02.07.2020
Rick Renner - Precious Truths from the Greek Language. Rick Renner - precious truths from the Greek language but humbled Himself
St. John Chrysostom
but he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man.
Born of a wife and descended from the Virgin, he was carried in the womb for nine months, wrapped in swaddling clothes, he considered Joseph the betrothed to Mary as his father, grew little by little, was circumcised and made a sacrifice, was hungry, thirsty and tired, and finally suffered death, death not ordinary, but considered the most shameful, that is, death on the cross; and the Creator of all things, the unchangeable One, who brought everything from non-existence into being, suffered all this for us and our salvation, “look at the earth and make it shake”(Ps. 103:32), the brilliance of whose glory even the cherubim - these incorporeal forces - cannot see, but turning away their faces and covering them with their wings, they testify to us of a miracle - Which angels, archangels, and countless others (spirits) constantly praise. . For our sake and our salvation, He deigned to become a man, and opened the way for us good life and gave sufficient instruction to those who Himself passed (this way), having assumed the same nature as us. What excuse will remain for us if, after so much has already been accomplished for our salvation, we ourselves make all this useless for us, and through our negligence we lose our salvation?
Discourses on the book of Genesis. Conversation 23.
St. Gregory of Nyssa
but he humbled himself
Word humiliated clearly shows that the Son of God was not always the same as he appeared to us, but in the fullness of Divinity He is equal to God, unattainable and unapproachable, and even more so inconceivable by insignificant human smallness. He became capable of the mortal nature of the flesh only when, as the apostle says, humiliated the ineffable glory of his own Divinity and diminished Himself to our smallness, so that what He was was great, and perfect, and immense, and what He perceived was commensurate with the measure of our nature.
Paul says that He became in the likeness of men and became in appearance like a man- as having no resemblance to such a nature from the beginning and not clothed in any bodily image. For how can a sensual image be imprinted on something incorporeal? But then it appears in an image when it places this image on itself. This image is the nature of the body.
Refutation of Appolinarius.
St. Basil the Great
but he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man.
From this it is clear that the Lord took upon Himself natural suffering in confirmation of a true, and not a dreamy, incarnation; and no matter how much suffering is produced by vices and desecrates the purity of our life, He rejected them as unworthy of the most pure Divinity.
Letters.
St. Kirill of Alexandria
but he humbled himself
What is this humiliation? To be clothed with flesh - and in the form of a slave; to be like us - not having the same nature with us, but surpassing all creation. Thus He humbled Himself, by enclosing Himself in human dimensions according to the economy of salvation.
That there is only one Christ.
becoming in the likeness of men and becoming in appearance like a man
How can we say that He was in the image of God and equal to the Father... if we consider Him simply and only as a man born of a woman? What fullness would He have in such a case that it would make sense to talk about the “emptiness” [of His Divinity]? At what height would He have to be before so that it could be said that He humbled Himself? How would he like people, if we consider that before He was already a man by nature?
The Word about the Incarnation of the Only Begotten.
St. Clement of Alexandria
but he humbled himself
The Father created everything. That is why it is said that [the Son] took on the form of a slave: not only visible flesh, but also the essence of a slave. He accepted a slave essence in order to suffer and submit to the highest producing Cause.
Fragments from Theodotus.
St. Hilary of Pictavia
but he humbled himself
To accept image of a slave, He exhausted Himself with obedience. Exhausted Himself from image of God, that is, in that in which He was equal to God.
becoming in the likeness of men and becoming in appearance like a man
By providence having taken on flesh and by obedience depriving Himself of the form of God, Christ was born as a man and took upon Himself new nature- not by losing the power of His nature, but through a change in state... He retained the power of His Divine nature, but during His being a man He temporarily abandoned this power. The result of this providence was such that the Son in His fullness, that is, as man and God, was now, by the generosity of the Father’s will, in unity with the Father’s nature, preserving not only the power of nature, but also nature itself.
About the Trinity.
St. Leo the Great
but he humbled himself
He took on the form of a servant, without sin, increasing the human and not decreasing the Divine. This humiliation, in which the Invisible became visible, and the Creator and Lord of everyone and everything desired to be one of mortals, was a matter of mercy, but power did not disappear.
Epistle to Flavian.
St. Feofan the Recluse
but He diminished (wasted) Himself, and took on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of mankind, and being found in the likeness of a man
But I belittled myself, εκενωσεν, - exhausted. This word is used in the opposite way: not with admiration for Nepshchev. Conscious of Himself equal to God, He did not capture the alien: but, being such a non-stranger admirer, He voluntarily captured Himself - He emptied Himself, laid aside His own, stripping Himself of the visible glory and greatness inherent in the Divinity and Him, as God, belonging. In this regard, some belittled they mean: He hid the glory of His Divinity. “God by nature, having equality with the Father, having hidden his dignity, chose extreme humility” (Blessed Theodoret).
