Sydney McLaughlin is a women’s 400-meter hurdles record holder. In an interview she stated, “I owe it all to God, my family and my team. I’m still in disbelief, but it’s truly just faith, trusting the process, and seeing my hard work along with the gift of God being put into action.” Her Instagram post read, “In a world full of inconsistency, it’s such a breath of fresh air to find true stability in Jesus. The peace of knowing I will always have a friend, always have His support, and always have His LOVE; makes even the loneliest of moments feel full. My soul finds rest in knowing He is not like us. He doesn’t change, and He will never leave me. Giving the ability to be completely content, no matter the situation.” Whether she’s in the spotlight or not, I believe Sydney’s goal is to aim people’s attention at Jesus. This essay seeks to challenge us to examine our intentions. Ask yourself, “Does my life magnify Jesus?”
I’m inspired by John the Baptist, who said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John was busy, doing the work the Lord had called him to do, which was to call people to repentance and to baptize those who were repentant. John drew quite the crowd, and he had disciples of his own helping him with this ministry. Eventually, after Jesus came onto the scene, more and more people were being drawn to Jesus and the crowds that were attending to John’s ministry were thinning. John’s disciples seemed concerned that Jesus’ ministry was growing and John’s was shrinking, so they confronted John and proclaimed the following about Jesus, “He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” John understood his role, and was more than happy to see people follow Jesus. John replied, ““He must increase, but I must decrease.” John’s ministry wasn’t to draw followers to himself, but to magnify Jesus.
Fast forward three years. After Jesus’ resurrection, He then continued His earthly ministry for 40 more days. Then He ascended back up into heaven. Before leaving, He promised that the Holy Spirit would come soon, and would be a guide, a comfort, and a counselor to His disciples. The Spirit would fulfill God’s promise spoken in Ezekiel 36:27, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” Despite three years of Jesus’ radical teachings and commands, His followers struggled to live up to what was being asked of them. That changed when the Holy Spirit arrived!
In Acts 2, many Christians were gathered together for prayer when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. The Holy Spirit came, as Jesus said He would, and was now living inside of them, finally, and permanently. Going forward, all believers enjoyed this divine privilege. Immediately after the Spirit began indwelling His believers, the Spirit began to fulfill the promise of Ezekiel 36:27. The Spirit’s indwelling changed their attitude and behavior; causing them to walk in obedience and careful observance. Immediately they began to magnify Christ in all that they did. Acts 2 goes on to give specific examples of how this young Church began to magnify the Lord.
One of the first things that we see is that the Holy Spirit gives Christians an unnatural affection toward one another. Acts 2:43-47, “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Consider the fact that Jesus had been commanding His followers to love one another, care for one another, bear each other’s burdens, pray for one another, even serve your enemies, etc. Yet, Jesus followers struggled to live out these instructions. Why did they struggle, especially since they had the truth; they knew what to do. Jesus even modeled the behavior for them. But all of these advantages didn’t bring them to live at all like we see here in Acts 2. So, what happened that brought about this change? The Holy Spirit! The Spirit downright changed the attitude of the Church, from inward focus to outward focus! By the enabling of the Spirit within them, they began to magnify Jesus and fulfill His expectations on their lives.
People immediately became selfless, “they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.” This was a new oneness of mind, spurred on by the Spirit. When non-Christian onlookers were observing how the Christian community was loving one another, they’d ask, “What’s going on here?” The Christians weren’t saying, “Yeah, I just woke up and decided that I had too much stuff, more than I needed.” Nor were Christians answering by saying, “This wagon passed by with a bumper sticker that read ‘Do Random Acts of Kindness’, so I figured I’d try that today.” No way! When asked, Christians told unbelievers about Jesus, and about how the living God transformed their lives! The Church became what it was meant to be, “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
Anyone can be inspired for a moment. We can watch an inspirational movie or hear a motivating speech, but if that’s all that’s driving us, when we’re really pressed to dig deep and sacrifice, we’re going to shrink back. However, the Spirit gives Christians an unnatural affection for other people. When a Christian allows the Spirit to govern his life, the Spirit creates in that person a love for others that is magnified beyond what he has ever experienced before. Additionally, when submitted to the Spirit’s leading, a Christian has a renewed sense of what matters and what doesn’t matter. A Christian committed to the Spirit’s leading becomes others-minded; selling, giving, sacrificing things he loves for things that he loves even more.
When led by the Spirit, the Church has a sweet aroma that attracts people. “Day by day continuing with one mind…having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” As many were being drawn to this community, it might have been easy for the young Christian Church to become conceited. Satan might tempt them to think, “Were the hip ministry in town! Come join us. See how popular we’re becoming!” When a ministry isn’t genuine, it focuses on appearance and popularity. This is not the same as being a sweet aroma that attracts people. The Acts 2 Church was attracting people because genuine love was being experienced.
