The Crowning glory
Story time, folks! But this is no run of the mill, bed time story to lull you to sleep, instead it is a true account guaranteed to stir one’s soul. You may have heard it before, however it always brings a tear to the eye, every single time it is retold/heard. In late 19th century, one night it was very nasty and stormy as heavy rains lashed a small hotel in Philadelphia. An elderly man and woman approached the registration desk. Their question was, “Do you have room for us tonight?” Then with a slight pause, the woman briefly explained, “We have been to some of the larger hotels, and they are all full.”
The clerk namely George C.Boldt explained that there were several conventions in town at the time, and indeed no rooms were available anywhere in Philadelphia that particular night. He also pointed out to them that all of the rooms in his hotel were full as well. But the clerk went on, “I wouldn’t feel right about turning you out on such a nasty night. Would you be willing to sleep in my personal room?”
The couple was taken back at the generous offer and didn’t know how to respond, the young man insisted that he would be able to get along just fine if only they would use his room.
The next day as the elderly couple was checking out, the man told the young clerk, “You are the kind of man who should be the manager of the best hotel in the country. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” They all smiled at the little joke, and then the clerk helped them carry their bags out to the street to load into their car.
Two years later, the clerk received a letter from the old man. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident, but the letter recalled that night and his kindness. The letter also included a round trip ticket to New York City with the request that he come to be their guest for a visit.
When the young clerk reached New York City, there to meet him was the elderly couple. The old man drove him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and Thirty-fourth Street and pointed to a beautiful new building. It was like a palace of reddish stone with turrets and watchtowers like a castle. The older man said, “That is the hotel I have built for you to manage.”
“You must be joking,” the young man said. He couldn’t believe what he heard.
The old man said, “I am not joking.” And simply stood there and smiled.
The young man asked, “Who are you that you can do this?”. Talk of Boldt receiving a bolt from the blue...a pleasant one though...The old man all humility and poise replied “William Waldorf Astor”- one of the richest man in the world during his time. This was the Original Waldorf-Astoria of New York City, the hotel made just to return a ‘kindness’ given.
And here he was, Mr. George C. Boldt,( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Boldt) the young clerk with a big heart and he went on to become the proprietor of that historic hotel. And now dear friends, if a good, aristocratic man would keep up his word when it came to rewarding a kind act, would not the Almighty, oh-so-rich God who always fulfils His promises (Joshua 21:45) keep-up His word in the matter of giving crowns to His faithful ones’. So in the Scriptures how many types of crowns do we see, which are reserved for his diligent servants’ and what are they? Well, in the Scriptures, we see 5 types of crowns.
1. The Incorruptible Crown
2. The Crowns of rejoicing
3. The Crown of glory
4. The Crown of life
5. The Crown of righteousness
While some crowns would be rewarded exclusively to some categories of Christians, there are some Crowns which do not entail any special eligibility rules; as such any Christian can aspire for the same. In a 2-part series, I intend to take the readership on a “flight of meditation” over this exciting subject (it ought to excite every Christian). So fasten your seat belts… Let us begin by first reflecting on two types of Crowns…,
The Incorruptible Crown
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.-I Cor 9:24-25 (KJV)
Take out discipline from an athlete’s life and he becomes, as it were a “toothless tiger” and by the same yardstick take out spiritual discipline from a Christian’s life and he becomes a Popeye without a dose of spinach, falling flat at the feet of an adversary (Eph 6:12) much stronger than Bluto. In the above verses, Apostle Paul alludes to the athletic events in the games which were celebrated every fifth year on the isthmus, or narrow neck of land, which joins the Peloponnesus, or Morea, to the main land; and were thence termed the Isthmian games. The events were running, wrestling, boxing, throwing the discus or quoits, to the three first of these the apostle especially alludes, the truth thereof, would not elude any wise child of God.
What then is strict Christian spiritual discipline? Simply put, it would mean prioritizing life activities in a manner which would not LEAVE OUT at any time
a) Worship -personal (which includes Bible reading) and family prayer time),
b) Church fellowship (partaking in week day activities of the Church besides Sunday Worship) and
c) Courtship- courting souls for the Lord (read personal evangelism)
Yes in a competitive World on the run, there is no denying the fact that to be spiritually shipshape, constantly exercising yourself with Worship, fellowship and courtship activities is TOUGH, brother that is why DISCIPLINE is required in these matters. It follows as day follows night that those faring excellently on Worship would fare well on the other two as well. For everything stands and falls on Worship, which is an extension of the love we have for the Lord.
Here is a poetic rendition of an athlete’s discipline required to bag the Prize.
A youth who hopes the Olympic prize to gain, All arts must try, and every toil sustain; Th' extremes of heat and cold must often prove; And shun the weakening joys of wine and love.
The crown won by the victor in the Olympian games was made of the wild olive; in the Pythian games of laurel; in the Nemean games of parsley; and in the Isthmian games of the pine. These were all corruptible, for they began to wither as soon as they were separated from the trees, or plucked out of the earth. In stark contrast to these, for ALL CHRISTIANS exercising spiritual discipline the INCORRUPTIBLE CROWN would be given.
