You Might be a Great Servant… #4 If You Know Less Is Best!

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

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adding Jesus, dreams and aspirations, hang the lowest, He must increase and i must decrease, Hebrews 11:35-38, heroes of faith, I must decrease, If I increase the Lord increases, inject Christ into our ambitions, Jesus, John, John 3:30, the Jesus increase, there is nothing good in me, we find our worth in how God use us, we increase

Of all the points I’ve mentioned so far from John the Baptist’s life, this one reminds me of what it really means to be a servant and friend of the Lord. John summed it up best when he said,

He (Jesus) must Increase but I must decrease. John 3:30

If Jesus had called people to only be kings, celebrities, and national heroes, He would have had a larger following. Who isn’t interested in being popular, well-liked and loved by all? Who wouldn’t like being on the cover of magazines and newspapers? Yeah, sign me up for that type of duty!

Lets break this verse into two parts. First, are you willing for Jesus to be increased in you and in the world around you? John the Baptist reflected on his position in God’s plan and concluded, “Jesus must increase. My followers must become His followers. His ministry should far exceed my ministry. He must flourish far above anything I am doing. Jesus’ popularity must grow. The name of Jesus must become more important to people than my name.”

It is easy for us to look upon John’s situation and say, “Well that was supposed happen.” This would be true. But maybe it was a little more difficult for John to give away everything he worked so hard to build. The truth is “the Jesus increase” is supposed to be happening right now in our lives as well. The reality is … “the Jesus increase” only happens as “we increase“.

This is hard to explain…but I want to give it a shot. Most every believer I know would state emphatically, they want desperately for Jesus to be increased in them. We pray it, speak it, and try to live it. The issue is not in the first half of John’s declaration. (Jesus must increase) The issue is in the second half of John’s statement. In order for Jesus to be increased, I must be decreased. The truth is when believers are decreased, they begin to fall apart! Most believers don’t actually believe that their personal decrease is a good thing for God’s kingdom. This proves to me that Christians don’t actually find their worth in seeing Jesus increased in their life. No, they only find worth in how God uses them. If they are used by the Lord, then they can bring glory to Him. If they are not used by the Lord, then they cannot bring glory to Him. They actually believe, “If I increase, the Lord increases. If I decrease, the Lord decreases.” This was not what John was declaring.

Believers actually believe the polar opposite of John’s testimony. Lets be honest… Most think along these lines… “I would like to do something really big and important for the Lord. I want to be used. I want to do something that people will note and remember – and do something that will stand out. I want people to know that I am being used by the Lord. I want to be used in a mighty way, so Jesus will be glorified. I want people to know the Lord is alive and well, because of what He is doing in me.” Now, don’t even try to convince me you haven’t thought some of these same thoughts. Lets be real here. I’ve fallen into the same trap. Denial is a river in Egypt. You know what I am saying. What is wrong with this type of thinking, if anything?

If we allow ourselves to think this way, we will only seek to “increase” ourselves and hope Jesus is magnified in some shape, form, or fashion. Understand, this is faulty thinking and not what John was relating. You might be saying, “Pastor, Jesus loves me. He would never have me decrease, because that would decrease His message and ministry in my life. If I decrease, Jesus will have fewer opportunities to make Himself known to others.”

Listen, I have heard it all before and thought it all myself and have come to one conclusion… There is nothing good in you. There is nothing good in me. There will never be anything you can do, in and of yourself, which will bring glory to the Lord. Like John, we must all come to the conclusion…”I must decrease.” It is the only way. According to the Lord, here is what a decreased life should look like.

they were… tortured…faced jeers and flogging…chained and put in prison…stoned…sawed in two…put to death by the sword…went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated…wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Hebrews 11:35-38

Are you ready to sign up? These are the real heroes of faith. By the way, John ended up in prison with his head chopped of as well. His life ended just like those found in Hebrews 11. This is what it means to live a life of decrease. The real call to serve Jesus doesn’t seem as attractive when we are asked to become absolutely nothing for Him?

