Saji and I were discussing this the other day — wanted to expound upon it here.
In dealing with the Body of Christ, I feel some fellowships do a good job encouraging and edifying people to hear the voice of the Lord and obey that voice.
But something that is largely untaught, not to mention not taught well, is the Lord speaking a word and leading a group collectively.
While many of the principles are the same, too often we bring our own individual revelations when making group decisions.
The principle is simple. Individually it is: what is God teaching me and what would he have me do.
The principle for a local fellowship of believers committed to one another is: what is God teaching the group and what would he have the group do.
This might rattle a cage or two, but God can actually be teaching you something individually that is different from what he desires the group to do. And it takes discernment to tell the difference.
Not separate revelations, as if in enmity to each other, but different enough that you might be at a different stage in faith and maturity than the group. You are probably either more or less mature than the group, and rarely do they go completely in sync.
The discernment part is central, divorcing your desires and agendas from the decision as you allow God to share with you what he would have for this group in this situation.
In search of “community”, many times we try to have formulas that approximate what only the Spirit can do, and He will not often do things the same exact way twice. He’d rather have your faith in Him than a formula.
I’ve seen formulas where everyone has to agree (like a democracy) before things are done, or maybe a council of elders is given the authority to make decisions, or some singular leader makes all the decisions. But the more you stick to one formula the more mistakes you’ll make. Because they all have their validity in time and situation and season.
Any local fellowship is really only looking for one person’s vote, and it’s not the pastor’s … or the apostle or bishop or priest or whatever you happen to call your leader. That person is God. And He loves to make himself known. He loves it even more when He is followed, no matter who He happens to speak through to make His point.
You can have the right ideas, the better arguments and the perfect system, and God can lead the group in a completely different way.
Because it is not your group, it is God’s. She is His bride, not yours.
The most dangerous thing you can do is walk into a new group and start demanding your own way. And because we’re so individualized in the hearing of the voice of God, we get upset because we equate what we want/need with what God might lead a group to do. And make no mistake, this is not in any way a sign of your maturity. Quite the opposite.
I don’t mean for it to sound like if you disagree with the rest of the group, you’re wrong. Sometimes it takes one person’s input to change the whole mind of the group, and that can be directly from the Spirit.
The difference is motivation: Do I have genuine reservations in the Spirit or am I just uncomfortable with something new or different than what I want? Are my ideas designed to make it more comfortable for me or is this the direction I feel the Lord desires for the group to go in? Is this about what I think should happen or what God thinks should happen?
If you don’t know the difference, then find out.
This all goes back to every member submitting themselves to the Lordship of Christ over his Church; and to be willing to seek His heart on even very practical matters instead of choosing what seems to work to our own eyes.
Remember when Joshua received the men from Gibeon? Gibeon was afraid, duly, of being wiped from existence, so they deceptively approached Israel to make peace. Joshua made peace with them. His failing?
He didn’t inquire of the Lord. That was a test Joshua failed. God would have told Joshua exactly what to do and what the truth was had he taken the time to listen.
We are only looking for one person’s vote as a fellowship grows or makes decisions or whatever faces a us. It is the place of the Spirit to make the Father’s will known, and the Spirit will do so, teaching all truth. Those who are willing to put aside their own agendas and ideas for whatever God might do will see God working and moving if they are patient and have His character.
Peace.
Hmnnn …
Sorry it took me a while to get my two cents in here … awesome comment as always, Steve! We were out of town, but I’ve been thinking about what you said …
First of all, I love Donald Miller. Blue Like Jazz was a great little book. I don’t have any more of a problem with post-modernism than modernism … kinda like the Greeks seeking after wisdom and the Jews seeking after signs, each have their own weaknesses.
Secondly, don’t completely give up on open worship, if it is a desire of your heart. There may not be opportunity or open doors now for you to share it, but there will be. Just be patient, which I know is hard.
It’s kinda like what God told me when I first got to Korea. “Be patient. Don’t force the doors open. Your gift will make room for you.” It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but God ultimately did just that, opened doors so the gift He gave me could be shared. And you probably agree with this, but it was amazing when He did open doors and we were allowed to really share what was on our hearts!
So keep that in mind. Lay down the forcing of doors open and forcing your way, maybe, but don’t lay down the desire or the passion for open and free worship. Yeah, it’s a little torturous along the way, but it just makes it sweeter when the Lord really sets you free in it.
Peace.