Before we get into this post, let me say that I am a huge Tony Robbins fan. I think he has tapped into a part of the human psyche that helps people learn how to take action to achieve their goals. One thing he says is that our destiny is created in the moment of a decision. It’s akin to Confucius saying that the journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step. There is a lot of wisdom in understanding that our future begins the moment we make a decision to act.
In his program, Personal Power II, Tony Robbins walks people through the process of verbalizing their goals and then taking the first step toward reaching those goals. Going through this exercise has helped me have breakthrough moments to accomplish things I had wanted to do for years, but had never taken them from being a wish to being a goal.
So when I say that Jesus was no Tony Robbins, it has nothing to do with slighting Robbins in any way. Rather, it is one specific aspect of Robbins that I want to focus on in this post. You see, Robbins is a master marketer. He can command 6 figures for a personal session with him because of his popularity. When he creates an event, people flock to his venue, selling out long before the event begins.
In fact, people pay thousands of dollars to attend these events. Why? Because Robbins has done a masterful job marketing himself and communicating the value he offers people. Many people try to copy his approach to success because it illustrates what success looks like.
But when you consider Jesus, He doesn’t follow the Tony Robbins model of success, especially when you focus on the time of His greatest success: His resurrection. For someone who intended to turn the world upside down with His teachings as He ushered in His Kingdom, Jesus was rather inefficient as we define efficiency.
Jesus would only appear on the Earth after His resurrection for a limited amount of time- 40 days, to be exact. Already, He had the principle of scarcity to work with. His message could have been, “Back for a limited time, come hear from the risen Savior before He returns to Heaven for good!” I don’t know for sure, but I imagine Tony Robbins would have been all over this message of scarcity to fill the largest venues in the world.
But what does Jesus do instead?
“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.” (Luke 24:13-15 ESV).
And so Jesus spends a chunk of His limited time with two obscure disciples we only know from this passage. Not a very efficient use of time if your plan is to turn the world upside down with your teachings, is it? Think of what He could have done if He had been more judicious in His use of time to leverage His power and message. Not only could he have filled the Temple with an audience, but He could have taken His message on the road and perhaps filled the Colosseum in Rome! Think big!
But for a big part of His time on Earth, Jesus walks with two disciples,
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27 ESV).
While we should commend Jesus for His attention He paid to these two unknown men, perhaps Tony Robbins could have helped Him leverage His time better. Maybe He should have been back in Jerusalem planning a marquee event that would dazzle the world instead of spending His precious few moments on talking to just two disciples. This is the way we think, isn’t it? Am I going out on a limb to say that this is not how Robbins would have planned on communicating his message?
In fact, when Jesus had His greatest victory, conquering death, He didn’t plan on sharing it with the masses, rising in front of a captive audience in a dazzling performance that would be sure to spread the word instantly over the world, did He? In stead, He first showed Himself to a few terrified soldiers who were guarding Him and then to a few women who came to minister to His body:
“And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:9-10 ESV).
Again, probably not the way Tony Robbins, the master marketer, would have leveraged this unique and amazing opportunity to bring a powerful message to the masses. It was an extremely inefficient use of His limited time. At least, this is the way we would see it.
The resurrection account continues in this manner, with Jesus appearing to a few people at a time for limited appearances. He visited twelve men in a room and later visited a few of them one dawning morning on the seashore to share a breakfast of fish with them while He spoke His message to them.
A breakfast of fish to a few men? What an inefficient use of time, right? Perhaps Robbins would have set up a dinner theater that served the most exquisite delicacies as he stood before people to bring his message to them, and people would have forked out big bucks to hear him speak while dining on a Michelin star worthy meal. But this isn’t how Jesus chose to share a humble meal with people.
Now, Jesus did pull in a somewhat large crowd before His limited engagement on Earth was done. Paul tells the Corinthians that Jesus appeared to Peter, James, the twelve and then to himself after His resurrection, but paul also mentions,
“Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:6 ESV).
Five hundred people is not bad, but it’s not the kind of numbers that Tony Robbins could pull in. Still, it’s a valiant effort. At least, this is the way we think in our human wisdom.
Yeah, Jesus was no Tony Robbins. He didn’t do any marketing of Himself undoubtedly the way Robbins would have marketed himself, leveraging his “for a limited time only” message. But what was Jesus able to accomplish?
