God's Prophetic People - A People of Passion, Purpose And Power

God's Prophetic People

displeased with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’” In Philippians 1:15-17, Paul addresses this issue in relation to those who preach out of a competitive spirit: “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.” The Apostle responds to this type of minister, expressing that it really doesn’t matter to him what they do in relation to their prominence and success. He is concerned with what the Lord has called him to do. In other words, Paul is saying here that the most important thing is to keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. As we all respond positively to this exhortation, there will be a lot less competition throughout the body of Christ. 3. Proud Spirit Have you ever met someone who acts like they know it all? Someone who’s done it all, or claims to be the best at everything? Chances are, you’ve encountered a person with a lot of pride. The Bible warns that God resists the proud. And in today’s information age, pride has reached new levels, fueled by the constant flow of knowledge and the belief that we can master everything at our fingertips.

The Titanic is quite a story from which to learn a great deal about pride. The Titanic was promoted as the epitome of

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A People of Passion, Purpose, and Power / © Brian Daehn