Expecting God to Deliver

Jesus’ Life

Mark 1:21-28

Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."

No one had spoken with such authority before. He didn’t ask God to help, he didn’t plead with the evil spirit to leave.  He didn’t pray for hours.  He just commanded the spirit to go, and the spirit did.  He set the situation up that his reputation was on the line.  Either God was going to listen to him, or he wasn’t.  If God wanted him to be supported, the spirit would go.  But if not, then the evil spirit would stay.  But Jesus set the situation up so that God could give his approval to his teaching immediately.  Jesus had no doubt.  And he gave no opportunity for compromise.

Mark 8:22-25

Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, "Do you see anything?"  And he looked up and said, "I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around."  Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly.

At this point, Jesus wanted the blind man to be well, according to God’s promise.  But even after Jesus prayed, the man wasn’t totally well.  He still couldn’t see clearly.  So Jesus prayed again.  He wasn’t worried, he didn’t think that maybe God had forsaken him.  Rather, he was faithful and stuck with it, even though it wasn’t according to plan.  Jesus knew that the man would be delivered, and he would keep praying until it happened.

Mark 8:31

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

Jesus knew what was going to happen in his life.  He knew about his beatings and the rejection and the shame.  But he also knew that God would deliver him—in three days, no less.  Jesus never doubted this—he repeated it many times.  He may have wanted to know if there was a different way to deliver people than through his death, but he never doubted God’s deliverance.

Matthew 26:26-29

This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

Jesus knew that his death would bring deliverance to many.  He didn’t want to die, but he knew that God would cause the deliverance to happen if he did die.  Jesus was committed to the plan, because he knew his Father so well.  Well enough that he was willing to lay down his life in trust of Him.

Our Lives

Matthew 17:19-20

 The disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

The disciples couldn’t cast out the spirit because they didn’t expect God to work through them.  They didn’t think God would really do it.  But Jesus had already given them authority (Matthew 10), so they had everything they needed.  Expect the faith that it would really happen.  We need to have confidence in God and to not give up so that God will accomplish what he promised.

Acts 3:1-13

"Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him."

Peter and John were simple people, not having much education.  But they knew the lesson that Jesus had taught them about faith.  So they believed that under the authority of Jesus, the man would be delivered, according to the promise of God.  And so it happened—because they had faith and the power of the
Spirit.

Example

George Muller believed that God would do exactly as he said.  God said that those who sought God’s kingdom first and only would gain provision for themselves, so George Muller rejected the salary that was usually given to pastors.  Since that worked so well for him, he also took in orphans so he could care for them.  By the end of his life, he had given away more than a million dollars that he had never asked for, but just waited on God for. 

Living It Out

·         Expect that God will deliver you, according to his promise

·         Don’t give up, even if it takes a long time

·         Keep praying, even if you pray for years.

·         Don’t expect that God will help if he has not promised

·         Expect that God will deliver others

·         Encourage people to have faith in God

Take chances!  Don't test the Lord by putting Him in a situation that forces Him to act, but give God space to work.  God is much more powerful than we ever give Him credit for, and He will act more than we think to ask Him to.  Often He won't act unless we ask, so ask!

The Good Muslim (Luke 10)

A Bible professor approached Jesus, wishing to test his teaching.  He asked, “Teacher, what should I do to obtain God’s life that never ends?”  Jesus said, “What does it say in the Bible?  How do you understand it?”  The professor answered, “You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind.  And you will love your neighbor as yourself.”  Jesus, impressed, replied, “This is correct.  Live this out, and eternal life is yours.” 

 But knowing he had not lived this out—and had no intention to—but wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “But, really, who is my neighbor?”  

Jesus sighed and responded, “There was a man traveling from Washington D.C. to New York and some terrorists kidnapped him, stripped his clothes off and beat him half to death, leaving by the side of the road, helpless.  Now it so happened that a Mennonite pastor passed by, and he saw him.  But, thinking he was a homeless bum, he ignored him and went on his way.  Then a Baptist worship leader drove by the same spot, but since he was in a hurry to make it on time to his worship service, he also ignored him and made it to the service on time.  Then a Muslim drove by and saw the man laying on the side of the road.  Compassion welled up in his heart and he stopped, got out his first aid kit, covered his wounds, put him in his car (getting blood all over the new seats) and drove him to the hospital.  There he told the doctor, “If he doesn’t have any insurance, here’s my credit card number—just take it from my account.’ 

