Okay, so I've been preaching, thinking, and praying for a few years now that:
God has a specific plan for the believer's life, and disobedience to that is disobedience to God.
Because he has given us his holy Spirit, we are enabled to do things beyond our ordinary abilities. Yet, this is far from my own experience, and the experience of most Christians I know.
And, I have the conviction that has developed that (no extraordinary revelation here), God cares about people nobody else cares about, hopeless cases.
But, life is going so well. Why, then, did I have to start reading The Cross and The Switchblade?
And, why, when reading it, did I get teary eyed and start to pray? I don't tear up at books, ever.
David Wilkerson does everything wrong. He puts out fleeces for God. He has his youth pastor close his eyes, open his Bible, and then put his finger on a verse and begin to read. THis is not how you discover the will of God, at least not to me.
But, extraordinary stuff started to happen.
There is more to this adventure than I have heretofore experienced, and I am wondering what the next step is supposed to be. I only know it has to be more than it is right now --somehow caring for those nobody cares about.
What next, God?
Wow! A convicting post! When a church shows concern for people the world doesn't care about, the people in the neighborhood around the church are divided--some folks admire the church and are drawn to it, while others despise the church as being 'for losers.' In other words, the church becomes a pleasing aroma for those being saved, and a stench for those who aren't. It's spiritually healthy all around.
ReplyDeleteTim Keller
Tim,
ReplyDeleteThanks, brother. Just trusting God to show me what this is supposed to look like for me and my flock.