I have been thinking a lot about authentic Christianity lately, especially in the area of humility. When I read the gospels and look at the life of Jesus and read the book of ACTS and se the life of the early apostles, evangelists, prophets, Shepherds, it’s clear to see how they walked in true humility, self abasement and self denial. Jesus himself, being in the form of God-think about this- Jesus was GOD; he was the fullness of the godhead bodily. He was the author of life, when the world was created he was right there with God the Father and Spirit in creation and brought forth all there is, all we see and feel. He was and is and is to come. Eternal. Yet though he was God, he humbled himself not just to die, but to die on a cross, battered, marred, broken and disfigured, took the sin of humanity on himself (though he was HOLY and PERFECT) and died, cursed by men and God on the cross that we, me and you, may have LIFE and be free from sin and death.
Jesus gave up his own life, he was not forced, he didn’t have to, but LOVE, his very essence, did this for us. It’s too much to contain. That level of humility cannot be comprehended fully. His ministry on earth was in the same Spirit, Jesus came to SERVE and to GIVE and to DIE, he never Lorded it over others though he had every right to, being GOD, instead, he counted his divinity as nothing, he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped or clang to. Jesus walked on this earth with no place to lay his head, he walked on foot hundreds of miles to preach the gospel, he ate what his disciples ate, he stood in the background, did not advertise himself, he placed other interests above his own, he wrapped a towel around his waist and washed his disciples feet, an act that his disciples felt very uneasy about since they knew he was God, Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw crowds of people who did not know God, he was moved with compassion over the plight of an adulterous woman, a widowed bereaved woman whose only son had died, a Samaritan immoral woman, Mary a demon possessed sinful woman, a lying thieving tax collector, a rich fool, a dirty insane, naked demonized man, a crowd who had nothing to eat after listening to him preach for days. Jesus lived for others, not for himself or his comfort. Many times he was interrupted by crowds on his way to prayer and he took time to give them the good news.
Jesus taught his disciples that whoever wanted to be great must be the servant of all, if anyone wanted to be first he must be the slave of all. He told his disciples not to Lord it over others as the gentiles (worldly people) do, he taught them love, humility, dying to self importance and self denial and when we read the book of Acts and the epistles and see the lives of the early apostles we see the same Spirit of humility in them, they did not live to amass things, fame, credit or importance, they lived to serve, give of themselves and die! Apostle Paul gave up his right as an apostle to receive support for his ministry many times, just so that he could lead people to Jesus and teach them the Spirit of servant hood, humility and love. Though the word of God gave him the right to be supported financially and fed through his ministry, he gave up this right and worked and toiled and even helped others with his sweat even though he was busy raising up multitudes of churches and travailing night and day for them in prayer. Paul did not live an easy life, he chose a tough life, I imagine he didn’t sleep much, he didn’t rest, he didn’t have time to sit back and relax like many of us do. He didn’t have medical insurance, a beach house, country house, personal driver, investment portfolio like many of today’s preachers, he poured out his life to preach Jesus at his own emotional, physical, spiritual cost. LOVE compelled him, he never complained.
Today we see such a contrary spirit in many of us Christians, we want recognition, we want to be known, seen, heard, acknowledged, we want everyone to know what our ministry is doing, what we have accomplished, how many souls we have won today, how wonderfully anointed we are, we go out of our way to promote ourselves just to prove and show that we are servants of God. We want to be seen and heard. We use the ways of this world to “promote” the gospel. The gospel does not need promoting and neither do we, we are mere servants. He has placed this treasure in JARS of CLAY. Though Jesus spoke such things as not letting your right hand know what your left hand is doing, praying in secret, fasting incognito, giving secretly, we want everyone to know what we have done, why? It’s human pride, the self nature that always wants to be acknowledged and seen. If we did things in secret and no one knew it pains us, we feel that it’s not enough, we want someone to know, we forget that he who sees in secret is he that matters and is he that rewards, we forget that Jesus said that if we do things to be seen by men we will have no reward from our father in heaven, we shall have received our reward ( being seen by men).
We want to be congratulated and praised. “sister you led worship so beautifully”, brother, you’re so anointed, you can really peach”, “no one can preach like you, wow”, “sister, I’ve never heard anyone worship like you”, we like praise and we receive it shamelessly, we take his glory! What do we have that we did not receive? We like titles and big ‘anointed’ names. “o you’re such a mighty woman/man of God”, “ bishop” etc. we glory in these names and acknowledgement and walk puffed up with pride. We want to be the man or woman of the hour. Jesus let go of his rights, they were not important, is he not the one that said call no one father or rabbi, for you have one father, God in heaven? He knew who he was. When the a man called him “good,”, he told him” why do you call me good, there’s no one good but the father”, he gave the glory back to God.
Apostle Paul counted all the credentials and titles and honor he had as a religious leader DUNG (rubbish) after he came to know Christ. Now he gloried in calling himself “the chief of sinners”, the “least of the Apostles’, “a slave of Christ”. Paul knew who he was as well, he knew he was nothing without God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, he knew anything he was, was merely Christ in him, he deserved no glory! Why do we think we are better than Jesus, than Apostle Paul, than all the great men and women of God? They walked in great power and authority, miracles, signs & wonders, they turned the world upside down, the apostles are seated with Jesus in the heavenly council, they will judge the 12 tribes of Israel, the city of God has their names in the foundation stones, yet they counted themselves as nothing. Peter felt so unworthy to die like Christ that he chose to be crucified upside down! They became servants and slaves of all, they lived as nobodies on earth giving glory to God and now they are great in heaven, where it counts!!!!
Lord, help us to be more like you!
“Take my yoke on you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. – Jesus (Matthew 11:29)
“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.”- Jesus (Luke 17:10
In his love,
Mwendwa
Website: www.unmeritedgrace.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=552934828
