by Eric Ludy

I got two emails this past week that touched on the simple issue of anonymous Christianity.  Oh, neither of the emails were about being anonymous, but rather, they were uniquely crafted to remind me of the importance of it.  For those of you familiar with our site, you know that we have produced a pile of videos to go along with it.  The production of these videos has been a team effort – and for that matter, an anonymous team effort.  Ben Davenport, for instance, was greatly responsible for putting together the video footage that accompanied the “Run” video and the “Come” video. Annie Wesche supplied all the photography for the “Go” video as well as the production talent to make it happen. Nathan Johnson was solely responsible for producing the deeply moving “A Call to Anguish” video, as well as “The Judgment Seat of Christ.”  Meggan Murkli has worked behind the scenes writing scripts for many of the Bravehearted Thots, and up until this moment, none of these people has even been recognized for their labors.  That’s the way they want it and, to be quite frank, their willingness to remain hidden is just normal Christianity.  The work of a Christian is not always anonymous, however, it is more than willing to remain unknown and unapplauded for its efforts. 

That said, there is an itch within the soul of men to be recognized for the work we do.  It’s not a Christ itch, but rather, it’s a flesh itch.  And forgoing the scratching of that “itch” in order to remain unseen and unapplauded can be one of the most difficult tests the human soul can face.

Now I mentioned that I received two emails this past week.  Ironically, they both had to do with the videos that our anonymous video production crew has produced.  The first email was a bulk email from Tangle (the old God-Tube) announcing a soul-stirring video that they were featuring.  Well, it was the “Run” video from our site.  Somehow someone had acquired the video and posted it on Tangle.  The video has proven very successful on Tangle, ranking as the top video of the entire month on their site.  But, here’s where the itch comes in.  There was no mention of our team, or the fact that they were the ones that gave birth to that project.  There was no mention of all the many hours of hard labor that went into producing it, or of the trials that Ben went through in accessing much of that video footage.  In all fairness, at the very conclusion of the video the website address flashes up onto the screen and we have had a significant increase in our website traffic due to it’s success.  But why is it that there is an itch?  Why does anyone ever feel the need to be recognized?  Isn’t it enough to know that people are being edified by our Gospel efforts?

The second email came in from one of our alumni.  She had been deeply stirred by a certain video that she had seen on YouTube and she was highly recommending it to me.  Well, the video was “A Call to Anguish” that had been produced by Nathan Johnson, one of our anonymous team members.  This video had been copied onto someone else’s YouTube channel and had become extremely popular through their marketing.  But, ironically, even one of our alumni didn’t realize that it was our team behind it.  Again, there was an itch. 

I have a hunch that each of you reading this is familiar with this age-old diabolical itch.  The question must be asked of us, “Are we in this for our own glory or for the glory of our King?”  Christianity is not Christianity is we give sway to the itch and start scratching.  Because with every scratch, the person of Christ is removed further from view and we (the ones supposed to be hidden in Christ) are suddenly all that is visible. 

To be honest, I’m thrilled that the work of our anonymous video production team is spreading far and wide.  In fact, the more hidden our team is, the more rich the spiritual reward. 

On that note, I’d like to share a short essay that I read when I was in missionary training school seventeen years ago.  These words have greatly altered my life and my perception of a life hidden in Christ.  Brace yourself, these words may change you forever.

 

Other’s May You Cannot

By G.D. Watson

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;

yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I

live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

If God has called you to be really like Christ in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility and put on you such demands of obedience, that He will not allow you to follow other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others can brag on themselves, and their work, on their success, on their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all you good works.

The Lord will let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hid away in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice fragrant fruit for His glory, which can be produced only in the shade.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making money, but it is likely God will keep you poor because he wants you to have something far better than gold and that is a helpless dependence on Him; that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day - out of an unseen treasury.

God will let others be great, but He will keep you small. He will let others do a great work for Him and get credit for it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work you have done, and this will make your reward ten times greater when He comes.

The Holy Spirit will put strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do what He pleases with His own, and He will not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealing with you. He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and let other people say and do many things that you cannot do or say.

Settle it forever, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that others are not dealt with.

Now, when you are so possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this particular personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven. 

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