The Sons of the Kingdom of God
In the Kingdom, there is a certain mindset and outlook that a citizen of the Kingdom has obtained. Jesus made this statement concerning a request that was put forth to Him:
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.”
That answer set the central pattern of character in the Kingdom. They are to become servant-minded rulers. Please note: He expected them to rule. He set His followers and His Kingdom in the framework of rulers, contrasting their rule with the rulers of the Gentiles. He expected them to rule in His name, in the spirit of His new order, the Kingdom of God. It was the reversal of the prevailing spirit of rulers. Among the prevailing rulers, the greatest were those who were served by the greatest number of servants. In the new order, the Kingdom, the greatest were those who served the greatest number. If you wanted to be first, you were to be the slave of all. Then the highest of all, the Son of Man, came not to be served, but to serve and surrender His life as a ransom for many.
So now we are aware that there are degrees of greatness: Great, servants of all. First, slave of all. Highest, the Son of Man, who surrendered His life as a ransom for us all. So, the way up is the way down, for the man of God. There was never such a method of greatness revealed. And never was there such a method of greatness that made it beneficial to all concerned. Yet, in today's society, the majority of the leaders want to be served by their members or constituents. If you have noticed, there are so many people who want to be pastors, prophets, evangelists, leaders, etc; but what is their purpose or motive?
Keep this in mind, a naked desire for greatness corrupts the aspirant and corrupts those upon whom the naked desire for greatness is exercised--they resent it. But the desire for greatness in the Kingdom is just the opposite. The self interest is linked with the desire to serve others, meaning the others' interest. Everyone is benefited and fulfilled. Only a divine mind could put those two things in such a loving blend.
There is a place for ambitious men in the Kingdom: If you want to be great, be a servant of all. If you want to be first, be the slave of all. If you want to be like the Son of Man, give your life as a ransom for all, for that is how He came to be first. He was obedient to His Father's Word and became a living example in all things. Remember, the desire to excel is linked with a desire to renounce one's self, for the sake of others.
"For God so loved the world that He gave...." My question is, why should we do any less?
Matthew 20:25-28 John 3:16
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
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.”
That answer set the central pattern of character in the Kingdom. They are to become servant-minded rulers. Please note: He expected them to rule. He set His followers and His Kingdom in the framework of rulers, contrasting their rule with the rulers of the Gentiles. He expected them to rule in His name, in the spirit of His new order, the Kingdom of God. It was the reversal of the prevailing spirit of rulers. Among the prevailing rulers, the greatest were those who were served by the greatest number of servants. In the new order, the Kingdom, the greatest were those who served the greatest number. If you wanted to be first, you were to be the slave of all. Then the highest of all, the Son of Man, came not to be served, but to serve and surrender His life as a ransom for many.
So now we are aware that there are degrees of greatness: Great, servants of all. First, slave of all. Highest, the Son of Man, who surrendered His life as a ransom for us all. So, the way up is the way down, for the man of God. There was never such a method of greatness revealed. And never was there such a method of greatness that made it beneficial to all concerned. Yet, in today's society, the majority of the leaders want to be served by their members or constituents. If you have noticed, there are so many people who want to be pastors, prophets, evangelists, leaders, etc; but what is their purpose or motive?
Keep this in mind, a naked desire for greatness corrupts the aspirant and corrupts those upon whom the naked desire for greatness is exercised--they resent it. But the desire for greatness in the Kingdom is just the opposite. The self interest is linked with the desire to serve others, meaning the others' interest. Everyone is benefited and fulfilled. Only a divine mind could put those two things in such a loving blend.
There is a place for ambitious men in the Kingdom: If you want to be great, be a servant of all. If you want to be first, be the slave of all. If you want to be like the Son of Man, give your life as a ransom for all, for that is how He came to be first. He was obedient to His Father's Word and became a living example in all things. Remember, the desire to excel is linked with a desire to renounce one's self, for the sake of others.
"For God so loved the world that He gave...." My question is, why should we do any less?
Matthew 20:25-28 John 3:16
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