The following words explain how He humbled Himself. - I accept the sight of a slave- that is, having taken upon Himself the created nature. Which one exactly? Human: in the likeness of humanity I became. Has human nature received any difference from this? No. Like all people, so was He: you will be found like a man.
He took on the appearance of a slave. Who? He who is in the image of God is God by nature. If He accepted as God, then after His acceptance God remained, taking on the form of a servant. Slave's eye- not a sign, but a slave norm. Word: slave- used in opposition to the Divine in the words: in the image of God. There the image of God means the norm of the Divine nature, the Creative Divinity; here the image of a slave means the norm of a slave - a nature, a servant of God, a creature. I accept the sight of a slave- having accepted created nature, which, no matter what degree it stands, is always the work of God. What followed from this? That which is without beginning begins; omnipresent - determined by place, eternal - lives through days, months and years; all-perfect - increases in age and intelligence; all-containing and all-animating - feeds and is supported by Others; omniscient - does not know; omnipotent - binds; he who exudes life dies. And He goes through all this, by the nature of God, the created nature He assumed upon Himself.
What created nature did God take? Human. The angel does not receive it from him, but from the Seed of Abraham. Became in the form of a slave, in the likeness of humanity I became. Saint Chrysostom says: “The Marcionites, clinging to words, say: He was not a man, but only in human likeness.” How can one be in human likeness? Cloaked in shadow? But this is a ghost, not the likeness of a person. Saint Paul also has a similar expression to this. He says: in the likeness of the flesh of sin(Rom. 8:3) (that is, His flesh is the same as everyone else’s, only that flesh is sinful, but His is sinless. It is like sinful flesh in everything, except for sin) What do the words mean: in the likeness of humanity I became? That He had much of ours, but had nothing else. For example, - He was not born naturally, He did not create sin. This is what He had, which no man has. He was not only what he was, but also God. He was a man, but in many ways he was not like (us), although in the flesh he was similar. Therefore He was not a simple person. That's why it is said: in the likeness of humanity. We are soul and body: He is God, soul and body. That's why it is said: in the likeness. And so that you, having heard that He humbled Himself, would not imagine change, transformation and any destruction, the Scripture says that He, remaining what He was, accepted what He was not, and, having become flesh, remained true God In a word."
In words: in the likeness of humanity I became- it is determined that He took on human nature; and in words: and you will be found like a man- means that He submitted to all human life, appeared to be living like all people, so that by this appearance, ahtschap, - He was like a man in everything. Saint Chrysostom says: “since in this respect He is like a man, the Apostle says: and way, - which expresses not that nature has changed or some kind of confusion has occurred, but that He image became a man. - The Apostle said well: like a person. For He was not one of many, but as if one of many. Because God the Word did not turn into a man and His being did not change, but He appeared as a man, not presenting us with a ghost, but teaching us humility. - Note: speaking about the Divinity, the Apostle expresses himself: in the image of God, - not by admiration nepscheva to be equal to God, – does not use words: became, accepted. But, speaking about humanity, he uses the words: accepted, became: I have received the image of a slave, and have been found in the image. - He became this, he accepted this, he was. So, let us neither confuse nor separate (Deity and humanity). There is One God, One Christ - the Son of God. And when I say: one, I express connection, not confusion; since one nature did not turn into another, but only united with it.”
The Epistle of St. Apostle Paul to the Philippians, interpreted by St. Theophan.
St. Ephraim Sirin
but he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man.
But he humiliated himself, hiding His own glory and having clothed himself in the form of a servant, so that the Son of King David, as a servant, voluntarily accepted the blow on the cheek (John 18:22 cf. Matthew 26:67, Mark 14:65 and John 19:3), - then the time when He became in the likeness of men, from the Virgin, and not from the seed of a man, - and as(external image) people turned out to be, that is, in all the sufferings of the flesh, except sin.
Interpretation on Holy Bible. Epistle to the Philippians.
Blzh. Augustine
but he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man.
It is said about Him that He humbled Himself, namely by what he accepted slave uniform without losing forms of God. For that nature in which He is equal to the Father form of God, remains unchanged when He takes on our changeable nature, through which He was born of the Virgin.
Against Faustus the Manichaean.
He humbled Himself not because Wisdom, which is generally unchangeable, has changed, but because, having humbled Himself, He could become known to people.
About faith and the symbol of faith.
So, through that He is a mediator, through which He is a man; lower than the Father, because closer to us; higher than us, because closer to the Father. That is why it is said: he submitted to the Father, because he took on the form of a servant; but above us, because there is no sin on Him.
