Slaves of the Light

2 Corinthians 4:4-6 NIV
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

Those whom Satan has deceived into focusing their primary attention and allegiance on this world and its principles and pleasures, and on their flesh with its lusts and desires, have become mentally blind and unable to see or understand the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ, who is God. When our primary focus is taken off of Christ and transferred to the individual self, we fail to see ourselves as servants, and Him as the one and only Lord, and the one and only Head of any interest to God. We begin to preach not Jesus Christ as Lord, but a gospel of self-motivation, self-aggrandizement, self-promotion, and self sufficiency. We begin to think of ourselves as the "head" instead of, as the New Testament describes the followers of Christ, slaves to Jesus, who is the Light, and servants to His created for His sake.

Secular Humanism is defined as a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice, and specifically rejects the supernatural and the spiritual as standards of moral reflection and decision-making. It is a nonreligious life stance or worldview focusing on the way human beings can lead good and happy lives without reliance on the supernatural power or the revelation of God, emphasizing the importance of living an ethical and prosperous life relying on rational methods such as logic, observation, and science rather than faith or revelation to make one's life better. Secular humanism is not new. What is new is that we now have "Gospel Preachers" preaching humanism in the name of Jesus, a new gospel that touts the followers of Christ as "the head" rather than servants of the Head, and Jesus as someone who exist only to insure that we have all the "stuff" we want.

Isn't the light that He shines on us for us? Aren't the blessings He lavishes on us meant to make us better so that the world can see how blessed we are and come to him so that they can be blessed, also? Ugh, no! God only blesses His people so that they can be a blessing to others. God makes His light shine in our dark lives so we can understand that Jesus is God, and so that we, as slaves of the people, can take that precious treasure, which He has trusted to us, to the world. Mark 9:35 proclaims, if anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

Blinded minds cannot understand the amazing message of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4). It is Satan who makes it impossible for humans in and of themselves to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. He does this by deceiving humans into focusing on self. When we do not understand the true gospel, we make up a gospel that makes sense to us. When we do not love and understand the true gospel, we think that it is OK to love the world. It is Satan who makes it impossible for humans in and of themselves to understand that Jesus is God, and what that means.

Humanist preaching will not, can not open blinded minds (2 Cor 4:5). There is nothing in the preacher that can free the soul. We do not preach ourselves to insure that: ...your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power, 1 Cor 2:5. We are but slaves to the people for the sake of the Light of the World. So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God, (1 Cor. 4:1-2). We do not seek to lure people to Christ with a bated hook. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God, (2 Cor. 4:2-3). In your own conscience: See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ, (Col 2:8).

Blinded minds can only be opened by the gospel of Jesus Christ, (2 Cor 4:6-8). He makes His light shine in our dark hearts and we understand. Understanding, we see God in the face of Jesus. Like an army of ants carrying food from its source to those whom we serve, His light in us compels us to carry that sacred light to the world. The "Us" gospel cannot save the world. The world will ONLY be saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ, crucified, buried, and resurrected, faithfully carried by an army of humble servants to a dying world...For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.