There is often a prevalent self abasing attitude in churches. A sort of pseudo-humility where people give God the credit and take none out of a fear that they will become proud. While it is noble to acknowledge the Lord who made us and our gifts, we are not idle spectators. Each of us is given talents from God The Trinity, but we must choose daily to use them and hone them to greater effect.
We are in a partnership with Christ. He has accomplished all, saving us by His grace and offering us eternal life. The gospel is the Lord’s, however, we are called to be stewards and courtiers of the gospel. Jesus is the Master and we live for Him and have our being (Acts 17:28), still He did entrust us with a duty, “Go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing then in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19). The message is Jesus, we go to make disciples of Jesus, we preach the gospel of Jesus, but we are partaking in the work. If we do nothing, there is no discipling. Jesus could have stayed on earth for the last two thousand years and swayed people to faith in Him, instead He made us ministers of His New Covenant (2 Corinthians 3:6). God would rather have His children through grace go and make disciples. Thus we should take it as a great honor to be disciple makers, that our Lord and God Jesus choose us to make Him known to people!
Even at our Lord’s Passion He called a man to help Him carry the cross. This man was Simon Cyrene, “A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus (Rufus became ardent Christian under the Apostle Paul see Romans 16:13), was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross,” (Mark 15:21) and, “As the soldiers led Him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.” (Luke 23:36). The glory is to our Lord who paid the price for our eternal life, but Simon did participate and help speed along Salvation by helping Jesus carry His cross, in the same way we are to help our Lord Jesus spread the gospel of His saving death and the power of His resurrection. Make no mistake, Simeon Cyrene isn’t the Savior, but a partaker in Christ’s work, just as Mary was partake lr by giving birth to Christ. The glory is to Christ, our God and Savior, however, He chose to use Mary and Simeon in His salvic plan. In the same way like Simeon and Mary we aid our Lord and Savior on His plan of salvation by making disciples and preaching the Gospel that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved from sin, and eternal death and in Him we have everlasting life.
I cringe when people say, “I am an unworthy vessel,” or “I am a poor beggar at God’s gate.” (Ragamuffin Gospel). The truth is we are heirs with Christ, “And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him,” (Romans 8:17), we are royal priests, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light,” (1 Peter 2:9), we are ambassadors, “So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Be reconciled to God!,” (2 Corinthians 5:20), we are children of God, “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus,” (Galatians 3:26) and we are the Bride of Christ, “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:7-9). The self deprecating of the saints is not Scriptural and we need to see ourselves as Jesus does, as a bride is seen by her groom! Jesus loves us with a everlasting and all consuming love, He has trusted us with the gospel of believing in Him as savior and being with Him forever in a intimate relationship. We are ministers of reconciliation, we cry that Jesus Christ the True God “just wants to be with you.” (Song by St. Antony). We are carrying the gospel, more than that Jesus in our bodies (Colossians 1:27, 1 John 4:15) and pleading with people to believe in Him and know Him. Christ our Lord has trusted us with the biggest responsibility, to reconcile people to Him; to share Him with people! He could have done it himself but He chose us His bride to preach about Him and show His love to the lost. We have been given a greater honor and responsibility than all the angels and humans, to share the Divine One with all creation! (Mark 16:15). Amen.
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