About the grace of Christ and original sin.
The Lord Jesus Christ came in the flesh and took on the form of a slave, being obedient even to death on the cross for no other reason than to give life to those who, as it were, became members of His body through the dispensation of His most merciful grace. He is their leader in acquiring the Kingdom of Heaven. He revived, saved, freed, redeemed, enlightened those who were previously in the death of sin, inaction, slavery, captivity, darkness, under the power of the devil - the prince of sin.
About what sinners deserve, the remission of sins and the baptism of children.
This state is not one in which He, being in the nature of man, changed the nature of God; nor is it one in which man changed God and He changed him; nor is it one in which, having become a man, He neither changed God nor was changed by God... The apostle precisely outlined this state when he said: Having become in the likeness of men and becoming in appearance like a man. That is, He did not transform into a man, but became one in appearance, clothed himself in a man, united with him, introducing him to immortality and eternity.
About various issues.
Blzh. Theodoret of Cyrus
but he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man.
Look at the agreement of the preachers. Evangelist said: The Word became flesh(John 1:14), and the apostle: [ He humbled Himself], (Phil. 2:7). Evangelist said: and dwelt with us(John 1:14); and the apostle - taking the form of a slave (Phil. 2:7). The Evangelist says again: we have seen His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father(John 1:14), and the apostle: He, being the image of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God(Phil. 2:6) . Both teach the same thing: being God and the Son of God, and clothed in the glory of the Father, and having the same nature and power as His Parent, who existed from the beginning, who abides with God, and God, and the Creator of creation, took the form of a servant.
Eranist.
Having become in the likeness of men and becoming in appearance like a man. The apostle says this about God the Word; namely, that in Him, the real God, when He took on human nature, the Divinity was not visible. For it is fitting for God the Word to say: As a person. Because the perceived nature was truly human. But He Himself was not it, but perceived it.
Commentaries on the Epistles of St. Paul.
Blzh. Theophylact of Bulgaria
but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant
Where are those who say that He did not descend voluntarily, but fulfilling a command? Let those know that He humbled Himself as Lord, as Autocratic. Speaking: image of a slave, by this the apostle shames Apollinaris; because the one who takes the image - μορφ - or, in other words, the nature of a slave, also has a completely rational soul.
becoming like men
Based on this, the Marcionites say that the Son of God was incarnated ghostly; because, they say, do you see how Paul says that He took on the likeness of a man and put on human form, and did not essentially become a man? But what does this mean? This means that the Lord did not have everything that is ours, but he did not have something, namely: he was not born according to the natural order and did not sin. But He was not only what He seemed to be, but also God: He was not an ordinary person. Therefore the apostle says: like people because we are soul and body, and He is soul and body and God. On this basis, when the apostle says: in the likeness of sinful flesh(Rom. 8:3), it does not mean that He did not have flesh, but that this flesh did not sin, but was similar to sinful flesh by nature, and not by evil. Thus, just as there the similarity is not in the sense of complete equality, so here he speaks of the similarity in the sense that He was not born according to the natural order, was sinless and was not a simple man.
and in appearance I became like a man
Since the apostle said that humiliated himself, so that you do not consider this matter a change and transformation, he says: remaining what he was. He accepted what he was not; His nature did not change, but He appeared in appearance, that is, in the flesh, because it is characteristic of flesh to have a form. For when he said: taking the form of a slave, then after that he dared to say this too, as if thereby blocking someone’s lips. Excellent he said: As a person, since He was not one of many, but as one of many. Because God the Word did not turn into a man, but appeared as a man, and, being invisible, appeared having view. Some interpreted this passage as follows: “ and way", as truly man, as John says in the Gospel: glory as the only begotten of the Father(John 1:14), instead of saying: the glory that is fitting for the only begotten to have; because - ως - means both hesitation and affirmation.
Interpretation of the Epistle to the Philippians of the Holy Apostle Paul.
Tertullian
but he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man.
It is clear that the Marcionites think about the substance of Christ (and even refer to the Apostle) that in Him there was the appearance of flesh (they mean the words of the Apostle: He, being the image of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant): that is, He was not a true man, but a likeness of a man; not by man, but by image; not substance, that is, not flesh. As if image and likeness do not fit the substance. Let us note that in another place the apostle calls Christ image of the invisible God(Col 1:15) . Is it really here where he calls Him image of God, He is not the true Christ of God, just as He was not a true man in the form of a man? It turns out that truth should be excluded when image and likeness are equated with a ghost.
Against Marcion.
Mari Victorin
We understand His self-abasement not as some loss or limitation of His power, but as the fact that He humbled Himself to a shameful state, stooping to the lowest position. Having accomplished this, He emptied Himself of His power. For, having taken on the flesh and form of man and likeness, He, as a man, endured, accomplished and fulfilled everything.
