Credentials

Credentials, what are they and are they important? Webster says it means “That which gives credit.” I guess they are important in many areas of our life and also in our Christian life. But too often, we get caught up in competition with other Christians, other churches or other ministries, and we forget that our primary purpose is not to seek attention for ourselves, but it is to point others to Jesus. I remember what a man of God told me many years ago. He said “too many times a Church will choose a man to be their Pastor on credentials and miss the man whom God had for the work.” Let me give you a true illusion. Here are the credentials this man has. He had outward appearance, was extremely successful and people flocked to him. They even modeled their lives after him and praised him. Now put your feet in his shoes how would you react to all that. I mean would you get the big head and think you were somebody? Well, this man didn’t because he knew life’s purpose. This is what John the Baptist said John 3:30 He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease. When John’s disciples began leaving him to follow Jesus, he did not fuss, whine, complain or argue. Is that not what our lives should be about? God uses all kinds of people with or without credentials! God uses big Churches as well as smaller ones! God uses ministries to reach the world for Christ, not to build our egos, our Church attendance or our offerings. So what did the Lord Jesus Christ have to say about John the Baptist? Well we are told in Matthew 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: And if some how we weren’t paying attention when we read that He tells us again in Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: I was standing with two men on yesterday, one I had the previously lead to the Lord and the other was a man whom had just asked the Lord to come into his heart. One of the men made a statement to the effect of the reason he had to be resaved. I watched as the man who knew the Lord put his hand on the others shoulder and said “Just want you to know that if you have ever asked the Lord to save you, you will never have to be resaved.” Wait, wait what credentials did this man have to tell him that? Did he have a degree from a Bible College? How could he even know what he was talking about he had only asked the Lord to save him a few years ago himself? He couldn’t possibly know what he was talking about he had spent most of his life in drugs and alcohol. It is true that he doesn’t have a degree but neither did the man who had his dwelling among the tombs; not only that he abused himself on a regular basis by cutting himself with stones. Let’s just admit it; his credentials would be very poor. But we read in Mark 5 that when he saw Jesus something happened to him that changed him. Read on a few more verses and we now see this man sitting and in his right mind. You see before he wasn’t in his right mind nor did he have the right credentials. Now look at what Jesus tells him Mark 5:19 Jesus saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. What are the right credentials? Are they important? The right credentials Know Jesus! How important are they? If you don’t know Jesus how can you tell others with compassion? You can’t! Therefore you’ll know nothing about decreasing.
That’s it we must decrease He must increase! Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Philippians 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: