5 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Acts 3:12 (CSB): “When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: ‘Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness?'”
Reflecting on God’s Word
I was introduced to the church growth genre when I was attending seminary. I became familiar with names like Donald McGavran, C. Peter Wagner, and Win Arn.
As I studied that material, I observed that there was much within it that was biblical. For instance, an emphasis was put upon learning cultural and sociological factors in order to understand how to best present the unchanging Gospel and message of God’s Word. All we need to do is look at the Apostle Paul to realize that he did this.
1 Corinthians 9:20-22 (CSB): “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. To those who are without the law, like one without the law—though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ—to win those without the law. To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.”
So, there is nothing wrong, in general, with being a student of a culture and societal norms in order to know how to best present the unchanging truth of God’s Word in a way that is culturally appropriate.
However …
I noticed a snake in the grass when I studied the church growth literature. I observed that so many of the principles were taken from the business world and not from the Bible. All truth is God’s truth, but there is a major problem when we come to believe that we need to learn from secular CEO’s about how to do the business of Jesus’ Kingdom.
Now, about 30-40 years later, you can observe the effects of the church growth mindset in so many pastors and Christians. Rather than look to the Bible to see how the church leadership did their tasks as they relied upon the Lord’s direction and provision, pastors see themselves as CEOs who are ultimately responsible for the health and growth of their organizations. Christianity has been reduced to the veneer over a church that uses secular principles to grow.
I watched a video quite a few months ago in which a pastor was asked how his church had grown exponentially in size over the past few years. He spoke about the leadership decisions he made, and I don’t recall a single instance when he mentioned God’s grace. God did something in his church, and he took the credit! His version of the story made him look like the hero, and Jesus appeared to only be a means to an end.
Such a mindset is antithetical to how Jesus intended for work to be done in His Kingdom! All things are to be done for His glory, not ours!
That’s why I chose Acts 3:12 as our verse for today. The Apostle Peter had been used by the Lord to perform a miracle. A man who had been lame from birth was enabled to get up and walk. Everyone who saw ran toward Peter, acting as if he were the one who healed the man. They were apparently ready to proclaim him superhuman, a man with power within him to use as he willed.
Peter could have easily taken the credit to himself. He could have used that moment to build his clout in the people’s eyes. He could have had them eating out of his hands. He could have taken the credit.
But he didn’t!
Acts 3:12-13, 16 (CSB): “When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: ‘Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus, … By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.'”
How was Peter able to refrain from taking the credit for himself and giving it all to the Lord Jesus? How can pastors and other Christians readily give credit to God when we could easily steal it and take it for ourselves?
Simply put, God must first break us. He must take us through difficult times in our lives where we are confronted with the unmistakable truth that we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5).
We see this very clearly in Moses’ life. We are told that he died at 120 years of age (Deuteronomy 34:7). As we look at his life, we realize that it was divided into three segments of 40 years each. They demonstrate that God broke Moses before God used Moses. His first 40 years were spent in Pharaoh’s house, where he thought he was everything. His next 40 years were in the wilderness, tending sheep, learning that he was nothing. His next 40 years were spent leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, learning that God was everything.
Vance Havner (1901-1986) once said it this way: “God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”
When God uses you to do something wonderful, do you give all the glory to Him or do you take some for yourself? Are you willing to be broken, like a wild horse that is broken so that it can be used by its master? If you desire for God to do a work in you so that He can use you for His eternal purposes, then why not tell Him about it?
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to enable you not to mere act humble but to be humble before Him and others.
- Ask God to make you aware anytime you try to take credit for what He has done.
- Ask God to forgive you when you take credit for what He has done.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper intobeing humble before God and others, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
“What does it mean that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6)?”
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)
Matt’s Musings 