"Now,” Jesus concluded, “Which of these was the neighbor to man attacked by terrorists?”  The professor said, “The M- the one who had compassion on him.”  Jesus smiled and looked him in the eye, “Now you do the same.”  

Warning Against False Teaching

Jesus’ Life

Mark 13:21-23

False Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order, if possible, to lead the elect astray.

Jesus wanted to make sure that his disciples knew that false prophets would come.  The disciples must be careful because the false prophets would sound convincing. They would say that the king of God is here or there, and that the end would be this way or that.  But he wanted to make sure that his disciples knew that only those who agreed with Jesus’ teaching and prophecy would be correct.  If anyone said anything else, then they were false teachers and they should not be listened to. 

Matthew 23:2-12

They tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments. And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi. But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.

Jesus warned his disciples against the teaching of the Pharisees.  On the surface, they look like people completely devoted to God and to his ways, but they do not teach the command of God, but their own ideals and standards.  They look like they are willing to do great things for God, but they are only interested in exalting themselves.  Jesus also warns his disciples not to be like these false teachers, but to be like Jesus.

Luke 6:39-45

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit; nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

Jesus said that the way we can tell the difference between true and false teachers isn’t always by what they teach, but the attitude they teach in.  If the teachers are interested in condemning or finding what is wrong with everyone, then they are not true teachers.  But if they teach God’s truth with the idea in mind that they are looking for people who can receive God’s mercy, then they are true teachers like Jesus.

Our Lives

I Timothy 6:3-5

If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

Paul warned Timothy to look against false teachers.  He said that they would not reflect the teaching of Jesus, but they would be interested in seeking their own personal gain. 

II Peter 2:1-3

And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Peter wrote his letter to warn the churches about false teachers.  These false teachers are those who deny Jesus or his lordship over people’s lives.  They will be interested in following their desires and want to gain things from their teaching.

Jude 1:4-19

Certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Jude also wrote to the churches to warn against false teachers.  Jude claims that these teachers are demonic and will be punished by the Lord in the final day.  Therefore we are not to associate with them.

Example

Antony of Egypt lived in a time of a corrupt church, marked by greed and compromise with the world.  He spoke out against it, but when no one listened, he determined to live in a graveyard rather than in the corruption of the city.  Later, he moved to the desert and founded the first monastic community, the Desert Fathers.

Living It Out

Know the teaching of Jesus so well that you recognize false prophets.

While it might be good to understand the teaching of false teachers and cults, it is far better to know what the teaching of Jesus is and to recognize false prophets by those who teach differently than Jesus.  Know Jesus and his word best and you will recognize false teaching every time by how they deny Jesus.

Know the difference between a false teacher and a person who has a different interpretation

A false teacher is one who both teaches and lives in opposition to Jesus' life and teaching.  However, there are some who are sincerely following Jesus but just have a different interpretation than you.  The teaching of Jesus can have different interpretations and applications.  Only if someone denies Jesus' teaching and life are they false.

Know the signs of false prophets:

            Teaching something other than the teaching of Jesus

A false prophet is one who teaches something opposed to the teaching of Jesus.  A true teacher is concerned with keeping his teaching in accord with Jesus.

            Looking for personal gain.

A false prophet is one who teaches only for their salary or financial gain.  A true teacher gives his teaching freely, accepting only what others offer him freely. (Matthew 10:8-13)

            Seeks fleshly desires.

A false prophet pursues the best salary, the best benefits package, the best meals, the biggest gain for themselves or their family.  A true teacher is content to give the word, no matter what they receive, no matter what the cost to themselves.

            Sees that salvation is found in denial of pleasure.

A false prophet tells everyone to fast all things, to deny themselves every pleasure, even though Jesus taught no such practice (Colossians 2:20-23).  A true teacher encourages people to fast in accord with the Spirit, but makes no commandment beyond what Jesus said.

           

Distinguish between false prophets and those who are misled by them.

Just because someone expresses a false teaching, that does not mean that they are a false teacher.  If they express their wrong opinion privately, they are just misled.  If they change their mind when corrected, they were just misled.  (Acts 18:24-28) A false prophet is one who publicly teaches something opposed to Jesus’ teaching and then refuses correction.  There are many who are involved in groups that have false teaching, but they are themselves simply misled and are open to be corrected by God’s word.

Check with teachers of Jesus’ word whether a teacher is false or not.

Don’t make a guess about whether a teacher is false or not.  Listen to others who know the teaching of Jesus and have them help you make a determination.

Have nothing to do with the teaching of false prophets.

