Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11
In this famous passage from Philippians, we read what could have been either an early Christian hymn or creedal confession. It is one of the earliest and highest statements about Jesus. It could be regarded as Paul’s doctrinal version of the Christmas Narratives, as it describes the descent of Jesus from his pre-earthly glory with the Father to his incarnation, coming into flesh and blood as a human being and taking on the role of servant.
Paul then tells us that we should take this as a model of what we are to do: become servants of all, prefer others before ourselves, and obey Jesus as he obeyed his Father, a tall order for people of any generation.
What we learn from this deliberate way of life is the key to a joyful, fulfilled life. Whereas power in the world is usually found at the top, power in the Kingdom of God is seen most often at the bottom—in the role of humble servant.
The Parable of the Carpenter’s Apprentice
When Jesus was accused of making himself equal to God, he answered that he could do nothing of himself. Jesus did what he saw his Father doing (John 5:19-20). This has been referred to as the “Parable of the Carpenter’s Apprentice,” even though we would never recognize it as one of the parables.
Jesus watches what his Father (the Master Carpenter) is doing, then duplicates it on earth in close, synchronized obedience. Similarly, the words he speaks are always what the Father tells him to say (John 12:48-50).
This means that every miracle Jesus performed and the words he spoke were the fruit of his daily dependence upon his Father in prayer. We don’t know of any individual who demonstrated more power than Jesus. To our surprise, his ministry of miracle and word was not the direct result of his shared deity but of his humanity. He acted on earth not as a Superman, but as man, the heavenly human (1 Corinthians 15:49).
As Jesus told his disciples that they would do even greater things than he did, availing themselves of the same power he exercised, similarly his teaching implied that the church collectively would do more things worldwide than he did locally.
The mysterious connection of the disciples with Jesus released the great, creative energy that came from daily and hourly dependence upon the Father in prayer, applied in the name of his Son, without whom nothing could—or ever will—be brought to fruition. So it is for us.
The power of the Kingdom is manifested in humble obedience to God and Jesus in service to others. If we want to experience God’s power in our lives and be a part of his miracles, we must be his servants and go where he wants us to go.
So what we are getting in this Philippians passage is not just nice words to read on Sunday morning or a little theology for erudite discussion over tea, but a key that unlocks the door to the church’s power room. It isn’t just spiritual advice, and it’s the only place where the church can operate once again from a position of absolute power—the Spirit-anointed imitation of its Lord.
Let each of us ask ourselves this question: Are we willing to sacrifice, lay aside our comfort for others, and do the impossible to experience God’s miracles and powerful presence in our lives?
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