Tag Archives: ashamed

Christian humilty

 

Humility

 

Jesus is a great example of what humility looks like as He chose to humble Himself and suffer – deny His self-will and the temptations and demands from sin – instead of giving in to sin.

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh,[a] arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. – 1 Peter 4:1  ESV

Part of being humble is coming to an understanding that we can use whatever spiritual gift that God has given us to serve others.

 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. – 1 Peter 4:10  ESV

Humility is the only way to joy in suffering and persecution.

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. – 1 Peter 4:13  ESV

It is in my humbly accepting suffering that draws me nearer to Christ but only if I am looking to Jesus as I suffer. There faith unites my suffering with Christ’s. There and then, because I see the results, I can rejoice.

I think that one of the costs of discipleship is loss of energy.

Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 4:11 ESV

When I think I cannot do any more, I must, like an athlete, learning the invaluable dynamic of serving in another’s strength by leaning on God, walking in faith, for there I find the energy I did not think I had.

Peter also tells to not be ashamed of being a Christian.

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. -1 Peter 4:16

It means that the word Christian did have some negative connotations back in his day. Even so, they were still proud of being called one.

As a side note – did you know the word ‘Christian’ only appears three times in the entire Bible (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16)?

The word ‘disciple’, (or disciples), appears over 250 times in the New Testament.

One of the most significant facts in the New Testament is that the name “disciple”  applied to Jesus’ followers throughout the Gospels and Acts and it absolutely disappears from the New Testament from Acts to Revelation! The apostle John used the expression “disciples” some 77 times in his gospel, but never once in the three short epistles that bear his name, nor in the book of Revelation.

 

 

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Competitive spirit

 

That whole relationship with King Saul and David was definitely out of sorts. So I tried to apply it today and I think of have found a connection. First, did we not see this in the disciples? One or two try to be the greater, the most favourite the most liked/loved? Today, maybe I should say in ministry, we see competition, jealousy and self-assertion. Why is all of this messy? Because David was Saul’s most faithful servant and yet Saul is threatened by his competence and his success.  Why? If God has given each of us a spiritual gift or gifts, to enable us to excel in a certain area of ministry, can we not joy in the strength that God gives others?  We can either seek to benefit or we can resist them with a competitive spirit. It does make me wonder how much of this competitive spirit has created ministries all because their doctrine is rooted in jealousy and envy when it should be in faithfulness to God and His Word.

Faithfulness to God is an indispensable virtue. May I find it in myself as I grow as a disciple.

I am reminding myself one more time that a disciple is not only a Christ follower who grows in Christ-likeness but also produces Christ-like disciples. A spiritual parent, like the apostle Paul, and maybe someone I could be, is one who is intentional about living out the mission of raising disciples who can make disciples.

I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless[b] guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent[c] you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ,[d] as I teach them everywhere in every church. – I Corinthians 4:14-17  ESV

I think more easily in calling myself a guide, but Paul is passionate about his role as a spiritual father who has a very special relationship with the church.

His imagery of a parent, both the mother and the father, are used to describe his earlier role as a discipler within the early church. I believe it best illustrates that discipleship is my life and that my spiritual DNA is to reproduce into the life of another.

 

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