by Jeff Roth – Host/Moderator of the 2018 Mission & Ministry Summit

The theme for the Mission and Ministry Summit this year is For His Glory. It’s just three simple words, but living out those three words change everything. We hear the word glory used often when people use idioms like, “no guts, no glory” or they start to reminisce about the “glory days”. But what does “glory” really mean?

glory: praise, honor, recognition

In this life, we both give and receive glory. We give glory to others when they have done something extraordinary, selfless, or kind that moves us to respond. We praise them for what they have done. We honor them for their actions. We recognize that what they have done is worthy of a response. We also receive glory from others when we have done something that they deem praiseworthy.

It could be through a post on social media, a thank you note in the mail or a simple pat on the back. It’s their way of saying “Thanks”, “I’m proud of you”, or “You’re amazing!” If we aren’t careful we can spend our entire existence trying to receive glory from and give glory to other people. That existence is a sad existence. It is an existence that never satisfies our deepest longings and always leaves us wanting.

During our life, there is one whom we should give glory to and desire to receive glory from above all others. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you who that is, but just in case: it’s our Heavenly Father.

Our created purpose is to give glory to Him and seek the glory that comes from Him. I think we are most familiar with the Scriptures that remind us that we are to give glory to God. Verses like Matthew 5:16 (ESV) when Jesus says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” This verse reminds us that our lives lived in obedience to Christ will give glory to our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 19:1 (ESV) also paints a picture of declaring the glory of God when it says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Have you ever stared into a sunset and thought you got a glimpse of the glory of God? Whether it’s a Southeast Missouri sunset or the stars on a clear spring night, when we look into the sky we are looking at the work of His hands. May it be so with our lives. When people see us living a life that is transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit they are looking at the handiwork of God and He receives glory from it.

What about receiving glory from God? Should we seek that? Is that even a thing? Well, according to Jesus in John 5:44, it is a thing and we should pursue it. Jesus said to the Jews, “How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” These men fell into the glory trap. They were so focused on receiving glory from other people that they never sought to receive glory from God. They thirsted for the praise, recognition, and honor that came from other men.

That is a very relevant trap today as well. In our social media hyped culture it is so easy to be driven to receive likes, shares, and followers. We want the world to praise us for our good deeds. We want to be recognized for our offerings. We want to be honored for our service.

Those desires to receive glory, while natural, run contrary to what Jesus instructs us about giving, praying, and fasting in Matthew 6. Instead, Jesus tells us to do those things for the glory of God alone and when He sees what we have done in secret (for His glory) He will reward us.

If we let the opinions of mankind dictate our faith we are in trouble. Seeking glory from others people seriously hinders our ability to be faithful to Christ. We can get the glory from mankind, but that usually means we are choosing man’s glory over God’s. It’s not that it is a bad thing to receive glory from mankind, but it can never be our goal. God’s glory is always our goal and motivation. We must desire to be a people that are shaped by the presence of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, not by the opinions of others.

For His Glory. It is my sincere hope that at Summit 2018 we can be reminded of these three simple words and that it would change everything about our movement.

• That our churches would be driven to glorify God more than a church in every worship service, event, or outreach we do.
• That our pastors would yearn more for the glory of God than the glory we can receive from men.
• That the congregants that make up our churches would care more about what gives God the most glory than their long-held personal opinions.
• That we would together, unified as the people of God, would make a decision to live for His glory alone.
• That as we seek His glory above all else it is my prayer that God would, by His grace, use us to start revival and awakening in our communities.