First Evangelical Free Church Sioux City, Iowa

Radical Humility

In this past week's sermon, we spoke briefly concerning our responsibilities and the Lord's responsibilities: we are to spread the Gospel, the Lord is the One who will call people to respond to it - He does the hard work.

This reminded me of a comment that I read once regarding the great humility which is shown throughout the Scriptures by folks who have done all manner of service for God - some were "successful" in the eyes of the world and others were not, but they had God's glory (as the Lord of the Harvest) in mind rather than their own...

Peter preaches and 3000 repent. Stephen preaches and he is martyred. The seed of the Gospel falls on every type of soil. Whether people respond and repent, rejoicing in the glory of the Lord and experiencing the refreshment of forgiveness, says nothing of the the sower. “God causes the growth.” And of course growth doesn't necessarily mean numbers. The size of a congregation (big or small) should not be our measuring stick for Gospel faithfulness.

Having said that, I am concerned that we are not as disturbed as Peter and John in Acts 3 or Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14, when people look at us as if anything that has happened is by our own power. That radical humility will determine in the end whether we draw people to ourselves or to Jesus.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is the turning point! Who do we serve? Who do we bring glory to? The answers to those questions should be the same: to God, the Lord of heaven and earth. Let us be a people who are faithful at spreading the Gospel and by the same token let us be a people who trust God to do what He will with His own harvest.