Snapshot
👀: Original post.
My Dear Friend,
In years past it was not uncommon to hear someone, when speaking of a person rising in worldly status, to say, “He’s really coming up in the world!” This was the ultimate compliment.
It implied someone was rising in prestige or popularity in one of various ways: their social standing, wealth, education, business, profession, honors, fame, political office, or, if spoken of a minister, their ministry profile. Coming up in the world was, well, everything - and everybody worshiped at the feet of this shining, tall golden idol.
When someone born poor rose to the middle or upper classes, when someone born in the working class became upwardly mobile among the rich and powerful, when someone’s net worth doubled or tripled, when someone earned a terminal degree from a prestigious university, when someone was newly elected to public office, when a young lawyer won a landmark case, when a physician discovered a groundbreaking innovative treatment, when an orator celebrated a nationwide speaking tour, when an author’s book suddenly became a bestseller, or when a minister was called to pastor the largest congregation in his city or denomination, that was it. He had arrived. He was the man. He had been reborn with success and baptized as a celebrity. He was coming up in the world.
This, of course, was normal and entirely to be expected of the unredeemed children of Adam. They know no better. Then a funny thing happened.
Somewhere along the line, the children of Christ began doing obeisance to the same idol. Though we knew well the apostles John and James' highly derogatory comments about worldliness (James 4:4-5; 1 John 2:15-17), we chose to bow low along with the deceived multitudes and imagine coming up in this world was our be all, do all, have all, end all. Our defection began slowly.
At first, only a few joined the cult of worldly glory. Others, knowing better, rebuked them and stood afar off expecting swift, fearful divine correction. But, strangely, lightning didn’t strike the guilty idolators. They seemed to be happy enough and God indifferent enough. So, the children of Christ began to doubt their biblical insight and devotion to spiritual values and eternal, kingdom goals. Soon we, too, joined the children of this world in their shamefully shortsighted prostration before this futile, frustrating, unfulfilling false god. Eventually our whole generation became filled with the spirit of cheap, worldly standards when we should have been thoroughly soaked in the spirit of biblical thinking, spiritual living, kingdom goals, and eternal riches.
In striving to keep up with the Joneses, we forgot that the Joneses were not saved, not reborn, not biblically wise, not redeemed children of God, just as the ancient Israelites forgot that the worshipers of Baal, Molech, and Isis did not know the one true God of Israel and His profound Torah, brilliant glory, and miraculous works. So, an odd thing happened. In trying to come up in this world, we went down in spiritual status, into our own unique Babylonian captivity - Christian worldliness, which is an oxymoron if ever there was one! And, as with Israel, we’ve been captives for about 70 years.
But now, out sentence has expired. It’s time for our release, time for a return to devotion to God alone, time to set a new goal in life. And here it is: instead of striving to come up in the world, let us now live to grow up in Christ - so we may be ready to go up with Him when He appears. It will mean a radical change in the way we view our own lives.
Instead of trying to rise from poverty to prosperity, we must now strive to rise from a shallow familiarity with Jesus to a deep, personal knowledge of Him. Instead of trying to stand well with the rich and famous, we must endeavor to love and serve the “poor” - everyone who is unsaved whatever their worldly worth.
Instead of striving for degrees so we may proudly waive our diplomas, let us seek true and lasting knowledge, especially biblical knowledge, apart from which we will never know the God we profess to worship and follow. Instead of seeking financial and real estate assets, we must now seek spiritual holdings, the riches of faith in God’s unfailing faithfulness and the wealth of patience, love, hope, and that richest of graces, humility.
Instead of dreaming of political power for ourselves or our favorite candidates, we must now seek the power Jesus and His apostles had and used to deliver multitudes and shape the moral character of nations - the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit, with all His dynamic gifts in full regular manifestation in our lives and churches to save the lost and release the oppressed. (Oh, and by the way, to gradually change the body politic so that, holding radically different values, it votes differently!)
Instead of seeking the outward, visible marks of ministry success, we in the ministry must seek the invisible, inner goals of true ministry success, which is being who Christ made us to be, doing what He called us to do, using the gifts He gave us to use, and speaking the messages He has put into our hearts - all not to come up in the world but to raise up His bride.
Our eyes must be focused like a laser not on our ministries but on the people’s spiritual needs, serving those needs, feeding those sheep, teaching them the whole counsel of God, showing them faithfulness and humble love, bearing slander and reproach to lead them into truth and honorable living, suffering and, if necessary, dying to mold them into men and women who deeply please our Good Shepherd. That’s successful ministry, up and coming ministry, by biblical standards, whatever it may look like to the unsaved or to carnal Christians and unspiritual ministers.
And above all we should seek biblical upward mobility. We should seek to rise higher in heaven’s social circles, to be able to fellowship with the most spiritual, overcoming Christians, Jews, prophets, and apostles who have gone before us - the Elijahs, Josephs, Daniels, Davids, and Pauls. To enter their circles, we must walk their walks and share their aims, such as: spiritual maturity gained through successful testing; closeness to Jesus gained by steadily seeking Him in the secret place; full identity with Jesus gained by willingly bearing our crosses; the full covering of His presence gained by frequent private prayer, praise, and worship; much fruit of the Spirit gained by receiving the Spirit’s fullness and obeying His guidance and correction; much kingdom fruit gained by faithfully using our ministry gifts and loyally pursuing our ministry duties.
That Christian, that minister, is not coming up in this world, he is coming up in the kingdom. He is growing up into Christ in all things. He is stepping up to a higher spiritual elevation daily. He is rising up above his flesh and walking in the Spirit. He is springing up to overcome above every adversity and adversary. He will climb up to walk with hinds' feet upon his dangerous high places, as Habakkuk did. He will step up to assume higher responsibilities and ministries in the next move of God. He will be looking up for Jesus to come again, as He promised. And he will go up with Him when He appears.
So, stop trying to come up in the world. Instead, step up to this challenge, grow up in Christ, and prepare to go up when He appears.
