It has always been my intention to live a great life. I have read the biographies of our treasured saints, great men like John Wesley, Charles Finney, Smith Wigglesworth and I have desired to leave my own mark on Christian history in such a way as these. I have longed to build something that is of worth with my life, something that others will look in at and see greatness. For such a long time I have desired to live a memorable life, one that is full and abundant, one that is exciting and adventurous, one that is full of spiritual encounters and experience. And to this end I have looked to create this life for myself. I have put myself in the way of things, deliberately seeking the opportunity to be great.
But now I see that my Christian life has been my Christian career. Opportunities to be great become opportunities to look great. A life of memories becomes a showcase for the gullible. A life of adventure and encounter becomes forgotten and redundant unless shared with those who will listen. I am a chaser of celebrity.
This revelation comes as the gentle breeze of the Spirit dispels the mists of my mind. He blew a true apostle of Jesus into my life and I can think clearly now the reins have gone, my thoughts having formerly been captivated by career and focussed on achievement.
Janaki Mennai met Jesus in a vision as she lay dying. Her prayers to other Gods had fallen on deaf ears and Jesus called her to come and know His love and to work for Him. She was miraculously healed and 10 years later stands great amongst men. She is the founder and director of Faith In Action Ministries (FIAM) in Andrah Pradesh, India. This great christian woman has planted over 60 churches in rural villages, founded 2 schools, supplied many villages with bore hole wells, developed ministry to local prisoners, planted a church in the middle of a leper colony, developed and run vocational training courses for young women, founded an orphanage, fed the widows and children of her village, trained pastors and church leaders over the whole region, seen thousands come to Christ in gospel crusades and street evangelism, run medical provision camps for the poor, fed and clothed the needy, among other things.
Janaki is a great woman but she is not great for doing all this worthy work. She is great for just one reason, the same reason that Jesus was great. Janaki only does what she sees the Father doing.
Martin Scott says that if Jesus had written a book it would have contained those 8 words. “Only do what you see the Father do.”
Jesus’ true greatness lies not merely in His divinity or perfect humanity but His willingness to do only that which he saw Father do. This was revealed in the garden as he sweated blood to say “Not my will but yours.”
I have done so many things to get further in my Christian career. I have got busy for God, led home groups, prayed very long and very loud (only when people were watching), preached sermons, gave seminars, done missions and led worship; all really because I thought that to be great was to appear great. How many of those things did I do because I first saw Father do them? My quest for greatness seen in the light of this paradigm is a quest for the praise of men rather than submission to the Lord.
But I have met someone who is submitted to this way. I have met someone great. And she is someone who is humble and meek, she is gentle and kind, pure and loving. Janaki Mennai only does what she sees the Father doing, and what she sees is a Father who loves people, a Father who feeds people and clothes them, who visits them in prison and provides for them. Being with Janaki is like being with Jesus. I saw Jesus in her and I saw in her great life what my Father is doing.