Once you determine that someone is a false prophet or teacher, do not support them, do not heed them, do not follow their practices.  Go to Jesus, and listen to his words.

Warn others against them.

Once it is determined that someone is a false teacher, then if you see others following their teaching, who might be sincere believers, then gently warn them against the teaching, using the word of God as support. (II Timothy 3:16)

Jesus on Denominations

One day, John came up to Jesus and said, "We saw this guy on the street feeding the homeless.  He had a big sign that said, 'If you do this to the least of these, you do it to Me.'  We thought he might be a part of our denomination.  After talking to him, we found out not only is he not one of us, but he doesn't even go to a church!  We told him to stop using your name for his so-called 'ministry.'"

Jesus replied, "Why did you stop him?  No one who does a good work in my name will say anything evil about us later.  Although he might not think well about your denomination, now.  Whoever is not against us is for us.  Let the people doing good in my name keep doing it, even if they may not agree with you theologically.  Every good work done in my name is holy. Even if a person gives you a cup of ice water because you use my name, that one will get reward from God-- no matter what their creed, no matter what their petty sins."


Based on Mark 9:38-41

Loving Your Enemies Like Jesus

Jesus’ Life

Matthew 15:21-28

There is only one ethnic group that is held in complete prejudice in the Bible, and that is the Canaanites.  The Canaanites were cursed from their father on (Genesis 9:25), and it is the one group that Scripture says is to be completely judged (Deuteronomy 20:17-18).  Nothing should be given to them, for they shouldn’t even exist (Deuteronomy 7:1-2).  But a Canaanite woman was asking Jesus for the promise of God to God’s children.  Jesus refused at first, but when he saw that she had complete devotion to Yahweh, even to the extent of being insulted, he changed his mind and made her a child of God by giving her what belonged to children.  He loved her fully, even though she was an enemy, because of her faith.

Luke 23:33-34; 39-43

Jesus was crucified and killed.  And even through the agony and shame of what he was experiencing, he cried out to God on behalf of his enemies—asking that God would not immediately destroy them for their actions against him.  Even so, there were two men on crosses who had cursed Jesus (Matthew 27:44).  But one of them realized his evil and stopped the other from cursing Jesus and confessed his sin.  For this, Jesus said that he would enter paradise after his death.  Even in the agony of his cross, Jesus was concerned for his enemies and offered them forgiveness.

Our Lives

Matthew 5:43-48

Our “enemies” here is defined as those who have done evil to us, who hate us in action as well as in attitude.  In turn, we are to do good to them.  We are to pray for them who curse us, and do good to those who do evil to us.  We do this, first, because this is how God treats his enemies—with care and compassion instead of hatred, giving them what they need.  And second, we do it because it shows that our righteousness isn’t only for show, but it goes against our natural instincts.

Luke 10:25-37

The man asking Jesus the questions was attempting to show that he did not need to love everyone, only particular persons.  The Samaritan proved to be the true neighbor, and even as he showed compassion and love, then he too should be shown love and compassion, even though he was considered a heretic by his “neighbors”.  Thus, Jesus shows, we are to love those who are our religious enemies.

Acts 9:1-27

Saul hated Christians and wanted them all to go to jail.  He was in the process of succeeding in this when Jesus met him on the road and turned his life upside-down.  Jesus accused Saul of persecuting Him—which was true—but he still loved Saul enough to convert him rather than destroy him.  Ananais feared Saul, for he knew his reputation, but he loved Saul enough to obey his Lord and lay hands on him for healing and to baptize him.  The apostles in Jerusalem feared Saul, but Barnabas made sure that Saul was fully accepted by all of those in the church.  Fear can drive people away, but former enemies who repent must be forgiven by the church.

Romans 12:19-21

Paul summarizes the whole teaching.  We are not to do anything that harms those who harm us.  We are not to harm or destroy them.  Rather, he says we are to do good.  We are to feed those who do evil to us and give them something to drink.  In this way, they might feel guilty for their evil actions and possibly repent.  But even if they don’t, we prove our righteousness by doing good.

Examples

Although they killed her husband, Elizabeth Elliot still worked and taught the Acua Indians in Ecuador.  She gave the gospel of Jesus, while living the gospel of loving her enemies.  She surrendered a large portion of her life, without a husband, to those who took her husband from her.  All for the love of them through the love of Jesus.