Dogmatic theology Lossky Vladimir Nikolaevich
(16) "IMAGE OF GOD" AND "IMAGE OF SLAVE"
(16) "IMAGE OF GOD" AND "IMAGE OF SLAVE"
“For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled Himself , being obedient even to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. "
(Phil. 2:5-11). This famous "kenotic" text of Philippians defines the exhaustion of the Word: being "the image of God", ????? ????, that is, by the very position of God by nature, Christ exposed, exhausted, humbled Himself (?????????), taking on the “form of a servant” (????? ??????) . By extreme humiliation, by the mystery of His kenosis, the Son of God descends into a position of non-existence (not in the sense of the original “nothing,” but in the sense of that monic abyss that opened up through the fall of man). Paradoxically, He combines with the all-perfect fullness of His Divine nature the equally comprehensive “incompleteness” of fallen human nature.
This text from the Epistle to the Philippians should be brought closer to the text of Isaiah about the “man of sorrows,” with his prophecy, so tempting for many Israelis, not about the Messiah in glory, but about the “servant of Jehovah” (“My servant”), suffering and humiliated, silently and voluntarily giving Himself as a “sacrifice of propitiation,” “scarred for our sins” (Isa. 53).
Saint Cyril of Alexandria thought a lot about this Divine “kenosis”, about this humiliation. “God,” he says, “incarnating, could not strip off His nature, for then He would no longer be God, and it would be impossible to talk about the incarnation. And this means that the subject of kenosis is not nature, but the Personality of the Son. Personality but it is “perfected” in the giving of Himself: it differs from nature not in order to “exalt itself” with nature, but in order to completely renounce itself; this is why the Son “did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,” but, on the contrary, “made Himself of no reputation.” , which is not a sudden decision, not a single act, but a manifestation of His very being as a Person; and this is also not His own will, but His very hypostatic reality, as an expression of the trinitarian will, that will whose source is the Father, the obedient fulfillment of which is the Son, the glorious completion of which is the Spirit. Thus, there is a deep continuity between the personal existence of the Son, as self-denial, and His earthly kenosis. Leaving his stay in the glory in which He was never “exalted,” the Son accepts shame, dishonor, and curse; He takes upon Himself the objective state of sinfulness, subjects Himself to the conditions of our mortality; renouncing His royal privileges, He hides His glory deeper and deeper into suffering and death. For He must discover in His own flesh how much man, whom He created in the image of His perfect beauty, was disfigured by the Fall.
So kenosis is the embodiment in its aspect of humility and death; But Christ fully retains His Divine nature and His exhaustion is a voluntary exhaustion: being God, He agrees to become mortal; for the only way to conquer death is to allow it to penetrate into God Himself, in whom it cannot find a place.
Kenosis is the humiliation of a servant seeking not His own glory, but the glory of the Father who sent Him. Christ never, or almost never, affirms His Divinity. In complete renunciation of Himself, in hiding His Divine nature, in renouncing all of His will, even to the words
"My Father is greater than Me"
He carries out a work of love on earth Holy Trinity. And out of boundless respect for human freedom, showing people only the mournfully brotherly face of the slave and the mournfully brotherly flesh of the Crucified One, He awakens in man faith as reciprocal love, because only the eyes of the believer recognize the image of God under the image of the slave and, recognizing in the human face the presence of the Face Divine, they learn to discover in every person the mystery of the personality created in the image of God.
However, even before the kenosis of Christ ended with His resurrection, two theophany were revealed in His humanity: one at the time of baptism, the other at the time of transfiguration. Both times Christ revealed Himself not in the “form of a servant,” but in the “image of God.” He allowed His Divine nature, that is, His unity with the Father and the Spirit, to shine through His deified humanity, because, according to the word of St. Maximus the Confessor, His humanity, corruptible by dispensation, was incorruptible by nature, by its Divine nature. The voice of the Father, the presence of the Spirit in the form of a cloud or a dove transformed these two appearances of the “image of God” into two theophany of the Most Holy Trinity. The Kontakion of the Transfiguration emphasizes that the disciples saw the Divine glory “like a man” in order that “when they see You crucified, they will understand that suffering is voluntary,” and not naturally inevitable.
Because this “light of the Transfiguration neither began nor ended” (St. Gregory Palamas), we must become even more sensitive to the perception of the reality of kenosis. Christ, from the moment of his incarnation and “even to death,” voluntarily and completely took upon himself the consequences of our sin. He knew all the infirmities, all the limitations of our existence, except for the destructive passions that depend on our freedom. And the Second Adam, in order to completely become “in the image” of the first Adam, allowed the tempter to approach, but now no longer in paradise, but in the position of fallen man. But only in Christ did “lack” become not evil and hatred, but suffering and love; that is why the tempter was reflected by the One Who carried within Himself more than paradise - the One Who is Existing.
