Culling the Crowd
Influencers focuses on men, marriages, and missions. We believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God who gave his life so that we would be made the righteousness of God in Him. It’s important to keep the main thing the main thing.
God often culls the crowd. He did this with Gideon when he culled the army of Israel. Jesus also did this in John Chapter 6. He needed to separate the sheep from the goats. In John 6, the crowds followed Jesus around. He was the “rock star” of his day. The entourage and the paparazzi wanted to get a photo op and witness a miracle. They wanted to be entertained and Jesus was the biggest draw of his day. Jesus said to the crowd, “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” Those who didn’t know Jesus didn’t understand his message. He had said, “my sheep know my voice and they know me and I give unto them eternal life.” The sheep knew their master’s voice. Jesus had told the woman at the well, I have drink you know not of. He is the fountain of living water. Jesus Christ himself is the bread of life. Whosoever eats this bread shall live forever. The multitudes didn’t understand what Jesus meant. According to John 6:66, from that day, many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more.
A man approached Pete after a marriage builders class and said, “I found a note from my wife this morning that said, “if you want to save this marriage, then go see Pete.” Pete recognized the man and thought to himself, “I’ll help you save this marriage after I levitate you off the ground and then fly you around the room.” Pete asked the man, “are you willing to do whatever it takes to save your marriage?” The man replied, “probably not.” Pete admired the man for his honesty. The word “probably means very likely. The guy had said, “based on my past actions I most likely won’t do whatever it takes.”
According to Psalm 1, there is a process for walking with the Lord. There are three things required: walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, stand not in the way of sinners, and sit not seat of the scoffers. Instead, delight thyself in the law of the lord and meditate in his word day and night. God’s promise is that when we follow this process, we shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of living water that brings forth fruit in due season…a tree whose leaf does not wither and who prospers in all things.
According to Proverbs 3:5-6, “trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.” Men ask themselves, “why can’t I make my own destiny?” Man has been asking himself this question ever since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Questioning the will of God is the first step in falling away from the truth of God’s word.
The basic principle of God is that he loves us so much that he never asks us to do anything that isn’t in our own and God’s own best interest. The love of God and his grace covers a multitude of sins. In that while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly. Who’s seeking whom? We didn’t chose Him, He chose us.
In Matthew 16 Jesus said, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must forsake himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” However, as one guy said, “I realized that Jesus and I were incompatible and one of us has to change.” The problem with a living sacrifice is that it wants to crawl off the altar. Jesus knew what was in the heart of man. The Apostle Paul said, “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” Jeremiah 17 says that the heart of man is deceitful and wicked above all things. Everything is paradoxical in the world’s “upside down” kingdom. We must die to self in order to live for him. Jesus said, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” The first shall be last and the last shall be first. I must decrease so that he may increase. He who is chief amount you must be servant of all.
The grace of God bridges the impossible. Without grace it is impossible to approach a holy God. Grace is unmerited favor given by the one who didn’t have to give it to the one who didn’t deserve to receive it. Jesus said, “come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” When we come to him he will exchange our burden of guilt for His righteousness. For he who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus Christ is waiting for us to approach his throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. When we pray, “Lord, I know I’m not the man you meant for me to be. Lord, please make me that man”…. this is a prayer that God is eager to answer. He will exchange beauty for ashes when we approach his throne of grace with a heart of meekness and humility.
Pete prayed, “Lord teach me how to love my wife as Christ loved the church.” Pete found his wife’s journal after she had passed away. She had circled the verse that said, “wives submit yourselves to your own husbands.” She had listed several synonyms for he word “submit.” She understood that biblical submission means honor, respect, and reverence… To acknowledge, and love with loving obedience the man of God whom God by his grace has given you.”
Our question is “Am I the man that God intended me to be?” In order to follow him, our lives must be built on the firm foundation. At the end of the sermon on the mount Jesus said, “the wise man built his house upon the rock, The storms came and the waves crashed and the earth shook, but the house stood fast because it was built upon the rock.” Jesus Christ himself is the firm foundation… He is the rock of ages.
We fellowship with like minded men so that we can build each other up. The world will tear us down. For the thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill and to destroy. But Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” We are fellow laborers with Christ, built up in him to stand together as watchmen on the wall. We’re the light on the hill that cannot be hidden. Therefore let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.
He has culled the crowd and separated us out so that we can stand apart from a world of darkness. According to 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light…”
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael