Humility and the Cross

The leader of a certain Christian organization was the invited speaker at a conference on the Christian life. Before the first meeting the speaker was in the conference hall visiting with a man who had come to attend the conference. After interacting for a few minutes, the man, not knowing with whom he had been visiting, asked the speaker who he was and what he did for a living. Upon learning that he was in fact the featured speaker, the man exclaimed: "I can't believe it!"

"Can't believe what?" asked the speaker.

"I can't believe how humble you seem", came the reply. "That's not been my experience with most of the leaders I've met."

The reality is that humility is not generally at the top of the list when it comes to describing those in leadership, even sometimes when it comes to Christians. Yet Jesus Himself declared and modeled that humility was essential to the propagation of the Christian message. "Have this attitude in yourselves" wrote the apostle Paul, "which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:5, 6, and 8)

The message of the cross is a message of humility embodied in the person of Jesus Christ. He acted like no king or god that mankind had ever known. He was so common, so humble, so equal to those among whom He lived, that few ever guessed that He was their Creator. How often people who knew His real identity must have marveled that He seemed so humble.

If this was the way of the God we represent, it is inconceivable that it should be any different among His servants who represent Him. Effective gospel ministry demands that the messenger be emptied of self if his message is to be believed. When people encounter a messenger of the gospel they should be struck by a humility that is seldom encountered in the world.

Henry is one of the most gifted missionaries I know. He came to know the Lord while studying engineering at Princeton back in the sixties and sensed God moving him to pursue a life of cross-cultural ministry in Europe. After graduating from University he went on to seminary before going to France in 1968 where he serves to this day.

Though he would never admit it, Henry can do just about anything.  He is a builder, a writer, a teacher, a conference speaker and more. He has written numerous books and commentaries on the Bible, and has been instrumental in bringing many French people to faith and maturity in Christ in a country where fruit is often sparse.

Though he is one of the best cross-cultural workers I know, he is one of the most unassuming you would ever meet.  If you were to bump into him in his trademark plaid jacket and jeans, you would never guess that you were face to face with one of the most learned and effective cross-cultural workers in France.

On the other it would take only a few minutes to guess that he is probably one of the best-loved.

The way of the cross is the way of humility. When the message of humility is embodied in a life of humility, it will bear abundant fruit.