From the book Bilean Basics modern science by Morris HenryImage of God The humanities include all disciplines that are primarily related to man and society. Theologically, they are related to those aspects human life and activities that go beyond the laws of physics and biology and relate to what
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From the author's bookImage In Moscow, in a count's house, there lived a sick girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old. She could neither walk nor move her arms and legs. The doctor put bandages on her, which gave the girl the opportunity to have at least some control over her hands. One day, when the whole family was having lunch downstairs,
This scripture tells us about the spirit of service. Many people want to serve and help people, but not everyone understands what it means to “serve.” This means having a spirit of service, the right motivation to serve, a desire to humble yourself for the purpose of serving and helping someone. If you do not have the right motivation, you will have many problems in ministry, you will be disappointed, you will not be able to be happy, people will annoy you. Sometimes you will burn and sometimes you will be warm, sometimes you will rise and sometimes you will fall. Some pastors think that being a pastor means always being respectable and important. Therefore, they cannot humble themselves and humiliate themselves. But if you are not yet ready to humble yourself, then you are not ready to be a pastor at all.
The first correct motivation for service is that you are already ready to consciously make a decision - to humble yourself, humiliate yourself and humble yourself. Only then will you be able to serve and be able to truly help someone.
You should not fast just for the anointing to come. This will be ineffective. Fasting is one of the types of self-humiliation.
When I refuse food, lock myself in a room and pray for several hours, then I humiliate myself, my right to eat, my freedom to go out. I deliberately deprive myself of this, knowing that I will then preach in such a way that my words can “hook” people, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit will help solve their problems. If you have the same motivation, your service will be easy and joyful. But if you don't "break" yourself first, your ministry will continually break you. You will begin to “get bumps” and “get bruises” - service will not bring joy, but grief and disappointment.
To avoid this, we need to do what Jesus did. He humbled Himself before He received all the glory. He, the King of kings and God of gods, endured insults and mockery, and this could not affect Him. He had already humiliated Himself before this.
Your humiliation will then become your strength. At first it will be difficult for you, but when it becomes your strength, it will be sweet to serve you. Jesus made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of a man, and becoming in appearance like a man (Philippians 2:7).
Sometimes, while evangelizing on the city streets with members of our church, we are forced to listen to insults and slander, endure irritation and mockery. People expect us to respond by being defensive or getting into a fight. Of course, the members of our church are offended by me, since they respect their pastor, and here is such humiliation... But it doesn’t even bother me, and I’m surprised that it’s unpleasant for them. The reason for my “insensitivity” to insults is that even before I went to evangelize, I had already humiliated myself. I have degraded myself to the level of a slave who cannot complain. Dead man does not feel when he is beaten... When we, like Jesus, take on the image of a slave, then we cannot be offended, no matter what they say to us and no matter how they treat us.
If you can humble yourself like Jesus, you will be happy ministers.
You will definitely be humiliated, and in order for these humiliations not to hurt you, you must first humiliate yourself. Then you will not react to anything and will be able to serve people without any resentment or reproach.
A person who does not have the right motivation will never want to humble himself to serve others. He is overcome by the desire to lift himself up, to always look respectable and “cool”. Such a person cannot serve and help people. This is a man with a double bottom. His thoughts are focused on himself and his success. He only thinks about how to build his ministry, raise his name, have his own church, and not about how to serve people. He is, of course, talking about service. But his motivation for this service is wrong. He pursues his own goals and interests. It is he himself who sits on the throne of his heart, not God. If you do not humiliate your “I,” then it will humiliate you and “sit on your head.” A person will not even notice when he begins to worship not God, but his own ambitions and careerism.
The second correct motivation is the desire to help others succeed and fulfill their calling.
The more you strive to help people become successful, the faster you will become successful yourself. By creating the lives of other people, you create your own life.
What you try to do for others, the Lord will try to do for you. All people belong to God, and He values them more than anything else in the world. Therefore, by investing in people, you encourage God to invest in you. What you try for others, God will try for you.
When I myself did not yet have an apartment, I prayed for people - and they received apartments. I prayed for others with all my heart. I didn’t set myself a goal: to pray for someone. so that you can get it for yourself later. God saw my heart, my motives were pure. I just wanted to help others. That's why God took care of me.
The problems of your church members should become your problems.
You must help them not with things and finances, but through teaching, through the Word of God. If your people succeed at something, it’s your joy, and if it doesn’t work out, it’s your problem. That's why I teach my church members all the time. That’s why I give them exams and conduct seminars. I always think about what I can do to raise my people, first spiritually and then financially. To raise them through the revelation that God has given me is my wealth and my strength.
