Here’s an excerpt from The Fuel and the Flame – a gift from my friends Jim & Anne Bevis (whom I previously told you about here).
I’m in the midst of reading through this and other works as part of ongoing research for a guidebook on church-based campus ministry I’m helping to write.
Check it out:
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Pride – We Are Always the Last to Know
p. 42 of The Fuel and the Flame: 10 Keys to Ignite Your College Campus for Jesus Christ, by Steve Shadrach.
“The marks of pride are usually evident to everyone – except ourselves! It raises its ugly head in the forms of defensiveness, prayerlessness, comparison, and unteachability. We need to ask ourselves this question: Can I follow well? Most Christians are part of the “Loners for Christ” club and are against leadership unless, of course, they can be the leader! You might say, “Oh, I really don’t need any spiritual leadership over me. I’m being discipled by God.” Really? The reason Jesus was the greatest leader of all time was because He was the greatest follower of all time and “only did the things He saw and heard from the Father.” If the Son of God felt the need to humble Himself to spiritual authority, how much more should we?
“You’ll never become a great leader until you learn to be a great follower. If you don’t have someone discipling you, it’s probably because you don’t want anyone discipling you! If that’s true of you, why don’t you stop right now, turn to the Lord, and let Him search your heart for any pride or independence. Pray about which individual you could ask to encourage, to disciple, and, yes, even rebuke you when neccessary. Become a humble, teachable disciple and someday God will honor you with young disciples who will seek you out in the same way. Rarely have I met anyone who was discipling others who hadn’t themselves first been discipled.”
The Overflow 