By Elias Aslaksen “And I will be small in my own eyes . . . .” 2 Sam. 6:22. “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever makes himself small . . . .” Matt. 18:1-4. Imagine that it is possible to become little in your own eyes! Imagine that it is possible to actually do that! Not just saying that you are small, but actually making yourself small! What astonishing, deadly serious words! What a radical, definitive judgment of all ordinary religiosity, especially of the leadership! What a crushing judgment of all imagined greatness, all megalomania, pride, conceit, the desire to dominate, and self-exaltation! What a shocking contradiction to being a little child! In reality, everyone is small, pitifully small! Those who imagine they are especially great are the least and most pathetic people in God’s eyes. Making yourself small means acknowledging from the heart that you are small, in spirit and in truth, and conducting yourself in accordance with that acknowledgment. Among other things, this means simply believing God’s Word like a little child without objections and doubting, and without being occupied with judging it according to your human reasoning—something that small children do not possess. When it concerns God’s Word, salvation, and transformation, our human reasoning is completely useless. The only thing that matters here is a living faith in the Word, by which we enter into God’s kingdom and by which God’s kingdom enters into us during our time of sojourn on this earth. Precisely because we have already partaken of the divine life and are like small children, all the usual and visible things disappear, such as being judgmental, desiring honor, being argumentative, wanting to dominate; megalomania, anger, wrath, jealousy, envy, divisions, etc. This is also quite natural: The smaller you are in your own eyes, the less you need of all kinds of things! The more of a megalomaniac you are, the more you imagine you need to possess (so to speak) all kinds of things! This is in full agreement with Jesus’ words about humbling yourself and about exalting yourself. Humbling yourself is quite simply acknowledging that you are too exalted and therefore moving down the ladder because of your love of the truth, as is only fitting in the name of all truth and righteousness. A person exalts himself by having even more exalted thoughts of himself than he had previously. The fact that a person has exalted thoughts about himself is the most revolting thing God knows, something that displeases Him the most! This is precisely why the entrance to God’s kingdom is firmly closed to such people, regardless of what state they otherwise in! Alas! Alas! You are definitely not a little child if you do not believe like a little child. So here it is a matter, as always, of a great either / or! As in: either you have forsaken all of your own, or you have not done it at all!

There have been many “clever” minds throughout the years who have tried to organize churches according to their understanding and opinions. However, throughout all these years, all their attempts were doomed to fail. The church can be built only by Christ as its head, and the workings that proceed from Him, so that all the glory belongs to Him. How safe and good it is to forsake your own will and be guided by Christ as the head as a member of the body of Christ. “And on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matt. 16:18. Christ Himself, together with His co-workers, builds His church. They do not build with what flesh and blood has revealed, but with what our Father in heaven has revealed. The church that is built in this Spirit of revelation will be so firmly grounded that even the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. It is firmly united in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Cor. 1:10. The body of Christ is made up of chosen members who have their own unique ministries. There is plenty room for all of us. Not a single member of our body feels a need to be in a different place. The church is a work of God. It is an eternally glorious edifice which He loves and over which He watches. Everything is to be ready at the right time with the glory that has been appointed to it. In the body of Christ there is one Spirit, one mind, and one voice, according to the image of Christ Jesus. Rom. 15:5-6. Peter spoke words of faith in this one Spirit and with this one voice so that the Gentiles received a pure heart; and on the day of Pentecost three thousand souls were added to the church. They were united with Christ as the head, by faithfully devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship. It is of great importance that we find our place and our ministry in the body of Christ, and that we love our election. The Thessalonians were elected and beloved by the Lord. 1 Thess. 1:2-4. Paul could see this because they were active in the work of faith and labor of love. Christ is the head of only one body, which is the church, His bride. “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” Rom. 12:4-5. All the members with their various gifts and ministries are extremely valuable to each other in growing up into Christ who is the head. As members of this body, Paul exhorts them further in Romans 12 that they are to be devoted to one another in brotherly love, to distribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, be of the same mind toward one another, not be haughty in mind but associate with the humble, not be wise in their own opinion, etc. May we see it as the greatest thing here on earth to be co-workers of Christ by growing up in all things into Christ, our head. There is no greater work to be found anywhere.Aksel J. Smith