Dirk Willems was a preacher for the gospel and he went to a town in Germany where his gospel of baptism and love for all was not accepted.  He was found there by the magistrates of the town, and a man was hired to capture him and to bring him to trial, where he would be sentenced to death.  Dirk fled from his persecutor, upon a river which had frozen over that winter.  Dirk passed over safely, but his pursuer fell through the ice, and because he did not know how to swim, proceeded to drown.  Dirk saw his plight and ran back to his persecutor and pulled him out of the river, until he was safe.  The mayor of the town saw this and so yelled at his hired policeman to capture Dirk.  The man was in a perdiciment, for he did not want to persecute the one who had saved his life, but because of his promise he captured Dirk anyway.  Dirk was tried and sentenced to death by burning in 1569.

Living It Out

Do no harm to your enemies—whether personal, societal or national.

Jesus lived out and taught “love your enemies,” no matter what kind of “enemy” that person is.  We are to love particular members of enemy nations, we are to love enemies against us personally, and we are to love those who do evil against our society—even as Jesus did all three.  Let us not try to exclude anyone by playing the guessing game of “Who is really my enemy?”

Give your enemies what they need

If the person who bugs you needs food—give it to them.  If the person you hate needs clothing—give it to them.  If the person who has slandered you needs the gospel—give it to them. 

Listen to your enemies’ perspective

One of the things we all need is a listening ear—someone who will hear and understand our perspective.  Many times we have an enemy because they are prevented from being heard.  Allow your enemy to express themselves, even if you disagree.  You can always disagree with them after they have been heard.

Pray for your enemies

Pray for God’s blessing on your enemies.  If your enemy is in sin, pray to God that he would grant them the grace of repentance.  If your enemy is ignorant, pray that God would teach them his Truth.  If your enemy is poor, pray that God would provide his needs.

Give opportunity for your enemies to repent

Don’t write your enemies off, no matter what harm they have done to you, no matter how bad they seem.  If they come to you humbly, then give them an opportunity to say that they have repented and that they want to reconcile.  But if they come to persecute you, flee.

Forgive your enemies if they repent

If your enemy is trying to repent and reconcile, then make peace with them.  Accept them as your friend, and try to have them join a community of followers of Jesus. 

Note: Jesus didn't show us or give us an example of allowing our enemies to abuse us unless they have authority over us, or unless God tells you to.  Fleeing is acceptable.  But, no matter what, we must not harm them in return.

Clothes and Buildings (Mark 7)

Jesus was attending church in a local fellowship and some of the members noticed that his students were dressed in filthy clothes, and that some of them smelled.  (It is a tradition in many churches to dress up to worship and there are in some fellowships even an unspoken competition between people as to who could look the sharpest for Sunday worship.)  So the members asked Jesus, "Why do your students dress in such a lowly way?  It is disrespectful to God to not dress our best."

Jesus replied, "Isaiah truly spoke of you: 'This people respects me with their lips, but their desire is distant from me. Their worship of me is pointless and they hold human tradition to be doctrine." You have so many of your own rules, but you ignore the command of God.

"How often you avoid doing God's will for the sake of your traditions. The command of God is: 'Sell your possessions and give to the poor.'  Yet you tell your people that they must increase their giving to build your new buildings and to increase your staff's salaries.  Their wealth is dedicated to 'God's work' and thus God's people suffer. You erase God's word by your tradition, always putting your desires ahead of Gods'.

-Mark 7:1-13

Sacrificing for Others Like Jesus

Jesus’ Life

Mark 10:35-45

 Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;

and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.

 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." 

Jesus’ was heading for the cross.  But he was not doing it for himself.  He was doing it out of obedience to God for the sake of the many who would be able to enter the kingdom of God because of his death.  Because so many were in sin and he needed to deliver them out of judgment.  He was paying the ultimate price—his life, his reputation—for the sake of others’ who could never relate to God without his sacrifice.

Luke 9:57-58

Someone said to Him, "I will follow You wherever You go."

And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." 

During Jesus’ life, he had to give the gospel to as many people as he could, in as many towns and villages as he could (Mark 1:38).  He did this so they could hear God’s truth and be able to be free from their sin.  But to do this, Jesus had to give up comforts and a “normal” life.  He was homeless much of the time and at other times he was in other’s homes, dependant on them.  He never made a salary, never had the security of an occupation that would provide for him, and he often didn’t know where his next meal would come from.  Nevertheless, it was a small price to pay so he could give people the life they needed.

Our Lives

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Jesus loved us—he desires our benefit.  And he gave himself for us—he died so that we might live.  Even so, we are to be Christ, and our lives are to be the life of Jesus.  In this way, we are to love others and give ourselves up for others’.  We are no longer to live for ourselves or our purposes—rather, we are to live for others’.

