Humility & Anxiety in Christian Service

Philippians 2 is often called the Kenosis passage because it describes Jesus as emptying Himself. He “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” The word kenosis means empty or nothing, and the idea is key to understanding and solving the issues of humility and anxiety in Christian ministry (See the recent How to Insult Your Pastor Creatively).

Near the beginning of this passage (Philippians 2:3), Paul says, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” The word “rivalry” is “found before NT times only in Aristotle, where it denotes a self-seeking pursuit of political office by unfair means” (BDAG). In this passage, Paul is considering the improper seeking of church office. The word “conceit,” better translated “vainglory” (KJV), is κενοδοξία—from κενός (nothing) and δόξα (glory). It is nothing-glory. Paul is concerned here with people seeking church office on the basis of nothing-glory.

We’ll look at the whole chapter to understand the difference between nothing-glory and real-glory. And in doing so, we’ll see humility and anxiety and how to deal with them in our ministries.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:4)

Through humility, nothingness, Jesus gave glory to God. John’s Gospel shows us Jesus in His humility.

So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. ¹⁷ If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. ¹⁸ The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. (John 7:16)

Note a couple things: Jesus did—in the midst of His humility, His nothingness—presume to teach. He corrected the doctrinal understanding of those around him. He taught the religious authorities as well as those under those authorities. Second, Jesus, in (and because of) His humility, did not teach by His own authority. Instead, He defined evil pride as the desire to speak on one’s own authority.

We must understand these because they define the Jesus-model of humility. The humility of Jesus did not say, “I don’t have anything to contribute. I’ll be silent.” It said, “I don’t have anything to contribute; I will speak the words of God the Father—not my own.”

Paul’s Concern

Now we’re going to see Paul talking about his own anxiety related to his service. He is concerned about whether his service is nothing-glory or real-glory, and he gives us a solution for this concern.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you … . [live out your faith], so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:12-16)

Paul is concerned that his own service has been a waste—not real-glory, not the grace of God working in his service to the church—but instead, “vain,” nothing. He again uses the word κενός (kenosis). I hope you see the anxiety Paul is confessing, so you can see it in your current elders, pastors, and teachers, and can foresee it in your future elders, pastors, and teachers.

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:17)

In both 17 and 18, Paul says “rejoice” and “rejoice together.” Paul is rejoicing by himself. He also hopes to be rejoicing with the Philippians.

Those who serve as elders (pastors) agree to spend their lives in service to the church. Paul says he’s happy (“glad”) and rejoices to do that. Can you imagine the feeling of being a pastor and only at the end, or only after years of service, finding out that your service was not appreciated—that the church you served didn’t grow and didn’t rejoice with you?

There’s always a lingering doubt about whether our service is real-glory—done by the grace of God for the glory of God—or if it has been nothing-glory, done for our own glory.

This passage helps us see the anxiety and fear involved in teaching and leadership. 1 Corinthians helps as well. Paul is dealing with the knowledge that the Corinthian church is in-fighting about whether they are followers of Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas. He defends his Apostleship and expresses his own struggle with the ego and humility and anxiety that go with his service to the churches. Further, in Galatians 2 Paul asks for his teaching to be reviewed by others (Gal 2:2) “in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.”

Joy & the Response of the Saints

Paul’s first answer to ministry anxiety is his own joy in service. “I have sacrificed my life. And I’m glad I did because I have joy in it.” We all look at our own lives and see spiritual gifts. Then we use those gifts and hope we do it to the benefit of our church. But in spite of our own joy, the doubt and anxiety linger.

Paul’s second answer is the response of the saints in Philippi. He longs for the church body to together-rejoice in his service. This word, translated “rejoice with you” (v.17) and “rejoice with me” (v.18), is συγχαίρω (with-rejoice). Paul says that he does rejoice-with-them and that they should rejoice-with-him.

Is the rejoicing mutual? He hopes so. He gives them the imperative; they should co-rejoice. The response of the Philippian saints is found in word, but also in deed. Verses 12-16 are a plea that they live out their faith so that he will know his work wasn’t nothing.

In summary, there are two methods of settling our anxiety. First, the one who seeks real-glory must have the mind of Christ in that they must empty themselves. Jesus, remember, did not teach from His authority. Jesus said, “The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory.” We’re not going to say, Pastor so-and-so has been doing this for 25 years, therefore we should listen to his opinions. All our elders must teach and exercise authority exclusively through God’s Word. Jesus Himself models this when He says, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” Second, we should have joy in our service. And that joy must be shared with a church body that joins in our rejoicing by expressing their joy in our service and living according to it.

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:17)

We ask our elders (pastors) to spend their lives as a sacrificial offering for the benefit of the church. Our duty in asking that is to rejoice with them and live out their teaching when they teach us God’s Word, but also to let them know when they don’t.

The nagging question of whether a man’s service is for nothing or for God’s glory will always be there. We must help each of these servants fill their ministries with real-glory instead of nothing-glory so that at the end of their lives, they can say, “I am proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.” And when they say, “Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me,” we must say “Yes, we do rejoice with you.”

Support & Feedback

I have taught and taken part in leading my church. I have felt, and do feel, the anxiety of which I speak. So I do think it’s important for church members to understand and appreciate the anxiety we’re talking about.

But what I believe is truly called for here is honest, intentional, timely feedback from the church body. Honest, because members should be encouraged to be honest. Intentional, because to arrive at good feedback, we must ask the right questions. Timely, because leaders need to receive it as they serve.

Humility is needed to make leaders willing to take feedback. But Jesus-humility is important for defining the terms of that feedback. The point is not that leaders should hear all voices. The point is to limit the voices to those within God’s authority. The process of feedback must demand Scripture as its basis.

Pastors often don’t seek any feedback, and generally I think they receive three types of feedback:

1. haters, who just want to torment their pastor and put him in his place
2. enamored, who glowingly heap praise
3. those with peculiar tastes and theological interests (e.g., if you preach on the conscience there’s a good chance I would give you some feedback)

Members are often hesitant to give feedback. This is often a good thing because feedback should come from the church in general, not individuals. But because our churches tend to have one or very few pastors along with a board of deacons, there may be a feeling that the only one really equipped to say whether the pastor is doing a good job is the pastor.

In a situation where a pastor has served for years with little or no deliberate honest feedback, for any given type of ministry he undertakes, he may be doing a good job or he may be doing a poor job.

If he is doing well, the lack of feedback is sad because he has been unable to rejoice with his congregation. That rejoicing is part of Paul’s solution for ministry anxiety. If he is doing a poor job, the lack of feedback is sad as well, for two reasons:

1. Effective feedback could have been used for his discipleship and sanctification;
2. It may be that he has worked in vain. For nothing. How much better would have been for him to find that out in the first year?