"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." —John 12:32
“A Christian must be so closely identified with his Lord and the reality of His redemption that Christ can continually bring His creating life through him. I am not referring to the strength of one individual’s personality being superimposed on another, but the real presence of Christ coming through every aspect of the [Christian's] life. If we simply preach the effects of redemption in the human life instead of the revealed, divine truth regarding Jesus Himself, the result is not new birth in those who listen. The result is [merely] a refined religious lifestyle, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is in a realm other than His. When we say, “What a wonderful personality, what a fascinating person, and what wonderful insight!” then what opportunity does the gospel of God have through all of that? It cannot get through, because the attraction is to the messenger and not the message. If a person attracts through his personality, that becomes his appeal. If, however, he is identified with the Lord Himself, then the appeal becomes what Jesus Christ can do. The danger is to glory in men, yet Jesus says we are to lift up only Him (see John 12:32).” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest
I was talking with a painter and his son in a house Pathfinder was rebuilding some time back. The conversation drifted from what had to be done in the house, to more personal matters … who we are and why we are what we are. I felt strongly that God had these men helping for His purpose. As I shared a little about my past and why I was in Texas, the young man smiled and said that what I was doing was a great thing. And so back to Mr. Chambers. If all I did was impress those men with my service and fail to communicate whom it is that I serve and why, then I had failed in my mission. Testimonies are good, but are hollow and vain without the Gospel at their center. You can impress people with the “whats” and glory stories in your life but fail in your mission if you do not tell people “why” you did what you did. Paul said .....
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
You may or may not know that I wrote a book - Where Faith Is Waiting. Think of it as a testimony in book form. I had it narrated by a professional. When he had finished I asked him what he thought about the content. He said that it seemed I talked about myself a lot. I took that to mean that I may have missed it - that I was not the central character but merely a common man that God did uncommon things through. My goal was to show God's faithfulness and our need to walk by faith in obedience to His call.
If people are not drawn to Jesus, but instead to you, then you have missed the point of your encounter with them. Be careful that you don’t neglect the Gospel, your primary mission in your new life, and instead, bask in the favor of people being impressed with who you are or what you have done. Every bit of that is for the glory of God, not your personal glory. Don’t be like the some of the Pharisees.
“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." - John 12:42-43
Don't steal God's glory, taking credit for what He has done through you.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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