Holy Bragging

Who’s the Hero?

In my house we play a little game called “who’s the hero?”

It started as kind of a way to teach a little gratitude in the kids. They are searching for their shoes in the morning. I find their shoes. Their regular practice was “Oh, there they are!” put them on and move on.

Where’s the thank you? Where’s the gratitude? I am to teach them to not be ungrateful monsters… and I want a little credit for searching and finding the things!

So I ask: “who’s the hero?” and they answer: “you’re the hero… thanks Dad.”

This has gone beyond the children. When I vacuum the house, I like to leave it random and strange places. Why? Because Karen comes home and asks… “why is the vacuum in the middle of the living room?”

And I answer “Oh, whoops, I was just vacuuming the whole house, including the stairs, and stuff… I guess I left it out.” Who’s the hero? I’m the hero!

She’s onto me. Now she asks “Did you leave the vacuum on the front porch just so I would know you vacuumed?” Yes. Yes I did.

I want the credit for the good things I have done.

Does that sound like bragging? That sounds like bragging.

In order to not brag, what do we do? We don’t mention the good things we have done.

It is in bad taste to talk about how much money you make. You can complain about how little you make, that’s usually passable. But it’s “socially unacceptable” to brag about how well you’re doing.

We all too easily carry this into the church.

But who is the real hero? Who is responsible for the good things in our lives, for the victories large and small?

God is the hero.

So who gets robbed of the credit and the glory when we keep those blessings to ourselves? He does.

Back to Antioch

Antioch - the loving church, who loved one another beyond all borders of Jew and Gentile.

Antioch - the giving church, who gave sacrificially for the Jerusalem church even before the famine there took place. A prophet told them it was going to happen, and they emptied their wallets.

Antioch - the sending church. Not sparing the very best leaders they had, they send Barnabus the “Son of encouragement” and Paul, the synagogue and temple-trained scholar of Scripture, author of much of the New Testmanent. Both of these men apostles… I never would have wanted to let them leave my church! But Antioch sends them because the Holy Spirit tells them to be set aside for the mission.

And now they have gone.

From Antioch to Paphos on the isle of Cyprus.

From Cyprus to Attalia (mainland Turkey)

Then to Perga and on to Pisidian Antioch

Then Iconium where he almost got stoned, Lystra where he did get stoned, To Derbe...

And then back again, revisiting each city, shoring up the saints as they went… all the way home to Antioch. After being stoned!

Acts 14:19–23 ESV

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Acts 14:24–26 ESV

Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.

Back to where they had been “commissioned” or “commended” for the work. They reason they had been sent.

Now imagine the stories they could tell there. All the persecution they faced. Paul, showing the scars, the bruises, the wounds of being stoned. The craziness of being Zeus and Hermes for a few days.

They have been gone for as long as 2 years.

What do they actually share?

Acts 14:27–28 ESV

And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples.

They “declared all that God had done with them”.

Who’s the hero? With all they experienced, persecution and all, what do they decide to focus on in the retelling? Celebrating what God has done. God is the victor, God is the hero. God opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

To God be the Glory.

And there’s a party in Antioch!

They celebrate. Having faithfully done the word, they take significant time with the other disciples to look back and celebrate what God has done through them.

Imagine the stories. Imagine the sermons Paul and Barnabus are now preaching. The spiritual well they are now drawing from.

They celebrate what God has done in them. More missionary journeys are coming… but they aren’t so focused on what the next step that they miss celebrating the last step.

That is something for us to listen to.

Celebration In the Psalms

David was great at this. Unabashed celebration of God’s victories. Sometimes uncomfortably so to our modern ears.

Psalm 23:1–6 ESV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

It starts off so peaceful… Green pastures, still waters. Restoring souls...

Then, comfort and courage through persecution: even through the valley...

And then. A table before me “in the presence of my enemies.” What is that? Gloating. Haha, I eat and you don’t. You lost, I win, I eat, you watch. Boom!

That is some celebration. Might get a penalty flag in the end zone for “excessive celebration.”

But ultimately, it is the LORD’s victory, the LORD’s house, the LORD who exalts David over his enemies.

Who’s the hero? God’s the hero.

What’s next… and what just happened?

Paul and Barnabus complete their first missionary journey by returning to Antioch. They celebrate what God has done through them.

In pursuit of “what’s next” and even “what’s wrong” we can miss “what’s good”. We can be too quiet in the name of humility.

To God be the glory, great things he hash done!

Let’s celebrate the great things he has done in us, through us, in our families and in our church.

Who’s the Hero? God’s the hero.

This is not a crazy thing. We know how to do this. We know how to do it for the big things. When we return from a mission trip: we give a report on what God has done. Maybe we need to add an Israel-style celebration and roast some pigs… but we can work on that. We celebrate Kingdom Victory, we celebrate Thanksgiving and practice thankfulness, we celebrate Christmas this month, celebrating what God has done through the Incarnate birth of the Son of God.

We celebrate the big “religious” stuff well.

Maybe where we miss is practicing Celebration in all the “little” things.

I have had friends share incredible blessings of God in quiet confidential whispers. And understandably so because it “sounds like bragging” or its “weird” or, worse, people can judge us for blessings just as much as for sin.

How sad is that. David would shout from the rooftops “God has given me the world. Huzzah and Hallelujah!”

I have had a couple friends this past year, when they got new cars, they showed up in my driveway with them. How cool is that! They invited me to celebrate their blessing with them, and that blessed me!

Financial blessings, can we share those in such a way that gives God the glory… and knowing that God gives riches only and always so that we may build His kingdom.

Family blessings, new jobs and new job opportunities, new friendships and new beginnings… can we share what God is doing in us?

Holy Sprint Review

We didn’t do this at Thanksgiving time. We can do it now. Let’s practice a life of Celebration. I am calling for testimonies, here and now. You can stand up where you are and share.

At work we have a “Sprint Review” at the end of every two weeks where we demo what we have done… and then everybody claps. That’s a somewhat awkward thing over a video conference… but we do it anyways.

I want you all, now, to reflect on what God has done in and through you. And, if you’re willing, shout it out. Could be a word, could be a sentence. And then let’s celebrate God with applause.

This is a kind of Holy Bragging. To God be all the glory.

That is going to feel silly for a minute. Awkward for a second. But underneath the silly and the awkward, let’s bring our sincere praise, our thankfulness, our celebration for what God has done among us.

Let’s practice a life of celebration. He is the hero.

Large or small:

What has God done in and through you?

What has God done in and through Next Step?

Even as we are people who grow, looking for where God is calling us to next… we need to be a people who celebrate what God has done.

We are “commended to the grace of God for the work...”

Let’s “declare all that God has done with us...”

Let’s find everyday 10,000 reasons for my heart to sing.