In terms of the professing Church in our day, it is clear that whatever it is that is really being sought it is by methods and worldly principles. We seek “church” growth by using business principles and ways obtained from Hollywood. Sure, those methods might draw a crowd, but they do not attract God. Whatever else a church is to do, it is to seek God first and foremost. The Regulative Principle of Worship used to stand as something very important in terms of how God was to be worshipped. It has now virtually been dropped into the dust pile of history as it is ignored or simply explained away. Jesus told us very explicitly that God can only be worshipped in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). In fact, the text tells us that God seeks people like that to be His worshippers. One of the things required to have worshippers like that is for God to make humble worshippers. The humble worshippers of God will look to His Word of self-revelation to find out how He says He is to be worshipped. The humble worshippers will look to His Word of self-revelation to find out how He says churches are to grow. Perhaps there needs to be a Regulative Principle of Church Growth since it is part of the worship of God. But the proud want churches to grow in numbers their own way and they want to worship their own way. But for those who desire to walk with God in worship and church growth they must seek humility first. When we seek to worship God as we want to do so, the god we really worship is ourselves. It is seeking to please self rather than to please God. “But I like it this way” is nothing more than to assert my desires instead of seeking God’s.
“When I look back upon my own religious experience, or round upon the Church of Christ in the world, I stand amazed at the thought of how little humility is sought after as the distinguishing feature of the discipleship of Jesus. In preaching and living, in the daily intercourse of the home and social life, in the more special fellowship with Christians, in the direction and performance of work for Christ,-alas! how much proof there is that humility is not esteemed the cardinal virtue, the only root from which the graces can grow, the one indispensable condition of true fellowship with Jesus.” (Andrew Murray)
Murray calls humility as the distinguishing feature of the discipleship of Jesus. “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:27-30).
This text at least points to the utter necessity of what Murray said. Jesus calls the weary and heavy-laden to Himself. A person has been humbled to some degree to even see that as true. The unbroken proud do not see themselves as weary and heavy-laden as they are still blinded to sin. When a heavy-laden person comes to Christ for rest and is asked to take a yoke upon him, it takes great humility to truly believe those words and take the yoke. But the gentle humble Savior will only teach those in the yoke with Him His gentleness and humility. But of course those are not what the world thinks of as, so those things may bring ridicule and persecution.
A worldly humility is indeed sought in the professing Church by some, but that is not the same thing as a biblical humility. A biblical humility is to be emptied of self and pride, while a worldly humility seeks to bolster self and pride in an external form of humility. A biblical humility is one of the heart and of the soul. It is when the heart is emptied of self and pride. We can see this with the Pharisees. They would humble themselves to fast and pray, and yet it was only an external humility which is what the world has. They fasted and prayed in order to be seen by men which is what self-interest does and what self-love desires. The professing Church must learn to look to Jesus for its teaching and example of humility rather than the world. The world thinks that a humble person will not claim to know any religious truth for sure, but Jesus says that eternal life is to know God.
Humility is a sweet sound in the ear when one thinks of the humility of Christ. Yet humility is so sour to the ear when it is nothing more than what the world puts on. What does God see when He looks at the professing Church? Does He see the beauty of the humility of Christ in the soul or does He see foul and filthy souls of pride who are so proud that they cover themselves with the fig leaves of a false humility which is nothing but pride covering itself with pride? In the worship of the “church” does God see the humble Savior or does He see the rotten hearts of those who pretend to worship Him while they do what they want to do? In the “church” growth methods do we see the ways of Christ or of the proud man? Truly, humility is at the root of it all. May God teach many His ways.
God Loves... Himself 
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