“Not all forces in ministry momentum are of God … As the pace increases, more people are drawn into the movement … Not all will be motivated by noble aims …There will be those who are driven by ego and ambition. What develops therefore is a community seeking to do God’s will that upholds a mixed set of values, some driven by the flesh, and others truly in step with the Spirit.”
ONE OF THE WONDERFUL LAWS of nature is momentum. It is a great force to have in order to keep going. But it also has a deceptive dimension.
Momentum is essential in ministry. It is what keeps the people and organisation moving forward. Leadership plays a key role in triggering this motion. A leadership that is in step with the Spirit of God will find that there is a supernatural impetus to what it is called to do.
Leaders will find that there are forces at work to aid the process along that cannot be explained simply by what they have planned and executed. Sometimes, things do not turn out as they have planned, but yet there is a forward movement that they know is of God.
Not all forces in ministry momentum, however, are of God. As the pace increases, more people are drawn into the movement, and with it a diversity of personalities and views. Not all will be motivated by noble aims or will apply legal means. ere will be those who are driven by ego and ambition. What develops therefore is a community seeking to do God’s will that upholds a mixed set of values, some driven by the flesh, and others truly in step with the Spirit. But the momentum has been gathered.
A car does not stop at the instant that the brakes are applied. It moves some distance before coming to a complete halt. at is the result of momentum.
We can be deceived into believing that just because we are moving forward that everything is all right. In reality, what may be happening is that, like the car coming to a halt, deadness has already set in. But the ministry still keeps going. ere is therefore a dark and deceptive side to momentum. When we are caught in the midst of it, it is very difficult to determine which force is propelling us forward. But it is still possible to know: remember Peter’s ability to discern the profit-making motives of Ananias and Sapphira in the midst of the thriving spiritual environment?
It takes leaders who are in step with the Spirit of God to be able to recognise “the unseen world of spiritual realities” (to borrow a term from John Stott in his commentary on Ephesians) and differentiate between the divine and the demonic forces moving us along.
The Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup is the President of Trinity Annual Conference.
DEVOTION
God hates sin – and so should we
THE IDEA is shocking.
It is a thought many people have never even entertained. What is it that is so astounding? It is the fact that God hates. Most often we think of God as love (1 John 4:8).
Love eliminates hate, right? Wrong. As a matter of fact, appropriate hate is a result of love. For instance, Psalm 119 is a very lengthy expression of love and appreciation for God’s word. It is as a result of that love for God’s instruction that the Psalm expresses hatred for “every false way” (Psm. 119:104, 128).
God is love. He loves us as His creation and above all else desires close fellowship with us. That fellowship is destroyed by sin. Sin taints and tarnishes His people and makes association with a holy God impossible. at is why God hates sin. It destroys those whom God loves.
How tragic when people become enamoured with the very things that ruin their relationship with God, the very things God hates.
So, in Proverbs, seven objects of God’s hatred are listed: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.
Yes, God hates these things. And, if we love God, we will hate them too. It is no virtue to love everything. If we love what God hates we are estranged from Him (1 John 2:15). at’s the very problem Jesus died to fix.
So, what do you hate? – KneEmail.
David Deffenbaugh and Bill McFarland contribute to KneEmail, a Christian resource organisation.