A few Sabbaths ago I found myself watching the "hymnal guy" do his thing before and after services. This guy was everywhere, smiling and greeting members at the door; carrying a hymnal to an elderly woman who was already in her chair, scanning the congregation during the song service for anyone who may have forgotten to get one at the door; And, finally, making his way down each isle to collect hymnals randomly strewn among the chairs after the service had ended.
The care and concern this gentleman paid to such a seemingly mundane task was nothing short of amazing. The "hymnal guy" had been quietly performing this act of service, without accolades, without praise, without recognition, week after week, Sabbath after Sabbath as long as I had been attending.
As I observed this man, the thought struck me that I wasn't just watching someone pass out hymnals, I was observing true leadership in action.
When it comes to leadership, we Christians, including yours truly, are often overly influenced by the definitions of the culture around us. The quarterback on the field, the power player in the board room, the guy at the head of the table, the loudest, most eloquent, confident person in the room; these, our culture would have us believe, are true models of leadership. It's the image on the outside, rather than the quality of the character on the inside, that is portrayed as the ideal.
Jesus came modeling, and teaching, a decidedly, other worldly concept of leadership.
In Luke 22, he says "'The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves."
And, in a move which completely rocked the disciples worldly paradigm of leadership, Jesus performed what was, at that time, considered one of the lowliest, most menial of tasks. He stooped to wash their feet.
The true leader in God's eyes? The person with the ability and confidence to stand in front and inspire others to follow? Maybe, sometimes, but not primarily.
Leadership, as God's sees it, is primarily defined by character, not ability. It's the one who consistently and selflessly chooses to do for others what most would not.
It's the person who sees the needs within their families, within their churches or their community and steps in to fill it. It's the father or mother who goes to a thankless, unfulfilling job day after day, year after year, sacrificing personal goals and dreams, in order to provide food, shelter and clothing for their family. It's the spouse who remains loving and faithful through good times or bad, through sickness and health. It's the parent who, not only teaches, but consistently strives to model God's love and way of life to his or her children. It's the person who refuses to compromise what is right, even in the face of ridicule and rejection by their peers.
It's a type of leadership to which the world pays little respect these days but one, upon which our Savior, beginning with His disciples, began building and developing in His church some two thousand years ago. It's the kind of leadership He desires be promoted, encouraged and developed within His body still today.
I Corinthians 1:27 tells us that "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty."
Ultimately, God is preparing leaders to rule with Him at His return to establish His Kingdom. It's a government which will confound and bring to shame all false notions of leadership for it will be a government led, not by quarterbacks and executive types, but by foot washers and, yes, "hymnal guys."
Originally posted November 19, 2011
Reposted today in honor of the recent passing of Mitch, "the Hymnal Guy"
Your labor of love will be greatly missed.
Relationship vs. Reward
On December 17, 1903, brother's Wilbur and Orville Wright successfully made the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight.
One day you and I will, by the grace of God, be among the first to take flight; albeit flight of an entirely different nature than Orville and Wilbur ever contemplated. As the firstfruits of His Harvest, we will someday rise to meet our Lord in the air at His return.
The Wright brothers weren't alone in their quest to conquer the air. Their main source of competition was from a man named Dr. Samuel Langley. Langley was the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and, therefore, had many more resources available to him than had the Wright Brothers. He also had a fifty-thousand-dollar grant with which to develop his flying machine.
In terms of resources, Wilbur and Orville could not compete. Both high school drop-outs, they had no association, no fifty-thousand-dollar grant, no connections, nothing. What little resources they did have came from earnings from their small bicycle repair and sales shop.
But what Orville and Wilbur lacked in resources they made up for in passion. Of their passion for pursuing their dream of flight Orville is quoted as saying, "We could hardly wait to get up in the morning." That passion drove them to undertake endless days and nights of methodical research, countless hours of rigorous testing, punctuated by failed attempts and disappointments too numerous to number.
It's said that when the brothers took to the fields to test out the latest iteration of their flying machine, it became their practice to take along a replacement for every part on the machine, assuming mishaps and failures to be inevitable. Their passion for the idea of flight allowed them to rise above any obstacle, any set-back they might experience.