Dr. Luke tells us when they dragged Jason before the authorities in Thessalonica, they leveled these charges against them:
“And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,” (Acts 17:6 ESV).
My guess is Robbins would have counted this a huge success. In a short period of time, the followers of Jesus spread the message of King Jesus so well that they were accused of turning the world upside down with the message. Now this is pretty impressive. And in the few short years it took them to accomplish this, even a great marketer like Tony Robbins would be pressed to admit this was a pretty efficient way to do the impossible.
Later, Paul writes to the Colossian Christians and says,
“if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:23 ESV).
In thirty short years, the Gospel had been proclaimed “in all creation under heaven.” Undoubtedly, Tony Robbins would have been proud to accomplish this. But the reality is that there are many who are reading these words who have never heard of Tony Robbins (and wonder why I have spent so much time invoking his name), while we’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has never heard the name Jesus.
Here’s my point. Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He chose to walk with two obscure men on the Road to Emmaus. He was purposeful when He appeared to a very limited number of people after His resurrection. He wasn’t planning a marquee engagement to dazzle the world. He was setting up a kingdom to invite people into eternal life and His kingdom would grow, not by impressive marquee events, but by obscure people sharing their faith with their neighbors on dusty roads and over kitchen tables. It would grow by the preaching of the Gospel by men who were not the orators of their day.
In fact, Jesus didn’t do anything the way Tony Robbins might have counseled Him to do it. Why? Paul says it like this:
“Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:20-21 ESV).
And what is so great about the way that Jesus ushered in His kingdom is that he did it in a way that you and I can have a part in its success. We, obscure people who the world will one day forget, can take His powerful message, one inefficient person at a time, and continue aiding in turning the world upside down with that message.
Jesus didn’t need to follow Tony Robbins method of marketing because Jesus had something Robbins doesn’t have. The Gospel is a powerful message that draws people to it and changes lives like no other message can. It is sharper than any two-edged sword. It can radically transform lives, turning a reprobate into a saint. It can grant peace in the midst of a world in turmoil.
The message of Jesus can do what no other message can do. This is where its power lies. Not in a great marketing plan. Not in the power of a captivating orator. Not in the energy of an audience of ten thousand people.
Its power is in the humble sharing of the message from one obscure saved person to someone else in the world who is desperately hungering for something better. You and I can still be part of this powerful, life-changing opportunity to be part of something great as we do our part for the Kingdom of Jesus.
Never underestimate the power we yield by sharing the simple message of King Jesus to just one person at a time.
I wonder how many of us will get to heaven and find out that the sacred cows we hold to above all things are not so sacred after all?
I have nothing specific in mind… just wondering.
Remember,
When someone makes you angry,
When someone says something ugly to you,
When someone lords over you,
When someone lets you down,
When someone lies to you,
When someone takes from you,
When someone disappoints you,
Remember,
Nothing someone else does entitles us to treat them any way but as someone made in God’s image.
We owe it to God to treat people made in His image with a certain amount of intrinsic respect and dignity.
We may not like the things other image bearers do or say to us, but those things do not justify our disrespect, hatred, or vengeance against them.
I wonder if the angels in Heaven had to be restrained from breaking out to Jesus’ defense when He
Was scourged
Was mocked
Was beaten
Was spit on
Was nailed to the cross.
How hard it must have been for them to stand by helpless as they witnessed their Creator and God being humiliated by the same evil sinners He came to save.
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53 ESV).
I am in the Psalms for my daily Bible reading. There are so many things I could focus on, each worthy of observation and meditation.
But in my reading this morning, the 44th Psalm hit me and caused me to meditate more on its words.
It talks about God coming to our aid. It reminds us we have to look no further than God to find our salvation, our help, and our deliverance.
Listen to how the sons of Korah puts it:
“for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.
You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob!” (Psalm 44:3-4 ESV).
How much wasted time do we spend looking in the wrong direction for answers instead of looking to our sovereign King, who is the One who can actually provide the deliverance we are longing for?
Remember.
This is a theme in my daily Bible reading in Psalms. In fact, it’s a theme throughout the Bible.
“Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.” (Psalm 74:2 ESV).
What is it about calling on God to remember that the Spirit wishes us to see over and over from God’s people?
In fact, the Spirit seems to go out of His way to make sure we understand that God remembers…
“Then God remembered Noah” (Gen 8:1).
