At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "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 humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:1-4)
Our God is great. "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable" (Psalm 145:3). Since we were created to know our great God, we have a yearning to find true greatness. The counterfeit path to greatness for the world, the flesh, and the devil is through self-exaltation. "I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14). The heavenly path to find spiritual greatness is through childlike humility.
The disciples asked Jesus who had truly found greatness in His kingdom. "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' " No doubt, to their amazement, he placed a little child in the middle of them. "And Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them." How could this small child give insight into their query? Jesus' words must have been staggering for them to receive. "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
In the first place, no one can even enter into the Lord's kingdom without having a change of mind from the natural perspective of fallen humanity. We have such a self-sufficient, self-exalting viewpoint on life and how to find greatness. In order to become a child of God, we must be willing to adopt the Lord's perspective. Instead of us being capable of developing a valid ("great") life on our own, we must take the place of a humble, inadequate, needy child, looking to the Lord of life to give us eternal life. Then, in order to grow in spiritual greatness, we must be willing to continue in a daily walk of childlike humility. "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
This teaching had to fall like a stinging indictment upon their hearts, since their motivation in asking was based upon their repeated arguments over which of them was the greatest in His kingdom! "Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest . . . But there was also rivalry among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest" (Luke 9:46 and 22:24).
O, great and awesome Lord, I confess that I have often sought greatness through the self-exalting paths of this fallen world. Many times, I have compared myself to others, thinking that would make me the greater. Lord, I repent. Lord, I want to walk before You day by day as a humble, needy, dependent child of the great King of Kings, Amen.
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Bob Hoekstra ( - 2012)
Bob's involvement with the Calvary Chapels began in 1971, when he and his wife Dini visited Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa on a Sunday evening. They were deeply touched by the life-giving teaching of the word of God, the simple worship "in Spirit and in truth", and the profound expressions of the love of the Lord among the saints. Upon returning to Dallas, they regularly obtained Pastor Chuck Smith's teaching tapes and eventually became daily listeners of the Word for Today on the radio.Since 1993, Bob had been teaching at Calvary Chapel and other church fellowships across the country and overseas (including, Seminars, Pastors' Conferences, Church Services, Leadership Conferences, Retreats, and Schools of Evangelism/Ministry). He has taught numerous classes at Calvary Chapel Bible College (both at its former location in Twin Peaks, CA and its current location in Murrieta Hot Springs, CA) as well as at the extension campuses of Costa Mesa, Vista, San Diego, El Cajon, and others. Bob's teaching generally highlights such subjects as Counseling God's Way ,Family God's Way ,Growing in the Grace of God ,The Church: How Jesus Builds It ,Contending for the Faith ,Promise Believers ,The Sufficiency of Christ and His Word ,The Psychologizing of the Faith , and related themes.
Pastor Bob Hoekstra is the founder and Director of Living in Christ Ministries (livinginchrist.org). He has been in ministry since 1967, including fourteen years in Dallas, TX and eleven years as Pastor of Calvary Chapel of Irvine, CA. He and his wife, Dini, were married in 1966, and have three adult children and eleven grandchildren. Bob graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1973 with the Master of Theology degree.
Bob's involvement with the Calvary Chapels began in 1971. Since 1993, Bob has been teaching at Calvary Chapel and other church fellowships across the country and overseas. The Living in Christ Radio Program is heard on several stations across the country.