Ways We Lose Sight Of The Goal In Our Kingdom Work:
1. Resenting another person or church’s rising popularity.
- John 3:25-26.
- Considering that John had repeatedly spoken to his disciples about Jesus and who He is, their resentment is stunning.
- First of all, they don’t even have the courtesy to refer to Jesus by name.
- They call Him “the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan – the one you testified about” (v. 25). Rather than honoring and praising His name, they are so resentful that they won’t even speak it.
- Secondly, rather than rejoicing in people being baptized, they’re resentful that people aren’t being baptized by them (v. 22, 26).
- Third, it’s not like John was having no success. Verse 23 tells us that people were coming constantly to be baptized by him and his disciples.
- So it’s not like his disciples had seen “business dry up” and were resentful of the One who took away all their “business.”
- Fourth, their resentment is skewing the way they see reality. Verse 26 has them claiming that “everyone” is going over to Jesus when we’ve just been told that they were constantly baptizing people (v. 23).
- A common problem among Kingdom workers is jealousy stemming from pride.
- We’re filled with jealousy as we see what God is doing in someone else’s life or in another church’s life. And that jealousy comes from our pride – believing that we’re the ones that He should be doing the most in.
- People say nice things about us (sometimes sincerely, sometimes manipulatively). We begin to believe what we hear.
- It’s easy to get puffed up by what people say about us.
- People may try to put us on a pedestal and we find that we like the view from up there.
- We live in a society of self-promotion.
- Companies are touting how great their products are.
- People explain why they’re the best.
- It all adds up to: “I must increase.”
- In religious circles, many are bothered by the success of those around them.
a. One church is upset that the other church in town is growing.
- Church ABC has been in slow decline for a while. When Church XYZ in town turns a corner and begins to see people saved and attendance rise, the response among Church ABC’s people is looking for evil reasons for the growth. (Or, if they don’t go so far as to look for evil reasons for the growth, nonetheless thinking about Church XYZ brings a frown to their face rather than a smile.)
b. A pastor is upset at another’s pastor’s success.
- Two pastors graduate from seminary together. When one of them begins to see rapid growth in his congregation and many invitations to speak at revivals and conferences, the other is filled with jealousy at his lesser lot and relative lack of opportunity.
c. A Christian is jealous that a fellow Christian is being used more by God.
- Talking at work, one mentions that his Sunday School has doubled over the last year with young couples coming into the church. The other’s main feeling is resentment that his class is not growing.
d. A Christian is jealous that a fellow Christian is being honored by God.
- A Christian neighbor shares the jaw-dropping story of an answered prayer. The other responds outwardly with an “Amen” but inwardly by wondering why God hasn’t done something like that for her.
- This competition and pride reduces our joy.
- What is the dispute that is mentioned in v. 25? Bob Deffinbaugh provides one idea: We are not told what is said in this dispute. For the purposes of illustration and clarification, allow me to suggest one possible scenario: John’s disciples encounter a Jew and ask him if he wishes to be baptized. He responds that he is not interested; he is convinced that the Jewish ceremonial cleansings are more effective. Unwilling to leave it at this, the disciples begin to debate with him. Seeing that he is not making any progress, the Jew may have “put the icing on the cake” with a statement something like: “Well what are you so dogmatic about? Don’t you know that Jesus is baptizing in the same way you are, and far more people are going to Him than to you folks? Why don’t you just give it up?” John’s disciples return to him frustrated and upset, not with the Jew, but with Jesus.
- When someone mentions the largest or the most dynamic or the most rapidly-growing church in our area, do we respond inwardly with negative thoughts toward that church or outwardly with mitigating reasons for that church’s success?
- John’s disciples aren’t the only ones in Scripture to do this.
- The Pharisees complain that “the whole world has gone after [Jesus]!” (John 12:17-19).
- Jesus’ disciples complain that others are attempting the same ministry as they are (Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49).
- This is a common response to “competition” in Kingdom work.
- Some people are destroyed by others tearing them down; some people are destroyed by others lifting them up.
2. Relying on our own ability to make things happen.
- John 3:27.
- It is a common thing in the church in America today that we intend to make our church grow. We come up with programs and plans and strategies in order to see our church grow and lives changed.
- Often as we do this, prayer is an afterthought.
- Often as we do this, waiting on God is not even a thought.
- Often as we do this, we aren’t factoring God into our plan – we’re relying on what we can do.
- The question has been posed: “If the Holy Spirit ceased to do anything in your church tomorrow, how much of ‘business-as-usual’ would continue uninterrupted?” The answer for a majority of churches, I’m afraid, is almost everything.
- When churches hire pastors, the search process is basically an attempt to ask him “How do intent to get our church to grow?” as if he can manufacture growth all by himself. But that’s what we expect from him.