I remember a church advertisement that boasted, “Check us out! Come see our worship leader, he’s got cool blue hair!” I thought to myself, “What a dumb gimmick!” Instead of promoting genuine worship of Christ, they were promoting an earthly image. In Acts 2, the attention wasn’t on self, it was aimed at magnifying Jesus!
Anything I do needs to be Jesus-centered, coming from a heart of faith. Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Looking again at John the Baptist, he says in John 3:27, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” John understood that we ought not to boast in appearance, popularity, athleticism, health, power, or expensive things. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, and we owe all that we have to him. Ask yourself, “Am I magnifying Jesus with my abilities, my possessions, my job, or my attitude?”
Going a bit further into Acts, we continue to see the impact of the Spirit as He works through the apostles, Peter and John. Acts 3:1-12, “Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!” And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene -walk!” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God; and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?”
Let’s unpack this, since it stands as an amazing example of magnifying the Lord, and an example of redirecting people’s attention off of ourselves. At first glace you might read the statement of Peter’s, “Look at us,” and think, “Hmm, sure seems like Peter was wanting some attention here.” That’s not the case. Beggars and alms givers didn’t make eye-contact with one another. Seeing the beggar looking downward while they passed by, Peter wanted his full attention, so that the crippled man would have full awareness and focus on what was about to happen. Looking at someone when they talk to us helps us to not miss anything. Peter wanted to make sure that the crippled man could see that no wand was waved over him, no potion tossed upon him, no magic fairy dust had been cast into the air, etc. Peter wanted him to see that the healing was NOT of Peter’s power and authority at all, but that the healing ONLY magnified Jesus. Peter said, “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene -walk!”
Every word in verse 8 magnifies the completeness of the healing, which is always how Jesus heals someone. Verse 8 reads, “With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.” Peter wanted the man to know how the healing came about, and the man fully understood. God received the glory, which was the aim of Peter’s ministry. As Peter magnified the Lord, so did those who were the recipients of Peter’s ministry. That’s how it works. When Christians allow Jesus to magnify Himself through us, others respond and magnify the Lord themselves!
As the crowds recognized the man, now leaping about in full strength, they knew that he was the same man who had been crippled since birth. They were amazed at what they were seeing. Again, Peter uses the crowd’s amazement to magnify Christ. “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?” Several things ought to be observed here. First, “Why are you amazed at this?” In other words, Peter is essentially saying, “Jesus did this very thing many times in your midst. You’ve seen this before. And what’s more, this isn’t even the greatest of Jesus’ miracles, as you all know that He raised Lazarus from the dead, and even Himself!” Secondly, Peter asks, “Why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?” Both Peter and John redirect the crowd’s amazement at Jesus, by essentially saying, “Stop marveling at us! We can’t do anything miraculous except what Jesus does through us! All credit is due to Him. Magnify Jesus instead!”
Self-exultation is a great temptation. It’s idolatry (worshipping something other than God) when we make God’s work about us. It’s not about us! We see this inward sin in the life of Simon the magician, who, in Acts 8, wanted the apostle’s gifts, so as to draw attention to himself.
Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory.”
Moses learned this the hard way, costing himself the promised land. We see in Numbers 20:10-12, Moses and his brother Aaron were leading the Israelites in the desert. The Israelites were all thirsty and grumbling from a lack of water. God gave Moses specific instructions as to how God would execute a miracle through Moses. God told Moses that he is to gather the people before a particular rock, and speak to the rock, and then God would bring water out of the rock. However, Moses called attention to himself, and not to the Lord. Moses said to the Israelites, “Shall we (Moses and Aaron) bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Instead of speaking to the rock as God said to, Moses emphasized himself; he struck the rock twice with his staff, as though by his own might. God was gracious to the people, by bringing water from the rock, despite Moses disobedience. But God said to Moses, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” God wanted the people to praise Himself, not Moses. Rightfully so, as God was the water provider, not Moses. God wants to use His followers, but not for the purpose of making His servants famous, but to make Himself famous! He wants the credit because He rightly deserves all the credit!
God can’t become bigger or greater than He already is, but He can be magnified! When a person holds a magnifying glass up to an ant, the ant doesn’t get bigger, but it becomes magnified in our eyes. In the same way, I can’t make God greater, but I can magnify Him in the eyes of others. Is your life magnifying your Creator? Are you aiming people’s attention toward Jesus?
President Harry S. Truman once said, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” Today, decide to live for Jesus. Perhaps you might pray a prayer like, “God, give me a massive desire to magnify you today!”