country and taken them into exile. But instead they used the gifts of wisdom and learning that God gave them to serve the king.
In our own lives, we may have bosses we don’t especially like. We may have to work with people here at church who don’t go along with the way we want to do things. But it is important for us to see God’s hand at work in these things. And to accept that he has put us under certain authorities for a reason. Just because Nebuchadnezzar was not a believer in the God of the Jews didn’t mean God couldn’t use him to carry out His plans.
So to sum up, following Jesus is to be a servant in whatever we do. Pray that God grants us the power of his Spirit to live as people who are not their own. Pray that our relationships with one another in the church begin to demonstrate this to the outside world. What a different face the church would present to the world. A glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
This is hard for us to do as human beings. We have a lot of pride. We don’t like to be weak, powerless and used. We really don’t care for the idea of being servants. Yet that is what the Bible calls all of us to do.
How can you tell if you have a servant attitude?
By the way you act when you are treated like one.
The first job that I had immediately after High school was selling doughnuts—I used to spend considerable time vending this goods from my small confectionery to shop owners. This to me seemed to be like one of the lowest jobs….I couldn’t even talk about it to my friend s in church and some times when I met them I would want to hide .My customers also used to think I am at their mercy and so some times they could be rude fussy and even arrogant at the way they treated me. This really used to get to my nerves some times I also had to develop some instincts like them to survive. Some days it was all I could do to keep from screaming at people, “Don’t you realize who I am? I don’t have to be doing this. I’m only here because I am waiting to join some college. I’m not just some moron you can push around and scream at!” But I didn’t. Most of the time, I just complained to my mother after the exercise and just let it go.
What does it mean to be a servant? Ephesians 5:21 gives us the Big Picture: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
What a short verse, but that says so much. How much trouble, hurt feelings and divisions in our church could be avoided if we all just took this verse to heart and lived by it? This verse comes before all those troublesome teachings of Paul toward husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves. Man, those teachings are hard to swallow for us thoroughly modern 21st-century enlightened people!
We don’t want to submit to anyone or anything — not masters, not a parent, not a spouse, and certainly not to God. That’s our sinful nature. That’s the root of our sin. We want our own way and we don’t much care who gets hurt as long as we get it.
And so, serving others can’t possibly come from our flesh. It can only from the power of the Holy Spirit to love others. Why do we submit to one another? Out of reverence for Christ. Don’t think of it as submitting to your husband, or your boss, or your pastor, or that troublemaker on the worship committee … give up having your own way as you would yield to Christ.
Eph. 6:5-9
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
“And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”
The slave is a person who is not his own, but his master’s purchased property. And are we not purchased by God by the price of His Son’s blood? The slave’s only business is to do as he is told. This means, first of all, that we are slaves of our Lord. But to be slaves of Christ, He tells us that we must be the slaves of our fellow servants.
What does submission look like? How far does it go? Well, the standard is pretty high.
Phil. 2:5-8
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”
You and I have no choice about being obedient to death. We can try to stave it off, but inevitably we will die physically. Not so for Jesus. He really could have come down from the cross if he wanted. He could have commanded a legion of angels to save him. But he didn’t. So he could be our Servant and our Savior.
Jesus knew who he was. He knew that he was God the Son, second Person of the Trinity, the Word made flesh. But Jesus didn’t grasp for the honor that was due to him as God. He submitted his will to the Father’s and became a man and sacrificed himself on our behalf.
Our problem so many times with having a servant attitude is that we somehow feel that our rights will be violated. It hurts our pride. But here’s the thing: You are no less the person God created you to be when you allow yourself to become a servant. You haven’t lost anything. You aren’t less of a person. It’s your attitude, not your latitude.
When the apostle Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta, we read in Acts 28, it was raining and cold, but Paul went to help gather brushwood for the fire. He could have easily left that for the islanders to do — after all, he’d just survived a terrible shipwreck — but he made himself as one of them, not as a special guest. It’s a very concrete example of Paul putting others before himself.
Dwight Moody was probably the greatest U.S. evangelist of the 19th century, the Billy Graham of his time. Once a group of pastors from Europe came to Massachusetts to attend one of Moody’s Bible conferences. Following a European custom, the guests put their shoes outside their rooms to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But this being America, there were no hall servants.
Walking down the halls that night, Moody noticed the shoes. He didn’t want these guest pastors to be embarrassed. He mentioned the need to some ministerial students, but nobody wanted to help. So Moody gathered up the shoes himself, took them to his room and cleaned and polished them.
When the foreign visitors found their clean shoes the next morning, they had no idea who had done the work. Moody was a powerful preacher who attracted tens of thousands to his sermons. Surely preaching is a more valuable service to the people of God than shining shoes. But Moody didn’t see it that way. He had a servant’s heart, and whatever he did, he did it as unto the Lord.
Wherever we are, the work we do is a service to God. If we work at home, we honor the Lord by preparing meals, cleaning house, working in the yard and making home repairs.