- In v. 27, John responds to his disciples by saying, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.”
- That’s a statement of dependence. (It reminds that we rely on God for what we receive.)
- That’s a statement of humility. (It reminds us that we can’t manufacture things we haven’t been given.)
- That’s a statement of knowing your place. (John was given the job of forerunner to Christ – that’s what he received from heaven. His disciples wanted him to create a larger role for himself even if it wasn’t what heaven had in mind.)
- This is a statement of trust. (You have to presume that God knows what He’s doing and is going to give you the role that is perfectly fit for you. We’d usually rather pick our role for ourselves than to trust God to do it.)
- One of the ways we can get off-track in our Kingdom work is that we start to think that we’ve got to make something happen.
- This elevates us and diminishes God.
- This puts us in charge and leaves God to merely rubber-stamp our ideas.
- We get frustrated by the lack of growth or progress and so we decide we’ve got to engineer it ourselves.
- Imagine in the average church today if the deacons asked the pastor, “What do we need to do to grow again?” What is the more welcome response: “I’ve been thinking about that and I have some programs and initiatives that can get us back on track” or “I think we need to have weekly special prayer meetings, humble ourselves before God, seek His face, and commit to not moving in any direction until we have a word from Him.”
- The first response is the default response. The second response might get him fired.
- We bring the way that we are told to act in every other aspect of our lives and bring it into our spiritual lives.
- Everywhere else our society rewards the one who faces the situation head-on and makes good things happen. We mythologize the one who pulls himself up by his own bootstraps. We applaud the one who shapes events.
- Into that toxic mix, we come with the idea that we are using what we’ve been given from God, that God is the one with the plan, that God is the one we have to wait on, that God is the one we’re relying on.
- We need to let God be God. We don’t have to run everything and try to force things to happen.
- This is important in light of the striving and overachieving that’s so common in our society.
- There is a phrase that’s worth considering here: “sixpence none the richer.” It’s the name of a Christian band, but its origin is older.
- It comes from a book by C. S. Lewis called Mere Christianity. A little boy asks his father if he can get a sixpence - a very small amount of English currency - to go and get a gift for his father. The father gladly accepts the gift and he's really happy with it, but he also realizes that he's not any richer for the transaction. C.S. Lewis was comparing that to his belief that God has given him, and us, the gifts that we possess, and to serve Him the way we should, we should do it humbly - realizing how we got the gifts in the first place.
- We need to remember that our gifts, abilities, talents, etc. are all a gift from God.
- Certainly He is glad to see us use them in order to bring Him glory, but we need to remember that they came from Him in the first place.
3. Starting well, but over time losing sight of the big picture.
- John 3:28.
- John had taught them from the very beginning that he was not the Christ (v. 28).
- It might be that they never heard him and never received that truth into their hearts. More likely, though, is that they received it in, but then allowed it to slowly seep out.
- As newcomers to being John’s disciples, they received what he taught them as authoritative. But then, as they worked with John and saw the dynamic impact that he was having, saw the huge crowds that he was drawing, saw the potential for how big this thing could be, the words that John spoke began to fade.
- The thoughts of glory began to come. The thoughts of power began to come. The thoughts of authority began to come. And the words of John about their place in this whole thing began to fade.
- It wasn’t intentional or preconceived. It’s just that the possibilities of glory, power, and authority were very tempting.
- In our churches, it’s not that we originally intended to program God out of our thoughts. It’s just that we came to like having a full schedule and the feeling of accomplishment that brought.
- Among our pastors, it’s not that we originally intended to pander to people’s felt needs and never confront them with hard truths. It’s just that over time we came to really like the large crowd on Sunday morning.
- Among the believers, it’s not that we originally intended for our walk with God to be about Him making our life easier. It’s just that we got tired of the constant uphill walking spiritually and thought taking a little break couldn’t hurt anything.
- As with John’s disciples, there are many who start off well, along to wander off the path at some point in the journey.
- The problem is that while they started well, now they stand opposed to the mission of Christ and resentful of His success. That’s a scary thought.
- The problem for us is that we often start well, but along the way we allow convenience or comfort or pride or numbers or praise or whatever to become our benchmark for success. And we find ourselves standing opposed to the expansion of the Kingdom and things that bring Christ glory. And that’s a scary place to be.
Staying Focused: The goal of our Kingdom work is to lift up Jesus, not us.
- John 3:29-30.
- In v. 29, John reminds us that Jesus is the groom and that he is merely the friend of the groom. It would be a selfish and egotistical best man who would draw attention to himself on his friend’s wedding day. He needs to remember his place.
- In v. 30, John tells us that Jesus is the One whose glory, honor, and praise needs to increase. For us to fade into the background is as it should be.
