Christ's Kingdom is not about position and power.
I'm probably not saying anything new
to many of you,
but I hope just emphasizing this again
will refresh in your minds the significance
of these truths.
The Kingdom of God is not
about position and power.
Isn't this an incredible question that's being asked here in v. 1?
"Hey Jesus, who's the greatest?"
It's kind of like the elder's meeting.
You get together and you look among yourselves.
Which one of us is the greatest?
Or the deacons.
Or the church.
Or here this week.
Who's the greatest?
Who stands out among us?
These fellows actually asked that question of Jesus.
And we need to get this
into the fabric of our souls
that Christ's Kingdom is not about that.
That question just should not even
come into our minds.
Who is the greatest?
There's some names that could be
mentioned right now of men
who seemed to be some of the great ones
in the Kingdom who have just in recent,
I think even in this last year fallen;
that are no longer in the ministry,
no longer viewed as the great preachers
that they had been viewed by so many.
One of the great ones among us.
It's such a dangerous way to think!
Christ's Kingdom's not about that.
Who among us is the greatest
is not the question to be asked
by the people of God;
by those who enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Sometimes we are more concerned
about protecting our image
than we are about exalting Christ.
Sometimes we're more concerned
about protecting our position.
I realize there may be a fine line here at times,
but even as an elder in the church,
if my attitude towards someone is:
don't you know who I am?
It seems like I've crossed a line there.
Now, should they know who I am?
The Scriptures teach there is an order.
We can't ignore that, but that attitude
should not fill the heart of one
who is a servant in the Kingdom of Heaven.
But sometimes we're concerned
about protecting our position
or promoting our agenda.
We're more concerned about that
than we are about being the servant
to God's people that He's called us to be.
And maybe I'm thinking more
about the leaders in the church as I'm talking here,
but this applies to all of us.
Are you aspiring to be a leader in the church?
The Bible does say that if you desire
the office of a bishop, you desire a good thing
so there's something to be said for that desire.
But I think there's a difference between desiring and aspiring.
I'm always a little uncomfortable
with that zealous soul
that's always pushing himself forward.
"Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!"
"I want to be one of the great ones."
Who's the greatest in the Kingdom?
Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Did I hear Jesus?
The King.
Christ is the greatest!
Can you imagine Jesus?
He is in the midst of us,
but in a visible form standing here
and we're out there,
"I've got a question!"
"Yes, son, what's the question?"
"I'd like to know who's the greatest
in the Kingdom of Heaven?"
And the King is standing there!
Of course, Jesus takes this opportunity
to teach some significant lessons.
He doesn't kick them to the curb,
but He is very direct with them,
very pointed with them.
There is no room for competing egos
in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Listen, even as I say that,
I'm preaching to myself.
There's just simply no room
for competing egos
in the Kingdom of Heaven.
We must function orderly as I have said,
but all within the framework of our gifts
to the exaltation of our King.
That's the goal.
So Christ's Kingdom is not about
position and power.
This excerpt was taken from Part 3
of Kyle's series on Christian unity.