By Pastor Alex Ruelo
What does anonimity mean? When someone gives something and does not wish to be named, the giver is anonymous; those who wish to help but do not want to be known. In these times, everyone wants to be famous. People will do everything to achieve fame, even get naked in front of the camera, to get more views. If you have tens of thousands of followers on social media, you are deemed valuable in the world’s standards. But as followers of Christ, it is important for you to understand anonimity. It is a condition or state wherein you are anonymous.
A Christian should be nameless. Many get hurt when they are not credited for what they did. That is the nature of man. Who watches movies and watch until the end credits? Those names are important. The movie will not be finished if not for those names. But in the kingdom of God, that is the complete opposite. 1 Corinthians 4:7 says, “For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” What do you have that did not come from God? Why do you boast? There is a difference between boasting about something that you have and boasting about something that was given to you. You can boast about anything, your talents, your possessions, your health. But you are just going to be boastful. Boasting about your talent and possessions given by God is different because you do not take any credit for it.
Have you ever done anything in church and did not get ay credit for it? The cameramen, the audio people, and the ushers work hard every Sunday but do not get recognized. The pastor who gave the message and the worship leader who sang the songs are always the ones who get praised because they are in the front line. There are big churches who are known internationally. But there are also small churches in the mountains who do not get recognized. They are doing the same job. They preach, evangelize, take care of their flock and their families, but do not get recognized. Billy Graham once said that everything he did for the kingdom of God that is recognized y man disqualifies him from his rewards in heaven. But the pastor int he remote area who is unknown by the world will get his reward in eternity. The bible says not to let you left hand know if your right hand is doing something good. If you do, that is your reward in itself. Boast about the one who allowed you to do the things you are doing.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” At the end, you will not get any credit anyway. Grace literally means a gift (charis in Greek). God saved you by His gift. You do not deserve it and you did not work for it. There are things you can boast about because you worked hard for it. But there are also things that you have but you do not deserve. God saved you. Saved means all inclusive. You were made whole and healed from every form of sickness, and you are made strong because of His power alone. God gave you everything. You do not deserve any of it. But God saved you and gave it to you anyway. You have no right to boast about anything.
1 Timothy 6:7 says, “After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.” There is nothing in this world that you can take with you when you die. Does that include your name? The name that you work so hard to make famous. The name that you go by in this world. Does it go with you to heaven? When you go to heaven, God will recognize you because you are His; not by the name that you made famous in this world.
John 3:27 says, ‘No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.” You will not get anything unless God wills you to have it. And you will also not be anything unless God will you to be it. Having a big name is not the chief end of humankind. Man has wanted to be recognized even before social media. But God said the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Leaders must be servants if they want a taste of God’s kingdom. This is God’s principle - that even if you are gaining fame, it is still God’s name who is lifted up.
Make Jesus famous. Do not aspire for all the fame in the world. Everything is God’s gift to you. For you to understand this principle, you need the Holy Spirit. When Jesus is lifted high, God is glorified. And when God is glorified, you will be lifted high too. If you are not the one who takes the credit, God will make you famous too. Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Do not waste your gift. Everything that you have is a gift from God. When you recognize that, you will not waste it. You will not complain and get tired of what you need to do for the kingdom of God. Even if you do not get recognized. If you really want to give everything for the Lord, you will not waste it. You will not complain. Revelation 22:3-5 says, “No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.” You will only do this on this earth. And that is why you should not waste the opportunity that you have even if you are not recognized.
Give all glory to God. Nobody else should be made high except for the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:11 says, “Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” If you have the gift, use it all to give glory to Him. Do not waste it.