- It’s not about me!
- When we resent another church’s rising popularity, we’re trying to lift ourselves up, not Christ.
- When we are bothered by another pastor’s impact, we’re trying to lift ourselves up, not Christ.
- When we’re jealous of the effectiveness of another believer, we’re trying to lift ourselves up, not Christ.
- When we try to manufacture growth in our church, we’re trying to lift ourselves up, not Christ.
- When we try to act as pastor like we have the answers to turning a church around, we’re trying to lift ourselves up, not Christ.
- When we allow our focus to become convenience or comfort or pride or numbers or praise, we’re trying to lift ourselves up, not Christ.
- Pride can keep us from giving Christ His due because we’re too focused on making sure that we get the credit we feel we deserve.
- Sometimes we start to believe our own P.R. and think that we really are the greatest thing since sliced bread.
- Rather than falsely raising ourselves up, we need to understand the lesser role is our role. We’re not God; we’re not Christ. We’re the servant, not the master. We’re the creation, not the Creator.
- We are the moon and Christ is the sun. Whatever light we shine is merely reflected from Him.
- All glory should ultimately go to Christ.
- Why?
- Because He’s the One who made us.
- Because He’s the One who saved us.
- Because He’s the One who gave us the powerful Holy Spirit to be able to live in victory.
- Jesus taught repeated that we should humble ourselves and God would exalt us (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14).
- The warning that came along with that was that when we exalt ourselves God would humble us.
- God’s exalting is greater, more substantial than our attempts to exalt ourselves.
- Stay content in a lesser place and trust God to lift you up at the right moment.
- Does v. 30 mean that the goal of the Christian life is for me to disappear?
- What John mentions in v. 30 is not a process of all of our personalities disappearing into a generic blur called Christ. What John says in v. 30 is about his role decreasing and Christ’s role increasing.
- It’s not accurate to say that the goal of the Christian life is for us to disappear.
- Even being close to Christ, we still maintain our unique personality, disposition, etc.
- It is accurate that His fame and glory should increase. It is accurate that we want people to be impressed with Him, not us.
- There’s an old quote that I think is worth mentioning here. Soren Kierkegaard once said, “Now, with God’s help, I shall become myself.”
- Our walk in Christ is not about us disappearing – that’s an Eastern religion thing. It’s about us becoming who we really are. That includes getting rid of our sin and finding our true place in the Kingdom. The closer we are to our Creator, the more we understand who we really are.
Where Does That Leave Us? Swimming in joy.
- John 3:29.
- This doesn’t make any sense to us. If I play a lesser role, I’m going to be dissatisfied, right?
- It’s interesting that John says that the emotion that comes with fulfilling his role as the friend of the groom is joy. He says he’s “full of joy” at the groom’s voice. He says that joy is his in fulfilling his role as the forerunner of Christ. And he says that joy is now complete.
- This seems ironic because it goes against all the things we hear so often.
- I have usually thought of John the Baptist as an angry, grouchy, grumpy guy.
- But this passage paints a picture of John as one with joy.
- This goes against what we’re told in our society. We’re told that elevating ourselves and putting ourselves first and looking out for #1 will bring us joy.
- John here tells us that lowering ourselves, being willing to play our smaller role will bring us joy.
- How can that be? Some thoughts:
a. Instead of being upset or jealous at the success of another church or Christian, we’re able to rejoice anytime we hear of Kingdom growth. We’re filled with joy at each report of good news.
- This is obviously much better for our joy than resenting another church’s new building or another Christian’s amazing answered prayer.
b. It’s inevitable that we’ll have more joy when things are lined up in our lives the way they’re supposed to be.
- Like having your back out of alignment creates pain and discomfort, having our priorities out of alignment is going to cause pain and discomfort in our lives.
- Putting Jesus first is the way it should be and our hearts are going to be filled with more joy when they’re aligned with the way things are supposed to be.
c. God doing more substantive things in your own life.
- When we’re putting Jesus first rather than elevating self, we’re moving closer and closer to God and that’s going to lead to Him being able to do more through us. This may not be immediate and may not show up in exactly the way it does in someone else’s life, but God’s ability to work through our lives is dependent on our surrender our heart is to Him.
When Pride Thoughts Start, Think: “I better put Jesus in His place. . . on the throne.”
- John 3:31.
- Usually when we say that we’re going to “put someone in their place,” we mean that we’re going to bring them down a notch or two.
- What I mean here is that when we start thinking the type of thoughts I’ve been talking about, we need to remember that Jesus is “above all” (v. 31). We need to remember that “putting Jesus in His place” means elevating Him. We’re the ones who need to be humbled. We’re the ones who need to get off the throne.
- We need to stay in our place and put Jesus in His: on the throne.
