Holy Ambition
"For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Romans 15:18-21
Do you have a Holy Ambition? In our world today, the word ambitious or ambition often carries with it an egocentric connotation. However, there is an ambition that comes from the Lord that is not about feeding one’s ego, or self-exaltation, but is rather all about the fame and glory of Jesus. So, with this in mind, let’s call this ambition, that is right for us to have and comes from the Lord, Holy Ambition.
In our text Paul wrote, “I make it my ambition…” (v.20). What does this word ambition mean in this context? Interestingly, the Greek word translated ambition carries the idea of considering it an honor regarding what one sets out to do for God’s glory. Some translations read, I strive, aspire, or I make it my aim.
So, let me ask you again, what is your great aim in life, what do you aspire to, what is your ambition, which you consider an honor? As you think about that, let me share with you what God’s mission/vision is for MBC. The overarching mission is: To glorify God by making disciples that spread the fame of Jesus. (Matthew 28:18-20).
Do you have a consuming ambition that’s connected with God’s overarching mission for the church? With that question in mind, what was Paul’s all-consuming ambition, his aim, and what was he striving for that he considered an honor? He wrote, “and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul’s ambition was to preach the gospel in regions where people had not yet heard the gospel. It’s vital that we consider a few things about the specificity of Paul’s holy ambition to preach the gospel. First, Paul’s holy ambition was vitally connected with the great commission that Jesus gave to the church, which we summarize at MBC as: glorifying God by making disciples that spread the fame of Jesus.
Secondly, Paul’s ambition, which was connected to God’s overarching mission/vision to the church, was very specific. There’s a term that’s used in modern day mission’s work; pioneer missions. This term is used to describe taking the gospel to unreached people groups that have never heard the gospel or have limited or no access to the gospel. This was Paul’s all-consuming ambition and passion.
It’s important to note that Paul in his missionary endeavors helped to plant churches and ordained elders to carry on the work of making disciples who spread the fame of Jesus. But then he moved on. For there were others, like Timothy, that he trained, who were called to stay to care for and shepherd a flock in a specific location.
With this in mind, let me ask you, are all Christians called to be pioneer missionaries, to personally take the gospel to places like Japan where 99% of the population doesn’t know Christ? No! But we are all called to be an integral part of God’s overarching mission to the church in making disciples. So, because of this, about a year and a half ago we challenged the church to embrace God’s mission for the church in a very basic, but essential way.
We called this emphasis “Who’s Your One?” In other words, we are asking you, for the sake of Jesus, to identify one person that you will pray for, and seek to develop a relationship with, so that you can share the hope of Christ with them. And if they come to Christ, to help them grow and reproduce. But we are not saying that this is the only way that God is calling you to be actively involved in His mission to the church. If you are seeking the face of God, He will, like He did with the Apostles Paul, and Timothy, call you and give you a passion, and an ambition, that you consider an honor, which is very specific.
Let me ask you, in connection with the overarching mission of God to the church, does God have a very specific call for each one of us? Could God be calling you for the glory of Christ to be a pioneer missionary, or to plant a church somewhere else in this city, or to join a group of Christians that sense a call to plant a church in another state, or to go into foster care so that you might spread the glory of Christ to needy children?
I pray that you already have holy ambitions to spread the fame of Jesus that is driving you and that is very specific. It could be reaching one particular person for Christ that God has put on your heart, or starting a Bible club at your high school. If you have a holy ambition, praise God. I encourage you to seek God in prayer for the grace to go after it with all your heart.
But perhaps you understand the overarching mission of Christ is to the church, namely to make disciples that spread the fame of Jesus. However, you’ve just been going through the motions in your Christian life. And you recognize that you need holy ambition that will make your life count for Christ in time and in eternity. Where does holy ambition come from? Where did Paul’s holy ambition come from? We know that Paul had spectacular encounters with God, where God spoke to him in ways that literally knocked him off his horse. But when Paul writes to the Christians in Rome about his holy ambition he doesn’t point to those experiences. Why? Because not everyone is going to be called the same way that he was called. But what he does point to is the written Word of God.
Notice that after describing what his holy ambition was, namely to reach the unreached with the gospel of the glory of Christ, he quotes Isaiah 52:15 as the basis for His specific calling: “but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Writing about why Paul points to the scriptures as the basis for his Holy ambition, John Piper suggests:
“What do you make of that? This is tremendously encouraging and helpful to me. Here’s what I make of it: I assume that what Paul is doing [and] is saying, “When I [had] a personal encountered [with] the living Christ,” — remember, he was a blasphemer and a murderer, and he met the living Christ and was being converted profoundly — “When that happened to me,” he said, “I went straight to my Bible. I immersed myself for three years in Arabia in my Bible. I had to re-read everything. I had to get so into that book that that book became part of me. What happened in the Bible is that Isaiah 52:15 took me! It became a confirmation. It became a hold on me. It was Christ’s hold. He had called me. He did tell me what to do, but the grip that he used was the Bible.” That’s the way I think it’s going to happen for you.
