Colossians 1:6 – “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.”

The first two generations of Christians accomplished an astonishing feat – they spread the gospel across the entire known world.  By 100 A.D., there were Christian groups from Spain in the west to the borders of China in the east.  Yet there was no rich Christian country like America sponsoring their ministry efforts or helping them financially.  They had no microphones, no speakers, no keyboards, no printing press, no Bible colleges, and usually no church buildings.  Yet they made greater progress, by comparison, than we usually do today.

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Esther 6:6-10 – When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?”

So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head.”

We see here a picture of the mentality of many religious leaders – self-promotion and seeking glory, and being oblivious to the Lord’s purposes.  Men seek to be elevated or have control over others.  The Lord carries out his project without glorifying man or yielding control to any human being.

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