BETTER ALONE WITH CHRIST THAN A KING WITHOUT HIM

By Elwin Roach

"When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain...ALONE" (John 6:15). Rather than Jesus seeking a ministry (a kingdom), He sought His Father, and not in the crowds of meetings, but in a mountain A-L-O-N-E.

Jesus was never in a rush to preach. If anything He was a reluctant preacher. He never sought His own, and rather than setting Himself up as a leader, He took up the role of a servant, making Himself of no reputation (Phil 2:7). Contrary to what would seem to be the best thing to do, He always did the will of His Father. Even when people were seemingly in dire need of healing, He only acted when He heard His Father speak, saw Him first do it, or it was something He had been taught: "I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge..." (John 5:30). "...and I speak ...those things which I have heard of Him" (John 8:26). "I speak that which I have seen with my Father..." (John 8:38). "I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me..." (John 8:28).

Moreover, when Jesus was alone in the mountain He was never truly alone; for He that had sent Him was always with Him. He said, "the Father hath not left Me alone..." and the reason He was never alone was because He always did that which pleased His Father. He pleased Him when He was doing nothing, and He pleased Him when He was busy teaching; for everything He did was the will of His Father.

Some believe they have to be preaching for the anointing that abides in them to be present. But I can tell you today, Jesus did not have to feed the thousands, heal the sick, or raise the dead for the anointing of His Father to be present. It was always present. From the solitude of the mountain to the feeding of thousands, He had with Him the anointing of His Father.

We have heard so often that we as Christians should step out in faith, and God will meet the needs. I doubt that Jesus ever stepped out in what many call faith, expecting the needs to be met; for He was not a presumptuous Son, but a Son of obedience.

Sadly, we see certain ones rising in their own carnal might and their flesh glistening with the oil of pride. They claim the name of Jesus as their authority; but He is far from them. He will not endorse their bricklaying efforts of building their own kingdoms. Rather than repenting from such revolts and turning to the Kingdom of God, which is at hand, they continue to draw attention to their own personalities and religious abilities. In their hour of glory it is assumed that without them the job won’t get done. I fear they have never known the Lord they claim to serve.

People steeped in such self-styled ministries remind me of an admonition our Lord gave to those of similar motivation:

"Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity" (Mat 7:21-23).

The Lord does not need, nor want, men’s enterprises in His Kingdom. Furthermore, if the stones would cry out in high praise and worship to Jesus, due to men not doing so, I doubt that He would be at a loss if every ministry we know, good and bad alike, suddenly dried and withered away. I for one, know beyond a shadow of doubt, if The Pathfinder ceased to be this very moment — Jesus would not be held back or hindered for a second. His Kingdom will continue on with or without me. It is not that He needs me to minister His word, He wants me to do it, at least for today. For reasons known by Him alone, He chose this unlikely vessel to share a small fraction of the abounding riches He holds in store. Not only that, the only way I will continue sowing these few seeds is if I continue to please Him — and that is my heart’s desire, to please Him. His pleasure is my pleasure. The fact is, if He is not pleased with me, it matters not what I am doing or not doing, there will be no pleasure in my heart either. Only when He rises up with joy in me can I know joy.

Therefore, my friend, let us be sure to know — IT IS FAR BETTER TO BE ALONE WITH CHRIST THAN TO BE A KING WITHOUT HIM. When this is the heartbeat of our souls, we will hear Him say — WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED!

Excerpt from WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SON