Introduction
Where are we today? I mean by that, in our study about the Christ and His Church, are we making progress? Are we moving toward Christ or are we satisfied to stay back, keeping our distance? Are we unsure we are willing to make the kind of commitment Jesus Christ wants of us? It is easy to be a church member. It is not so easy to be a disciple. Remember this, secular churches are full of church members; the church of the Christ is made up of disciples. And remember this as well, Christ is not interested in growing a secular church, but is totally committed to growing a group of disciples, which is His church.
By way of review, let us discern the functional definition of the church of the Christ. The church being built by Christ is comprised, first, of people who have surrendered to the divinity and sovereignty, to the power and authority of Jesus Christ. And second, it is comprised of people who have connected to Christ for their strength to live holy lives of service to Him. Please understand there is a major difference between membership to a church and discipleship to the Christ. Secular churches make membership as struggle-free as possible. Discipleship is filled with struggle and the disciples within a church of the Christ understand its purpose. Without struggle, growth does not take place.
Part Three: Understand Your Struggle With Christ
Do you remember what John the Baptist said of himself, “Christ must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30). Intentionally denying one’s self so that another is exalted runs counter to the post-modern culture we exist within. The early disciples struggled with the same things with which we struggle. The main struggle they had and we have today is the struggle of camouflaged pride.
Camouflaged pride is pride that doesn’t feel like nor look like pride, but is pride none the less.
An event in the disciples lives illustrates this struggle of camouflaged pride. Once we have understood this event, let us make sure that we:
Pull in the Oars on Pride
This event is given to us by Mark in the gospel.
Jesus quickly made his disciples get into a boat and cross to Bethsaida ahead of him while he sent the people away. After saying goodbye to them, he went up a mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. Jesus saw that they were in a lot of trouble as they rowed, because they were going against the wind. Between three and six o’clock in the morning, he came to them. He was walking on the sea. He wanted to pass by them. When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought, “It’s a ghost!” and they began to scream. All of them saw him and were terrified. Immediately, he said, “Calm down! It’s me. Don’t be afraid!” He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped blowing. The disciples were astounded. (They didn’t understand what had happened with the loaves of bread. Instead, their minds were closed.) (Mark 6:45-52, God’s Word)
Verse 52 is the key verse of this event. For they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened. (Mark 6:52, NASB).
Jesus compelled them to get into the boat, strain at the oars all night, while He walked on the sea to the other side. He wanted them to come to have insight about what they failed to do. They failed to feed the 5000, and they did not even know why?
Remember that event. When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” (Mark 6:35-37, NASB)
It is easy to identify with the disciples. We feed about 30 people on Wednesday nights, it cost on average sixty dollars. Let’s see, 5000 men, 4000 wives, 8000 children; WOW! That is a lot of people to feed. 17,000 divided by 30 times 60 equals $34,000. Well now, that’s more than a years wages for most people. Who in their right mind would do such a thing? I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I do not have that kind of resources. I wonder if the results of feeding all those people would really be beneficial to my plan.
I couldn’t, I wanted, I do not, I wonder, my plan. Their response uncovered their camouflaged pride. It didn’t feel like pride to them. It didn’t look like pride either. But it was pride never the less.
They could have fed the mass of humanity that day. Jesus had already given them power to heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the good news. In fact, they were eager to announce to Him what they had done in their travels.
But they did not yet have the insight that they could feed this crowd. They looked to themselves for their ability, they concluded they couldn’t feed the people, it would cost them too much. And perhaps they did not see the need to feed them. The crowd should have taken care of themselves.
Pride kept them from looking to Jesus for their ability, surely had they have done that their conclusion would have been different. Here is the key point: Camouflaged pride keeps you from looking to Jesus Christ for your ability to do the tasks you do not really want to do.
I could be wrong about pride in this event. What convinces me that I concluded correctly comes from Jesus’ further teaching to the disciples. Listen carefully to Jesus’ instruction to them. The event is also found in the gospel of Mark.
The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side. And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?” (Mark 8:11-21)
Understand what? The disciples are majoring in minors and they are blind, deaf, and calloused. They are majoring in food, clothing, shelter, etc; leaving unaffected matters of the heart; confidence, faith, obedience. If the disciples think they can approach the mission of Christ like they do their everyday affairs; they will fail. They and we have to learn to rely on Christ for everything, absolutely everything.
This is hard. It is a intense struggle. Self reliance is camouflaged pride. When Christ sent the disciples out to preach the good news, what could they take with them? Do you remember?
“And He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” (Mark 6:8-9). Why? They had to learn to give up self reliance. Did you notice, they were to take no bread with them.
When Jesus commanded them to feed the 5000, why did he do that? He knew they couldn’t feed them unless they relied upon Him. They had to learn to rely on Christ.
Why did Jesus compell them to row across the sea? He and they knew a storm would blow in the middle of the night. They strained against the oars all night making no progress. They had to learn they needed to rely upon Christ.
This lesson is one that all disciples need to base their faith upon. It was a lesson Paul learned many times.
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. (2 Corinthians 1:8-11)
Our struggles as a disciple almost always originate on this point. Upon whom am I relying: Christ or myself? So, the church of the Christ is comprised, thirdly, by a group of people who is conquering the pride associated with self reliance.
Understand the Symptoms of Pride
• Pride says, “I am my own person. I govern myself through self-discipline.”
• Pride says, “I am strong, balanced, intelligent. I do not need anyone. I am all I need.”
• Pride says, “I count on myself. If I count on someone else, they seem always to fall short. I know I can rely on me.”
If you want the blessing the Christ offers to everyone. Then, listen to Him. And He 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. (Luke 9:23)
• Jesus declares, “I created you. I created you for my purposes. I govern and rule over you. - - Pride says, “I am my own person. I govern myself, no one rules over me.”
• Jesus declares, “You must deny yourself.” - - Pride says, “I am all I need. I count on myself.”
• Jesus declares, “Take up the cross and follow me.” - - Pride says, “OK, but only on my terms, if I can rely on myself to choose what I do and do not do.”
Only you know what has a grip on your heart. Is it self-reliant pride? Is it Jesus Christ? Is it that you struggle daily with this issue? I know for my self, it is a constant struggle! It is a real paradox. When I WIN, I really lose! When I LOSE, I really win. But here is a far more important truth. When Christ wins inside anyone of us, we all win; the Body of Christ WINS.
The last thing any competitor wants to do is forfeit the game. But in this regard, that is exactly what we all need to do. Forfeit pride so that Christ wins. Will you today, at this very moment forfeit to Christ?
