I was sent a powerful quote last week by R.T. Kendall, former pastor of Westminster Chapel in London.
He writes this in his book, "The anointing," and I quote: "The greatest opposition to what God is doing today comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday."
Wow.
Is that correct...and why?
I would say, yes, it's been my experince that many times those who stand in direction opposition to what God is doing today, were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday.
It's ironic that those who stood strong in the face of opposition to the way God moved in the past are the very ones who dig in their heels to how God is moving in the present.
But why?
Wow...what do you think?
Is it because the memories of God's moving in a certain way are so precious to us that we long to keep those memories alive?
Is it because in the midst of God's moving in our lives in the past, it sparked a very natural human emotional response and we long for that same kind of response?
I know that music is powerful. I can hear a song on the radio, and most of the time give you a story about a time when that song was very meaningful in my life.
Some tunes bring back great memories of when Debbie and I first dated.
Some tunes bring back memories of high school.
Well, you get the idea.
And some Christian tunes bring back memories of a time when God worked in my life in the past.
So, is there a possiblity that we begin to rely, not on what God is doing in our lives in the present, but on the emotional memories that we have of what God did in the past, and the songs that bring that to mind?
My prayer is that I will continually, until the day I physically die, be open to what God desires to do in my life and in the lives of those around me in the present.
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2 comments:
Awesome thoughts George. My prayer is also to continually be open to what God has for me to do even if it is something I'm not comfortable doing. I want to be relevant to both young and old alike so that I can effectly share the love of Jesus with anyone I come in contact with.
I have no idea why people live in the past. I guess if life treated them unfairly it is hard for them to move on, especially when they don't know Jesus intimately. But if things were so great in the past why don’t those individuals help make the present better than it was before? There are so many in the church today who I have never seen in ministry and frankly, didn’t know they were or are Christians. I don’t assume because someone comes to church every Sunday for the last 40 years they are saved. Rick’s parents were examples to not assume this. Living in the past though really bugs me. Don’t all people change something throughout the years whether it is hair styles, clothes to match the times, their cars, upgrade their home, etc. And yet when we say let's change how we do things in the church it is often assumed the church isn’t following God or desiring that people know Christ more intimately. Quite the contrary. When I see my church changing, redirecting, moving differently then the past, I praise God that leadership is strong enough to listen to God, not man. God is not stuck in the mud and I don’t want to be either, and I don’t want my church stuck in the mud. I want it relevant for today, for today’s children, and for generations to come. What was relevant 5 years ago isn’t relevant today and especially what was 30 years ago. And, even ministries five years ago need to be discarded to remain relevant to reaching communities. I want to be a church with relevance.
Living in the past are memories that often stir up feelings and emotions that make me feel good, but God moving 25 years ago will not help me today. I need a refreshing, renewing from Him today and however He chooses to do that, I want to always remain open to change. Voicing disagreement is fine and a good leader will always be opened to being challenged, but I also expect to be challenged by a good leader as well. God is constantly challenging me so why should the church be any different than any other organization or spiritual entity?
The Bible says it all, “by their fruits you will know them.” We will know who are the sheep and who are not. It’s not judging, the Word says we will know. Why do those that bare fruit bring excitement and vision to what God is doing today? Because they know and listen to their Shepherd. It’s pretty simple.
I pray I always have fruit that is fresh and vibrant, but I can’t be fresh from past experiences or ministries. I also know frp, experience the more I complain and grip, the more bitter I become. And complaining about what was and isn’t is exactly what the devil desires in the church. I love what the speaker said in the youth service a few Sunday nights ago. He said we must stop looking through our eyes, seeing what we want to see, especially in the church. We must look through the lens of Jesus and see what He sees. And I know when I do I see things in my church that are alive, thriving, growing, and truly moving in the direction God is calling all of us and I rest in doing what He asked me to do and leave the rest up to Him. With everything, God desires repentance and restoration…what a force a Godly unified church is to the communities they serve. But, we can only get there through change, because I serve a God who creates all things and uses all things for His glory and purpose. He can use the past, the present, and the future to do anything He chooses and I want to be open to it all, especially when it doesn’t make sense to me. From experience, God never seems to make sense why things are happening in my own life and it’s know different in the church, but I know it’s all good that is coming because he is always faithful and His plans are PERFECT. We live in exciting times.
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