Jesus says that God sent Him to preach good news to the poor. It would seem that the poor need, first of all, food and finances. And God sent Jesus to preach the gospel to them. God knows that the gospel is the most important thing the poor need: it has bread, it has a car, it has an apartment, it has clothes. The gospel contains everything that man needs. Therefore, Jesus did not say: “Go, give bread to the poor, give out humanitarian aid... He sent disciples to evangelize. What we have is the answer for the world. My desire is to find in the Word of God and convey to people in my sermons something that will help them succeed both materially, spiritually, and emotionally... I want everything in their lives to be harmonious.
Those pastors who want to rise themselves have the wrong motivation. If you are driven by the desire to gain power, gain strength, improve your position and gain authority, then you are going the wrong way.
For some reason it seems to me that all people are like me: they think the same, talk the same, act the same. It’s hard for me to understand how one can say one thing and at the same time think another; how can you promise, but not deliver... I always justify a person: perhaps he did not understand, perhaps he was mistaken - it cannot be that a person is looking for his own benefit. And, you know, I’d rather remain as naive than suspect everyone. I'd rather trust everyone. This suits me better. “Love...believes all things...” (1 Corinthians 13:7). It is better to trust everyone than to trust no one at all. How I wish we could all become like that, so that we have open hearts!
People with the wrong motivation do not want to help others succeed. They themselves want to establish themselves, to receive the best place. I think this is more common in the world. I don’t want to believe that there are such people among believers, much less among pastors.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If life in the flesh brings fruit to my work, then I don’t know what to choose. I am attracted by both: I have a desire to be resolved and to be with Christ, because this is incomparably better; But remaining in the flesh is more necessary for you. And I know for sure that I will remain and abide with you all for your success and joy in faith, so that your praise in Christ Jesus may be abounded through me when I come again to you." - (Philippians 1:21-26).
Paul shows us an example of self-sacrifice. While in chains, in prison, he understood that going to Christ forever was a great benefit for him. But he was ready to endure everything and endure torment in order to help his people - the believers who were free. He was ready to endure humiliation so that they would succeed in their calling and strengthen in their faith. Can you imagine what loving heart Must have?
I wish we were all like that and were ready to sacrifice our lives or go through suffering and torment so that others could succeed. This means not looking for your own.
The third correct motivation is the desire to show God's love and mercy to the world. There must be a desire in your heart to show people how merciful God is, how He loved the world.
Your heart should want the whole world to know about God's love, His sacrifice, and our salvation.
The right motivation is to show the world God's love, to show how unconditionally, compassionately and sacrificially He loves us. I am ready to do everything to make people understand that our God is a loving God. I am ready to do everything so that people know that our God is a merciful, forgiving God.
If the motivation in a person's heart is not right, then when telling the world about God's love and mercy, a person will have a desire to be known, to be asked for something, to be appreciated and thanked for everything. Temptations to fall into these weaknesses will come to you, they will attack you, but you must know the right motives and fight for the purity of your heart, your thoughts. If you seek the right motivation, eventually God will give you fame, elevate you. Honor will come to you if you serve God faithfully.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He "used" a colt. People greeted Jesus enthusiastically, threw their clothes onto the road along which He was traveling, and laid tree branches on the road. They applauded Jesus. And what did the donkey feel, which no one noticed or welcomed? After all, he had such an important mission, such a responsible service - to carry God Himself! But the donkey was not indignant. Unlike some people, he understood: in fact, it was the people who laid their clothes under his feet. He gave himself in the service of Jesus, and he who carries Jesus always shares the glory with Him.
We don't have to look for fame, we don't have to look for our name, we don't have to look for self-affirmation. Why did all the glory of Jesus come to the colt? Because he humbled himself, he completely submitted to the Lord, giving himself to His service. This should be an example for us.
What made me famous in Ukraine and beyond is that I became Jesus' foal. I wasn't looking for fame. If you are looking for it, you will never find it. And if you seek only God and want only Jesus to be glorified, then that is when He will share His glory with you.
Don’t seek fame and self-affirmation, bring God’s love and mercy to people, help them succeed - just serve God.
...But rise up and stand on your feet; for this is why I appeared to you, to make you a minister and a witness of what you have seen and what I will reveal to you, delivering you from the people of Judah and from the pagans, to whom I am now sending you to open their eyes so that they will turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, and through faith in Me they received forgiveness of sins and a lot with those who are sanctified" (Acts 26:16-18).
God came to each of you for a specific purpose. This purpose is not at all to “advertise” you, but to make you a “coal” for Him. God's purpose is to strengthen you so that you can then serve Him, carry His love and mercy, show it to the world, be His servant and witness.
