3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another (Rom 12-3-5 NKJV).
Serve or Be Served
Jesus Christ came to serve even though He was highly esteemed as the Son of God, the Savior of the world, He purposed to serve mankind. Today many leaders in the ministry and workplace do not serve their fellow man but rather go out with an expectancy to be served but this is not the right or righteous mindset that Christ told us to follow. I believe the reason we see such few people serving others is because of jealousy, competitiveness and pride and I believe it is rooted in an identity disorder. In Luke 22 Jesus had just finished His last meal with the disciples and in doing so He washed their feet demonstrating to them how they were to serve each other. Shortly after this Passover meal, the disciples are found walking along arguing about who is the greatest among them.
24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' 26 "But not so [among] you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 "For who [is] greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? [Is] it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves (Luke 22:24-27 NKJV).
The word dispute is translated as strife in the King James Version. Strife is a contest for superiority, a struggle for victory usually in anger. But if the disciples truly understood who they were in Christ they would not have been competing for position but rather would take their rightful places and operate in peace. Look what Jesus says next.
"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 "And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed [one] upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:28-30 NKJV)
Notice that Jesus didn't say the person who won the most souls, preached the most powerful messages, wrote the most books or built the biggest church would be the greatest, on the contrary He stated that those who continued, went on with Him in trials would receive the kingdom just as He would and they would sit on thrones judging! Perhaps if the disciples were aware of this they may have thought differently before striving with each other over who was the greatest.
Posed or Established
Apostle Paul counted all things lost for the knowledge of Jesus Christ so that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, (Phl 3:10 NKJV).
We are to Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself (Phil 2:3 NKJV). If we don't know our true identity in Christ it is easy to find ourselves identifying elsewhere. If we have soul wounds that cause us to operate out of selfishness, pride, jealousy and the likes we will look for position instead of our place.
The word position comes from a Latin word that means pose. It is a place occupied, a situation or condition with favorable or unfavorable circumstances. It is a status or standing. Dictionary.com
•Position has the idea of one being placed or positioned by man into a favorable or unfavorable area.
Whereby, the word placed means to be set; fixed; located; established 1828 Webster’s.
•Placed has the idea of lodging.
If we are rooted and grounded in love then we will do no harm because love does not harm. We would not find ourselves competing for a position or not being inviting or welcoming to new people, especially within the Church because we would have confidence in who we are and what we are called to do.
Chosen, Royal, Holy with Authority
If you are a Christian then the word of God says that you are chosen, royal, holy and special as well as seated with Jesus in heavenly realms. You have been resurrected from your dead soul state to a new creation and as such; envy, jealousy, wrath, anger, and the likes are no longer to be part of who you are or how you act.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9 NIV).
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, (Eph 2:6 NIV)
According to the Gospel of Luke you have been given all authority by Jesus Christ to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons. You are an Ambassador to Christ which means you have all of His authority. This authority also comes with power from the Holy Spirit and an equipping to get through all of lifes trials.
Life will come with trials, they cannot be escaped and the Bible tells us this as well. Even Peter went through a trial, a testing of his faith. In the same chapter of Luke 22 we read of the account of Peter (Simon) telling Jesus that he would go to prison and even death with Him but Jesus told Peter he would deny three times that he even knew Him. Jesus assured Peter that He would pray for him as Satan was allowed to sift him. He also told him that when he was fully converted he was to go and strengthen his brothers. Peter was going to have a full conversion, he was going to be sold out but not before a "sifting" came. Satan's sifting that God used for faith testing would be used for Peter's good and all the good of the Gospel. Clearly Peter had something going on in his life that prevented him from fully going forth in the call of Christ. Jesus knew this so the trials were allowed to come. Peter prevailed and was a significant part of taking the gospel to thousands.
My encouragement to you today is to stay rooted and grounded in the love of Jesus Christ, allow the test and trials to bring you to a greater depth with God, build your character and train you to help others in their times of testing. Know the difference between what God has allowed for your character forming and what has entered due to your sin. If you find yourself facing a temptation you must know that God tempts no man, therefore, the Tempter needs to be rebuked in your life that you may not be overcome. May God strengthen you in these times.
#position #placed #authority #identityinChrist