Day 56 - True Authority
Yesterday we had a discussion about our speaker 2 days ago. This speaker was challenging whether you could discern God's will by 'having a peace about it'. He was making a point about the difference between peace/comfort and God's peace. But in his delivery of that message it sounded like he was saying you can never make a decision based on whether or not you have a peace about it. I believe our discussion did reveal how to rightly go about discerning God's will and the role that peace had in it.
Today when the speaker began his talk he said, 'I got an impression to bring up this passage briefly, Phil 4:7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We need to seek God in all things and allow his peace to guide us. And this peace may lead you into places that aren't comfortable or safe... but you will know a peace that is beyond comfort or security." My cousin and I looked at each other and laughed because it seemed like the Lord was chiming in on our discussion.
But that wasn't his planned talk. This guy reminded me of a young Dave Johnson. I was very impressed. He is 26 years old, a Pastor's kid and he leads a chuch called Blueprint in Wellington. His church would be considered an emerging church but his philosophy of authority and leadership would contrast with many emerging churches.
His main point was that we need to lead under the authority of our spiritual fathers. He used 1 Samuel 2 and Hophni and Phinehas as an example of people who left their spiritual father (physical father in this case) and therefore rejected the legacy and inheritance of their father. THEREFORE, they rejected the PRESENCE OF GOD (which is the inheritance)!
True leadership seeks not only the purposes of God but the presence of God. And this leadership is found in being under the authority of the fathers that have gone before us. Maybe we don't adopt their form of ministry but we do adopt their function in carrying the presence of God.
One quote of his that I loved was 'The ceiling of our Fathers is to be the floor that we stand on.'
This follows that true leadership is being fathered and then fathering others in return. We have people above us and people below us - spiritually. There should be no such thing as 'lone rangers' in ministry.
Afterwards Rob and I continued our work on the website for No Longer Music - its taking a long time! Then Nate (a musician from Minneapolis) came over and we planned the worship for our 5 hour prayer meeting tomorrow night - it's gonna be good!!
Seeking God day tomorrow!!
Today when the speaker began his talk he said, 'I got an impression to bring up this passage briefly, Phil 4:7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We need to seek God in all things and allow his peace to guide us. And this peace may lead you into places that aren't comfortable or safe... but you will know a peace that is beyond comfort or security." My cousin and I looked at each other and laughed because it seemed like the Lord was chiming in on our discussion.
But that wasn't his planned talk. This guy reminded me of a young Dave Johnson. I was very impressed. He is 26 years old, a Pastor's kid and he leads a chuch called Blueprint in Wellington. His church would be considered an emerging church but his philosophy of authority and leadership would contrast with many emerging churches.
His main point was that we need to lead under the authority of our spiritual fathers. He used 1 Samuel 2 and Hophni and Phinehas as an example of people who left their spiritual father (physical father in this case) and therefore rejected the legacy and inheritance of their father. THEREFORE, they rejected the PRESENCE OF GOD (which is the inheritance)!
True leadership seeks not only the purposes of God but the presence of God. And this leadership is found in being under the authority of the fathers that have gone before us. Maybe we don't adopt their form of ministry but we do adopt their function in carrying the presence of God.
One quote of his that I loved was 'The ceiling of our Fathers is to be the floor that we stand on.'
This follows that true leadership is being fathered and then fathering others in return. We have people above us and people below us - spiritually. There should be no such thing as 'lone rangers' in ministry.
Afterwards Rob and I continued our work on the website for No Longer Music - its taking a long time! Then Nate (a musician from Minneapolis) came over and we planned the worship for our 5 hour prayer meeting tomorrow night - it's gonna be good!!
Seeking God day tomorrow!!
posted by Peterzog at 11:55 AM
5 Comments:
I agree that there should be no "lone rangers" in ministry. As a person who leans towards Open Theism, though, I am not big on discerning God's will. I'm not sure God has a meticulous will to discern. He certainly has a general will, but that "will" is made fairly clear in scripture - no discernment necessary. We have to discern between right and wrong, good and evil. But I've never been one to try to discern God's moment-by-moment will.
But maybe I should. Hmmm....
While I also lean towards Open Theism I don't think that means that God is totally unconcerned with the meticulous. I think there are times when God does have a specific direction for you to go and there are times when your decision will not have an impact on his 'general' will for your life. Therefore I believe we need to seek God in all things and then discern when he is calling you to wait on Him or when He wants you to make the decision.
Peter, Check your e mail or voice mail. I have questions to be answered, pleeease! Interesting discussion here recently. Can't wait to have you back and talk. Laurie
I sympathize with both Dan and Peter. I think it is easy to draw out an abstract theology of a 'general will' and not mess with moment by moment seeking of God. That is what I do. I live the theology Dan speaks of. But I want to believe and it seems illustrated by the personal examples in scripture that God desires our moment by moment inquiry. Think of Jesus going out to be alone with God. Was he just resting in God's presence (yes). Or was he seeking his more particular will?
How about Paul in his second journey. He received very particular plans from God in a dream (the Macedonian man) to keep moving west with the gospel.
During the Jersualem council, they write a letter to the churches saying something like, "it seemed right to us AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, to...." They seemed to be seeking more specific directions from God. Why shouldn't we.
Plus, i think it is very easy to get away with just following God's general will when we are just living our day to day careers and lifestyles out in comfy America. David Pierce, and other missionaries who are out there on the cutting edge of dangerous mission work, the moment by moment guidance becomes more ESSENTIAL - sometimes life or death decisions.
some of my thoughts...
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