In the Bible, sometimes the same message is communicated with different words.
“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.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
Before there is healing for a nation there must be humility in a person.
“Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”
Psalm 127:1 (NASB)
Before God builds His Kingdom, He breaks a person.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 (NASB)
Before we can give Jesus, we must experience Jesus. Experiencing God costs something. This message is present tense reality.
We would prefer it to have been once and for all. It costs less time if God has spoken. It costs more time if God is still speaking.
It is easy talking to people about Jesus. It costs early mornings and late nights to talk to Jesus about people.
It is easy to read the Bible searching for a sermon. It costs honesty to read the Bible searching for truth.
It is easy to build a worship service. It costs repentance to worship.
Our only chance to make an indent into earth is if we abandon ourselves to Heaven. But this costs much. I would like to tell you I have been too busy to pay this price. But the reality is I have been too prideful. I have believed I can do much for God without spending time with God—this is Christian narcissism.
A quick overview of the Gospel we believe will help us see how ridiculous it is to believe in ourselves to heal nations, build the Kingdom, and make disciples in our own strength.
We Christians believe God existed before anything. He Himself created everything, including mankind in His image to be His people. Mankind rebelled off the temptation of the devil disguised as a snake. God kicked us out of a perfect garden so we would not become immortal rebels from the fruit of a tree.
Mankind became wanderers made for God but doomed to rebel against Him.
God sent Himself to earth in the form of a baby born to a virgin. He lived a sinless life for thirty-three years when we find it impossible to live without sin for three minutes. He died the death we should have died as a perfect substitute taking the punishment of imperfect people.
He then rose Himself from the grave. Ascended to Heaven with the promise He would bring this invisible Heaven to visible earth, so we could walk with God in a perfect garden once again.
This Gospel is unbelievable!
But the only thing more unbelievable then this Gospel is the belief we can do much for God without God!
Therefore, I can never be a Christian narcissist again, and neither can you.
Nations will not be healed until we humble ourselves by knowing God is God and we are not. The Kingdom will not be built until we, in brokenness, know we cannot build it ourselves. Disciples will not be made until we know God is not done making us.
All views expressed on this blog are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, U.S.A., U.S. Missions, and The General Council of the Assemblies of God.