Allow me to offer you an invitation to join John the Baptist. Do you remember your dreams and aspirations when you were still young in Junior High or High School or college? Do you remember how you wanted to be a somebody? Do you remember wanting to make a mark on the world? Most want to accomplish something in their lifetime. Unfortunately, most believers keep this fleshly type of thinking after salvation and simply “inject” Christ into their life ambitions. They falsely believe by simply “adding Jesus” they have resolved their “me issues.” Now they can steadily proceed and when they increase, Jesus will increase. The Lord will never “decrease them” because He will be decreasing Himself.

Here is the problem…. Jesus cannot and will not be “injected” into our life ambitions. Jesus doesn’t work like Betty Crocker. We cannot simply add Jesus into the equation… mix, stir, pour, and bake. According to John, Jesus is the equation. Jesus gives us His equations and calls us to work it out. This always means; He must increase and we must decrease that He might be gloried above all. Nowhere in Scripture are we given the go-ahead to plug Jesus into our own personal agendas. We don’t plug Jesus into anything! Jesus can only take your life and plug it into His!

As you can probably tell… I am passionate about this issue. I have seen too many fleshly productions inside and outside the church, all claiming to be bringing glory to the Lord. I am not convinced. Listen, the world has not been convinced either. I am not pointing fingers…just stating the facts. All those who truly made a “kingdom impact” died to the flesh. They ultimately chose the road of decrease. I beg and urge you to do the same. Bring the Lord real glory. Honor Him who gave His life that you might live.

Blessings,

Pastor

You Might Be Great Servant… #2 If You Are An Intimate Friend of the Groom

17 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Servanthood

≈ 6 Comments

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don't look in the mirror, friend of the groom, Jesus, jewish wedding ceremony, John, John 3:28-29, keep myself out of sight, Love, not the center of attention, return to your first love, subservient position, the best man, the greatest servant, the least man

I want to continue a blog thought I started a few days ago on what it means to be a great servant of the Lord. John the Baptist was considered to be the greatest servant of God in history. Jesus said of him, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” John said about himself, “I am not worthy to even untie Jesus’ sandals.” Did John know anything different about the Lord than we do today? I don’t think so!

Here is the question you need to ask yourself… Could you personally be Jesus’ best man? Even if you are a “lady“, I still want you to ask yourself this question. This is how John saw himself and his ministry. He saw himself as an intimate friend of the groom. Listen to his own description…

I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. John 3:28-29

John could have talked about being Jesus’ cousin through Mary, or about how he was the last prophet of the Old Testament. Instead, he used a word picture which emphasized a position of service. John saw himself as Jesus’ “best man.”

The “friend of the groom” played an important role in the first century Jewish wedding ceremony. The best man negotiated on behalf of the perspective groom and his future father-in-law. Contractually the best man served as mediator. In other words, he was someone who looked out for the groom’s best interests! John saw himself in this position. He was looking out for Jesus’ best interests.

An ironic event happened to the best man on the way to the altar. The “best” man must become the “least” man at the wedding ceremony. Once his job was complete, he willingly and graciously faded from the scene. If he did his job correctly and the couple were wedded, then he was truly the best man for the job. He had a prominent place and a very important job, but he was not center of attention.

So when John’s disciples brought him news that Jesus’ ministry was succeeding his and his was fading, it didn’t cause him to fall into a major depressive episode. This wasn’t bad news, but good news. His job as best man was a success. No one else may know or understand. John was now to take a subservient position to Jesus. John was a success prior and now afterward. By the way, sometimes choosing to allow your ministry to fade, which results in your head being chopped off, is not the ideal ministry end.

A little country boy was fishing with a makeshift pole, but he was catching fish! All this didn’t go unnoticed by a city dweller sitting close by him. This city fellow had the finest fishing tackle, but was having no success at all. He decided to ask the country boy about his success. The boy replied, “The secret of it all is that I keep myself out of sight.”

John understood this principle. When it came time for him to fade away, he did so with grace. He didn’t need the limelight to be successful. I think we struggle with our position in the Lord sometimes because we forget our first calling… to be a “friend of the groom.” The word here for “friend” is the same word for “brotherly love.” This is what motivates great servants to service Jesus — a genuine, loving, and intimate relationship with the Lord. If you need some motivation to serve Jesus with a genuine heart, return once again to your first love.

Blessings,

Pastor