My method for you to move toward your holy ambition is to plead with you to immerse yourself in the Bible, now and the rest of your life. Where does your holy ambition come from? It comes from the living Christ. He’s just as alive today as he was then. He reaches down into your mind and into your heart and into your experience, and he does something perhaps less spectacular than the Damascus Road, but something, and he takes you for himself, so that you can’t run from him anymore.
Then, what he wants you to do at that moment with your mind, is go to his written, inspired word. He’s not going to whisper things in your ear like, “Go to China.” He’s not going to whisper that in your ear. But he’s going to get you there or wherever, and he’s going to do it by getting your head and your heart into the word. While you’re reading Isaiah or Romans or 2 Peter, something’s going to simply take you. It may be a phrase, a verse, a chapter, or a concept. It will simply master you, and that will become your holy ambition. There will be very many of them.” (end quote]
Where does holy ambition come from? It comes from immersing yourself in the word and prayer. How many of you can point to a time in your life when the Spirit of God got a hold of you through His Word and you knew that God was calling you to do something specific? God has gotten a hold of me that way and He will do so with you.
Notice also that although Paul was clear about His mission and had holy ambition, He asked the church to pray for him (Romans 15:30). We too must pray so that we will realize what God is calling us to do. If you’re saved, praise God for holy ambition. Pray for more. Immerse yourself in the Word. Pray for greater specificity. Pray for the holy ambition of others. If you have little holy ambition, ask the Lord to give you holy vision of Himself and His Word that gives you holy ambition to spread the fame of Jesus.
He’s Worthy
The grace of God changed Paul from a murderer of Christians to a missionary for Christ. Let’s praise God for how the grace of God through the gospel saves us, changes us and gives us new affections and ambitions to the glory of Christ.
We’re needy
Ask God to search your heart in regards to your ambitions. Confess the absence of holy ambition or the presence of unholy ambitions.
In regards to holy ambitions, pray:
Blessings,
Pastor Marco
Do you have a Holy Ambition? In our world today, the word ambitious or ambition often carries with it an egocentric connotation. However, there is an ambition that comes from the Lord that is not about feeding one’s ego, or self-exaltation, but is rather all about the fame and glory of Jesus. So, with this in mind, let’s call this ambition, that is right for us to have and comes from the Lord, Holy Ambition.
In our text Paul wrote, “I make it my ambition…” (v.20). What does this word ambition mean in this context? Interestingly, the Greek word translated ambition carries the idea of considering it an honor regarding what one sets out to do for God’s glory. Some translations read, I strive, aspire, or I make it my aim.
So, let me ask you again, what is your great aim in life, what do you aspire to, what is your ambition, which you consider an honor? As you think about that, let me share with you what God’s mission/vision is for MBC. The overarching mission is: To glorify God by making disciples that spread the fame of Jesus. (Matthew 28:18-20).
Do you have a consuming ambition that’s connected with God’s overarching mission for the church? With that question in mind, what was Paul’s all-consuming ambition, his aim, and what was he striving for that he considered an honor? He wrote, “and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul’s ambition was to preach the gospel in regions where people had not yet heard the gospel. It’s vital that we consider a few things about the specificity of Paul’s holy ambition to preach the gospel. First, Paul’s holy ambition was vitally connected with the great commission that Jesus gave to the church, which we summarize at MBC as: glorifying God by making disciples that spread the fame of Jesus.
Secondly, Paul’s ambition, which was connected to God’s overarching mission/vision to the church, was very specific. There’s a term that’s used in modern day mission’s work; pioneer missions. This term is used to describe taking the gospel to unreached people groups that have never heard the gospel or have limited or no access to the gospel. This was Paul’s all-consuming ambition and passion.
It’s important to note that Paul in his missionary endeavors helped to plant churches and ordained elders to carry on the work of making disciples who spread the fame of Jesus. But then he moved on. For there were others, like Timothy, that he trained, who were called to stay to care for and shepherd a flock in a specific location.
With this in mind, let me ask you, are all Christians called to be pioneer missionaries, to personally take the gospel to places like Japan where 99% of the population doesn’t know Christ? No! But we are all called to be an integral part of God’s overarching mission to the church in making disciples. So, because of this, about a year and a half ago we challenged the church to embrace God’s mission for the church in a very basic, but essential way.
We called this emphasis “Who’s Your One?” In other words, we are asking you, for the sake of Jesus, to identify one person that you will pray for, and seek to develop a relationship with, so that you can share the hope of Christ with them. And if they come to Christ, to help them grow and reproduce. But we are not saying that this is the only way that God is calling you to be actively involved in His mission to the church. If you are seeking the face of God, He will, like He did with the Apostles Paul, and Timothy, call you and give you a passion, and an ambition, that you consider an honor, which is very specific.
