The Lord Promotes


Thirty years ago this month, I got serious about soul-winning. Starting in June 1994, I went out street witnessing with Living Word Christian Center almost every Monday night. I was assigned to a team of usually three people. Within a few months, I felt ready to be a team leader. However, a few more weeks passed before Pastor Nick Kinn’s assistant asked me to start leading evangelism teams.

A year later, I went to work for Billy Graham’s film ministry World Wide Pictures. I was often the top salesperson of the week. My team leader even suggested our co-workers study my telemarketing techniques. At one point, another team leader position opened that would result in higher pay. I was disappointed the promotion went to someone else. Perhaps the reason was my supervisor knew I would leave in a few months to go back on the mission field (he previously made me agree to stay on the job for one year after I temporarily left to live in Toronto for a season).


In the world, individuals will use unethical means to climb the corporate ladder and rejoice at another co-worker’s misfortune. Someone could die and they would be happy about that because it might open up something for them. But for the Christian, leaders are made by serving others. As Jesus said in Mark 9:35, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”


Trouble results when people step into positions they are not qualified for. In 1 Samuel 13, King Saul was in the midst of a war and got impatient when his enemies appeared to be winning. Instead of waiting for Samuel to show up, the king offered sacrifices that only priests were anointed to perform. Three chapters later, God called David to eventually take Saul’s place.


God raises individuals who remain faithful to Him. The story of Joseph in Genesis is an excellent example of divine promotion at work. The son of Jacob was sold into slavery by his brothers and later falsely accused of rape by his master’s wife, resulting in imprisonment. However, Joseph remained faithful and was gradually elevated to second in command throughout Egypt. 


Another one of God’s faithful servants was Daniel. Daniel 2:48 says, “Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.” After the burning furnace incident in the next chapter, “…the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.” (Daniel 3:30)


A pastor I know recently posted this on his Facebook page:


“I have had good people join our church only to uproot and leave the ministry when I refused to ordain them as pastor in our house. I did not withhold ordaining them because they were not pastor material. In fact, the opposite is true. They were great pastoral material. I did not ordain them because they did not grow up in our house as a son/daughter understanding the culture of the vision, and refused to totally submit to the process in place to learn the culture to become an ordained pastor in our house.”


Missed blessings can result from stepping ahead of God’s timing. This past week, I watched a YouTube video of Rick Renner interviewing a prophet named Joseph Z. Joseph once left a job prematurely to go into full-time ministry. Two weeks later, Joseph learned his former employer had layoffs and would have received compensation pay for six months had he stayed on the job longer.


Maybe you’ve been toiling at a job for years and think no one notices. But as I heard Dennis Burke say, “God keeps the books.” He wants His people to prosper and grow in influence, but we are not to promote ourselves. Let Him do so in His timing.


“For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.”  - Psalm 75:6-7


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