WCTLC

The Holy Spirit is your meekness for bringing the life and ministry of Jesus into your life and ministry.

Meekness makes us transparent like a clear piece of glass. It allows the life and ministry of Jesus shine through us without obstructions. We are unhindered by concerns for our own reputation. It delivers us from worrying about how people think and feel about us. It helps us ONLY care about what Jesus wants and how people see and feel about Him.

We are getting ready to look at a passage in John chapter 15 where Jesus discusses the world. The word “world” is describing those people who have no intention of making Jesus their Lord, Savior, and King. These are the ones He called dogs, hogs, and wolves in sheep’s clothing. These are the ones described in Romans 1:18-32 and Hebrews 6:4-8.

They Will Treat You Like They Treated Jesus

Rather than us defending ourselves and representing our own cause, we let Jesus take care of how people see us. We accept the responsibility of taking care of His reputation and help people love Him. If people don’t like us and start saying all kinds of things against us falsely, we become excited because we know we are doing a good job of representing Jesus (Matthew 5:10-12).

This Is Why

John 15:17-19 (NIV) This is My command: Love each other. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

There are two groups of people on this planet. God’s people and the world. We are to love the “each other” and “do not belong to the world” people described in this passage; and we are to refuse to be influenced by “the world” people mentioned here.

Some of God’s people are already saved and some of them haven’t made that decision yet. Those of God’s people who haven’t made that decision yet and those who have made a PERMANENT decision to never make Jesus their Lord, Savior, and King are currently a part of the world. Their evaluations and opinions are NOT to have any influence on us. Meekness makes that possible.

John 15:20-23 (NIV) Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One Who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father as well.

John 15:24-25 (NIV) If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both Me and My Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’

This Is The Work Of The Holy Spirit

John 15:26-27 (NIV) When the Counselor [Holy Spirit] comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth Who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me. And you also must testify, for you have been with Me from the beginning.

John 16:1-4 (NIV) All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or Me. I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.

Meekness removes your concerns for how people feel about you and your ministry. It gives you an intense concern for how people feel about Jesus, His message, His ministry, and His methods. You will do whatever it takes to help as many people as is possible to come to Him. Even though you run into many dogs, hogs, and wolves in sheep’s clothing, you will keep on going so you can cross paths with those who want to make Him their Lord, Savior, and King. Eph 6:7 (NIV) Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.

Meekness Empowers Us To Proclaim Jesus To Everyone

It is difficult for us not to try to defend ourselves. Our concerns for how people see us and feel about us can be very important to us. It takes a mighty work of God in us to set us free from that concern. Meekness empowers us to be able to say and do things we would never have been able to do before. The love of God becomes so strong in us that we care more for the lost and dying people than the world’s opinions of us.

As we said, the word “world” is describing those people who have no intention of making Jesus their Lord, Savior, and King; AND it is also those who WILL but haven’t YET become Christians. It is important for us to realize that every unsaved person we come across isn’t going to remain a part of the world. Rom 4:17 (NIV) As it is written: “I have made you [Abraham] a father of many nations.” He [Abraham] is our father in the sight of God, in Whom he believed--the God Who gives life to the dead AND CALLS THINGS THAT ARE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE. God sees us not only as we are but also sees us as we are going to be.

He wants us to assume that every unsaved person we meet is going to become a Christian.