The above video was perhaps the most popular commercial in this year’s SUPER BOWL. For starters, I love the Super Bowl. Secondly, I may be an adult but still a BIG Star Wars fan! Good vs Evil always interests me. Ruth & I loved the commercial for Volkswagon featuring the kid dressed up as the infamous Darth Vader.

The child reminded me of my youth – all dressed up and nowhere to go 🙂 But without question, he was all heart with a child-like faith – PRICELESS! The boy obviously saw the Star Wars movies and desired to dupilcate some of the power he witnessed on the big screen. So he does what almost everyone of us did as a kid going room to room trying to lay hands and exert his powers on objects and others. Give him credit and an “A” for effort but he was sincere but sincerely wrong. In his defense at least he was out there but the Bible reminds us in John 15:5: “Apart from Me (JESUS) you can do NOTHING.” We cannot bear fruit unless we are tapped into the treasure of the Triune Trunk. We can’t exert electricity if we are un-plugged to the Power Source. We have no anointing if we USE THE FORCE in the flesh and not by faith. It cannot be fabricated, manipulated or manufactured. I have also learned when you have a God given gift it’s like karate. If you use it at the wrong time or for wrong motives folks can get seriously hurt.

One of the greatest dangers for us as born-again believers and especially in ministry is to wear the religious garb, recite the rhetoric and go through the routine but if we are not directly rooted in a REAL relationship with Jesus its no different than riding a bicycle without a chain – We are going through the motions but going nowhere fast. BOOM! Just as tempting, we can start out right but its easy to take our eyes off The Master and pride comes before the fall. BAAM! We started out with Christ and its imperative we finish strong too.

The second pitfall is to start believing our own Press clippings. One of the greatest honors of my life is receiving an endorsement or testimonial from a valued friend or hero of the faith. It is both humbling and an honor. That is a good thing. The problem is pride can be a big problem and since Satan is lurking at all times to knock down those whom LIFT UP Christ we must be on guard and tapped into God at all times.

Just this weekend, I had the privilege to preach at a church where God moved. We had 53 present for the Sunday morning service and we encountered 12 professions of faith for salvation!! That is almost 1/4 of the congregation! GO GOD!! Without question, I know that God has blessed me as an evangelist and especially when extending the invitation but the fact is that it is HIS Work, HIS Spirit and HIS doing that draws people to Himself. NOT ME!! Similar to the cute commercial above it was the boy’s father out of sight who started that car and it is this child of God’s Heavenly Father (in me spiritually but unseen to others visibly) that really does all the work. Yes, we put on the full armor of God (not neccessarily the Darth Vader costume) and report for duty daily doing our best while leaning, pressing, tapping and trusting God to do the rest. However, unless He moves we are are ships without a sail and up a creek without a paddle. Plus, when God moves we must give Him all the credit not just partial. It is His story and alone for His Glory! Plus, it is His show and since He is coming again the Lord is never a “No Show!”

Jesus is the V.I.P, the Bright and Morning STAR and like John the Baptist said: “I am not even worthy to untie His sandals.” The most important part of a sandal or shoe is the sole. It is grace, that God allows us to be partners in His SOUL saving, KINGdom building work. If you are a partaker of His grace you are now a partner in His Gospel. It is an honor to be both a servant and soldier helping set up the stage for the Second Coming of Christ. It is His show and I am thrilled to be part of the redeemed Road Crew.

In closing, my prayer is that this classic story below will bless you and remind all that really its all for Him, about Him and His doing. He died and does the work and I long to be a vessel in an act of worship that He can use in life and even in my passing to promote Him. He is the Famous One and I hope to be the faithful one desiring to stay close and be clean. A conduit and catalyst for His creativity and life changing power because without Him I am nothing. KEEPING IT REAL – No joke, I have a hard enough time setting up my daughter’s Playstation and “apart from Christ I am nothing and can do nothing” but with Him, tapped into Him and yielded to Him – “I CAN DO ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens me.”

This illustration is one I have told over the years and paraphrasing from memory but I pray it will bless you. A excited curator at a renown art musem LOVED art! He knew painters and paintings unlike very few. He lived for art! He was a gifted historian and animated communicator. He was so lively that folks who came to see the art were impressed with his delivery while visiting the museum.

Word of mouth spread and those whom initially came to see Van Gogh, Rembrandt and the masters’ began to come out of the woods to hear this excited art collector brag on the paintings. The curator for years stood afar from the artwork not to obstruct the view of the famed artwork. When he would finish the congregants would roar with applause and often a standing ovation, tipping him lavishly on the way out.

After some time, the curator bought the lie thinking that the applause was for him. The man who loved art began to do something almost unthinkable. When bragging on the art he stepped closer to the painting and his zeal for the art was less and he (not the art) began to command attention. Sadly, he eventually stood completely in front of the artwork to the point where he BLOCKED the work of the Master. Crowds still came but the applause sadly went to the messenger not the Master.

Regardless of your field (especially in ministry) may we never ECLIPSE the SON for what He alone has done and does in our midst. May we hide behind the cross and exalt Christ. May we be like the curator John The Baptist who cried: “I must decrease and JESUS must INCREASE.” May we not block the Work or The Word because when crowds come may they worship Jesus, The Master not us the minister (messenger). Like the hymn: “To God Be The Glory – GREAT THINGS HE HATH DONE.”