In contrast, their chief competitor, Dr. Langley, it seems, was motivated primarily by the glory he anticipated receiving for being first to achieve flight. It's telling that, after the Wright Brothers ultimately achieved success that day in mid December, Dr. Langley, rather than building upon what had been accomplished, simply walked away. Once there was no prospect of personal reward and glory, there remained, for him, no motivation to continue.
In so many areas of life, the thing that sets ultimate success apart from failure is passion. This principle is nowhere more true than in our Christian walk.
You'd be hard pressed to find any greater example of passion for God and His ways than David. Called as a ruddy shepherd boy, it certainly wasn't his physical qualities or resources that would cause anyone to deem him worthy of being chosen a future king of Israel. But David had something that made up for all he lacked.
In Psalm 27:4 David writes "One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple."
I find what David doesn't say here more instructive than what he does say. We don't read here of his desire to seek the Lord "...that I may be crowned a King and a Priest and rule in Your Kingdom." or, "...that I may be clothed with immortality and power." He just doesn't seem to be wrapped up in the glory that he ultimately will receive as a child of God.
Where was his primary focus? "To dwell with the Lord...to gaze at the beauty of the Lord...and to seek Him in His temple." In short, what motivated David was his passion for walking, now and forever, in close, intimate relationship with His Savior.
Can you and I say the same?
But what Orville and Wilbur lacked in resources they made up for in passion. Of their passion for pursuing their dream of flight Orville is quoted as saying, "We could hardly wait to get up in the morning." That passion drove them to undertake endless days and nights of methodical research, countless hours of rigorous testing, punctuated by failed attempts and disappointments too numerous to number.
It's said that when the brothers took to the fields to test out the latest iteration of their flying machine, it became their practice to take along a replacement for every part on the machine, assuming mishaps and failures to be inevitable. Their passion for the idea of flight allowed them to rise above any obstacle, any set-back they might experience.
In contrast, their chief competitor, Dr. Langley, it seems, was motivated primarily by the glory he anticipated receiving for being first to achieve flight. It's telling that, after the Wright Brothers ultimately achieved success that day in mid December, Dr. Langley, rather than building upon what had been accomplished, simply walked away. Once there was no prospect of personal reward and glory, there remained, for him, no motivation to continue.
In so many areas of life, the thing that sets ultimate success apart from failure is passion. This principle is nowhere more true than in our Christian walk.
You'd be hard pressed to find any greater example of passion for God and His ways than David. Called as a ruddy shepherd boy, it certainly wasn't his physical qualities or resources that would cause anyone to deem him worthy of being chosen a future king of Israel. But David had something that made up for all he lacked.
In Psalm 27:4 David writes "One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple."
I find what David doesn't say here more instructive than what he does say. We don't read here of his desire to seek the Lord "...that I may be crowned a King and a Priest and rule in Your Kingdom." or, "...that I may be clothed with immortality and power." He just doesn't seem to be wrapped up in the glory that he ultimately will receive as a child of God.
Where was his primary focus? "To dwell with the Lord...to gaze at the beauty of the Lord...and to seek Him in His temple." In short, what motivated David was his passion for walking, now and forever, in close, intimate relationship with His Savior.
Can you and I say the same?
Is the thing that primarily motivates us to walk this walk our expectation for the promised reward, the hope of glory and immortality to come, or, is it our passion for this relationship we have been given?
Let me ask it a different way.
Let me ask it a different way.
If there was no hope of eternal reward and glory, would your love for the Lord and the way He has taught be enough to sustain you in this path? Do you consider the gift of your relationship with Him so precious that you would seek Him and His ways regardless of the reward?
It goes without saying that the promised reward we have waiting at the end of this path should give us hope. Even David yearned for that time when he said, "...you will not allow my body to see decay...You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." - Psalm 16:10-11.
Even when looking ahead to that future reward, however, David focused not on the crown and the glory he would receive but on "being filled with joy in Your presence...". His primary hope for the future was in a continuation of the relationship he was experiencing with his Lord in the present. It was his passion for that relationship that sustained him through all the failures, the set-backs and disappointments of life.
It goes without saying that the promised reward we have waiting at the end of this path should give us hope. Even David yearned for that time when he said, "...you will not allow my body to see decay...You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." - Psalm 16:10-11.
Even when looking ahead to that future reward, however, David focused not on the crown and the glory he would receive but on "being filled with joy in Your presence...". His primary hope for the future was in a continuation of the relationship he was experiencing with his Lord in the present. It was his passion for that relationship that sustained him through all the failures, the set-backs and disappointments of life.
