Paul’s estimate of himself
(James Smith, “The Pastor’s Morning Visit”)
“I am nothing!” 2 Corinthians 12:11
This was Paul’s estimate of himself : “less than the least of all saints,” and “the chief of sinners.”
The more we know of ourselves and of Jesus–
the more shall we be humbled in the dust before Him;
and the lower we lie before Him,
and the happier and holier we shall be.
Sinful MAN will, MUST be something–this is both his pride and his misery.
The Christian is willing to be nothing–that Christ may be all in all.
If we daily felt that we are nothing–how many mortifications we would be spared; what admiring views of the grace of God would fill and sanctify our souls!
Apart from Christ–we are less than nothing; but in Christ–we are something!
We are empty–but He fills us!
We are naked–but He clothes us!
We are helpless–but He strengthens us!
We are lost–but He finds us!
We are ruined–but He saves us!
We are poor–but He supplies us!
All that we are–is by Christ!
All that we have–is from Christ!
All that all we shall be–is through Christ!
Christian, you are nothing! Therefore beware of thinking too highly of yourself; or imagining that you deserve more than you receive–either from God or men.
Humble souls are soon satisfied.
O could I lose myself in Thee,
Your depth of mercy prove,
O vast unfathomable sea
Of unexhausted love!
I loathe myself when God I see,
Content if Christ exalted be!
HT- Grace Gems
This morning , like many others, I can with a clear and perfect awareness, cry out with a loud voice; “O WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM!! ” …..
And then within an instant be overwhelmed with the mercy of my LORD.
I love Jesus!
The Apostle Paul sure sounds a lot different than Benny Hinn; I wonder why?
Christians are little messiahs. Christians are little gods. (Benny Hinn, Praise-a-thon (TBN), recorded November 1990)
“Christians are “Little Messiah’s and “little gods” on the earth. Thus [Encouraging the audience]…say “I am a God-man….This spirit-man within me is a God-man…” say “I’m born of heaven-a God-man. I’m a God man. I am a sample of Jesus. I’m a super being. Say it! Say it! Who’s a super being? “I walk in the realm of the supernatural.” Say it!…You want to prosper? Money will be falling on you from left, right and centre. God will begin to prosper you, for money always follows righteousness….Say after me, “everything I ever want is in me already.” (Benny Hinn, TBN, 1990)
“I am a ‘little messiah’ walking the earth” (Benny Hinn, Praise-a-Thon” on TBN, November 6, 1990)
“Are you ready for some real revelation knowledge….you are god” (Benny Hinn, “Our Position In Christ”, tape # AO31190-1)
“You are a little god on earth running around”. (Benny Hinn, “Praise-a-thon” broadcast on TBN, November, 1990)
The above assortment of Benny Hinn’s blasphemy courtesy of Cephas Ministries
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matt. 7:22-23)
and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. (Acts 20:30)
In Christ,
CD
Hmmmmmm……….
The Hinn quotes are pretty revolting.
God help us to see ourselves for the nothings we are.
All we will become should be in the person of Jesus Christ.
God bless.
What a beautiful and sobering reminder. Just today I was convicted of my judgmental and prideful heart toward others, and especially toward my beloved parish priest. I was reminded to “count others better than myself.” The Holy Spirit caused me to see my self-righteousness and how it can become avstumbling block to receiving His grace.
“The chief weapon for virtue is humility and the greatest hindrance to it is pride. The foul smoke of self-esteem and the stench of boasting dirves away the grace of the Spirit…stips man of all his virtue and casts him into the pit of Hades. And through the repentance and contrite prayer of the Publican, that humility confers upon the sinner forgiveness of all his wicked deeds and raises him up to greater heights.”
– St. John the Golden Mouth otherwise known as St. John Chrysostom
Jesse Duplantis likes to tell folks what they “deserve” and what their “justification” ENTITLES them to.
“If I give $1,000 dollars I deserve to get back $100,000 because I am just, that’s not greed!” (Jesse Duplantis, December 19, 2003 TBN, “The just shall live by faith.”)
One of the most beautiful experiences for a Christian is to feel totally helpless, powerless and down and out, and have your heavenly Father come along and sweep you up in His mighty arms and hold you tight to His chest and know that you are safe, loved and cared for. Thank You Father…thank You.
The world’s concepts of humility actually support our pride. How often (as an unsaved person) did I look with disgust on a “bible thumper” who exposed a worker of iniquity, as if he dared to “judge” another in his “pride” (neither knowing nor understanding that the “bible thumper” was merely proclaiming God’s already revealed judgment on sin and sinner). As I sat in an attitude of unrighteous judgment over the Christian, the “don’t judge” mentality was one of the most proud things I could have had.
As a Christian, I came to see in God’s word, that pride and humility were entirely different than the world had taught me. It is pride to have the values and attitudes of the world, and humility to conform to the word of God.
But strangely, I am hearing some very bizarre things: a mindset that says it is “proud” to claim to know God’s will, or to understand God’s word, and “humble” to claim ignorance of God’s truth. That it is “proud” to hold the pastor to the Scriptures (in fact, it’s now called the “sin of questioning”), and “humble” to accept all he says (in defiance of Gal. 1, 1Jn.4:1, 2Cor. 11:4, Acts 17:11, etc.). That it is “humility” to blindly submit to a church’s laws, and “pride” to dare to test it according to the Scriptures.
But Jesus embodied the attitude of true humility for us to copy:
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Phil.2:5-8
True humility is complete obedience to the word of God, even to the point of death, putting aside our will, our desires, our flesh, submitting to every ordinance and will of God.
CD:
Your point is well made that things are being preached that are the polar opposite of Biblical humility. Here is more:
You don’t have a god in you, you are one,” (Kenneth Copeland, The Force of Love (Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987), audiotape #02-0028, side 1.)
“We are the essence of God, His on-going incarnation in the world” (Earl Paulk, Held In The Heavens (Atlanta: K Dimension Publishers, 1985, p. p. 125.)
“The Fullness of the Godhead dwells in me … God has planned for me to be Christ’s image on the earth” (Morris Cerullo from the Video MANIFEST SONS OF GOD).
“The believer is called Christ…That’s who we are; we’re Christ!” (Kenneth M. Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life (Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc., 1989), 35-36, 41.)
“To be a Christian, literally, is to be a little Christ” (Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission, p.40)
“Say it again I’m just like God” (Creflo Dollar, Changing your world April 16, 2002 Lesea Broadcasting)
“I’m an exact duplicate of God!” Yell it out loud! Shout it! “I’m an exact duplicate of God! I’m an exact duplicate of God!” . . . (Casey Treat, “Believing in yourself,” tape 2 in a four part series quoted in Seduction of Christianity p.83)
“ We want to be gods. Jesus said, ‘I said ye are gods’ (John 10:34). It is with the attitude of gods in the world that Jesus wants the Christian to live.” (John G. Lake: His Life His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith, Kenneth Copeland Publicati