Friends of Jesus,
Perhaps you too remember long ago a media production entitled “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” If I remember correctly, the story reveals the fact that the Emperor is hoodwinked by his counselors to actually believe he’s wearing a new suit of clothes. But this supreme leader is actually prancing around in his underwear in front of his very kingdom subjects!
The only scene etched in my mind is one toward the end where several children are off to the side snickering aloud that the Emperor is in his skivvies. And laughter begins to erupt, then, among the adults too when given permission based on the children’s courage to tell the truth.
Brethren, I’m afraid the affluent church is also to a large degree wearing the Emperors new clothes when it comes to serving Jesus.
Can we call it selfish service?
It is service, but it’s a self-centered variety. God will use what He can, but He’s not pleased in the end. It’s not His way, but man’s.
How is this so?
Have you also noticed the disturbing fact that many of God’s people in the affluent church are “too busy” for you and very distracted doing what they want to do? And all in the “name” of Jesus?
I’m afraid also that I’ve found myself and our family falling into this subtle, fruitless trap. Are we serving as Jesus commands in sacrificial service, or as we command our own situation to tickle our own fancy using our “gifts?”
OK Then…What Does It Look Like?
How might we spot this in the daily pursuit of life?
- A leader pours his life into his church body where he receives continuous accolades, yet his family at home is desperate for his involvement there.
- A wife is embracing her church leader’s direction and teaching with lots of energy expended, yet all the while ignoring her own Christian husband’s needs for sexual celebration, verbal respect, and admiration as he tries to help lead and teach at home.
- A ministry is geared around a prominent teacher-prophet-evangelist-etc. with the web site labeled www.my-own-name-is-the-ministry-focus.org, yet the preeminence of Jesus Himself is forced to take a back seat as the very Creator of this person’s ministry.
- A group of people are soundly rebuffed by a leader who claims he alone has the real truth in a disagreement, yet the group deeply desires a unity and is forced to disband and accept his terms that they must all “agree to disagree.”
- A grown, married child who faithfully is involved in church only calls or visits his-her parents when he-she wants something, yet the parents yearn for consistent fellowship and this shared desire with the child never materializes.
- A husband devotes a lion’s share of his waking hours to making more and more money in the name of “stewardship” and to the church basketball league, yet at home the screen door is falling off, the kids need joint discipline, and his wife is forced into Christian novels for nightly solace.
- A wife gives her time for her “gifting” from God by serving others in real need, yet her husband’s crucial pleas for desperate help with the family business continue unheeded.
- A natural disaster strikes and a church body plunges into action two states away for a month with much time and money, yet the young single mothers and their fatherless orphans wonder year after year how they’ll ever get beyond their $900 monthly rent to purchase a very small house not ever close to size that the rest of the congregation owns.
- A brother reaches out to other ministries for Body help with a project that God has clearly spoke to him about, yet the other ministries pay lip service and leave him hanging for they’re so busy with their own spiritual activities.
You can probably add quite a few to this list yourself.
The Rule Rather Than The Exception
Selfish service is the rule, rather than the exception, I’m afraid, in the affluent culture. There’re people who are sacrificially serving, but they’re so rare, and therefore, so very easy to spot. They graciously and joyfully stick out like a skyscraper rising up from the middle of a Kansas corn field.
Yet, misplaced priorities will continue to be prevalent, when God’s leaders refuse to teach and live the truths of real denial, walked out in holy sacrificial service.
Certainly, gifting is important. But the Lord asks us to surrender that which is good for that which is best — His plan A, His will be done. The way of the cross is the way of Jesus. As Tozer said, the way up is the way down.
Suffering is our calling, not carnal, self-directed satisfaction.
Luke 9:23-24 And He (Jesus) was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.
What interruptions, or plain commands, by the Holy Spirit have we been avoiding? What is the greater service that will “cost” us something valuable? What is it that God can continue testing our faith in Him and growing us in grace?
The heavenly realm is watching us, dear ones, remember?
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance (abiding under pressure) the race (contest, struggle, fight) that is set before us…
God is gathering all the glory He can to Himself, for that is part and parcel of His eternal purpose. He is the Alpha and Omega, not us. Don’t believe all the modern songs of the faith these days that force us to think mainly of ourselves by using the words “I, Me, and My” over and over and over again.
Let us all ask the Holy Spirit to reveal selfish service in our lives. Ask each member of our families what they need of a spiritual nature first, starting with our spouse.
Let us repent of the schemes of the devil (2 Cor. 2.11) we may have fallen into, and renew our devotion and consistency to God’s directive Spirit. Again, of course, He’ll use our gifts, but….He wants our sacrifice, and that costs something, often all we have. Jesus was called to precisely that.
What About Us?
Let us not mimic the world’s ways of activity vs. fruitfulness.
Or busyness vs. sacrifice.
Or smoke vs. fire.
Or accomplishment vs. joy.
Let us strive to become full-time sacrificial servers, and leave “self” – ish service far, far behind!
After all, it is our Father’s world. And Jesus always did whatever the Father asked.
Always. Can we do anything less?
Flee from the rampant humanistic “gospel” of today, and decide to really love God with all you have, and your neighbor as Jesus would.
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Your friend and brother in fighting the good fight,
Marc
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Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!
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Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Marc White, Director, Walk Worthy Ministries, www.WalkWorthy.org