God told Paul that He was sending him to open the eyes of the Gentiles so that they would be converted. Our goal is to open the eyes of the world so that many people will convert. That is, we are God's weapons, sent to accomplish all this. If we do His work, He will take care of our needs, our provisions, our deliverance - He will take care of everything.
The fourth right motivation is the desire to fulfill God's calling and achieve His purpose. Pastors preach a lot about God's calling and God's purpose. And if you serve precisely to fulfill God's calling and His purpose in your life, this is the right motivation. And if you simply occupy the position of pastor to lead and command, then you are in error. If you want to be a leader, to give orders and directions, you are simply going downhill.
Every person who serves God should know that it is God who gives him the service, it is God who put him in this place. And if you are sure of this, then you can say: “Do whatever you want with me, but I cannot go against the heavenly vision.”
“Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not resist the heavenly vision...” - (Acts 26:19).
The next, fifth, correct motivation is an ardent desire to lead people to Christ, so that they will repent, so that they know Christ and become one with God. Helping people know Jesus is the right motivation.
“For, being free from all, I made myself a slave to all, that I might gain more: To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win the Jews; to them that were under the law I was as one under the law, that I might win those that were under the law; To them that were strangers to the law, as a stranger to the law, without being a stranger law before God, but under the law of Christ - in order to win those who are strangers to the law; To the weak I was as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all, that I may save at least some." - (1 Corinthians 9:19-22).
Pavel was ready to do anything and be anywhere. He was ready to lose everything, endure all kinds of humiliation, just to gain people.
For, being free from everyone, I enslaved myself to everyone, in order to gain more: To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to gain the Jews; to those under the law he was as one under the law, in order to gain those under the law; For those who are strangers to the law - as one who is strangers to the law - not being alien to the law before God, but under the law of Christ - in order to win those who are strangers to the law; He was like one who was weak to the weak, so that he might gain the weak. I have become all things to all, that I might save at least some." - (1 Corinthians 9:19-22).
O Lord, give us a heart like Paul's! Oh, give us the heart of Jesus Christ! You must know that this will not come to you immediately, you need to work on it, meditate on the Word of God, which will change you, transforming you into the image and character of God.
But sometimes pastors have the wrong motivation. Instead of serving with the goal of bringing people to Christ, they do so out of a desire to teach others. They like it when someone is obedient to them, they like to be in sight, in the center of attention. If you serve with such a purpose, you have big problems. You will have to give an account when you stand before God. And then all your deeds will burn up, you will have nothing to boast about before Him, nothing to please Him with.
Some people will come to God with a lot of “merit”. But when they come before Him, all this "wealth" will be burned up and perhaps they will have nothing left - they will suffer loss because they did not have the right motives in their service.
The sixth correct motivation is the desire to unite the Body of Christ, the desire to bring people to the full stature of Christ, to make the Body of Christ one. The desire to help people know Christ and be one with the Body of Christ is the right motivation that every pastor should have.
If you encourage people to love each other, to help each other (no matter what church they are from), if you serve to ensure that the Body of Christ grows around the world - this is the right motivation.
The wrong motivation is for someone who wants to be considered better than others, to have his church praised more than others.
Works in our church new system home groups, the "twelve" system. This gives us quantitative growth, but if we do it just for the sake of quantitative growth, then there is no point in it. I always check my heart, and if I did this only for quantitative growth, then all this would have failed a long time ago. God wouldn't bless it. This would be the wrong motivation. But if we do this to save people, to serve people, to help them succeed, to fulfill the will of God, that’s a different matter.
...Until we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, into a perfect man, to the measure of the full stature of Christ; So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried away by every wind of doctrine, through the wickedness of men, through the cunning craft of deception, but through true love we may grow all things into him who is the head, Christ...” - (Ephesians 4:13-15).
True love always returns to the Head, who is Christ. The point is not competition or competition. We do everything with only one purpose - for Christ to be glorified. Everything returns to Him to glorify Him. True love will always lead you to Christ. He is our "destination".
That's why I don't like it when pastors brag about how many people they have in their churches. This is childhood. We can talk about it, but don't brag about it, don't compare ourselves with someone. We as a church are growing in number so that Christ may be glorified, so that His name will be known throughout the world, and so that all people will grow into the full stature of Christ.
The seventh correct motivation is the desire to help people recover spiritually. Spiritual revival, reformation of a people, country, city cannot take place without the revival and reformation of an individual, an individual person. It all starts with personality.
It's easy to love people, but hugging a homeless person or shaking his hand is a problem for many. Some pastors find it easy to pray for Ukraine, but they lose all desire to pray when a drunkard or drug addict walks into their office.
