Learn never to be the attraction, always reveal Christ

Learn never to be the attraction, always reveal Christ

PRAYER:

Our Father and Lord, we bless your name for another opportunity that you have given us. Lord, continue to keep and guide us as we look into your word today in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s start this Open Mic by looking at three personalities in the Scripture: Paul, Peter, and John The Baptist. We shall post three scriptures as the basis of our discussion from these 3 men.

Gal. 1:15-16 —15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood.

Note: Paul clearly stated that he was just an entity to reveal Christ and should be careful not to take the glory.

John 1:6-9: 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That[b] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

It was very clear that John only came to bear witness; he was not the witness, Christ was the witness.

Acts 3:12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

After the miracle at the Beautiful Gate, everyone was praising Peter, but he replied that it was not him, he was not ready to take the honor that belongs to the Lord. Today, one of the greatest challenges we have is that we have not learned the place of returning glory to the Lord. Many of us are caught in the web of the world system where men are measured by how much influence and power they have. It is very easy for our generation to say things like “I healed him,” “It was my covering that saved him,” “I personally prayed for him before he became something,” “My Church is the most powerful Church in Town,” “My pastor is the most anointed in town,” “I labored to build this Cathedral, where were you people then,” “All you sons, you don’t know how to honor me, your father, I produced you.” When you speak or hear such things like this, then you must know that Christ has been shifted from the Center.

It takes nothing big to shift Christ from the Center; you only need to place yourself there and wahoo, He leaves. Our generation is not being taught these things, and we need to continue to emphasize it. A man of God is a servant; he must never deliver his message and when the message works, just the same way it was not his message, he must never take the glory for the message. You preached very well; it is not your sermon, and the honor should never be taken by you.

One of the systems of the world that we have imported is the concept of flaunting yourself, blowing your trumpet; if you don’t blow it, nobody will blow it for you. That is contrary to the kingdom. In the Kingdom, we are sent as messengers; we are not going by our power, we are anointed for a purpose, and when all is done well and God is glorified, NEVER should we try to take the honor.

Questions:

What are some of the ways men take honor for themselves today that we need to be careful of lest we fall into the same temptation?

Some insist that you must call them by their title e.g. Apostle, Bishop, Prophet, Spiritual Daddy, etc., or else they will be highly offended.

1. We want Honor From Men as a Minister of the Gospel: One of the grave dangers today is that men want honor at all costs, and so many times the honor that men ought to give Christ, we have given it unto men. For instance, when many servants of God are not called Mummy or Daddy, they take offense because they want that honor. It is not the right thing to dishonor servants of God, but servants of God should never live expecting worship and extreme honor from members. This builds a lot of eye service Christians who are ready to honor the man of God but commit hideous sin, as long as they honor men, they are getting into positions. If men call you Daddy or Mummy, it is not a sin, but be careful to know when you begin to assume you deserve the honor more than anyone. The Apostles and Old Patriarchs put themselves under check by calling themselves brother. Try to call someone that is an Apostle a Brother, and you will see the reaction. That alone tells you how much the flesh has grown in them.

Personal Check:

Can men call you brother or sister, and you won’t be angry? This is not a call to disrespect men, but surely those that are His do not crave for honor or glory for themselves but Christ.

2. We want the Things of God for Personal Glory: Today we need to check our motive for seeking the power of God. While we believe we need this for the glory of the Kingdom, I am afraid if the main thing that is propelling you is to get more followers, more influence, and more fame. One of the reasons why even the miracles we see do not move some people is that they saw in many the pride, the glory, the fame we display on the pulpit; they cannot see the reflection of the image of humility but of arrogance and pride and personal aggrandizement where Christ is never at the center but us. We must know that it is life that sustains us and not work, and therefore we must be careful and be sure we reflect Christ. Let’s check ourselves daily and let’s call ourselves brother and feel if we are offended or not! That is a good check!

3. We need to stop calling ourselves names that place us at the Center: Acts 14:11-15 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, “The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.” 12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. 13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates and would have done sacrifice with the people. 14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas, and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes and ran in among the people, crying out, 15 And saying, “Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.”

Here they called Peter & Barnabas Jupiter and Mercurius, but immediately they rent their clothes and rejected such titles; it is not enough as a child of God to say you are humble. Once they called you a title that makes you be at the center, quickly and openly reject it. It is not enough for men to call you names like “God’s Mighty General,” “The Only Apostle of our time,” “The Miracle Worker,” and you are nodding your head and later you went inside and say, “God, I am sorry, you took the glory outside, go and return it outside.” Anytime men eulogize you at the expense of Christ, reject it outrightly and immediately. You are not God’s General; you are a servant of God. Only God can call you General, not man. You are not a Miracle Worker; only God is the miracle worker; therefore, reject it.

As a body of Christ, we are trying to find a place among men, and therefore we continue to look for eulogies to give ourselves so that the world may respect us. The world will only respect the Christ in us and not titles. Today you can say you are anything but Pastor for men to believe you are a man of integrity. We eulogize the title, and the world stole it from us because it is their property, and the image of Christ is not seen.

That’s it. This generation so much desires names like Papa, mama, my father, etc. When you address them otherwise, they will say you don’t respect them. Our lives should reflect Christ who left His glory and even points men to His Father. Let’s learn to be like these Patriarchs who continue to place Christ at the center of everything. It is not enough to preach it, but we must live the life.

4. We point sinners to men at the Entrance of the Gate: One of the dangers of our time is that we point men to men when they come to Christ, rather than leading them to encounter Christ. We only read to them the creed of our denominations, and anytime the man sees faults in that creed, he moves away because only Christ is faultless. We must learn to lead sinners to Christ and not men, lead sinners to Christ, not just our Church. The Church should be a disciple center for men to know more about Christ and not just being taught loyalty to men as against loyalty to Christ. You are taking the place of Christ when you want men to be loyal to you, your denomination, etc., at the expense of Christ.

When we talk about Power and Anointing, our generation craves it. If you want to test it, preach again on why the flesh must be crushed, and you will understand the motive for such anointing. The flesh must be crushed; that is the main requirement for following Christ. You must never try to outshine your Lord; if truly He is Lord, He will bring you much glory but carefully let the world know that He is the Lord!