For Orville and Wilbur, being the first to achieve flight, getting the rewards, the accolades, the glory, although surely meaningful, were really just icing on the cake. Their true joy and fulfillment came from their love and passion for flying. Their success simply meant that they would continue to pursue that passion for the rest of their lives.
One day you and I will, by the grace of God, be among the first to take flight; albeit flight of an entirely different nature than Orville and Wilbur ever contemplated. As the firstfruits of His Harvest, we will someday rise to meet our Lord in the air at His return.
Yes, there will be thrones and dominions to be had. Yes, immortality and power will be our reward, but the real joy, the ultimate reward, will not be the crown, but the continuation of our relationship with our Lord, to "seek Him in His temple", for all eternity.
The Gospel - Preaching the Big Picture
If you were to ask a Christian in one of the mainstream protestant denominations the question, "What is the gospel" the answer that would more than likely roll off their tongue would be, "It's the gospel about Jesus Christ."
But if you were to ask many of us in the Sabbath keeping tradition the same question you might hear something along the lines of, "It's not the gospel about Jesus Christ but it's about the message He brought. That message is good news of the coming Kingdom of God."
So which is it?
Well let's do the numbers. A quick word study in the Concordance makes it clear why there is some confusion.
"Gospel of the Kingdom" - 5 references
"Gospel of Christ" - 19 references
"Gospel of God" - 8 references
"Gospel of Salvation" - 2 references
"Gospel of the Grace of God" - 1 reference
"Gospel of Peace" - 2 references
It's been argued that references to Gospel of Christ and Gospel of God simply refer to the message that He brought, which is the message of the Kingdom of God. So, assuming this to be true, the references in scripture to the Kingdom of God would increase to 32.
If the gospel of Christ is to be narrowly defined as the message of the kingdom that He preached then we should be able to substitute the word "kingdom" as the object of the preposition in passages where the word gospel is used without compromising the original meaning of the passage.
But if you were to ask many of us in the Sabbath keeping tradition the same question you might hear something along the lines of, "It's not the gospel about Jesus Christ but it's about the message He brought. That message is good news of the coming Kingdom of God."
So which is it?
Well let's do the numbers. A quick word study in the Concordance makes it clear why there is some confusion.
"Gospel of the Kingdom" - 5 references
"Gospel of Christ" - 19 references
"Gospel of God" - 8 references
"Gospel of Salvation" - 2 references
"Gospel of the Grace of God" - 1 reference
"Gospel of Peace" - 2 references
It's been argued that references to Gospel of Christ and Gospel of God simply refer to the message that He brought, which is the message of the Kingdom of God. So, assuming this to be true, the references in scripture to the Kingdom of God would increase to 32.
If the gospel of Christ is to be narrowly defined as the message of the kingdom that He preached then we should be able to substitute the word "kingdom" as the object of the preposition in passages where the word gospel is used without compromising the original meaning of the passage.
Let's read Romans 1:16 - 17 and consider the accuracy of that argument.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel ofChrist (the Kingdom), for it (the gospel of the Kingdom) is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it (the gospel of the Kingdom) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'"
What do you think? Can the word "Christ" in these passages be replaced with the word "kingdom" and the original intended meaning remain intact? Wouldn't the result of this change be to imply that we are saved by our hope in the coming Kingdom? Does that make sense?
If not, doesn't this demonstrate that limiting the gospel simply to a proclamation of the coming Kingdom fails to define it's full scope and meaning?
So, again, I ask, which is it? Is it the gospel of the Kingdom or the gospel about Christ?
I would suggest that the gospel actually encompasses both of them. But, I would also suggest that there is a "bigger picture" of the gospel we should consider.
Both of them
In 1 Corinthians 2:2 Paul states "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
Paul's gospel was focused directly on the person of Jesus Christ and the work of salvation He accomplished on the cross.
However, Paul's message included the hope of the future Kingdom of God.
In Philippians 3:12 - 14 Paul says "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. "
Could it be that we limit the gospel message by focusing two narrowly on any one of its' parts? When we choose one aspect as our primary focus, either the gospel of the Kingdom of God or the gospel about Christ, don't we run the danger of losing it's full meaning.
The "Bigger Picture"...the ultimate purpose of the Gospel.
