6 June: Glorify God!

Glorify God! 

St John 7: 16 - 20

In the Westminster shorter catechism, the first question was:

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A.  Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

The statement above to most readers at the first reading may appear quite boring and sad. 

The reader’s impression of this statement can get worse if they find that some churches, known to be bastions for the truth of Christianity, are not fulfilling their duties. The bad testimony of some Christian ministers further tarnishes Christianity when they misinterpret the scriptures for their own end.  It is no surprise for casual readers to think that the catechism portrays life as a bland episode.


In this post, I hope to explain why we will enjoy God’s blessings when we go about fulfilling His will and, in the process, glorify Him. 

Background (John 7:16-20)

In the above passage, the Lord Jesus was teaching in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. I will briefly explain the meaning of these verses below.

V.16-18: The Lord Jesus told the crowd that all His teaching is from God and those that seek to glorify God will understand this fact. He was not seeking for His own glory but fulfilling God’s will to glorify the Father who sent Him.

V19: He told the mixed crowd that since all the Jews could not keep to the Jewish laws, why do some Jews wanted to kill Him because He healed the paralyzed man on the Sabbath day (John 5:16)?

V.20: The Jews in the mixed multitude who wanted to hear His teaching were surprised by Jesus’ statement when He mentioned that some sought to kill him. Only certain Jews, mainly the leaders, wanted to kill the Lord. That was the reason for their surprise over such a possibility.

Glorify God by doing His will

All born again believers who have benefited from the Lord Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross are eager to repay His goodness in some way. The most pleasing manner is to offer our lives as a living sacrifice and serve Him. The Scripture is clear about this teaching mentioned in Romans 12:1-8.  

I remember when I was a young employee, the staff was invited to the boss’s birthday party. We were all thinking of what to buy for our boss because, considering the wealth disparity between the boss and ourselves, he has everything. I can’t remember what we bought finally, but this story illustrates the quandary of what we can give to God. 

God as the creator of the world is not in need of anything.  I conclude that in the light of my understanding of the scriptures, other than being good in our character after we become a Christian, God requested us to do two things for Him:
1) To remember Him each week in the fashion He set out for us (Luke 22:19) 

2) To share the Gospel to everyone as it is the will of God that none should perish, but all to embrace the faith and enjoy eternal life. This instruction was given in Mark 16:15: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”. This is commonly known as the 'Great Commission'.

In our lives, there are other areas concerning God’s will. We seek compliance to His will in every earthly matter such as our job, marriage, where we live, children’s education, etc. I will be confining this article relating to God’s will in carrying out the great commission. In seeking and carrying out God’s will in the other matters, the suggestions here can be helpful too. 

The misunderstanding of God’s great commission 
The misinterpretation of the meaning of the great commission has led many Christians to have a feeling of inadequacy.  It is a fact that the majority of believers are not able to take on the responsibility of a missionary.  Can all of us fulfil the great commission? Well, the answer is ‘Yes’. Most of us have the wrong impression that in order to fulfil the great commission, one has to be a missionary in a foreign land. The great commission is needed in our homeland as much as in a foreign location. Furthermore, the carrying out of the great commission is not limited to just a missionary role. You can carry out the great commission even if you are not a missionary. The great commission is not an individual effort but a collective responsibility. 

In an example of a country’s operations, not everyone holds important ministerial posts like a President or Prime Minister. For a country to operate effectively, there are many other areas of responsibility. Some are just clerks, but they are very much needed and their roles are as important as ministers in the whole operation. The word of God illustrates the church as a human body; none of the members of this body is of lesser importance (1 Corinthians 12:12-24). Therefore, in the great commission, all members of the church are involved although some are more visible in office.

Sometimes we tend to be judgmental in our thoughts to think that a person who only attends the church service is not really a useful member of the Assembly.  I beg to differ. If everyone is doing mission work, then who is giving moral support or providing funds to the mission? Similarly, if everyone is serving, then who will be served? We have to do well in our respective roles, whether in teaching, listening, helping or sharing the Gospel. As for the great commission, it is everyone’s responsibility. The simple act of giving a tract or inviting someone to a Gospel meeting does not involve much skill or training, but a task that is also much needed.

How do I know if I am not glorifying Him?

John 7:18  He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

A person moves out of God’s will when he fails to glorify God but glorifies himself instead. This teaching is found in John 7:18. When our motive is wrong, unknowingly, a person may be glorifying man instead of God. 

The following are some examples to illustrate how some people may serve God with the wrong motive:

1) Only inviting distinguished people of society to attend a Gospel meeting. There may be an ulterior motive in the invitation such as business networking and societal recognition.

2) A preacher only spends hours preparing his Gospel message because he knows that his boss is in the audience, it is clear that the purpose of doing ‘God’s work’ is not to gain the Lord’s glory but his own

3) It is quite common for some people to crave for personal popularity while carrying out the great commission, whether in administration, events or other types of work in the mission’s localities.  In John 7:18-20, the Jews believe that if they kill the Lord, they are carrying out God’s will! These Jews apparently felt threatened by the miracles and teachings of the Lord. In their folly, they are more concerned about their own popularity overtaken by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Keeping to His will

We all need divine light to guide us in our desire to follow His will.  

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).

I can only expand on this foundational teaching as follows:

1)      Circumspection

Ephesians 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

The Apostle Paul teaches us to be circumspect in our walk. Let us not assume we are correct in our ways and by walking circumspectly, we have to re-examine ourselves and objectively reflect on our purpose and intentions in the tasks that God has given us. In the above illustrations, it is not wrong to invite a distinguished person to a Gospel meeting. Everyone needs to be saved but we have to be clear that we are not inviting him because of his or her position. We also need to be circumspect in the role we select in the carrying out of the great commission. Let us be objective, especially when we choose the more visible roles and shun the backroom positions.

2)      Condescension (Philippians 2:5-8)

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

The Lord Jesus taking on the form of man is the supreme example of humility for us to learn. He is the same as God but during His time on earth, the Lord wholly submitted to the Father’s will. Similarly, when we lay down our pride, we can see our role in His Kingdom more clearly. We should not be vain, but learn to see others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

John the Baptist understood this very well and God gave him the title of the greatest amongst man. We need to adopt John the Baptist’s attitude that “He (Christ) must increase and I (John) must decrease” (John 3:30). Therefore, in whatever role we play in the great commission whether as a promoter, a financier or a missionary, we have to be constantly reminded that we are merely servants performing our duties. He must increase!

3)      Confirmation

Acts 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

We are living in the last days before Christ returns. This period is a time of turmoil and many false prophets and teachings will be present (Matt 24:11). The objective of these perverse teachings has permeated into the great commission too. The ‘prosperity’ Gospel is an example of teachings that are contrary to the Lord’s instructions. I believe that God can bless us in His sovereign will. However, the foundation of our faith should be placed on eternal matters and not on all these temporal issues. It is very important for Christians and serious enquirer of Christ to confirm if what is taught conforms with what the Bible teaches.

The blessings of doing His will

At the beginning of this article, I say that the answer to the catechism is true. We miss out the joy of doing God’s will when we fail to glorify Him. When we carry out God’s will with the right motive, God is glorified in our life. He has promised to reward us. He knows our needs and wants us to enjoy His glory forever.

Matt 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Matt 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Matt 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

With God’s blessings,

CL