Let me ask you, in connection with the overarching mission of God to the church, does God have a very specific call for each one of us? Could God be calling you for the glory of Christ to be a pioneer missionary, or to plant a church somewhere else in this city, or to join a group of Christians that sense a call to plant a church in another state, or to go into foster care so that you might spread the glory of Christ to needy children?
I pray that you already have holy ambitions to spread the fame of Jesus that is driving you and that is very specific. It could be reaching one particular person for Christ that God has put on your heart, or starting a Bible club at your high school. If you have a holy ambition, praise God. I encourage you to seek God in prayer for the grace to go after it with all your heart.
But perhaps you understand the overarching mission of Christ is to the church, namely to make disciples that spread the fame of Jesus. However, you’ve just been going through the motions in your Christian life. And you recognize that you need holy ambition that will make your life count for Christ in time and in eternity. Where does holy ambition come from? Where did Paul’s holy ambition come from? We know that Paul had spectacular encounters with God, where God spoke to him in ways that literally knocked him off his horse. But when Paul writes to the Christians in Rome about his holy ambition he doesn’t point to those experiences. Why? Because not everyone is going to be called the same way that he was called. But what he does point to is the written Word of God.
Notice that after describing what his holy ambition was, namely to reach the unreached with the gospel of the glory of Christ, he quotes Isaiah 52:15 as the basis for His specific calling: “but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Writing about why Paul points to the scriptures as the basis for his Holy ambition, John Piper suggests:
“What do you make of that? This is tremendously encouraging and helpful to me. Here’s what I make of it: I assume that what Paul is doing [and] is saying, “When I [had] a personal encountered [with] the living Christ,” — remember, he was a blasphemer and a murderer, and he met the living Christ and was being converted profoundly — “When that happened to me,” he said, “I went straight to my Bible. I immersed myself for three years in Arabia in my Bible. I had to re-read everything. I had to get so into that book that that book became part of me. What happened in the Bible is that Isaiah 52:15 took me! It became a confirmation. It became a hold on me. It was Christ’s hold. He had called me. He did tell me what to do, but the grip that he used was the Bible.” That’s the way I think it’s going to happen for you.
My method for you to move toward your holy ambition is to plead with you to immerse yourself in the Bible, now and the rest of your life. Where does your holy ambition come from? It comes from the living Christ. He’s just as alive today as he was then. He reaches down into your mind and into your heart and into your experience, and he does something perhaps less spectacular than the Damascus Road, but something, and he takes you for himself, so that you can’t run from him anymore.
Then, what he wants you to do at that moment with your mind, is go to his written, inspired word. He’s not going to whisper things in your ear like, “Go to China.” He’s not going to whisper that in your ear. But he’s going to get you there or wherever, and he’s going to do it by getting your head and your heart into the word. While you’re reading Isaiah or Romans or 2 Peter, something’s going to simply take you. It may be a phrase, a verse, a chapter, or a concept. It will simply master you, and that will become your holy ambition. There will be very many of them.” (end quote]
Where does holy ambition come from? It comes from immersing yourself in the word and prayer. How many of you can point to a time in your life when the Spirit of God got a hold of you through His Word and you knew that God was calling you to do something specific? God has gotten a hold of me that way and He will do so with you.
Notice also that although Paul was clear about His mission and had holy ambition, He asked the church to pray for him (Romans 15:30). We too must pray so that we will realize what God is calling us to do. If you’re saved, praise God for holy ambition. Pray for more. Immerse yourself in the Word. Pray for greater specificity. Pray for the holy ambition of others. If you have little holy ambition, ask the Lord to give you holy vision of Himself and His Word that gives you holy ambition to spread the fame of Jesus.
He’s Worthy
The grace of God changed Paul from a murderer of Christians to a missionary for Christ. Let’s praise God for how the grace of God through the gospel saves us, changes us and gives us new affections and ambitions to the glory of Christ.
We’re needy
Ask God to search your heart in regards to your ambitions. Confess the absence of holy ambition or the presence of unholy ambitions.
- Are they holy or unholy?
- Are they self-centered or Christ centered?
- Are they about exalting self or exalting the Savior?
- Are your ambitions about others serving you for your benefit, or serving others for their benefit and eternal good?
In regards to holy ambitions, pray:
- Pray for a Holy Vision of God and of the need for sinners to hear the gospel that fuels in you a specific holy ambition to spread the fame of Jesus.
- Pray for your holy ambitions to increase.
- Pray against the oppositions and obstacles that can keep you from fulfilling holy ambitions.
- Pray for those in our church that need to be discipled so that they can catch God’s vision to make disciples that have a passion for the glory of Christ.
Blessings,
Pastor Marco