Sometimes the Spirit does the unexpected–requiring no intentional planning on behalf of the Church. Sometimes the Spirit works through our God-given wisdom as Kingdom stewards–requiring intentional planning on behalf of the Church.
We must hold to both approaches, keeping them in tandem and remaining at peace. But which one comes first in the tandem?
If you are Spirit-filled and have God-given wisdom, then always default to applying what you already have received and make those plans. Don’t sit around waiting. This is the foolishness of the one who would advocate, “Sit down young man. If the Lord wants the heathen saved, then he’ll do it without you or me!”
The birth of the Church in Philippi was a surprise. But it was in the planning and attempting to go into Asia Minor and Bithynia that the unexpected happened (Acts 16:6-7). And we should be grateful for the unexpected.
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I addressed the decline in the numbers in the Southern Baptist Convention on last week’s episode of Strike the Match. Check it out on episode 14: iTunes | Android | RSS
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