While in the Isthmian games, only one received the prize, though all ran; in the race of Christian life, the good news with Capital G is ALL WHO EXERCISE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE WOULD INHERIT THE INCORRUPTIBLE CROWN. Pray tell me mate, how is your prayer life and also how are you faring on “fellowship” and “Courtship” fronts?
The Crowns’ of rejoicing
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?- I Thess 2:19 (NKJV)
People we win for the Lord would constitute our Crowns of rejoicing. While an ethereal visit to Heaven –a la Apostle Paul (II Cor 12:1-4)-may help us better understand this subject, at this stage, if the truth that evangelism is of two types-Mass and Personal- grips us, then a blessed realization would also dawn upon us that all those who would lay their hands on the Incorruptible crown by virtue of their disciplined lives in the matters of worship, fellowship and courtship (personal evangelism), would also go on to bag the Crowns of rejoicing. For it is given for those who win “souls” to the Lord and mind you those who are entailed to the Incorruptible crown have already fared outstandingly on soul-winning matters, also.
At the supernatural level, as directly relaying the Gospel to a sinner ethereally through a direct Divine-human “one on one” communication mode would deprive a sinner of taking the leap of faith, which is oh-so-necessary in the matter of Salvation (believing/acting without seeing with a naked eye is FAITH-Heb 11:1), the Master depends on His stewards who are “enjoying Him” to be carriers of the Gospel to the sin-infested World. Oh yes, only once in this age of human history, after the end of the Grace dispensation (during the second phase of 7-year terrible tribulation to be more precise), would an angel be used to convey the Eternal Gospel (Rev 14:6)!
On the subject of personal evangelism, which everyone can participate in unlike Mass evangelism, that requires anointed Apostles and Evangelist to undertake the work, it needs to be reiterated here “if Worship puts you on fire and Church Fellowship fuels the fire, then by personal evangelism one would pass on “LOVE FOR THE LORD” fire to the unbelievers”. Yes, it is this speaking with love about the Lord in the marketplace that would attract the unbelievers to Him, rather than evangelism done as a matter of duty. An insightful one-liner in this context sums it up aptly “Work done for the Lord with a worshipping heart is a delight, while the same done as a duty is a drag”.
When it comes to personal evangelism it would serve us well to remember ONE cardinal truth. The truth is that since Gospel sharing on personal basis can be done broadly amongst only two “DIFFICULT” groups (I would come to that point shortly), NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN EVER BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT HIS POWER. It needs no reiteration that if to us belongs the responsibility of sharing the Gospel (I Cor 15:1-4 defines the Gospel oh-so-lucidly) and then to the Holy Spirit belongs the role of touching the needy one’s heart. The “needy” one is EVERYONE living without the Savior. OH, THE BIGGEST SIN IS NOT TRANGRESSING ANY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS BUT LIVING LIFE ON ONE’S OWN TERMS KEEPING THE CREATOR OF EVERY CELL AND EVERY DROP OF BLOOD IN OUR BODIES AT AN ARM’S LENGTH! Talk of a tenant living as though the house is his, to the utter dismay of the Landlord (Psalm 24:1 Job 41:11)!
Now coming to the two “DIFFICULT” categories of people to whom, we can possibly reach by way of personal evangelism-an exercise which needs “INVESTMENT OF TIME”. If in the first category belong those whom we meet regularly (our co-students, office colleagues, family members etc), the second category are those whom, we may meet only once in a while (our fellow plane, long-journey bus/rail passengers etc). While the former to be influenced would need us to not only to SPEAK BUT ALSO LIVE OUR FAITH day in and day out, which can be accomplished only by His strength (John 15:4), then the latter would need to see THE URGENCY IN OUR DEMEANOR AND EARNESTNESS OF THE MESSAGE in the few hours we may be with them (a la Phillip – Acts 8:26-39), which too can be accomplished only by His power. Oh how true the words of our Lord “…FOR WITHOUT ME, YOU CANNOT DO ANYTHING” (John 15:5).
Mass evangelism (a PUBLIC manifestation of God’s power) as opposed to personal evangelism (SILENT manifestation of God’s power) would entail operation of Apostolic gifts (2 Cor 12:12/Acts 19:11-12) too. At all times during Mass evangelism (organized by way of massive public meetings) “signs and wonders” would carry the day for God’s servants. Apostles and Evangelists (Eph 4:11-12) are especially anointed by the Almighty to do several astonishing miracles whereby public attention is drawn to them and then eventually to the ALL POWERFUL ONE, who is the source behind all the miraculous works. Needy public (mostly facing health problems) are drawn to them as iron filings to a magnet. Once delivered from physical distress say life-threatening diseases like cancer, what other choice is left to the “delivered lot” and their family members who are personal witness to a stupendous miracle then to accept the “OMNIPOTENT DELIVERER” into their hearts! While on the subject of Apostles (the highest in the ranks of Christian Ministerial hierarchy-1 Cor 12:28) mightily used by the good Lord, it needs to be noted that the good Lord in His sovereign wisdom, places at times “some thorn in the flesh” (read some secret physical or emotional infirmity) of the wonders-working Apostles, lest they get puffed up with pride (2 Cor 12:1-10)! Strong as is their relationship with the Almighty, they accept “these thorns in the flesh” get on with it HUMBLY!
