{"id":4574,"date":"2019-08-22T13:50:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T20:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?post_type=portfolio&p=4574"},"modified":"2019-08-22T14:17:59","modified_gmt":"2019-08-22T21:17:59","slug":"glory2","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/gospel-express\/glory2\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Photobombing Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Max Lucado<\/p>\n

Not long after my conversion,\u00a0I was on stage. An intriguing testimony and apparent gifting opened doors for me to speak in churches and on college campuses. Despite encouraging feedback, I knew I needed to learn the Bible. So I moved to Denton, Texas, to study under pastor Tom Nelson.<\/p>\n

We were charged to find an area of service, so I jumped into the college ministry, assuming I could help lead the way.<\/p>\n

God had other plans.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Stage<\/strong><\/h3>\n

John Bryson\u00a0led the college ministry during those years. He\u2019d been around enough young men\u00a0to know I needed to learn a lesson.<\/p>\n

Before the first gathering of the year, John said\u00a0he had an important opportunity for me. I assumed he wanted me to share my\u00a0testimony or preach, so I showed up ready. Instead of leading me on stage, he led me backstage. He pointed to a rope. I would be serving those on stage by opening and closing the curtain.<\/p>\n

With each tug of the rope, my frustration increased. My hands burned and my heart criticized the\u00a0speakers\u2014If I were out there, God would use\u00a0me powerfully<\/em>. I\u2019ve never heard the audible voice of God, but that night\u00a0I had\u00a0this\u00a0distinct impression:<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t be just as joyful back here\u00a0where no one can see you as you would be out there where everyone can see you, then you are seeking your glory, not mine.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Photobombing Jesus\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

And then it hit me:\u00a0I served God with mixed motives. I hoped lost people would be saved\u2014but I\u00a0wanted to be the evangelist\u00a0God used. I desired\u00a0Christians to be encouraged\u2014but\u00a0<\/em>I wanted to be the instrument of\u00a0edification. I wanted people to think God was awesome\u2014and that I was,\u00a0too.<\/p>\n

This is where it gets tricky. The desire for God to be glorified through me is the height of my created purpose. But there is a fine line between wanting God to use you for his glory and wanting everyone to know it. It\u2019s the fine line between pure worship and idolatry.<\/p>\n

There is a fine line between wanting God to use you for his glory and wanting everyone to know it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not wrong to desire to be part of what God is doing\u2014you were created for this purpose (Eph.\u00a02:10). It\u2019s not wrong to want people to see God glorified in your life (Matt. 5:16<\/a>). It\u2019s not wrong to serve with the hope that people will be convicted of their sin and trust in Christ\u00a0(1 Pet. 2:12<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In fact, I would say it\u2019s sinful if you don\u2019t desire these things. But we must give careful attention to our hearts so we don\u2019t seek to steal glory from Jesus.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Confessions of a Glory Thief\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Here are six confessions of a glory thief.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I want to glorify Jesus, but I want glory too.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I\u2019ve left wonderful Sunday services discouraged because deep down I wanted someone to tell me, \u201cThat was the most amazing sermon I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d I can desire Jesus to be exalted while lusting for affirmation from others. Useful servants are satisfied when no one applauds them, so\u00a0long as everyone applauds Jesus. But a servant who seeks affirmation steals from Jesus. As a\u00a0friend\u00a0once said, \u201cA pastor who preaches to gain glory for himself is flirting with Christ\u2019s bride, for whom he died.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Useful servants are satisfied when no one applauds them, as long as everyone applauds Jesus.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    When do you feel the craving for affirmation? How do you respond?<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Because I want affirmation, I hide my sins.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Shame is powerful. It convinces us we can\u2019t be honest about our true condition, and so tempts us to pretend. When we hide sin, we show that we treasure people\u2019s opinions more than pleasing Christ.<\/p>\n

      Yet when we confess our sins to another trusted Christian, God begins to crucify our glory-thieving. A unique humility is birthed when you look into the eyes of another person and confess how you\u2019ve sinned against God and others. The idol of affirmation is crushed, and God is seen as glorious in spite of you.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. I become bitter when God uses others instead of me.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        During my first year in seminary, I learned about senior preaching week. The \u201cbest\u201d preachers from the graduating class were chosen to preach\u00a0in chapel. I wanted to be among that group so much\u00a0I prayed and fasted for it. I was not selected. As I listened to those brothers preach faithfully, I grumbled\u00a0that God hadn\u2019t used me\u00a0as he was using\u00a0them\u2014and I knew it was wrong.<\/p>\n

        Are you frustrated or discouraged when God \u201coverlooks\u201d you? Those are good times to re-evaluate why\u00a0you follow Jesus.<\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. I become more concerned about my public performance than my private devotion.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          We often don\u2019t pray because other things feel more pressing. Opportunities for public ministry rival devotion to the God who entrusted us with\u00a0those opportunities in the first place. Glory thieves feel hurried out of the prayer closet because we value being before men more than before God.<\/p>\n

          Glory thieves feel hurried out of the prayer closet because we value being before men more than before God\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

          I\u2019m not implying public ministry isn\u2019t worshipful. I often sense God\u2019s presence acutely while preaching or evangelizing. Yet\u00a0I can be tempted to neglect disciplines of prayer, fasting, and undistracted Bible reading because other things allure and press on me.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. I fear moral failure for the wrong reasons.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            When a Christian falls publicly, it distorts people\u2019s view of God (Prov.\u00a025:26; Rom.\u00a02:24). This prospect grieves anyone who cares about the reputation of Jesus in the world.<\/p>\n

            Caring what people think about us isn\u2019t inherently wrong. But pride\u00a0can lead us to conceal\u00a0sin, and pride goes before destruction\u00a0(Prov. 16:18<\/a>). As J. C. Ryle once observed, \u201cMen fall in private long before they fall in public.\u201d<\/p>\n

            \"\"<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. My desire to be something rivals my desire for Jesus to be everything.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              When I stood backstage years ago, I felt competing desires in my heart. I was not content for Jesus alone to be remembered. I wanted people to remember me, too.<\/p>\n

              John the Baptist\u00a0would never have photobombed Jesus. Crowds flocked to John, but he had one mission\u2014make Jesus known. \u201cI am not the Christ,\u201d he declared. \u201cHe must increase, but I must decrease\u201d (John 3:28\u201330<\/a>).<\/p>\n

              John was content serving offstage so that\u00a0Jesus could be seen more clearly.<\/p>\n

              Can you be content with Jesus being glorified, even if it means no one will ever know your name? Are you happy to be among the \u201cothers\u201d in\u00a0Hebrews 11<\/a>\u00a0and not among the heroes\u00a0of the faith?<\/p>\n

              Jesus came to save glory thieves from themselves. Indeed, he gave up his own glory and then died\u00a0for all the times we steal\u00a0God\u2019s glory. He alone is worthy of praise.<\/p>\n

              \"\"<\/p>\n

              Garrett Kell<\/strong>\u00a0(ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) is lead pastor of\u00a0Del Ray Baptist Church<\/a>\u00a0in Alexandria, Virginia, and a Council member of The Gospel Coalition. He and his wife, Carrie, have five children. You can follow him on Twitter at\u00a0@pastorjgkell<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":4587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"portfolio_entries":[35],"class_list":["post-4574","portfolio","type-portfolio","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","portfolio_entries-english-writer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/4574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/portfolio"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4574"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/4574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4592,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/4574\/revisions\/4592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4574"},{"taxonomy":"portfolio_entries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/portfolio_entries?post=4574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}