In
the current meditations we reflect on the question: is the full armour of God
of which Paul talks in Ephesians 6:10-17 only meant for individual Christians
or also for the local church as a whole? Does God’s armour only protect
Christ’s life in us personally against Satan’s assaults? Does it equally
protect Christ’s life within the local church which is the Body of Christ? So
far we have seen that Jesus wants to manifest His life in our churches through
our passionate love for God and for each other. We have realized that God’s
Spirit is well able to produce this Christlike love in our hearts and in our
congregations. However, the question remains: how do we protect Jesus’ life in
our churches against Satan’s attacks? The apostle Paul encourages the church in
Ephesus (Turkey) to “be (or: grow, become) strong in the Lord...” (Ephesians
6:10**). In the present meditations we ask ourselves: how does a church that
wants to grow strong ‘in the Lord’ practically look like?
In
Meditation 136 we saw that for a church to ‘grow strong in the Lord’, growing
in pure Christlike love, produced by God’s Spirit, is a first requirement. In Meditation
137 we tried to formulate the major requirements a church community should meet
if it wants to ‘grow strong in the Lord’. In Meditation 138 we meditated
on the fact that corporate Christlike compassion for those who suffer is another
powerful expression of divine love in a church that desires to mature in
Christlikeness.
Today
we want to reflect on the subject of corporate Christlike humility. In our Western world, true humility is not highly valued these days, but it is another manifestation of divine love in a church community. Again we need to
say that Christlike humility is not a natural capacity for any follower of
Christ, let alone for any church family. I remember the words of apostle Paul
to the church in Ephesus: “It is by grace you have been saved, through
faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8**)
To
understand what true humility is, we need to look into God’s Word. There we see
that the accurate definition of humility is explained in the character of our
Triune God.
The true humility of
our Triune God
In
a clear testimony, Jesus says of Himself: “... I am gentle and
humble in heart...”
(Matthew 11:29**). That testimony is endorsed by the Old Testament prophet
Zechariah (6th century BC) when he spoke of the Jesus’ arrival in
Jerusalem in the days before His death: “Rejoice greatly, O people of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you. He
is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey-- even on a
donkey's colt.” (Zechariah 9:9*)
Furthermore, to the church of
Philippi (Greece) the apostle Paul describes Jesus’ humility in a dramatic way:
“Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God,
He did not demand and cling to His rights as God. He made Himself nothing; He
took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human
form He obediently humbled Himself even further by dying a criminal's death on
a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8*)
In this text and many others, Paul
clearly proclaims that Jesus Christ is God. His appearance into our world as a
human being (Ancient Greek: theophany) is the ultimate manifestation of divine
humility.
The
apostle John starts his Gospel with a dramatic description of Christ’s humility:
“1In the beginning was the Word (i.e. Jesus Christ), and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. 3
Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5
The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. ... 9
The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10
He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did
not recognise Him. 11 He came to that which was His own, but His own
did not receive Him. ... 14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the
glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:1-5, 9-11 and 14**)
The
Old Testament speaks more often of God’s humble appearance in human form and of
His Self-humiliation to be with those who long for Him. Here are some examples:
-- In Genesis 18:1-33, the eternal God appears as a man to Abraham, accompanied by
two angels: “The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre
while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham
looked up and saw three men standing nearby.” (Genesis 18:1-2**)
-- In Genesis 32:22-30, Jacob wrestles with a man who was a theophany of our everlasting
Triune God: “So Jacob was left alone,
and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ... So Jacob called the place
Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was
spared.’” (Genesis 32:24.30**)
--
The prophet Isaiah (8th century BC) reveals that our grand and
majestic God also humbles Himself to be close to those who need Him: “Thus
says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell
in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To
revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’”
(Isaiah 57:15***)
--
Furthermore, God spoke by mouth of Isaiah to Ahaz, king of Judah, about His
future Self-humiliation: “All right then, the Lord Himself will choose the
sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son and
will call him Immanuel-- 'God is with us.'” (Isaiah 7:14*) This prophesy
was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus: “... an angel of the Lord appeared to
him (Joseph) in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be
afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has
been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a Son, and you are to name
Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ All of this happened
to fulfill the Lord's message through His prophet: ‘Look! The virgin will
conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son, and He will be called Immanuel
(meaning, God is with us).’ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the
Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin
until her Son was born. And Joseph named Him Jesus.” (Matthew 1:20-25*)
To
understand the meaning of Jesus’ Self-humiliation better, I think of His words
in Matthew 20:26-28*: “... Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be
your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave. For even I,
the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my
life as a ransom for many.”
Only God’s Spirit is able to produce
Christlike humility in my church
God’s Word makes it clear that the existential
problem of man is sin. And sin expresses itself first of all in pride and disobedience
to God and His Word. Here are some examples:
-- King David (11th
century BC) wrote in one of his songs: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful
from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5**)
-- The prophet Isaiah acknowledged
that “all of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to
follow our own.” (Isaiah 53:6*). In chapter 64:6* he lamented: “We are
all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds,
we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And
our sins, like the wind, sweep us away.”
-- The apostle Paul confessed to the
church in Rome: “I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old
sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do
right. I want to, but I can't.” (Romans 7:18*). He reminds his co-worker
Titus of the fact that “once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were
misled by others and became slaves to many wicked desires and evil pleasures.
