To Encourage You

1 Thessalonians 2:6 “Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.”

Have you ever noticed how many churches are named after Saint Peter, Saint Paul, or some other saint of the New Testament? That’s no surprise as these men were among the apostles who founded the Christian church. Although these were, for the most part, common men, e.g., fishermen and tax collectors, they were exalted to very high positions as Jesus chose them for this foundational work.  Their significance is highlighted in the New Testament by their authorship of most of its books.  John wrote the gospel of John; 1, 2, and 3 John; and Revelation. Peter wrote 1 and 2 Peter. Matthew wrote the gospel of Matthew, and Paul wrote all the letters from Romans through Philemon, 13 in all.  In Revelation we see a description of the New Jerusalem in Heaven.   We are told that “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14). Imagine that.  What an exalted and glorious significance is given to these men. 

Knowing these things, it is interesting that Paul, in describing his ministry to the Thessalonian church, states in the verse above that he did not seek glory “from people” regardless of the fact that he was one of these great apostles of Christ.  No doubt Paul wouldn’t have stood for the Thessalonian church or any other church that he founded being named St. Paul’s such and such church.  And he would likely frown on the naming of such churches today.  That’s one of the great differences between a godly leader and a worldly one.  Throughout the Bible we see examples of worldly leaders that made a habit of exalting themselves.  People like King Nebuchadnezzar, King Herod, and Haman come to mind.  That God was not pleased with the self-aggrandizement of these three men is obvious as we see their fate.  Nebuchadnezzar ended up going insane, eating grass like and ox for seven years. Herod, as he was exalted by the people as a God, was suddenly eaten alive by worms.  And Haman, as he attempted to exalt himself at the time of Queen Esther, ended up on the end of a hangman’s noose, one he had had built to execute a man who wouldn’t bow to him. 

What ugly examples of the Bible’s warning that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled” (Matthew 23:12).  Conversely, we find that when the apostles could have been exalted or when men tried to exalt them, they deflected those attempts and directed men towards Christ.  One such example was when Paul and Barnabas miraculously healed a lame man in the city of Lystra.  The people of Lystra were astonished, and we are told “when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, ‘The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!’ Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, ‘Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them’” (Acts 14:11-15). 

What an example of humility this was! In a situation whereby they could easily have received the glory and adoration of men, they deflected that glory and gave all the glory to the God Who alone was to be worshiped.  What a lesson to us as to what our attitude should be as followers of Christ.  Our motives should never be to bring glory to ourselves in what we do as we so often see in every area of society today. Just watch any sporting event, listen to the politicians, and watch as the movie stars pose before the cameras of their adoring fans.  And what about social media, where we can be ever so tempted to turn the camera on ourselves.  However, as Christians, shouldn’t we rather be ever seeking to bring glory to the God who “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).? 

You see, Paul always saw himself as an object of God’s magnificent grace. He called himself “the worst of sinners” and “the least of all the apostles,” for he never lost sight of what he had been before Jesus reached down and saved him from his sins.  How much more should each of us whom God has saved, “not think of ourselves more highly then we ought to think” (Romans 12:3).  May God help us to live our lives to the glory of God, and never seek glory from men, for the Lord has warned us with these words: “clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5).  Humbling advice from Saint Peter, whose very name will adorn one of the 12 foundations of the New Jerusalem.  Surely if this was his attitude, how much less should any of us be inclined to seek glory from men.