15-5

The God Who Exalts God

As Christians, we should be selfless followers of a self-centered God. God exalts God. "If this rubs us wrong in any way, we should ask, 'Who else would we have Him exalt?' For at the very moment God exalts anyone or anything else, He is no longer the God who is worthy of all exaltation." The problem is that we get this backwards sometimes. We tend to be self-centered followers of a selfless God. "We organize our churches as if God exists to meet our needs, cater to our comforts, and appeal to our preferences."

The problem is that we have the wrong vision of what the church should be. People walk in to our churches, we hand them a latte, send their kids to our programs, and tell them to make themselves comfortable. But this is not Christ's mission for the church. Christ's mission for the church is simple, and it should be His mission that drives our vision. Our mission is to make the glory of God known to all nations. "This preferred future or visual destination must drive us because this is what drives God." "What happens when our primary aim is not to make the crowds feel comfortable but to exalt God in all His glory? Suddenly our priorities begin to change. More than you and I want people to be impressed by the stuff we can manufacture, we want them to be amazed by the God they cannot fathom. More than we want to dazzle them with our production, we want to direct them to His praise." Our goal is to "raise up people who are so awed, so captivated, so mesmerized by the glory of God that they will gladly lose their lattes-and their lives-to make His greatness known in the world."

But how will we accomplish all of this? The simple answer is that WE won't, God will. Only through the power of God will all the nations of the world be reached. And the way that we as followers tap into the power of God is through prayer. "Prayer is one of the primary demonstrations of our selflessness and God's self-centeredness." Think about it, we are praying that God will accomplish things that we cannot do on our own. "So we express our dependence upon God in prayer, and He delights in showing His glory by giving us everything we need for the accomplishment of His purpose. Through prayer, God gives grace to us in such a way that He receives glory for Himself. Prayer is a nonnegotiable priority for selfless followers of a self-centered God." As you look through the book of Acts, prayer was central, not supplemental, to the church. In fact, every major breakthrough that the church had came as a direct result of the prayers that they prayed. Why do we think we are different? They knew that in order for God's plan to come to fruition, prayer was essential.

Truthfully, we don't need prayer to "do church." The point of prayer isn't to carry on business as usual. We can do what we've always done, and carry on all by ourselves. But if we want to make disciples of all nations, there is going to be a battle. And if there is going to be a battle, we need prayer. I echo David Platt when he says, "I want to be part of a people who are giving God no rest from our praying and seeking after Him. I want to be part of a people who are calling on the Lord day and night, refusing to leave God alone because we hunger for God's Word in our lives and God's power in His church and God's glory in all nations. I want to give God no rest until we experience the power and the presence of God that we see in the church in Acts."

"Do you and I want to see the power of God raining down on His church in inexplicable ways? Do you and I want to see the justice of God restored in His church so that we stop ignoring the poverty, disease, starvation, and sickness that are rampant around us? Do you and I want to see the love of God rescuing sinners from all walks of life and redeeming His children from very nation, tribe, tongue, and people? Then let us give God no rest from our praising, confessing, and interceding, and let us watch Him unleash His people in His church for His purpose in the world."

Our goal is the same as God's goal: to take the gospel to all nations. So let's join together as selfless followers of a self-centered God, we've got work to do.

Enjoy the Journey