The second charge in key verse is even more important. It is not glorious to seek one's own glory. It is very tempting in such a public venue to start to think that it is all about us. It is even more dangerous for those who do lead in the church. Pride can be traced to the heart of every sin. We are by nature prideful creatures. I love the story of Gideon when he had to face the army of 120,000 with only 30,000 of his own men:
The Lord said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' - Judges 7: 2 (ESV)
God knew our own sinful pride so well that He whittled Gideon's army down to a mere 300 and then delivered the Midianites into their hands. That is the type of pride we are dealing with beloved. Paul knew this very well. We see these truths evident in many of his letters, including this excerpt from 1Thessalonians:
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed--God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. - 1Thessalonians 2: 3-8 (ESV)
Let us start with the basic fact that too many of us these days miss when it comes to teaching and preaching ministries. We have been entrusted with the Gospel. Not some ground-breaking dynamic vision. Not some lofty wisdom of man. Not some magical signs and wonders. We have been entrusted with the Gospel. It alone is the power of God unto the salvation of men. Not our cute little gimmicks and gimmicky catch phrases. We speak this Gospel NOT to please man. Do we get that today anymore? You want to know what is so wrong with the seeker friendly theologies? Their premise is inherently false. The Gospel is meant to offend. It is meant to divide. At the end of the day however it is entrusted to men to preach. Look at the next two points Paul makes here! He did not come to them with words of flattery nor with a pre-text for greed. We all know of the many ministries today who have a penchant for making merchandise of the sheep and the Gospel. Their entire ministry is a pre-text for greed. Words of flattery? Please. What do you think "we're going to make Jesus famous" is?
It is a movement of self-promotion. It is a movement designed to lift up man, not God. After all, who is really in the limelight - Jesus or the man who think he can make Him famous? I saw someone post the following quote from Christine Caine:
"The size of your heart will determine the size of your ministry"
Never mind that Caine comes from Hillsong, one of the greatest heretical outfits on the planet. Never mind that she schmoozes with the likes of Joyce Meyer, who preaches that Jesus is actually born again. Just consider the quote on its merits. The notion that our wickedly deceptive hearts should be left in control of the size of our ministry? The notion that we determine what the Bible teaches us in the Book of Acts is within the purview of God? The blinding arrogance of man. The blinding arrogance that think he can determine the level of anything except his sin. The blinding arrogance that thinks that God needs a really good makeover. That He needs a decent publicist. That He needs us to make Him famous in a world He has created and already saved. At the end of the day we can pull off a little magic show. A little sleight of hand. Some misdirection to make the crowds ooh and ahh. Maybe even enough for them to be so confused that they will think we are the power of God that is called great. But after the show is over and we have stopped acting all we are left with is the gentle hum of the smoke machine and the "Make Him Famous" tee-shirt we bought for $19.99.
Jesus is already famous beloved. He does not need our help. It is time we put down the honey; I think we have eaten too much. It is never glorious to seek our own glory. It is time to get back to the Gospel we have been entrusted to and get over ourselves.
Reverend Anthony Wade - August 17, 2015