If we are employed outside the home, we honor God and serve Him by serving our bosses well. In a sense, they are our “earthly masters.” It does not matter whether they are Christians or not, or whether our work directly furthers the Kingdom of God or not. It serves God and others when we do our work as unto the Lord.
Think of the example of Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were taken into exile by Babylon and forced to be trained for 3 years for the king’s service. But they submitted themselves to the king’s training except in one area — the observance of God’s dietary laws. They insisted on being faithful to God and God rewarded their integrity.
Daniel 1:17-21
“To these four young men, God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. And Daniel remained there until the first year of king Cyrus.”
Daniel and his friends could have seen the Babylonian king as their enemy — he had after all conquered their country and taken them into exile. But instead they used the gifts of wisdom and learning that God gave them to serve the king.
In our own lives, we may have bosses we don’t especially like. We may have to work with people here at church who don’t go along with the way we want to do things. But it is important for us to see God’s hand at work in these things. And to accept that he has put us under certain authorities for a reason. Just because Nebuchadnezzar was not a believer in the God of the Jews didn’t mean God couldn’t use him to carry out His plans.
So to sum up, following Jesus is to be a servant in whatever we do. Pray that God grants us the power of his Spirit to live as people who are not their own. Pray that our relationships with one another in the church begin to demonstrate this to the outside world. What a different face the church would present to the world. A glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
The secret to greatness
Matthew 20:26
In politics, the paths to success and significance are paved with the right contacts, the right connections, and the right contributions. In Nairobi that is my hometown for the past 20 years, a series of investigations and indictments have unearthed the seamier side of this cycle--political favors and premium jobs doled out in exchange for campaign funds and other perks. Sadly, the common defense in most of these cases is, “That’s just politics. It’s how things are done.” As one comedian aptly put it, “You know it’s cold in Nairobi when the politicians have their hands in their own pockets!”
Actually, from an earth-side point of view, there may be some advantages to a “political” approach to life. Our world is all about “who you know” and “What have you done for me lately?” We are primed early on to look out for ourselves and to do whatever it takes to not miss our big break.
But if you see yourself as a follower of Christ, that kind of thinking bears little resemblance to His life and teaching. Take for instance the encounter that Jesus had with two of His most committed disciples. An encounter that only goes to prove that even the best of us can still have those political instincts alive and well deep inside.
James and John grab for the brass ring as they try to cash in on some relational capital. Matthew 20:21 suggests that James and John may have convinced their mother to petition Jesus for some plumb cabinet positions in the new kingdom: “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” Wow, what a bold request! But if you don’t stick up for yourself, who will?
What were these guys thinking? Probably the same kinds of thoughts that cross our minds as we think about our role in Jesus’ plan. “I’m sure I could be doing that job much better than that person. When is God going to entrust that kind of position to me?” “Serve as an usher? No thanks, but don’t forget to call me when that elder position is open.”
“I’m really bummed that I have done all of this and no one has even offered a word of thanks.”
“If I’m nice to him I can leverage our relationship to get ahead.” “We’ve had them over for dinner twice, and they have never included us in anything!”
Sound familiar? Sadly, I don’t think I’m alone in battling the inborn desire to be noticed, to be affirmed and to feel significant. Scripture records that the other disciples were visibly ticked at James and John’s request—probably because they had beaten them to the punch and used their mother in the process. Talk about unfair leveraging of relationships!
The cure for this disease of “Hey! How about me” self-promotionitis is found in the response of Christ when He said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matt. 20:26).
A servant? The one who quietly and humbly submits to and serves the desires of others regardless of personal recognition? Doesn’t sound like the politician’s path to greatness or the world’s path to significance, does it?
But it’s the path Jesus took. Before going all the way to the cross He told His disciples, “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). If we’re striving to be like Him, no task is beneath us, no person is below us, and no legitimate sacrifice is too great. From Jesus’ point of view, servanthood is the path to significance. As a friend of mine says, “In the kingdom, the way up is down!”
Let’s drop the old “What will others do for me?” routine and get on with serving others as Jesus served us.
In politics, the paths to success and significance are paved with the right contacts, the right connections, and the right contributions. In Nairobi that is my hometown for the past 20 years, a series of investigations and indictments have unearthed the seamier side of this cycle--political favors and premium jobs doled out in exchange for campaign funds and other perks. Sadly, the common defense in most of these cases is, “That’s just politics. It’s how things are done.” As one comedian aptly put it, “You know it’s cold in Nairobi when the politicians have their hands in their own pockets!”
Actually, from an earth-side point of view, there may be some advantages to a “political” approach to life. Our world is all about “who you know” and “What have you done for me lately?” We are primed early on to look out for ourselves and to do whatever it takes to not miss our big break.
But if you see yourself as a follower of Christ, that kind of thinking bears little resemblance to His life and teaching. Take for instance the encounter that Jesus had with two of His most committed disciples. An encounter that only goes to prove that even the best of us can still have those political instincts alive and well deep inside.