Our lives were full of evil and envy. We hated others, and they hated us. But
then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because
of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins
and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:3-5*)
Indeed, it is (1) God’s forgiveness of
our sins through the blood of Jesus Messiah, (2) the new life He gives us
through His Spirit and (3) the control over our sinful nature by God’s Spirit
that opens our hearts and our congregations to the real prospect that
Christlike love, compassion and humility may grow strong amongst us. Here are two
texts to underline that reality:
-- The author of the Book of Hebrews
writes:“Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts
from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the
power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect
sacrifice for our sins.” (Hebrews 9:14*)
-- The apostle Paul warns the
church in Rome, saying: “If you live according to the sinful nature, you
will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you
will live.” (Romans 8:13**)
God wants Christlike
humility to grow strong in our churches
In
Meditation 133 we read that a healthy congregation is in all
likelihood a mix of Christians from different age groups and different
cultures, with different characters, different likes and dislikes, different
educational backgrounds, different professions, different skills, different gifts,
different experiences, different ‘levels’ of faith (from new converts up to
mature believers), different degrees of commitment, etc. Therefore, it is
obviously a divine miracle if our churches desire to grow strong in Christlike
humility.
Here I want to mention some verses that
stress the importance for a congregation to mature in Christlike humility. For
a church to reach such a state of being ‘strong in the Lord’, the apostles
clearly presuppose the work of God’s Spirit in that church:
--
The apostle Paul encourages the church in Ephesus (Turkey), saying: “Be
humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each
other's faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy
Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3*)
-- To the church in Philippi (Greece),
Paul explains the Christlike humility manifests itself in church through great respect
for each other: “If you have any encouragement from being united with
Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any
tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded,
having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better
than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:1-3**)
-- The apostle wants the church in
Colossae (Turkey) to grow strong Christlike humility when he writes: “... you
have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being
renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature
within you. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,
circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is
all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy
people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each
other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord
forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of
clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
(Colossians 3:10-14*)
-- Concerning heartfelt humility
amongst the Christians in the church of Crete (Greece), Paul instructs his
co-worker Titus: “Remind the people ... to be ready to do whatever is good, to
slander no-one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility
towards all men.” (Titus 3:1-2**)
-- The apostle James urges his readers
to take a humble, obedient attitude towards God’s Word: “In His goodness He
chose to make us His own children by giving us His true Word. And we, out of
all creation, became His choice possession. My dear brothers and sisters, be
quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Your anger can never
make things right in God's sight. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your
lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is
strong enough to save your souls.” (James 1:18-21*)
-- In his letter, James shows the
churches that Christlike humility is a manifestation of divine wisdom: “Who
is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds
done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” (James 3:13**)
--
The apostle James also tells us how our churches should approach God and why:
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10**),
because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James
4:4**)
-- Last but not least, the
apostle Peter shows us in two texts how we should relate to each other in our
congregations: “All of you, live in harmony with one another; be
sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” (1 Peter 3:8**).
Again, in 1 Peter 5:5, he prompts us with the words: “All of you, clothe
yourselves with humility towards one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:5**)
Earlier in this meditation, we saw that
Christlike humility is not a natural capacity for any church. It is God’s
Spirit who is well able to produce this attitude amongst our church members. Therefore,
we want to close this meditation with some challenging questions:
1. If the Head of our church, Jesus
Messiah, testifies of Himself “...
I
am gentle and humble in heart...” (Matthew 11:29**), in how far is this
same disposition manifest amongst our church members?
2.
Humility is the opposite of pride and selfish
ambition (see Philippians 2:5-8). How can my church express the same attitude that
Jesus had by obediently humbling itself before God and by being willing to serve
the marginals and outcasts of our world?
3.
To what extend does God’s Spirit have His way in my church to grow Christlike
love, compassion and humility?
4.
How patient and forgiving are the members of my church with each other’s weaknesses
and differences? Does mutual criticism destroy the peace in my church?
5.
How strong is the desire of my church members to keep united in the Holy Spirit
so that love, compassion, humility and peace reign among us?
6. Is my church constantly reminded
in sermons and other ways to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander
no-one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility towards all
men? ( See Titus 3:1-2). How does my church practically show true humility towards
all men?
7. How does my church grow in divine
wisdom? (See James 3:13)
8.
How does my church grow strong in a humble relationship with God and with His Word?
If God’s Spirit is able to produce love,
compassion and humility in our churches, I believe that Jesus’ royal prayer comes
to fulfillment: “I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be
one, as We are -- I in them and You in Me, all being perfected into one. Then
the world will know that You sent Me and will understand that You love them as
much as You love Me.” (John 17:22-23*)
Translations: * New Living
Translation; ** New International Version; *** New King James Version
About
“Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His ministry?”, see Meditations 27-33 and
49-55.
About "God's major project: transforming me and my church into the likeness of Christ", see Meditations 44-48.
About
“Personal, Christlike love for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ”, see
Meditations 56-62.
About
“Corporate, Christlike love for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ”, see
Meditations 63-99.
About “The Church as a
‘Corporate Personality’, see Meditation 63-65.
About “The two Tracks of Maturing in
Christlikeness”, see Meditation 100.
About “How to overcome the power of sin in my life?”, see Meditations
101-130.
About “How to overcome the power of sin in my church?”, see Meditations
131-137.
