Few people would probably argue that Jesus Christ was a successful man. And Christians would fully agree that he is the most successful man for all time. But very few realize his radical success story. In fact, it is doubtful if many, even christians and ministers, would like being as successful as he was. This is his radical success story: how to gain success through weakness.

Few would want to be born in a musty, smelly manger where cattles were kept and fed, and where they probably defecated. Few parents would want their child born in such place. But Jesus "chose" to be born thus. This was necessary for his success. The aim here was to show people how to gain success through individual weaknesses turned into strength. Nothing is as revolutionary as this radical success story.

Jesus would-be parents were to be poor folks: the father was to be a furniture carpenter, and the mother a plain house wife. God chose to have Jesus grow up familiar with poverty and sufferings. This familiarity was vital for a God-authored radical success story people should follow to be truly successful. Jesus said true believers should do exactly as he did.

We Should be Financially Poor?

The idea was not to have Jesus followers financially poor; it was to see the wisdom of being poor in spirit. Jesus' first Sermon on the Mount teaching on how to gain success in God's eyes is, be poor in spirit. This makes you a total winner--"God's Kingdom will be yours." He didn't just teach this; he exemplified it daily. He was poor in spirit. He shunned materialism, societal recognition and acceptance (even religious or "church" position), and luxury. Yet, he was never in need of money. He even had more than enough to share. He was never financially destitute. Here is a key on how to gain success through weakness which many fail to see.

Poor in Spirit

A preferential option for what is simple, meek and lowly. This is being poor in spirit. Let's call this the Jesus Life. According to Jesus, this is what makes for a radical success story. The Jesus Life, though a seemingly inconsequential and failure-prone lifestyle, is really so powerful that individual weaknesses turned into strength can be an ordinary daily thing.

But few today would want this powerful life that could usher anyone in the narrow door of true success. Even so many "Christian" ministers seem to abhor it. They preach about it and do lots of gimmickry on it, yet reject it. Just how radical is this radical success story that some church leaders and even demons fear it so much?

Success Requisites

Sound business principles will tell you to keep enough and share enough. The same is true with lots of churches. But not Jesus.To him, true success in business is to give everything away and forget about them! You give away everything, not because it will reap a harvest later, but because you simply want to please Jesus.

Wait a minute--was Jesus a businessman? Well, many of his teachings were on financial investment. And in a sense, many churches also exist to earn money like banks and businesses do. Jesus said, if you cannot be entrusted with another's money, who will entrust you with true riches? That's stewardship of money.

For certain, when people hear about such money stewardship, they readily equate it to making investments grow by keeping enough money and deciding wisely on how to use it. That's how the world would do it. Not Jesus. To him, how to gain success in this area is to give everything away, keeping nothing. His idea was that selling everything and giving to the poor would keep your heavenly treasuries full, and the return of investment (ROI) cannot be threatened by any unexpected downfall. According to the radical success story he was mitigating for, this is wise investment.This is how to gain success through weakness.

Don't be Too Literal about Jesus

Well, some may say what ROI Jesus was talking about pertained only to spiritual blessings. This cannot be applied to actual earthly businesses or you'd quickly go bankrupt. No wonder even churches do not take the Beatitudes and other Jesus teachings seriously, except with lip service. They fear bankruptcy.

But Jesus did mean material blessings, not just spiritual. He said if we truly believed his principles and applied them in real life, all material things shall be added to us. That's clearly material ROI.

Again, some would say, okay, that's quite an interesting saying (and sounds very ridiculous, too). Is there any proof it works?

Material Proof

There was a boy who decided to invest on what Jesus said. And we're talking of material investment and ROI here, not spiritual. All he had were several bread loaves and some fish. He gave them all away for Jesus. He kept nothing for himself. It was not out of curiosity--to see if what Jesus said would really work--or out of anticipating a later bountiful harvest that he did this. It was mere delight in the Master Investor.

Just minutes after (talk about immediate ROI), the investment produced several basketful of bread and fish. And the thing was replicated in another situation.

The story (and other Jesus radical success story types) is quite entertaining and taught in many churches, but very few people seriously do it. I haven't seen any church (so far) seriously do it on a consistent basis. Some try it somewhat to gain promotional mileage.

There was a rich guy named Zacchaeus who tried giving half of his riches away to people for Jesus. He was given a picture of happiness by the bible, and that to him was more than what any earthly ROI could offer.And that was just giving away half. What if he gave away all?

Any Picture of Weakness is Fearful

People want to be strong and powerful because they fear being weak. They translate strength and power in terms of how much money is in their bank accounts. Even churches do this. They scramble to get and keep a lot, not realizing the more they keep, the weaker they actual become. Because real success and power is made perfect in what people deem as weakness. According to God in the bible, when you are weak, then you are strong. Emptying yourself is the moment you begin to really possess all things. Grabbing everything is the moment you become a real failure. With the Jesus Life, individual weaknesses turned into strength is easy and a given. With a non-Jesus life, strength is easily turned into weakness.

Practical Application

Do you think you have a lot of weaknesses? Do you think you can never measure up? Then you have what it takes to be really successful. In God's eyes, you are the man or woman of the hour. If you learn how to empty yourself more to be filled with God, true success is just around the corner, waiting for you.

Are you belittled by your neighbors? Do people dump blames on you? Do they tell you you'd amount to nothing? Do you see yourself as a total failure? Do you have financial woes?

Try the Jesus Life. You might be another radical success story in the making.