The correct motivation is the desire to help a person, a specific individual, be reborn.
The wrong motivation is the desire to demonstrate your talents, your gifts. The desire to boast of “your” anointing, to be a spiritual hero, is the wrong motivation. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is not given to the pastor to boast and boast. God's anointing is given to us in order to revive each person individually and through the individual - the entire nation.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; For He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor, and He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach freedom to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are afflicted...” - (Luke 4:18).
God anoints pastors to help people. If this becomes your desire, the anointing will be poured out on you. If you become obsessed with helping a specific person, to a specific person reborn and risen, restored and fulfilled, then the anointing for the fulfillment of this desire will come upon you. Jesus really wanted to open the eyes of people, to revive them, so the anointing remained on Him.
Receive the Spirit of the Lord to establish the work of God. Ask the Lord for the spirit of strength, the spirit of anointing, the spirit of power, the Spirit of Christ to come upon you. Ask for His help to purify your heart and have the right motivation.
I believe that the Lord will create a new heart in you so that you will desire only His Kingdom, which will spread God's love and mercy, which will help people be established in their calling and fulfill it.
In Mark 15:29-31 we read about Jesus:
Mark 15:29-31
“Those who passed by cursed Him, nodding their heads and saying: Eh! destroying the temple, and building in three days! save yourself and come down from the cross. Likewise, the high priests and the scribes mocked each other and said to each other: “He saved others, but he cannot save himself.”
"Save Yourself." Indeed, how strange it seemed to these people that he who saved many was now hanging on the cross and could not take care of himself. To one who serves himself, the opposite course of action seems very strange. Jesus could have called twelve legions of angels (1 legion = 6826 people), but He denied Himself and was obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross, calling us to have the same feelings as Him:
Philippians 2:5-8
“For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; humbled himself being obedient even to death, even death on the cross».
Luke 9:23-24
“To all he said: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his soul will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”
Jesus Christ denied himself. He lost his life, but not forever. After three days and three nights God raised him from the dead. As the book of Philippians says:
Philippians 2:9-11
“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The road that Jesus Christ shows us is narrow (Matthew 7:14). To walk this road, you need not to protect your life, but to lose it. However, this road is also the path of resurrection. Perhaps the crucifixion of the old man, the self, brings pain, but the crucifixion is always followed by resurrection. The pain of crucifixion cannot be avoided, because without crucifixion there is no resurrection. We need not the old man to live in our hearts, but the new one - risen christ. HE is our living example and the One we should look up to:
Hebrews 12:1-2
“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God».
In appearance I became like a man
He, being the image of God,
He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God;
but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant,
becoming like men...
Philippians 2:6–7
These days, believers around the world are preparing to celebrate the Nativity of Christ. Birth
Jesus is one of the greatest miracles in the world because Almighty God Himself left the glory
heaven and came to earth in the form of a man. What is truly amazing and amazing is that God
He left His Divinity for a while and came to us on earth as a man. This is exactly what
occurred at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
Paul writes: “He, being in the image of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; But
He emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men...”
(Philippians 2:6–7).
Paul begins by defining who Jesus was before he came to earth by saying, “He,
being the image of God." The word huparcho - “to be”, consists of the words hupo - from and arche -
beginning, foundation, originally. The word huparcho means to always exist. That is
Jesus has always existed. He Himself said: “Before Abraham was, I am” (John
8:58). Our verse can be translated as follows: “He who eternally existed in the form of God...”.
In other words, the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem was not the beginning of His existence, but only
His incarnation into man, a short appearance on earth in His eternal existence.
The word morphe - “image”, describes external image, and this means that before incarnation He
was God. He was not an integral part of God, he was not a symbol of God, He Himself is God.
And as the eternal God, He was surrounded by the radiance of glory, majesty, and in His presence could not
not a single person will survive. He was in a glory so magnificent that human
the mind cannot imagine it, and such has a power before which no man can
can resist. However, He desired to come to earth and redeem humanity. And He doesn't have
there was no choice but to take on the form that a person could bear.
Therefore, He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, becoming like
to people.." Here real story Christmas.
Kenos - “humiliated”, also means empty, annulled, deprived, rejected,
devastated. Since God could not appear before people as God, He had to
change your appearance. And the only way He could appear before
people - this is of our own free will and for a short time to put aside everything that we usually
imagine when we think about God. For thirty-three years God separated Himself from heavenly
glory and “took on the form of a servant.” The word "accepted" well describes that amazing moment,
when the Lord took on human flesh in order to appear on earth as a man.
The Greek word lambano - “to take”, is translated as taking, grabbing, catching,
grasp. This word lets us know that God literally came out of His eternal
existence, entered the material world, which He
