Another Look at Being Blinded by the (Wrong) Light

 

By Jim Faughn     Some who read this may have read a previous post of mine that dealt with what I believe may be a danger for those of us who preach and teach God’s word. The short version of what I wrote then is that there is the possibility that the fact that we are often “in the spotlight” can distort our message, our lives, and our eternal destiny.      This post is intended to “shed some light” (pun intended) on another dangerous issue. There are those who attempt to influence others by dazzling them with their personalities, their oratorical skills, impressive Hollywood style productions, and a host of other things. Those who experience their presentations are usually impressed with just that – the experience. When all of the theatrics and “fluff” is stripped away, there is just not much of a message at all. What may pass for a message is actually an effort to make the messenger look good and/or to make the hearer feel good.     You may remember an account from the Bible about a situation somewhat like that. You can find it recorded in Acts 12:21-23. A ruler known to history as Herod Agrippa I, but who is referred to in this text merely as Agrippa, was no friend of the early Christians. As we begin reading Acts 12, we find information about him having James, the brother of John, killed and having Peter imprisoned with the intention of also killing him.     As we come close to the end of the chapter, we read about a speech that Agrippa made. Interestingly though, we do not actually read about the speech. Instead, we find some information about how he looked and the impression that he made on the people.     All that the Bible tells us about is the appearance of Herod Agrippa as he spoke and the effect his appearance and presentation made on those in attendance. The text informs us that he was “…arrayed in royal apparel…” (Acts 12:21).     The Jewish historian, Josephus, provides more information. According to him, on occasions such as the one recorded in Acts 12, Herod wore a special garment made entirely of silver. He would position himself in such a way so as to reflect the rays of the sun and impress people. Apparently, as the sun rose, this reflection was extremely effective and, as the sun continued on its course across the sky, the color, intensity, etc. of the reflection would change and continue to impress.  If, in fact, this was the “royal apparel” worn by Herod on this day, it may go a long way in explaining why the people said, “…It is the voice of a god, and not of a man” (Acts 12:22).     I suppose that it could be said that this was the forerunner of present-day “light shows.” Then, as now, people seemed to be much more impressed with style than they were with substance. Just as speakers can be blinded by the spotlight, hearers can be blinded by nothing more than dazzle.       You may remember that things didn’t turn out so well for Herod on that occasion, though. As Luke continues his inspired narrative in Acts, we read these words: And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. (Acts 12:23) We may not expect God today to punish in such a dramatic way those who are more interested in impressing people with themselves instead of encouraging them to honor God. At the same time, we can rest assured that… …God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5) Before we leave out consideration of Acts 12, we need to think seriously about these words; But the word of God grew and multiplied. (Acts 12:24) That information reminds me of something found in The Old Testament: For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)     The focus must never be on us. Things like notoriety, popularity, acceptance, acclaim, and even monetary gain will mean absolutely nothing when we stand before the One who said twice, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5).  All of us – especially those of us who preach and teach – would do well to remember that.     Those of us who listen to preachers and teachers need to do all we can to make sure that our lives are guided by always the consistent  “…light of the glorious gospel of Christ…” (2 Cor. 4:4) and not by something as inconsistent as a reflection that changes with the movement of the sun.

- Jim Faughn serves as and elder for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. Be sure to visit the following for more great articles: Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith.

Humility Comes Before Exaltation

By Edd Sterchi       Philippians 2:5-11 is a wonderful treatise on Jesus Christ. He came from heaven as God, but lived upon the earth as human. He lived a sinless life so that He could be our perfect sin offering. Verses 8 and 9 reveal something that we often miss concerning all of this: “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” (emphasis mine).     Since Jesus was our perfect example (Philippians 2:5; 1 Peter 2:21), it is important that we note this formula: Humility comes before exaltation. If we want God to exalt us, we must first humble ourselves before Him. To humble ourselves means to put God above every aspect of our lives, be obedient to His will, and fully trust in Him – just as Jesus did. If we do this, we are guaranteed exaltation.     “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)     “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10)     “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6)

- Edd Sterchi preaches for the Broadway Church of Christ in Campbellsville, KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.broadwaychurchofchrist.net/

A Lesson In Humility

By Rob Albright

 
     In John 13:1-17 we notice Jesus washing the disciples feet and He did this to teach a lesson on humility. We know that at least two of the disciples were thinking about how they could obtain first place in the kingdom. The other disciples found out what was on their mind and became indignant (Matthew 20:20-28) with the two brothers.
     The selfish thinking needed to be dealt with. Jesus, in this act of humility, displayed a lesson they needed to learn and we need to learn, as fellow disciples of Jesus.
     Jesus taught them (and us) that true greatness is not abut being served, but of serving. Jesus cared about others and served others by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, lame, and blind. When Jesus gave His life for the sins of the world, He displayed humility.
     After He washed the disciples feet, he said, "I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you" (John 13:15). The washing of feet was not an act of worship but it was a demonstration of the attitude we need to have with one another.
     We have to be careful to not be so filled with pride that we cannot do a menial task. If the King of the kingdom could wash feet, then no service to others should be beneath our dignity.

 - Rob Albright serves as one of the ministers at the Northwest Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.nwchurchofchrist.com/

A Lesson in Humility

By Joe Chesser

King Nebuchadnezzar had a problem – himself. (Yes, he probably had another problem, too – learning to spell his name.) Not only was he a king, he was king of the most powerful nation on earth at the time. And, as often happens, power has a way of destroying a person. Although he wasn’t Jewish, he was still subject to the will of God, and God was using him to punish the unfaithful Jews. In rinsing to such a lofty position, Ole King Neb had become so proud of his power that he thought he was above God. In His mercy to King Neb, God sent him a dream and sent Daniel to interpret it for him. This is found in Daniel 4 so I’ll not go into all the details at this time. God even gave the king a year to repent and avoid the fulfillment of the dream. Instead, at the end of the twelve months, Nebuchadnezzar boasted, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (vs. 30).

The words were still on his lips when God stripped the mighty king of all his royal authority and drove him into wilderness to live with and like the wild animals, to eat grass like cattle (vs. 32). “His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird” (vs. 33). Not very kingly, is it? He had to live like this for as long as it took to acknowledged that God was sovereign over the nations and controlled who sat on the thrones of the world. When God wants to humble a person, He knows the best way to do so.

To his credit, King Neb finally got the point. He raised his eyes toward heaven and began to praise the Most High, to give Him honor and glory, and to acknowledge that He has the power to do as He pleases in both heaven and earth. And the amazing thing to me is that when King Neb finally humbled himself before the sovereign God, God restored the king to all his previous honor and splendor.

Yet, it was all so unnecessary. God wanted Nebuchadnezzar to be the king of the most powerful nation on earth. He wanted him to have honor and splendor. All the king had to do was to acknowledge that God was sovereign, not himself. And even when he didn’t, he was given time to change his mind. But instead, King Neb had to go through the painful, humiliating wilderness experience to learn to humble himself and lift up the Lord.

I wonder what God is withholding from us because of our pride? I wonder what blessings are in store for us when we pass the humility test? Perhaps the hardships we endure are lessons in humility. Hopefully, we can learn from the surprising experiences of Nebuchadnezzar to humble ourselves, and not have to be taught humility through our own difficulties. But either way, let’s be sure to humbly acknowledge that God alone is sovereign. To God be the Glory!

- Joe Chesser preaches for the Fruitland church of Christ, Fruitland, MO. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.cofcfruitland.com/