James and John grab for the brass ring as they try to cash in on some relational capital. Matthew 20:21 suggests that James and John may have convinced their mother to petition Jesus for some plumb cabinet positions in the new kingdom: “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” Wow, what a bold request! But if you don’t stick up for yourself, who will?
What were these guys thinking? Probably the same kinds of thoughts that cross our minds as we think about our role in Jesus’ plan. “I’m sure I could be doing that job much better than that person. When is God going to entrust that kind of position to me?” “Serve as an usher? No thanks, but don’t forget to call me when that elder position is open.”
“I’m really bummed that I have done all of this and no one has even offered a word of thanks.”
“If I’m nice to him I can leverage our relationship to get ahead.” “We’ve had them over for dinner twice, and they have never included us in anything!”
Sound familiar? Sadly, I don’t think I’m alone in battling the inborn desire to be noticed, to be affirmed and to feel significant. Scripture records that the other disciples were visibly ticked at James and John’s request—probably because they had beaten them to the punch and used their mother in the process. Talk about unfair leveraging of relationships!
The cure for this disease of “Hey! How about me” self-promotionitis is found in the response of Christ when He said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matt. 20:26).
A servant? The one who quietly and humbly submits to and serves the desires of others regardless of personal recognition? Doesn’t sound like the politician’s path to greatness or the world’s path to significance, does it?
But it’s the path Jesus took. Before going all the way to the cross He told His disciples, “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). If we’re striving to be like Him, no task is beneath us, no person is below us, and no legitimate sacrifice is too great. From Jesus’ point of view, servanthood is the path to significance. As a friend of mine says, “In the kingdom, the way up is down!”
Let’s drop the old “What will others do for me?” routine and get on with serving others as Jesus served us.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
SERVANTHOOD-The mark of greatness!
Christian servanthood is given to us by example throughout the entire Bible revealing a wonderful lifestyle filled with blessings and opportunities to see lives changed as never seen before. Living out our perception of how Christ lived, as a servant to others, is the ultimate example after which we ought to fashion our lives. When we figure out what it means to lead by serving, this is when we truly understand what servanthood was meant to be.
We have been shown how to lead by people who gave examples of serving throughout many different generations and in many ways. Servanthood in the Bible is shown through numerous examples of both women and men, both in the Bible and in the church's history; people such as Dorcas who sewed garments for the poor, and Martha who served almost to a fault, or Paul who gave an entire life in service spreading the gospel of Christ whom He met years after He had ascended to Heaven. These and many others showed what it meant to do good deeds of kindness, sacrificing personal time and resources for others without ever expecting to be repaid. But it all started with the life of Christ - the one who has shown us the meaning of a true servant. Jesus took the form of a servant, while proclaiming the status as the Son of God the whole time, choosing to serve rather than be served. This is the example that we ought to live our lives after; the embodiment of Christian servanthood. When He washed the disciples feet, we saw what a Christian attitude is supposed to be - humbling oneself, disregarding status, and meeting the immediate needs of others. When Christ would show up at tax collectors homes or take the day to spend with unlovely or undesirable people, we saw the Christian example we are to embody in action.
The beautiful thing about Christ is His leading by example and showing the true life of servanthood. Servanthood in the Bible meant putting others before oneself no matter what. At no time did Christ proclaim himself better than anyone else, although on every occasion the heart of Christ showed others what is meant to truly 'love'. No one could deny that the servanthood of Jesus because they saw it every day. Our lives can become much more meaningful and with purpose if we are willing to give our whole selves to the service of the Lord without looking back. Only then can we truly experience the abundant life God has for us. For more insight into God's plan for us, visit these Bible resources.
This godly lifestyle must be considered as something incredibly important. Christian servanthood can manifest itself in our daily lives if we are willing to lead by serving. We must show others the example shown us in the Bible and how it can be lived out in today's world. When we become godly servants, we must look past ourselves and see only the Lord. Our focus must be in the right place. Only then can we truly experience what the Lord has for us in serving.
We need to look at the Lord to see where we are being led us as we seek to live such a life. Only when we get our focus correctly, will we be able to see who He is with a greater understanding. He will show us how to completely deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. When we do that, he will lead us to a place of peace and contentment in any circumstance. The Lord can show us what we need to see by His Spirit, who will provide the understanding of who he is and how we can use our personal spiritual and physical gifts so we can more effectively serve others. We can do small things of serving others by simple things such as taking time to speak to or provide them with a meal. Sometimes giving someone time to talk and be listened to or even just sitting with them are some of the greatest ways that we can honor the Lord by serving.
Christ is the best example of demonstrating Christian servanthood the way it is meant to be in God's eyes. Being a true servant is seeing people as opportunity for a relationship rather than just as needy people we walk by every day. Being able to see them with Christ's eyes will show them His presence within the depths of our hearts. Serving others is one of the most effective ways to lead them to the Lord. Many forget or ignore this command of the Christian life, but it is best to show others Christ through actions rather than words. "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who...made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:3-5,7).
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