Do & Teach

The lord Jesus when he lived on this earth asked us to learn
two things from him, gentleness and humility in heart.
Matthew 11: 29
Jesus Christ, who is God himself demonstrated by his life on earth what true humility is. It is to lay down ones life,
every moment of the day to do the father's will. John 6:38

Preachers nowadays share God's word with the body of Christ. It is an awesome privilege to be the mouthpiece of God, but it also comes with a great

responsibility to be a pure vessel at all times. A man of God has to be an example of the things that he has preached. The Apostle Paul said "I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." 1 Cor 9:27
We know from Ephesians 2:8,9 that we have been saved through faith; and NOT of ourselves, it is the GIFT of God, not as a result of works, so that NO ONE may
boast. By the way these principles apply to women as well.

There is a danger, especially for people who stand at the pulpit that other believers usually do not face. The preacher has a tendency to forget that he is just a vessel that the master is using. He is just a postman delivering the letter and that the message applies to him as well. When one has this attitude, the message will not be condescending and God will have a pure witness.In fact anyone who God uses extensively faces a great danger of falling into Pride.

One moment of pride turned the Chief angel of God, Lucifer into Satan. Isaiah 14:12 We have to be extremely careful in this area. Through the encouragement of a godly
man, I personally pray this prayer on a regular basis, "lord when people praise me and say good things about me, help me to always give the credit back to
you." All that we have is from God. 1 Corinthians 4:7

Once we are born again and have made the Lord Jesus our Lord and savior, He is in charge of our lives. Since he is an infinite God and is not a man, he has infinite ways of dealing with men to fulfill his purposes in and through their lives.
This is where elders need to exercise caution.
God may have taken you and your family in a path of certain trials, to fulfill his purpose and you are able to comfort those who are now traveling that path.
We have a tendency in our flesh to wrongfully judge a brother or sister who may be going through a different situation that we have not experienced. Outwardly,we may
not say anything, but we may have a wrong attitude in our hearts. God is primarily looking for truth in the inward parts, in our hearts.

We see God's different dealings with men, for example,Joseph in the Old testament, God's will for him was to be in the palace, whereas for Moses, it was to
leave the palace to be trained in the desert. We limit God when we put him in a box.

A messenger of God must be deaf and blind to the outward things. Isaiah 42:19 "Who is blind but My servant Or so deaf as My messenger"
This is one of the most important qualifications to serve God effectively. One has to rely on God at all times, the Holy Spirit for guidance in all matters.
Another danger which is ignored, is men of God, rely on past experiences on how God might have moved in theirs or other people's lives and rely now on their

understanding and experiences rather than the Holy Spirit.Proverbs 3:5 Some may tend to rely more on their wives than on the voice of God.
And if a pastor of a church has such a spirit, he is transferring the same to his coworkers and the cycle goes on.This is one of the major reasons for the
backslidden state of the church today. The elders are responsible in a huge way.
Who is God going to judge in the Judgment day? The elders of the churches, because with power comes responsibility. In fact the bible warns us " it is better
for many not to be teachers because God's judgment will be severe for them compared to others." James 3:1


It is not what we preach that is more important, it is what we practice and then preach.Acts1:1 This is the Only way to ensure salvation not only for ourselves but also to the people who hear us. If not, we are just transferring head knowledge to people. Head knowledge does not transform people, knowledge makes arrogant 1Corinthians 8:1, but it is the spirit
who gives life.John 6:63 Amen!

Jesus, speaking of humility and children said in Matthew 18: 3-7 "Whoever receives
one such child in My name receives Me; but WHOEVER causes ONE of these little ones who believe in me TO STUMBLE, it would be better for him to have a heavy
millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."
That's how serious it is.
1 Peter 5: 5 "..All of you clothe yourselves with humility
toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

Will you have regrets towards the end of your life, that you could have
been more humble, relying on the Holy Spirit in all your decisions?