GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED WITH YOUR TITLE

Photo courtesy of clancytales.blogspot.com

GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED WITH YOUR TITLE,

and neither am I.

At least the way you would want me to be.

I recently received information about a ministry in the mail.

The best I know, it is a fine ministry doing a great 

work for God.  In fact, I probably have donated money to help it.

But something stands out as so typical of our day.

The person in charge of this outreach is,

the

Rt. Rev. Dr. ..........  ..............

And not only that but,

the 

President and General Director.

WOW!

How impressive!

Photo courtesy of edu.prixton.org

But the words of Jesus keep eating at me.

"You must not be called 'Teacher,' because 

you are all equal and have only one Teacher.

And you must not call anyone here on earth 'Father,'

because you have only the one Father in heaven.

Nor should you be called 'Leader,'

because your one and only leader is the Messiah.

The greatest one among you must be your servant.

Whoever makes himself great will be humbled,

and whoever humbles himself will be made great."

-Matthew 23:8-11 (GNB)

Eugene Peterson in "The Message"

Translates verses seven and eight this way.

"They love to sit at the head table at church dinners,

basking in the most prominent positions,

preening in the radiance of public flattery,

receiving honorary degrees and getting called,

'Doctor' and 'Reverend.' "

Photo courtesy of www.degree-certificate.org

But how men love titles.

• Reverend
• Very Reverend
• Right Reverend
• Most Reverend
• Father
• Reverend Father
• Your Eminence
• Your Piety
• Your Holiness
• The Venerable
• Your Grace
• Doctor.

SICKING.

Photo courtesy of noveltydegree.com

John Kingdon in Secret Missions on pp. 47,48

shares this insight after his visit with that Spiritual

giant in China, Wang Ming Tao.

"The highlight was actually realizing that when you go through 

all these troubles, I thought you should become a spiritual

giant, but spiritual giants are, in essence, very humble."

"Its just the opposite of what many imagine a giant to be.

Sometimes Christians think a person like this would

be one who spouts off words of wisdom.  That is true

to an extent, but the main thing they put across is their

humility; their servant hood."

Want to impress me?

Then demonstrate the signs of those who believe

as in Mark 16:17,18.

Or,

the signs of an apostle as mentioned by the apostle Paul.

Or,

call down fire from heaven like Elijah.

A title just won't do it.