In
last month’s article, we explored the humility of Jesus Christ and how we are
to follow in His footsteps by being emptied of self and filled with God’s
Spirit. But what does the humility of
Christ look like in our daily lives? Most people think of humility as being
quiet and never doing or saying anything to rock the boat. If you have read the gospels and the book of
Acts, you know that is not what humility looks like. Jesus said to learn from Him, so let’s look
at the lives of Jesus and His followers.
We already know
that Jesus was humble and submitted to the Father. However, it did not mean He was quiet,
passive and apathetic. It meant He was
not self-oriented. His whole purpose was
to do what the Father did and say what the Father said – no self agenda. And the results of this submission were powerful
deeds and powerful words! Deeds that
brought healing, made the blind to see, cleansed leprosy and even raised the
dead. And teachings that delivered truth with authority the people had never
heard before.
Jesus’ words
were not always popular. Especially when
He warned the scribes and Pharisees of their pride and hypocrisy saying, “ye
also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy
and iniquity.” He spoke clearly and plainly to
them to show them the error of their ways, not to condemn them. (See John 3:17) People need to hear the truth if change is to
be initiated. This wake-up call could have released them from the trap of pride
and freed them to follow God. Instead,
it made them angry to the point of plotting to kill the Messenger. The disciples, on the other hand, eventually
heard Jesus’ words with their hearts and followed them. Again, speaking to His disciples
and the multitude about the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said, “But
all their works they do for to be seen of men…and love the uppermost rooms at
feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets,
and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is
your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren…But he that is greatest among
you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased;
and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23) Jesus was teaching His disciples
and the multitude the right voice and the right example to follow. He was telling
them not to follow the example of the religious leaders or fall in step with their
motives. They were to follow His example and His voice.
Henry David
Thoreau said, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is
because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” If we step to the music of the Pharisees, it
will lead to emptiness and religious bondage.
But if our heart is open to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, He will
lead us into all truth, power and freedom.
When we have ears to hear the rhythm of God’s kingdom, we will not be in
step with this world. We may be
considered fanatics, narrow-minded, dreamers or trouble-makers. But that is okay if we are following Jesus. He challenges us to listen, then “step to the
music” of His Spirit, “however measured or far away”. Jesus was bold because He
was humble. He simply carried out the will of the Father with no thought for
self. He calls us to do the same.
Remember how the
disciples were afraid right after Jesus was arrested and crucified? They were
afraid to be identified with Him because they did not want to suffer the same
fate. They were protecting self until
Jesus appeared to them, alive from the dead.
He was with them for forty days teaching them the things of the kingdom
of God. His promise to send the Holy Spirit was fulfilled not many days after
His ascension. When the disciples
received the Holy Spirit, self was forgotten. They began to listen and follow
the Spirit’s leading. They began to do what Jesus did and say what Jesus said
because they had the same power living in them, and the same voice guiding them.
They received
the power of the Holy Spirit. The word
is dunamis from which we get the word dynamite.
It is the force of God’s Spirit changing us and working through us with
His energy and force. The word dunamis
means “inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature (God’s
nature in us), or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth.” The power within them became the river of
living water that poured out of them and changed the world forever. We can be
world-changers, too, when we receive the power of the
Holy Spirit and keep in step with Him.
After the
infilling of the Spirit, Peter stood up and addressed a huge crowd of people
including the religious leaders who killed Jesus and the crowd that had called
out “Crucify Him”. His message was all
about Jesus. Here are a few of his
words. “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of
Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs
which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also
know- Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge
of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to
death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death,
because it was not possible that He should be held by it…Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Peter
had no guarantee that those words would not cause the crowd to do to him what
they had done to Jesus. But he boldly
proclaimed the truth with no thought for himself because the people needed to
know the Truth that would set them free. And the Spirit brought in a harvest. “Now when they heard this, they
were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,
“Men and brethren, what shall we do?”…Then Peter said to
them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children,
and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
(Acts 2:22-24, 36-40, NKJV)
Bold! Selfless!
Purposeful! Dynamic! Would we have been bold enough to plainly tell the
religious leaders and the people that they were murderers of the promised
Messiah? But Peter and the others were filled with the same Spirit that raised
Jesus from the dead and they had a holy boldness to speak the truth Jesus
spoke. Have we received this
Spirit? We have the same Holy Spirit
available to us today, right now! We can
ask and receive.
After
Peter’s message, about 3000 people believed in Jesus, were baptized and joined
with the disciples. On another occasion, Peter and John went to the temple to
pray. Outside the temple a lame man was
asking for money. Peter told him he had
no money, but what he did have he would give him. What do we have to give? The things
of this world will pass away, but if we are filled with the Spirit, we can pour
out spiritual blessings on others. They
will last forever. That man was healed in Jesus’ name and began to walk, leap
and praise God. Once again, a large
crowd gathered and Peter took the opportunity to preach Jesus to them. The number of believers grew to 5000. This
time the religious leaders arrested them, and demanded to know by what power or
name this man had been healed.
“Then Peter, filled
with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of
Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to
a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to
you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him
this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was
rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there
salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men
by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8-12 NKJV)
The rulers
were highly upset because they were preaching and healing in Jesus’ name. But a notable miracle had been done and
witnessed by the whole crowd, so they just threatened Peter and John and told
them not to preach or speak in “this name” again. “But
Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the
sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot
but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts
4:19-20 NKJV) That is
listening to the Holy Spirit and keeping in step with Him.
Peter and John left the rulers and elders and reported what had
happened to the other followers of Jesus. Then they all began to pray. “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and
grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your
word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders
may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when
they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken;
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the
word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:29-31)
They prayed for boldness, not
self-preservation or even a change of heart from the religious rulers. Notice they immediately received the boldness
they requested and continued to speak in Jesus’ name, just like Jesus had told
them to do. What happened to their
meekness and humility? Shouldn’t they
have kept quiet? No! Were they not being defiant? No! They would have been defiant if they had
disobeyed Jesus’ command. Jesus told
them to preach the gospel to everyone regardless of what happened to ‘self’,
and regardless of whether they were rejected or accepted. Meekness is bold as a
lion proclaiming the Word of God and doing His works, yet it is quiet in
proclaiming self and never tries to use the power of God for selfish causes. It
is not showy, arrogant or vindictive. We
need to pray for boldness to keep speaking God’s Word. In this day of political
correctness imposed by those who hate and deny Jesus, it is easier to stay
quiet, but the world needs the light of truth now more than ever in this present
darkness. We are to speak the truth
plainly and point others to Jesus Christ in love so they can repent and be
baptized. Souls depend on us.
Listen! Do you hear the music of the kingdom? When you do, be sure to “step to the
music” you hear, “however measured or far away.”
Be
Humble - Be Filled with the Spirit - Be Bold
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