Let's ask ourselves, what is the purpose of all that the Father, through His Son, is doing?
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
What do you think? Can the word "Christ" in these passages be replaced with the word "kingdom" and the original intended meaning remain intact? Wouldn't the result of this change be to imply that we are saved by our hope in the coming Kingdom? Does that make sense?
If not, doesn't this demonstrate that limiting the gospel simply to a proclamation of the coming Kingdom fails to define it's full scope and meaning?
So, again, I ask, which is it? Is it the gospel of the Kingdom or the gospel about Christ?
I would suggest that the gospel actually encompasses both of them. But, I would also suggest that there is a "bigger picture" of the gospel we should consider.
Both of them
In 1 Corinthians 2:2 Paul states "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
Paul's gospel was focused directly on the person of Jesus Christ and the work of salvation He accomplished on the cross.
However, Paul's message included the hope of the future Kingdom of God.
In Philippians 3:12 - 14 Paul says "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. "
Could it be that we limit the gospel message by focusing two narrowly on any one of its' parts? When we choose one aspect as our primary focus, either the gospel of the Kingdom of God or the gospel about Christ, don't we run the danger of losing it's full meaning.
Paul didn't fall into either ditch. His gospel message encompassed it's full meaning. Paul kept the big picture in view.
The "Bigger Picture"...the ultimate purpose of the Gospel.
Let's ask ourselves, what is the purpose of all that the Father, through His Son, is doing?
Yes, He does have a plan for man. Yes, we have the awesome gift of salvation through His death on the cross. Yes, we have incredible hope of the Kingdom and an eternity with the Father and His Son in the Family of God. But what is the point of it all? Why is He doing it? What is the ultimate purpose and meaning of the gospel?
I Peter 4:11 tells us "...that in all things God is glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever."
In Isaiah 43:1-7 God says "I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name...Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for my glory..."
I Peter 2:9 says we have been called and chosen that we might "... proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light..."
Colossians 1:15 - 20 tells us that "All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."
If, as these passages affirm, we have been created for His glory, redeemed for His glory and that the fulfillment of His plan on earth will testify of His glory, it wouldn't it seem to follow that this is truly the ultimate purpose for creation as revealed in the gospel?
A "Big Picture" definition
I Peter 4:11 tells us "...that in all things God is glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever."
In Isaiah 43:1-7 God says "I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name...Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for my glory..."
I Peter 2:9 says we have been called and chosen that we might "... proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light..."
Colossians 1:15 - 20 tells us that "All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."
If, as these passages affirm, we have been created for His glory, redeemed for His glory and that the fulfillment of His plan on earth will testify of His glory, it wouldn't it seem to follow that this is truly the ultimate purpose for creation as revealed in the gospel?
A "Big Picture" definition
What if we were to define the gospel, not by it's individual parts, but by its larger meaning and purpose, as revealed throughout scripture? Such a definition might not roll off the tongue as smoothly as the "Gospel of the Kingdom" or the "Gospel of Christ" but it undoubtedly would prevent us placing inappropriate limitations on its meaning.
What if the definition we used was something like:
What if the definition we used was something like:
"The gospel of Jesus Christ: who He is; what He has done; what He is doing; and what He will do."
Ultimately the purpose of our existence, of everything that God is doing here on this earth, is to bring glory to Him, pure and simple. That's the primary purpose of all of this, from beginning to end. It's about Him. The gospels purpose and meaning is about magnifying His love, His power, His glory. The Father desires that in Him, in His Son, should all fullness, all praise and honor and glory, dwell.
His ultimate plan is that His creation would give glory to His Son, now and forever. We who have been called now are to witness of His glory by sharing who He is, what He has done, is doing and will do.
Ultimately the purpose of our existence, of everything that God is doing here on this earth, is to bring glory to Him, pure and simple. That's the primary purpose of all of this, from beginning to end. It's about Him. The gospels purpose and meaning is about magnifying His love, His power, His glory. The Father desires that in Him, in His Son, should all fullness, all praise and honor and glory, dwell.
His ultimate plan is that His creation would give glory to His Son, now and forever. We who have been called now are to witness of His glory by sharing who He is, what He has done, is doing and will do.
It's that "big picture" gospel that we, as His creation, have been commissioned to carry into all the world.
Let's share it! All of it!
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