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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

True Greatness


But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:26-28)


We live in such a competitive culture. Our entertainment is filled with sports, reality shows, “Biggest Losers”, best Chefs, Survivors, and on and on… It’s part of our nature to be   competitive. Where does that come from? I believe it comes from our natural desire to be first. That desire compels us to be competitive. And, it’s often expressed in our tendency to be comparative.

We’re constantly measuring ourselves against others, or others against ourselves. Because “I” want to be first, I scan the environment around me to compare how everyone else is doing. If they’re not doing so well, I feel pretty good about myself. If they’re all doing better, I either push harder to be better, or I give up and find another group to compare myself with.
  
The Bible describes this as “self-ish-ness; we’re self-centered. We constantly get fooled seeing the “grass” that always looks greener on the other side of the street and we’re often dissatisfied with how it’s going with us. Why? Perhaps it’s the way we were raised; or the way we’re raising our children.

The mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus to ask if He could do her a favor. After all, it’s “Who you know”, isn’t it? She wanted her two sons to be seated on Jesus’ left and right hand in His Kingdom. Surely her two sons would have it made if only they could achieve that high position of honor and power. Now, she wasn’t a bad mother and they weren’t bad sons. However, they misunderstood how things work in God’s Kingdom (both in Heaven and on Earth).

Jesus shares two important points with her. First, He tells her that there is a cost associated with our position in the Kingdom. This is what He meant when He asked, “Are you able to drink from the cup I am about to drink…” ? Oh yes, there is a price to pay to be in the “highest” position in God’s Kingdom. Secondly, He said that those positions were reserved for the ones the Father has prepared them. He further explained that the Kingdom basically didn’t work that way. The Kingdom of God doesn’t work in the same way things work in the “world.” Hard work, striving for political influence; hobnobbing with the right crowd; being seen with the right people in the right place, at the right time; and on and on… This may be how things work in the corporate jungle, but not the Kingdom. Yet, there are those who try to operate within the Kingdom the way they do in the world. This attitude and behavior have a corruptible impact on the Kingdom and the Community of Faith.

No, to be great in the Kingdom requires that we become the servant of others – THE SERVANT OF EVERYONE ELSE. Servants are often overlooked, under-recognized, over-worked and under-appreciated. In the world, that’s enough to quit. But, in the Kingdom, that makes for PROMOTION! To where will you be promoted? The position that God the Father has already designated for you.  He already has it reserved for you. Will that be at the top or at the bottom? Here’s a secret, aim for the bottom!

I wonder if Zebedee’s sons were still interested in becoming the greatest. No, they just concentrated on SERVING. They left the ‘greatness’ to the Father. So, will you serve if there’s nothing in it for you now? Will you labor though there is no recognition; no plaque with your name on it? Will you give even if there will never be a pew with your family’s name on it? These questions test all of us.

Beloved, let’s serve the Lord and be the “unprofitable” servants we are. At the end of the day we will say, “Lord, we have only done that which was our duty to do.” Eternity’s morning will tell who the ‘greatest’ among us were while we were serving at the bottom here on earth. There is no competition in the Kingdom, just servants. The Great One is the Lord, Jesus Christ – and that’s all that really matters.

What is Servant Leadership?
Servant Leadership is a concept and a practice that all Christians should implement.



In all human history, the best example of Servant Leadership is that of Jesus Christ. He had been with the Father from eternity. He had awesome glory, power and majesty. As the "Word" or Spokesman for the Father, it was His voice that said, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). At the very throne of God, He was surrounded by indescribable beauty and majesty. Over 100 million angels were there, worshiping and praising Him and the Father (Revelation 5:11-12).

Yet, since the Word and the Father had decided to bring millions of human beings into their Family, this great Being was willing to "empty" Himself—as the Greek word is correctly translated in Philippians. He took the "form of a servant." Then, "being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross" (Philippians 2:7-8).



In the human flesh, Jesus "gave" of Himself all day long. He lovingly and patiently taught, He healed, He blessed, He encouraged, He served. Jesus had very clearly taught His disciples by His example, "Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26-28).

In all our activities, the emphasis must be on serving—not on pleasing the self or exalting the self or seeking a bigger "position." All of us must constantly humble the self through God's Spirit, and try to be sure that we are genuinely motivated by a spirit of service in whatever we do. If we have to take a lower position for a time-as even the Son of God did—in order to better serve, let us graciously do this and thank God for the opportunity.

God is testing the attitudes of every one of us! He wants to know if we are truly learning the lessons of Servant Leadership. Are we willing to take the "lowest seat" if that works out better and helps us serve more? Are we constantly thinking about how we can best use our talents, our time and our resources to better serve others and to prepare for the Kingdom of God?



John, the beloved Apostle, tells us, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). Let us truly be motivated by a spirit of giving, helping, serving and encouraging one another. Then, without doubt, we will be granted entrance into our Father's everlasting Kingdom which will be totally based on that spirit of love, kindness, patience, service and profound joy.


Yes, I wannabe a man with a servant’s heart like Jesus. Thankfully, He stands ready to enable me to serve others, but also to forgive me when I fail to have that servant’s heart. One day, I was reminded that the true measure of servant hood and humility is evidenced by how one reacts when someone treats you like a servant.


Lord, help me have a servant’s heart---a heart like Jesus!



Biblical Principles in Network Marketing

As a Pastor, Bill Nissen was against Network Marketing for years.  In 2003, a friend helped 
him see a new perspective.  He still dislikes the ethics of many who do it, but he sees a 
biblical perspective that allows him to not only support network marketing, but embrace it as
a way to serve people.  Watch This Video. It is longer than most (20 minutes) but carries essential information.






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