Slipping Off to the Sidelines
A young corps officer leader, just this week, asked me, “As a corps officer (pastor), with it’s incomparable demands, how did you manage to survive over the long haul?” My response was to share John’s advice and example here, along with a personalized paraphrase of Matthew Henry’s commentary:
That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines (John 3:30).
Henry summarizes this portion of Scripture for us perfectly here: “Here is John's answer to this complaint which his disciples made, v. 27, etc. In this discourse here, the first minister of the gospel (for so John was) is an excellent pattern to all ministers to humble themselves and to exalt the Lord Jesus.”
“John here abases himself in comparison with Christ, v. 27-30. The more others magnify us, the more we must humble ourselves, and fortify ourselves against the temptation of flattery and applause, and the jealousy of our friends for our honor, by remembering our place, and what we are, <1 Cor. 3:5>.”
“John is adamant that the reputation and interest of Christ should be advanced, and his own diminished (v. 30): ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.”
“If our diminution or abasement may but in the least contribute to the advancement of Christ's name, we must cheerfully submit to it, and be content to be any thing, to be nothing, so that Christ may be all.”
As officer leaders (Cadet or Commissioner) we must relentlessly keep ourselves centered on Christ.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Oh, I know you’ve heard this a hundred times. It’s nothing new. It’s repetitive. Listen to me, when you are in the heat of battle, when you are tired, hurting and dismayed you will lose your concentration. Your center of gravity will begin to waver. Your balance will begin to falter. And you may fall. That’s when you need a net beneath you. Not only does Christ hold you up but he is also the safety net beneath you. That net is centered so that you will not miss it. If you stay in the center of his will, his grace “free for all” is always there and available.
Sweet will of God, still fold me closer
Until I am Wholly lost in thee.
As leaders, this prayer must be a continuous and conscious part of our everyday life. Centering on Christ is a continuous and conscientious process--always tuning into and appropriating his available grace. If we begin to take it for granted, we will lose our balance.
Leadership is a continuous balancing act. It is like walking a tightrope. You must consciously and continuously work at balancing your act. To do so you must stay centered on the right person, and stay in…
The center of his will
This brings us to the second thing we must do to keep our leadership and ministry balanced. Stay tuned!
JN