Philippians 2:3-8

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus..."

Jesus’ gave up his power, his reputation and his life for our sakes.  He did not promote himself, but sacrificed himself for others’.  Even so, we are to be like Jesus—we are to live our lives, not for our own sakes, but for the sakes of others’.  We are to act as if we are slaves to others’, acting in their benefit, even when it hurts us.

Colossians 1:24

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. 

Paul says here that Jesus’ work on the cross isn’t finished.  It isn’t complete, but it is waiting to be completed by his people.  There are still people who are suffering, still people who are living in their sin, still people who are separated from God.  And even as Jesus sacrificed himself for them, even so Jesus’ people are to sacrifice themselves for those who need to be released from sin and bondage.

I Corinthians 9:11-19

If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Paul gave up much—a livelihood, being his own person, comfort, education and an exalted position—so he could give the gospel to others without any block, anything to hinder it.  He made himself a slave to others, working and serving so that he can give.  He suffered much persecution and hardship, all so that others might live. 

Examples

John Wycliffe was a theology professor at Oxford, but he was convinced that God wanted the common person to know and be able to speak about the Bible—in English, not in Latin.  Although he faced the disapproval of his school, he began to teach the common people in their own language.  Eventually, because of this, he was not allowed to teach and his books were burned.

William Tyndale was a scholar in Greek and Hebrew and determined that the common person needed to read the Bible in their own language.  He had to leave his country and hide from house to house until his translation was done.  After it was published, the king of England caught him and killed him as a rebel for his translation work.

Jim Elliot believed firmly that the Acua Indians needed to hear the gospel of Jesus.  The fact that these Indians were cold-blooded killers, didn’t cause him to hesitate—that just meant that they needed the gospel more.  He reached out to them in love, and they killed him.  A couple years later, his wife, Elizabeth, successfully was able to present the gospel to the tribe and many of them accepted Jesus as their Lord.

Living It Out

Caring for others

We need to see people’s need—their need for the truth, their need for food, clothing and warmth, their need to be released from oppression—and act in accordance with those needs.  If we do not have compassion for others’ we will never be like Jesus.

Laying down our lives for others

It is not enough that we feel for others’ needs and even give toward them.  We must do so as slaves to them, working for them, even to our own detriment.  We will not have our needs, at times, in order that others’ may have what they need. 

Giving up comfort so others can live

The first thing we will need to give up for others is our comfort.  There are things we don’t need, but are nice for us to have—many of these we will have to give up in order that other’s might live.  We surrender what we do not need so others’ may live. 

Teaching those who won’t listen

If we know the truth of Jesus, we must give it to others’ even if we receive a poor reception.  We do what we can to make sure that others’ will listen, but often we will be rejected anyway.  Even so, we cannot judge ahead of time who will listen and who will not and we must give everyone the opportunity.

Praying for the needy

So that others can receive from God, we spend time doing the hard work of prayer.  The work is hard because we must pray according to God’s will and we must pray in accordance with others’ need.  To find this balance is the difficult but necessary work of mediation.

Connecting with those who won’t contact us

Most people don’t want to have anything to do with us.  It doesn’t matter who we are, or how nice we are, most people don’t care about us and will want to just ignore us.  But if we have something to say to them that will mean life or death to them, we will need to go out of our way to contact them.  This may mean phoning those who won’t phone us.  Going to people who won’t come to us.  And talking to people who won’t talk to us.

Giving up regular means of income

Although many complain about it, there is an ease and security in having a job.  It is depending on an employer to provide you what you need.  Having a government check is the same—it is security, reliance on the government to give you what you need.  For the sake of the gospel, we may be asked to give some of that up, to surrender some of our regular income so that we might give to others’ what they really need.  With every regular means of income, there are requirements of time, energy and certain rules you must follow—such as not speaking about the Lord to others.  At times, we must surrender what we have in order to obey the Lord and do what shows our love for others.

Putting ourselves as lower than others

We cannot give the gospel as one who is greater than the one we are giving to.  We need to be lower than those we give to, we need to be a slave to them. 

Working for others we cannot see

When Jesus died, he knew that there were many he was dying for that he could not see.  Even so, often we will suffer and work for people we cannot see.  The work we do now is not only for those we see and know, but also for those whom we cannot see and perhaps will never know.  The Lord will use our lives to the limit and we will effect people we know nothing about today.