Top down? Bottom up? What have you seen about how God does his work?
By Dean Collins
I can understand how there might be confusion around whether God’s plan is a top-down or bottom-up strategy, especially for this moment in his grand plan. There’s probably a good book to be written on this topic for church leaders and for those who lead faith-based initiatives. I suspect that after quoting lots of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, the answer would be it’s actually both.
Top down
Yes, it started top down. The God of the universe spoke into the darkness and said let there be light, and it flowed from there. The only action we know that was prerequisite to God speaking was that he was the Spirit hovering over the waters. The earth was without form or shape, but God was there and he spoke. Hovering above and speaking life into existence is assuredly top down.
Fast forward through the early years, Noah, Abraham, Moses and the exodus, the kings and prophets, the silence between testaments until we meet a humble servant teenager. And there the Most High overshadowed the one who would be the vessel to bear a baby whose earthly family could secure only a humble manger for this sacred moment. Again, the God of the universe acted from on high.
Bottom up
As we follow Jesus through his life and ministry on earth, the strategy becomes bottom up. Jesus called his followers to be humble as a child. It was Jesus who said the first will be last and the last first. It was Jesus who taught his disciples that if greatness is what you seek, then learn to be a servant of all. And Paul later recorded in Philippians that it was Jesus who didn’t count equality with God as something that could even be grasped, so he emptied himself, took on the life of a servant, and humbled himself by dying on a cross for the sins of humanity. The top down became the bottom-up strategy.
This humble service is to be embraced by all who bear his name and identify with Jesus. And as his servants, we are called to serve. We are not called to lord it over anyone but rather to serve them. And as we join our servant leader, we continue his strategy that culminates in his return. We await the Holy One of God to come from on high back to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, and here he will restore all things.
First things first
When Paul instructed Timothy whom he mentored, trained, and discipled, he gave him a first-things-first instruction. Before Timothy was to lead as a pastor, missionary, and kingdom leader, he was “first of all urged to pray.…” Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving were to be the content of his prayers and ours as well. And Timothy was to pray for all people, but Paul instructs his disciple to start with those in high positions. Pray for the kings and others of prominence. There is no distinction between praying for the good ones but not the bad ones. History records there weren’t actually many good kings (especially when considering their behavior and attitude toward Christians), yet Timothy was told to pray for whoever was on the throne.
Our success can happen only when we tap into the power that still and only comes from on high. Just a few verses ahead of today’s passage (1 Timothy 1:17), Paul broke into prayer in the middle of his opening thoughts. Timothy must follow suit. We must do the same. First things first means pray before action. It also means pray for others, those in high places all the way down to the least. The King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, is ready to act on our behalf when we do first things first. Top-down authority and power is available to us, the servants below, so that the God above would receive glory and honor forever as we do what he called us to do.
Your time with God’s Word
1 Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 1:35-38; 2:6-7; Philippians 2:6-8 ESV
Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash
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