By Kim Kelly
Turn on your computer, and you will find all the help you need to become a completely self-focused person. You will see titles and headlines such as “Prioritize You! Here’s How to Focus on Yourself,” “How to Focus on Yourself More and Prioritize Your Own Needs,” “8 Easy to Build Healthy Self-Focus Habits,” “Small, But Powerful Steps to Love Yourself.”
By Anthony Wood. Read Part 1.
For those of us who serve in a leadership capacity, the world demands that we show strength. Who among us, in the flesh, has not been lured by more power? A larger church building? An organizational structure without checks and balances?
Deeper still, which among us has not been tempted to think that “he” is the reason for a church’s effectiveness? Business success? Money saved? Children well raised? How quickly our hearts turn from the truth as we erode into self-sufficiency.
“Do I think of myself as a leader before I seriously think about my sinfulness? …Do I so see myself in charge that I consider too little the truth that the church belongs to Christ?…Am I living for my recognition or Jesus’ recognition?” - Chuck Lawless
By Anthony Wood
When I was a boy, a visiting pastor taught us about humility He opened his Bible and began, “Any preacher not wise enough to tremble when asked to preach on humility should not be preaching at all.” The congregation chuckled.
The pastor’s preaching then echoed through the church, enveloping the congregation in a sense of reverence and awe. The hush that followed was broken only by the soft rustle of pages turning as those gathered opened their Bibles to the passage about Christ’s humility.
Paul records the humiliation of Christ as:
Hatred of any human being is never an option for a believer in Jesus Christ.
It is easy to sinfully justify hatred, especially when the world, the community around us, encourages it. Hatred, a lust that already exists in the human heart in seminal form, doesn’t need a lot of stoking to bring it to a raging flame.
“I think one of the most powerful and chilling portrayals of the insanity of rejecting God—which we do whenever in words or actions we proudly affirm our greatness and achievements—is Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4.” - Randy Alcorn
Read Part 1.
Why the “fear and trembling” in Philippians 2:12? In the three verses that come before, it says,
Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:9-11, LSB)
In Philippians 2, there is an overarching theme of unity the church with the more specific application of obedience that points toward our need for humility. But humility is a slippery thing. When you say you have it, you do not.
In this article, I want to turn our attention to our need to follow the model the Lord Jesus Christ laid out. We need to be humble, and this is shown when we humble ourselves in obedience before the Lord Jesus. Concerning this and the danger of false humility, Charles Spurgeon has written:
“your neighbor who voted differently than you may not have the power to destroy or save democracy as we’ve been told. Correspondingly, any pride you feel in what your own vote accomplished must be mitigated as well.” - Hannah Anderson
Read Part 1.
Is it possible to seek to advance and excel in ministry without being caught up in the celebrity syndrome?
How can we make the greatest impact possible for the cause of Christ—without falling into the traps that come with celebrity status? How can a minister remain accountable in ways that are both effective and healthy, as we travel to preach and teach?