Amazing thing about the Lord’s amazing grace is that both personal evangelists (read lay Christians) and mighty, full-time Apostles would be entitled to the CROWNS OF REJOICING, though it needs to be remembered Apostles and Evangelists would get more of them as they would be winning more souls en masse.
A personal evangelist or a mighty apostle, let’s be earnest fishers of men! Caught any “fish” of late, pal?
The Crown of Glory
Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.- I Peter 5:4
Where evangelism ends, pastoral work commences. If through an evangelistic ministry God operates as an obstetrician, then through the Pastoral Ministry He serves as a Pediatrician. The souls won over to the Lord by an Apostle/evangelist need to be nurtured by the Pastor. While an Apostle/Evangelist would constantly be on the move (Acts 8:39-40), a Pastor is invariably a stationery, local overseer (Acts 14:23) vested with the responsibility of building up the new Christians in faith in order they blossom into profitable servants for the Lord themselves. This is not to say that an Apostle/Evangelist would not spend any time in personal counseling as a Pastor patiently does or that a Pastor would never go an extra-mile in winning the souls for the Lord, like an earnest evangelist does. It is just that that their Divine calling is well-defined and majority of their time/effort is directed towards achieving the purpose of their call.
Since a Pastor works amongst mostly believers, one doesn’t see normally public manifestation of “signs and wonders” in His Ministry, which is conspicuous by its presence in an evangelistic Ministry amongst unbelievers (I Cor 14:22), but the Lord would give a Pastor a heart of a good shepherd to lead lovingly the flock by example besides anointing him with His power to be a wonderful expositor of the Bible bringing forth profound truths, thereof. Even Christian history bears witness to this truth. Going by Biblical definition of the word Apostle (2 Cor 12:12), even great servants of God of past like say C.H. Spurgeon, Pastor of Metropolitan Tabernacle Church, London or Pastor Rick Warren (of the present generation) of Saddleback Church, California may not fit into the category of Apostles whose Ministry, I repeat, is distinguished by “Signs and wonders”, but can anybody deny (one can do so only at the risk of blaspheming the Holy Spirit-Matt 12:32) the “power” in the Ministry of teaching of these two Pastors, whereby building up their flock wondrously in Word and Spirit!
The Crown of Glory, reserved for Pastors is their exclusive treasure, which the Lord would not give to any other category of Christians and why not? These souls would diligently labour for the Lord far removed from public spotlight, which nine times out of ten would be upon charismatic Apostles (not their fault at all, I ought to add here).
The Crown of Life
Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.-Rev 2:10
For those who lay their lives at the altar for their Master’s sake, enduring everything unto the end, including the temptations (James 1:12) to deny relationship with Him, Crowns of life await. Simply put, only the Christian martyrs are entitled to the Crowns of life. Again, this is an exclusive crown for an exclusive lot.
It is said, one is ready to live for Christ, only when one is ready to die for Him. Speaking about a martyr’s reward can anybody forget the insightful, creative dying declaration of that great Christian martyr Jim Elliot “He is no fool, of who gives up what he cannot keep (physical life) to gain what he cannot lose”. Oh to die as a martyr for the Lord!
The Crown of Righteousness
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.-II Tim 4:8
Now this is quite amazing. If all the Crowns-about which, we reflected so far- have been given for some ACTION, this Crown is being reserved only for EXPECTATION. Boy, even those keenly anticipating the Lord’s return would land a prize! There are two dimensions of thought on this subject.
Firstly, those who are really in right earnest looking for the RETURN OF THE REDEEMMER would not be passive but passionate. As such they would be on the move alerting many about the imminent coming of the eminent KING, thereby winning souls for the Kingdom (to them would belong the Incorruptible crown besides the Crowns of rejoicing).
Secondly, there may be some who are eagerly awaiting the Lord’s return but are handicapped at once coming under the category of those “who can only stand and wait and YET SERVE” (thanks John Milton) like Apostle Paul. His movements restricted by imprisonment, he kept sending epistles to Churches which he otherwise would have visited. Ditto some bed-ridden patients, eagerly awaiting the Rapture who also serve with their passionate intercessory prayer ministry.
The active/passive acts of service emanating from the heart of eager expectation of the ethereal would receive reward by way of Crowns of Righteousness. For those conversant with the account of Father of faith being considered righteous for a passive act of merely believing (Genesis 15:6), the thought of a Crown of Righteousness being given to even those who only “eagerly await His return” would be in perfect harmony with the Scripture. So finally…
Dear Christian friend, keep at your faithful work,
From taking challenges for the Lord, never shirk,
Magnificent crowns await as you travel Heavenward
So for the Lord be always inspired to put your best foot forward
Suresh Manoharan
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