How Jesus Is Dishonored

How Jesus Is Dishonored

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me . . . .” Acts 1:8. Jesus was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8. When those who should be witnesses commit works of the devil, such as anger, partiality, pride of life, covetousness, the lust to rule, being conceited, etc., they dishonor Jesus. In fact, they testify that He is not able to do what He came for.

Jesus endued His witnesses with power from on high so that they might overcome the devil just as He overcame him. When they do that, they magnify Jesus.

“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” Read Luke 12:29-40.

The whole world is anxious about food and clothing—the things a person needs to sustain his body. People’s minds are busy with all kinds of things in order to earn and gain money. What a terrible life! For them God does not exist as the One who cares for and can help them. What, then, is the intent of the gospel? The gospel’s intent is that people should learn to know Jesus as the One who is mighty to redeem them from sin and give them eternal life—which is the one thing that is necessary—and then they will also receive what the body needs without having to be anxious about it. Col. 3:1-2. The gospel is the glad tidings.

When people go to hear about Jesus and have listened for a while, then His witnesses start begging for money, complaining over the many expenses they have and how difficult it is to pay for them. There the people meet the same anxiety for money that they themselves have. Don’t you think that Jesus is reduced in their eyes? Begging can have a pious sheen, since it is for God’s cause, but don’t you think it sounds strange to souls who are bound that God has a difficult time sustaining His own cause? Do you really think that they will receive faith that Jesus is mighty to redeem them? Not at all! These so-called witnesses of Jesus dishonor Him in our days. May God raise up many witnesses in these last days who by their conduct and word can prove that God is mighty to uphold the work He has begun without the need for begging and anxiety.

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy . . . .” We can summarize it briefly with the following words: If any of these things are in Christ, then fulfill my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, and being of one accord and of one mind. Read Philippians 2:1-11.

When a soul who is burdened by sin and tired of the world’s anxieties, and disunity, and fighting for honor and greatness hears that Jesus can save, he believes it and is converted. When he is accepted as a member by any one of many different denominations, he is happy, because he believes that now he has come among saved people. He is given his membership card that grants him admission to church meetings. He attends their meetings, but then he notices an absence of the same mind and the same love. He begins to think: “Haven’t they found anything in Jesus?” And now Jesus begins to become small in his eyes.

How many people are there in these days who compete in magnifying Jesus in their speeches but who prove by their lives that He is small in their eyes. It is not so rare that you hear them say, full of emotion, “Oh, my Jesus, He is so great. He is holy and pure; He is highly exalted!” This is how they busy themselves when they preach about His exaltation in order to make Him great; but they forget His humiliation. Why was He actually so highly exalted? It was because He voluntarily did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, taking the form of a servant. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him . . . . [Emphasis added.]” Phil. 2:7-9. Paul preached Jesus’ humiliation in order to prove His greatness, and he exhorted us to have the same mind—namely, to go down! Today only Jesus’ greatness is preached, but people also have this mind: up, up! They don’t see the greatness of humbling themselves.

There are, no doubt, some people who can agree that Jesus humbled Himself by coming down to earth like the angel Gabriel, or at best like Adam before the Fall, but to agree that He was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and that He partook of flesh and blood like we did—Oh no! That is terrible! Rom. 1:3; Heb. 2:14. Then Jesus becomes too small in their eyes. They cannot comprehend that the more He had to overcome, the greater He became. He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. Why are we tempted? Isn’t it because we have a self-will; and a flesh in which nothing good dwells? Jesus did not need to be tested by sinning because that was not what He came to teach us. However, He had to be tested because He had a flesh and a will like we have, to see if He then could remain without sin. That is what He came to teach us! He had to overcome His flesh and His self-will Himself so He could understand us in our battle to overcome. Therefore we have boldness to come to the throne of grace to receive help in time of need, for we have a High Priest who was Himself tested. He understands us and sympathizes with our weaknesses. Heb. 4:15-16; 5:7-10.

Now we can see how a person, in these days, in the midst of striving to magnify Jesus, can dishonor Him exceedingly. They transform Him into another Jesus, thus receiving another spirit and another gospel. 2 Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:6-10. They have corrupted all those who dwell on the earth with this other Jesus, this other spirit, and this other gospel. Rev. 17:1-6.

God be praised who in these last days has raised up witnesses who magnify Jesus by their lives and teaching. Then the others cry out because they have been revealed for what they are. Oh, what a terrible spirit and false doctrine that is! But the true witnesses do not seek to please men; they recommend themselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 2 Cor. 4:2. And in the midst of all the warnings and opposition, they can rest in this: Those who are of the truth hear their voice.