Favor with Man is essential to growing your ministry. Without developing it, the ministry will be a lot harder, if not impossible. Some say that they only need God. However, I have yet to find someone successful in ministry who does not favor man.
Favor with Man Pleases God
Before the Father said that He was pleased with His Son:
LUKE 3:22 AND THE HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDED IN BODILY FORM LIKE A DOVE UPON HIM, AND A VOICE CAME FROM HEAVEN WHICH SAID, “YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON; IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.”
Jesus was already growing in favor with man:
LUKE 2:52 AND JESUS INCREASED IN WISDOM AND STATURE, AND IN FAVOR WITH GOD AND MEN.
God saw Jesus growing in favor with people as a good thing.
Wisdom is the Cornerstone to Growing in Favor We have just seen that Jesus increased in wisdom, and as a result, grew in favor with God and man. By looking a little about wisdom, we find the following truths:
Wisdom Promotes:
PROVERBS 4:5-8 GET WISDOM! GET UNDERSTANDING! DO NOT FORGET, NOR TURN AWAY FROM THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH. DO NOT FORSAKE HER, AND SHE WILL PRESERVE YOU; LOVE HER, AND SHE WILL KEEP YOU. WISDOM IS THE PRINCIPAL THING; THEREFORE, GET WISDOM. AND IN ALL YOUR GETTING, GET UNDERSTANDING. EXALT HER, AND SHE WILL PROMOTE YOU; SHE WILL BRING YOU HONOR, WHEN YOU EMBRACE HER.
Wisdom Brings Influential People
1 KINGS 4:29-34 AND GOD GAVE SOLOMON WISDOM AND EXCEEDINGLY GREAT UNDERSTANDING, AND LARGENESS OF HEART LIKE THE SAND ON THE SEASHORE. THUS SOLOMON’S WISDOM EXCELLED THE WISDOM OF ALL THE MEN OF THE EAST AND ALL THE WISDOM OF EGYPT. … HE SPOKE THREE THOUSAND PROVERBS, AND HIS SONGS WERE ONE THOUSAND AND FIVE. ALSO HE SPOKE OF TREES, FROM THE CEDAR TREE OF LEBANON EVEN TO THE HYSSOP THAT SPRINGS OUT OF THE WALL; HE SPOKE ALSO OF ANIMALS, OF BIRDS, OF CREEPING THINGS, AND OF FISH. AND MEN OF ALL NATIONS, FROM ALL THE KINGS OF THE EARTH WHO HAD HEARD OF HIS WISDOM, CAME TO HEAR THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON.
Wisdom in the Following:
Operation of the gifts.
delivery of the word of God,
your private life,
everyday communication
finances,
Church leadership.
Grace Brings Favor
Each of us has motivational, natural and spiritual gifts. The Bible teaches these will bring us before great men.
A MAN’S GIFT MAKES ROOM FOR HIM AND BRINGS HIM BEFORE GREAT MEN.
Meekness will Grow Favor with Man.
Inheriting the earth means the things of this world. Humans and the riches they produce are of this world, and God wants you to inherit these things.
MATTHEW 5:5 BLESSED ARE THE MEEK, FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.
Meekness may seem to be the opposite of the experience. However, there are two things here.
Firstly it comes from a misunderstanding of what meekness is. Meekness is “restrained strength”.
Secondly, meekness may not have short-term evidence, but will do long term. International Corporations find out that there needs to be servant-leadership at the top to succeed.
Honor Grows Favor with Man If you honor someone you will receive favor (reward).
MATTHEW 10:41 HE WHO RECEIVES A PROPHET IN THE NAME OF A PROPHET SHALL RECEIVE A PROPHET’S REWARD. AND HE WHO RECEIVES A RIGHTEOUS MAN IN THE NAME OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL RECEIVE A RIGHTEOUS MAN’S REWARD.
Excellence will Grow the Favor of Man
Daniel ended up being third in the kingdom because he had a spirit of excellence.
DANIEL 5:12 INASMUCH AS AN EXCELLENT SPIRIT, KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING, INTERPRETING DREAMS, SOLVING RIDDLES, AND EXPLAINING ENIGMAS WERE FOUND IN THIS DANIEL, WHOM THE KING NAMED BELTESHAZZAR, NOW LET DANIEL BE CALLED, AND HE WILL GIVE THE INTERPRETATION.”
A spirit of excellence is different from perfectionism. Perfectionism demands nothing is wrong. Excellence understands that not everything will be exactly right but keeps loving people to get the best result.
Knowledge and Understanding will Grow Favor with Man
Daniel also excelled in knowledge and understanding. These were just as important as excellence in being noticed by the king of Babylon.
DANIEL 5:12 INASMUCH AS AN EXCELLENT SPIRIT, KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING, INTERPRETING DREAMS, SOLVING RIDDLES, AND EXPLAINING ENIGMAS WERE FOUND IN THIS DANIEL, WHOM THE KING NAMED BELTESHAZZAR, NOW LET DANIEL BE CALLED, AND HE WILL GIVE THE INTERPRETATION.”
We see Peter proclaimed the same:
2 PETER 1:5-8 BUT ALSO FOR THIS VERY REASON, GIVING ALL DILIGENCE, ADD TO YOUR FAITH VIRTUE, TO VIRTUE KNOWLEDGE, TO KNOWLEDGE SELF-CONTROL, TO SELF[1]CONTROL PERSEVERANCE, TO PERSEVERANCE GODLINESS, TO GODLINESS BROTHERLY KINDNESS, AND TO BROTHERLY KINDNESS LOVE. FOR IF THESE THINGS ARE YOURS AND ABOUND, YOU WILL BE NEITHER BARREN NOR UNFRUITFUL IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
People often get offended by new truths because we weigh the first things taught us more favorably. Yet here, Peter tells us we need to develop our knowledge. I look for hunger in knowledge and understanding for those I choose to step up to more responsibility in
Teachableness will Grow Favour with Man
Teachableness in character is possibly the most important after wisdom. I look for teachableness in a person that I want to promote. I do not look for someone who has it all together. Teachableness is easily measurable as it doesn’t take a long time to see if they are teachable or not.
ESTHER 2:15-16 NOW WHEN THE TURN CAME FOR ESTHER THE DAUGHTER OF ABIHAIL THE UNCLE OF MORDECAI, WHO HAD TAKEN HER AS HIS DAUGHTER, TO GO IN TO THE KING, SHE REQUESTED NOTHING BUT WHAT HEGAI THE KING’S EUNUCH, THE CUSTODIAN OF THE WOMEN, ADVISED. AND ESTHER OBTAINED FAVOR IN THE SIGHT OF ALL WHO SAW HER. SO ESTHER WAS TAKEN TO KING AHASUERUS, INTO HIS ROYAL PALACE, IN THE TENTH MONTH, WHICH IS THE MONTH OF TEBETH, IN THE SEVENTH YEAR OF HIS REIGN.
I look for people who are faithful in character, much more than their gift:
2 TIMOTHY 2:2 AND THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE HEARD FROM ME AMONG MANY WITNESSES, COMMIT THESE TO FAITHFUL MEN WHO WILL BE ABLE TO TEACH OTHERS ALSO.