Faith in God or Faith in Man? (Resurrection 8 Continued)

[HKHaugan]

Faith in God or Faith in Man? (Resurrection 8 Continued)

So we see the uncompromising difference between secular rights and spiritual rights---self-declared importance as opposed to humble service to God. Secular rights are based on this principle: “Because I exist, the world owes me!” Spiritual rights start with this principle: “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only (Mt.4:30)!” If you view the political situation across the world, these two positions frame the battle between liberalism and conservatism. One worships man, the other worships God. The idea of rights has no other place to turn than its source being either the best intentions of imperfect man's intellect or the One God who revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. So for us in our political choice and decision making which do we choose? Man's compromised intellect or God's Word? How's that first one been working for us over the last few thousand years? All the more reason to keep our focus on what we as Jesus' disciples are called to do, bring people to Him. It's changed hearts that change the world. The resurrected life of Jesus was the life Jesus lived, the life we are called to live by and share.

So how did Jesus live out the issue of right? The best passage is Paul's description in his words to the Philippians as he reenforces the reason for them to be joyful in the Lord,
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing. Taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death---even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 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 glory of God the Father (Php.2:5-11).”
When you see the word attitude it is defined in His humanness as humility. That is a right attitude. Jesus humbled Himself. He gave complete control of His heart, mind and spirit to His Father (Jn.14:9-13). He showed He was exercising His spiritual right to be humble before His Father in the world. It was His heart action. Attitude is a heart response. His attitude was humble trust in His Father. He found Himself in a new situation, being human. His heart humbly trusted. That's the key to being right and exercising spiritual rights, trusting as Jesus trusted, in humility.
This brings us to discipleship. Being a disciple of Jesus operates on this recognition: Fear gets us to look backward. Faith gets us to look forward. Faith is the means to true discipleship. Being a disciple is knowing you have the right to spiritual gifts. It means to humbly accept and utilize those gifts. Jesus showed by His life on earth that humility before His Father as He went from place to place and person to person was the way to fulfill what it meant to be human. He exercised the gifts of teaching, healing, serving, helping, discerning, pastoring, leading, administrating, exorcising, prophesying, giving and all the others that were necessary to get the point of humility across.
Another aspect of discipleship is being open to the Holy Spirit's power to reshape our heart's attitude from self-serving in the moment to being single-mindedly aware that the Holy Spirit is getting us to breathe spiritually. His atmosphere is the fruit of the Spirit as Paul describes it in Gal.5:22-23, “...love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Humility before the Lord opens our ability to breathe in the Spirit's fruit. This is how the gifts of the Spirit work their purposes to the fullest. The Lord has given us the right to breathe spiritually in order to serve spiritually.
To get what spiritual gifts are, you turn to Romans 12, 1Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. There are others but this is where we start. As you read them let them be a test for where you are in your heart. Where are you coming from? What is your attitude as you read them? Are they talents, skills or abilities that I have? How do I feel about them as I read them? Do I feel inadequate? Others have gifts but I don't. I've never really considered that I was gifted. Let the pro's take care of them. I thought that being a believer was enough and maybe to help here and there when I can. These are some reactions to be considered.
Perhaps now we can see how the right to humility before the Lord gives us a whole new outlook. After all isn't that what the Lord's recovery program (salvation) is all about? “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).”