17 Apr Why God Trusts Real Apostles
During one of Jesus’ visits to Jerusalem for the Passover, many people saw the miracles he did and wanted to follow him. But Johns gospel records the following: ‘But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.’ John 2:24-25
There are a lot of ministers and ministries that seek to be great. It’s not peculiar to them, it is a human trait. Wanting to be recognised is a search for validation, recognition and in some cases wealth and glory.
But God doesn’t trust people that have these motives.
Yet in 1 Corinthians 4:1, under the translator added heading of “The Nature of True Apostleship” Paul writes, ‘This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.’
But Paul writes that God has trusted him, an apostle, with the mysteries of God. He was trusted with scripture, with helping to write the Bible itself. How is it that Paul could be trusted by God, when the Lord is careful in how he trusts humans in general?
The answer is that apostles have certain qualities. A key thing is their brokenness.
Peter was broken when he denied the Lord three times. The Bible says he ‘wept bitterly.’
Paul was broken when he murdered the Lords followers and later realised he had persecuted Christ. He said he was ‘the chief of sinners.’
It is this brokenness that resulted in these men not trusting themselves. How is that God will place his trust in someone who doesn’t even trust themselves? The answer is that it is because they don’t trust themselves, and they instead put their full reliance on Christ, that God can trust them. This is one of those qualities.
This video has more to say.
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