9 April 2014
Lessons in Humility: Nazarite Training Phase 1
By Melissa Ong & Sheryn Wong
| |
 Pastor Jerome speaking on identifying Pride. |
|
NAZARITE Training Phase 1: Humility was held for a week in March 2014 and led by Pastor Jerome Ocampo, founder of Jesus Revolution Now! in the Philippines. It drew an overwhelming response of more than 370 delegates, mainly young adults, from as far as Penang and Sabah.
The Nazarite Training programme is aimed at equipping young adults to be catalysts for change in society. More than just biblical knowledge, it is aimed at changing and building character. Hence, learning to exercise humility was important as a first step.
Pastor Jerome talked about the need to develop the right qualities that can bring about this Divine-inspired change. Besides exercising Humility, we also need to cultivate Hunger, and to pursue Holiness. Here are some take-home points we gained from the sessions:
Defining Humility by Defining Pride
The easiest way to understand humility is to define its direct opposite, Pride. Pride is thinking we can act apart from God and refusing to acknowledge who we are in His eyes. James 4:6 says "God opposes the proud but favours the humble".
There are two kinds of pride - one that thinks: "No one can do it better than me". And another that says, "I can't do it; I am nobody".
Thus, Pride is seeing one's self as higher or lower than you actually are. Humility is being exactly who you are in God's sight. If we reject who we are in God's eyes, we end up on one of two paths: The path of rejection (unbelief) or the path of rebellion (pride).
 Giving up personal rights, written on pieces of paper', by throwing them into the boxes. |
|
|
Self-Love is Not Necessarily Selfish
We learnt to correctly understand what it means to love one's self. God has built within humankind the desire to pursue happiness and dread misery. Many times we put ourselves through unnecessary misery by saying, "We are sacrificing for Jesus". However, yet loving ourselves and pursuing happiness is not selfish or wrong. If we can't love ourselves rightly, we will have difficulty loving others rightly.
It is only when we pursue self-love alone, disregarding God and others, that we become selfish.
Meekness is Not Weakness
We were also taught that meekness is not weakness; it is having power under control. Anger, Pastor Jerome added, is the opposite of meekness. The cause of anger is clinging to one's personal rights, as conflict does not happen with others unless personal rights are involved. The result of unwillingness to yield these rights is anger.
However, a distinction with holy anger must be made. Holy anger is a right reaction against the wrongs done to others, especially God. It is constructive and not selfish. But selfish anger is sin.
| |
 The youths praying for one another. |
|
Understanding Irritations
Irritations are like a grain of sand. They can bring benefit or harm. In the eye, it will be a cause of irritation, infection and loss of vision. But in an oyster, it can be turned into a pearl. Irritations are God's way of increasing our sensitivity to the needs of other people, or expanding our world of opportunity, or developing inward qualities which are essential to transformative living. We need to change our perspective in order to see the "potential pearl" inside the oyster. "The problem is not the problem, how you see the problem is the problem," Pastor Jerome said.
The Consecration
A symbolic ceremony was held at the end of the programme for participants to consecrate themselves to God by yielding their rights. We wrote down on pieces of paper our rights to the things we held dear - be they activities, music, money or friends. Then we tore then up at the altar. Many were weeping and kneeling as they surrendered their precious rights into the hands of a loving God, who can handle our lives much better than we ever could. We then pledged to live a life committed to humility by signing our names in a book.
Signing a commitment to living a life of humility.
Nazarite Training was impactful as we saw a generation surrendering their rights to God and pledging to live a life committed to Humility. There are plans for a Phase 2 of Nazarite Training, and we urge many more to sign up. Email youthnet@necf.org.my or "like" our Facebook page "NECF Catalyst" to stay updated on upcoming events. |
