If we look back at the way things were in the beginning, many times we are so exposed – we need to be recovered back to God’s original intention and His original way of doing things.
We have been spoiled through years and centuries of human religion and tradition, and even our reading and our interpretation of the Holy Scriptures has been somewhat twisted and warped.
The early believers did not hold “councils” and “conferences” to see where to send “missionaries” or “apostles” – the only “council/conference” in the book of Acts was in Acts 15, where the brothers in Jerusalem got together to solve a certain situation / issue.
And the only mention of “sending out” people for gospel-preaching was in Antioch in Acts 13, where we see that the brothers were before the Lord fasting and praying, and the Holy Spirit initiated something.
Even the initiation of the work for the Lord has to come from the Spirit. We just avail ourselves, we are ready and make ourselves available through much and thorough prayer, and then the Spirit – in His own time and in His own way – initiates something with the people He has set aside for this!
I just realized this morning in my time with the Lord that I am so used to just taking decisions on my own, being independent from the Lord, not involving Him in all the small and big decisions I am making.
Even in working for the Lord, there is the tendency to just do what you think it would be good for the Lord / the saints – without an adequate time of prayer and being before the Lord to wait on Him and be sent by Him.
The Lord is the Master, He is the Lord of the harvest, and He initiates, He sends, He carries out the work, and He gets the glory. We are the Lord’s slaves, and He is our Master – we need to honor Him.
Don’t just make decisions – go to the Lord and pray, wait on Him, enjoy Him in His Word, so that you would get His speaking and His feeling on the matter. I was especially encouraged by this prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my Master. I am neither qualified nor do I have the position and the authority to make decisions or give orders to others. Lord, I am waiting on You. I want to know Your will and Your heart. Lord, I want to know what You want me to do and what You want my fellow workers to do. Lord, we enquire of You what You want the churches to do.
How much we need to be recovered to the way God wants us to be – both in our personal life (personal decisions) and in our corporate life (our living together with the saints and working with the saints together for the Lord).
We mainly need to be open to Him, enjoy Him, and allow Him to lead us and even do the work He wants to do – in us and through us. This is to abide in the organic union with the Lord at any time, doing nothing apart from Him, but allowing the Holy Spirit to take the lead in whatever we do…
A true submissive slave of Jesus Christ wrote a hymn:
Consecrated is Thy temple,
Purged from every stain and sin;
May Thy flame of glory now be
Manifested from within.
Let the earth in solemn wonder
See my body willingly
Offered as Thy slave obedient,
Energized alone by Thee.
Every moment, every member,
Girded, waiting Thy command;
Underneath the yoke to labor
Or be laid aside as planned.
When restricted in pursuing,
No disquiet will beset;
Underneath Thy faithful dealing
Not a murmur or regret.