“God remembered Abraham” (Gen 19:29).
“God remembered Rachel” (Gen 30:22).
“The Lord remembered Hannah” (1 Sam 1:19).
Does God have senior moments? Is there a risk God may forget and we may slip through the cracks?
No. God never forgets. “Remember” in the Bible when related to God is to express concern or for us to verbalize our needs to God.
It is not a bad thing to ask God to remember us. It is a very Biblical thing. It is an avenue for our heart to communicate to God when we are in great need.
When was the last time we asked God to remember?
Let us examine our hearts and motives as we prepare to join in with brothers and sisters around the world in worshipping our King and remembering His sacrifice on the cross for us.
While we can edify each other during worship, the object of our worship is our God only and not to satisfy our own self-righteousness.
Here is an excerpt of my book, The Sovereignty of God. It illustrates the amazing supremacy of our Creator.
But to the rest of nature, God’s limits are readily seen. In Genesis 1:4-5, God set the boundaries of light and darkness; in Genesis 1:6-8, God set the boundaries of the atmosphere and space over the atmosphere; in Genesis 1:9-10, God sets the boundaries between the earth and dry land (Proverbs 8:29 says that God set the boundaries of the seas at this time as well); in Genesis 1:14-19, God set the boundaries of the sun, moon, and stars as well as the seasons.
Unless God instructs differently, the creation will obey the boundaries set by their Creator. They do so because they were made to do so. God’s control over His creation is so precise that He causes everything to work in perfect unison through His creative will. The sun, though violent and inhospitable to life, will never destroy the earth because God has decreed it to serve the earth and His creation upon the earth. It will never spiral beyond God’s control or purpose.
How supreme is God’s sovereignty over His creation? Consider that the largest star we know of in the universe has a radius 1700 times greater than the radius of our sun and our sun has a radius of 109 times greater than the radius of the earth. We are talking about things so big that we can hardly wrap our finite minds around them. And the nonprofit news organization, The Conversation, estimates that there are 200 billion trillion stars in the universe. I have no clue how big that number is, but when you write it out, it looks like this: 200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. I still have no clue how big that number is. To help feeble minds like mine, The Conversation says the number of stars in the universe is ten times the number of cups of water in all the oceans.
Okay, so it must be a supremely sovereign God who can speak this massive number of stars into existence, not to mention the planets, moons, and asteroids that orbit each of them, correct? It’s not just in God’s creative power that we witness His sovereignty but in His intimate knowledge of His creation that we also see His sovereignty.
“He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.” (Psalm 147:4 ESV).
We struggle to find names for our children, don’t we? Yet God knows every one of the stars He made, and He has given each of them names, all 200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000+ of them. But that’s not all:
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7 ESV).
Jesus, who is God the creator, tells us that He knows every sparrow He has created, and He even knows every single strand of hair on every person He has ever created. I have no clue how many billions of souls God has created since Adam and Eve, but His infinite mind knows every hair strand that He created on each of them.
My point in saying all this is that when we speak of God’s sovereignty, we speak of things we can hardly wrap our minds around. God is so far above and beyond us that our finite minds will never be able to understand His infinite nature fully. And this observation alone should be enough for us to acknowledge and submit to His sovereignty.
But there’s more…
I am in Psalm in my daily Bible reading. In the 81st Psalm, we see the consternation and resignation of God when His people refused to listen to Him.
“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!” (Psalm 81:11-13 ESV).
Are we listening to God’s voice? Are we submitting to our great and righteous King seated on a throne next to the Ancient of Days?
Or will God give us over to our stubborn hearts because we walk in our own way? Do we serve Him on our terms and not His?
Do we follow our own council and substitute our own commandment as His doctrine, making our worship vain?
I pray we would all walk in His ways and that He will never give us over to our own stubbornness.
History repeats itself. Psalms tells us there was a time when Israel became so wicked that they aligned against God, even by statute, or law.
“Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute?
They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.” (Psalm 94:20-22 ESV).
Jesus came in the first century when statutes were aligned to God and people did not have any inclination toward God.
Our nation is moving closer to be a society like it was in the first century, even in our statutes.
Perhaps the time is coming when His people today will have more in common with His people in the first century because we live in an increasingly pagan world.
But no matter how bad it gets, even when statutes are framed against God and His people, our God is our Stronghold and the Rock of our Refuge.