“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” So says James in his epistle. (See James 4:10). According to Jesus’ brother, humility should be our fundamental position before the Lord and our approach with one another.
When people come to church, there should be a spirit of humility throughout.
This is after all what Paul the Apostle also emphasized repeatedly in his epistles. Here’s what he says to the church in Ephesus:
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Paul the Apostle, Ephesians 4:1-3, NKJV
Lowliness. Gentleness. Longsuffering. Bearing with each other in love. Keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Does that describe the average church today?
Do these virtues or qualities describe the average Christian today?
Paul hits the same theme in his letter to the church in Philippi:
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Paul the Apostle, Philippians 2:1-4, NKJV
Paul’s appeal is earnest and passionate. He appeals to all that they hold dear – “any consolation in Christ,” “any comfort of love,” “any fellowship of the Spirit,” and so forth. In other words, if there’s anything Christian in you, if there’s any heart in you, hear my appeal.
And then Paul says that we should be “like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” And that no should be selfish in their ambitions but should be humble (“lowliness of mind”), looking out for “the interests of others.”
Does this describe the average church in American society today?
If not, why not?
I’ve been in full-time Christian ministry since 2002 and a pastor since 2006. And I can tell you that, while this calling has been very rewarding and I’m grateful to have known all the people God has blessed me to serve as pastor, the greatest anxiety and personal pain of being a pastor comes from Christians refusing to live by the virtues and qualities James and Paul speak of in these passages.
We need Christians who are less preoccupied with what they feel, what they want, or what they feel entitled to – and instead more committed to humility and unity.
May that begin with us.
