At this point in the church planting residency, wisdom and discernment is so critical. Next, Tuesday we are presenting two possible locations for our church plant. It sounds easy enought, right? Choose 2 locations in Austin, pray for them, spend time there, ask God to reveal himself, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
However, there is a flesh side that seems to interfere with this process. As we go from place to place, its' easy to confuse my wants and desires with the Holy Spirit's direction. Anything from the cost of living to the demographic reports of an area can play a huge role in my decision to plant in a certain location. I tend to view these places through my own lens. I ask the question, "What can these area do for me?," instead of "What can God do through me in this area?" I want to live in a nice area where people are friendly and I can own a large home. I don't want to deal with crime or poverty. I want to be in an area where people are receptive to the Gospel. The list goes on and on and the war wages between my flesh and the Holy Spirit's direction.
I found some encouragement through a story a heard this week. A few guys in Philadelphia have started a movement of churches. They have planted 3 churches that have 200 people in each. This is a serious accomplishment for a place like Philadelphia, which is spiritual dark. Praise God! However, in order to see God's hand work, they've given up a ton. In fact, one church planter said that his kids can't even go into the front yard alone because there is so much crime in the area. The other day he even saw a bum peeing on a tree in the front yard. All of this for the sake of the Gospel.
As we are looking at locations and praying over areas, I ask that the Lord gives me discernment and wisdom. It needs to echo Jesus, "...not my will, but yours." Please pray that God reveals a specific location to us and we are able to discern between teh Spirit's leading and our own wants and desires. Sometimes the most dangerous and risky place to be is in the center of God's Will.
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2 comments:
Hey brother, you are not alone. The battle between our preferences and God's shaping and calling are not necessarily the same with an incarnational posture.
Check out my latest post.
(I am not my target audience)
Brannen--great post. Living for others is not a one time choice, it is a daily choice. Praying for you and your journey. dt www.davetilma.com
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