Humility and Success

1 Peter 5:5 Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

Humility involves admitting that something is wrong. It also involves submitting to other Christians. Here in the Gringo Zone of Mexico, we have a few retired Christians who really do want to reach Mexicans for Christ. They are usually meeting with little or no success. Meanwhile, two churches are running a Saturday morning Sunday School that desperately needs more drivers and vehicles; but these other Christians won't help.

Helping would involve working under someone else's direction. It would mean doing work that someone else would get credit for, because the helpers aren't the leaders. It would mean that the people doing the driving wouldn't get to set the direction that the Sunday School is going.

But it would also mean getting more results than the majority of missionaries are getting. Do you want to be a success for Christ? Find someone being blessed by God, and see if you can help that person.

Unsuccessful Leaders

Mt 4:19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

We have seen that a major first step in being used by God is to admit that something is wrong. Here we get more specific: if God isn't using you to bring people to Him, something is wrong.

When Christians successfully backstab their way into leadership positions, without being able to lead anyone to Christ, something is wrong. When churches have extensive committees to monitor and control everything, keeping their people busy without anyone being saved, something is wrong. When Christians proudly point out their loyalty to man-made rules and standards without anyone getting saved, something is wrong.

A major fist step in being used by God is to humble yourself by telling the truth: something is wrong.

Admit that something is wrong

2Ch 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

I live in "The Gringo Zone" of Mexico, which is full of retired Americans. You would think that after being saved for decades, we would have a thriving Christian community here. Instead, we have a series of failed churches, with most Christians doing little with their lives. There are some genuinely Christian churches here, and they are beset by politics and back-stabbing by church members who believe that spiritual maturity is indicated by your ability to seize leadership positions in the church, even if they are not being used by God.

The Bible contains no such teaching; in fact, it teaches that God will hold leaders to account for their failures. A major step forward for many Christians would be: HUMBLE YOURSELF BY ADMITTING THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG.

If Christians are not growing, something is wrong. If no one is getting saved, something is wrong. If God's people are fighting each other, something is wrong. If you are in the same place spiritually that you were in years ago, something is wrong.

A good place to start growing in the Lord is with humility: admit that something is wrong.

Why Do Some Christians Succeed?

Folks, I've posted 61 articles to help Christians who have been hurt by churches or other Christians. I'm starting a new series here on "Why Some Christians Succeed."

Here in Mexico, we have missionaries arrive and leave without much success. We have Christians who successfully climb to the top of local churches, and then the churches fail. And then we have people who are reaching Mexicans for Christ, sometimes with poor training and even poor doctrine. Why?

If you want to succeed in Christian service, the Bible tells you how to be a success. I'll be posting about twice a week, and I hope that you'll stay with us.

The Fight MUST Go On?

Ge 50:15 ¶ When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him."

We have already seen that Joseph's ten brothers lacked the beginning of wisdom and the beginning of knowledge. Now, after years of receiving kindness from Joseph, they could not believe that he had forgiven them. Why not?

God works in the lives of His saints to love one another, but Joseph's brothers had successfully fought off that work of God. They "judged" Joseph, fearing that he would commit the same sin that they would have committed:revenge.

Don't follow people who like to fight. They don't know what they're doing, and they don't understand what God is doing.

The Beginning of Wisdom and Knowledge

We're discussing how Joseph's ten brothers didn't even suspect that they were confronting their brother. We saw that they didn't fear the Lord, as shown by their lack of love for their brother. But still, why couldn't they even recognize him?

Ps 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
Pr 1:7 ¶ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge

God works in His children to love one another. When a Christian successfully fights off God's work, he can become bitter at another Christian. It is important to remember that, lacking both wisdom and knowledge, that Christian is not qualified to lead, teach, or influence other Christians.

One Christian forum deals with Christians who have been hurt by churches. Most of the victims joined churches that would not fellowship with other Christian churches. Trying to keep their people spiritual, the incompetent leaders of those churches would hurt them instead.

Be careful about being influenced by "Christians" who are hostile to God's people. You'll save yourself a lot of grief that way.

How Could They Not Know?

Despite abundant spiritual warnings, Jacob's ten oldest sons didn't even suspect that they were facing their brother. Why not?

The explanation begins in Genesis 37:4 "...they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him." When Joseph taught his brothers the Word of God, the Bible says that they hated him even more.

Ps 119:74 describes the spiritual condition of the ten brothers: "Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word." They didn't fear the Lord.

Over the years, I have avoided some spiritual disasters by remembering that "Christians" who despise other Christians do not fear the Lord. On a few occasions, I actually worked for them, but I knew better than to trust them.

These men did not fear the Lord. But why couldn't they recognize their brother? Because...