Growing Deep, Growing Strong
You cannot easily move a tree planted deep and strong or one planted by streams of water. If you do, the tree will wither and die. I have moved some houseplants, and they lost their vigor and beauty. I submit that the cruising charismatic misses or lacks what is necessary to grow strong. God can certainly bless a cruiser apart from a local church, but His plan is clear. He says that the local congregation is the place to build roots that go deep and strong. Rooted that reach the point where they are convinced that God is able to keep that which they have committed to Him against that day. The bouncing charismatic is like the chaff that the wind blows away. They float here and there, tossed about by the winds of what is the ‘latest.’ Their habits and ways never take them to the end where God intended them be.
On the other hand, true Spirit filled people are wise people. Wise people are pure, peace loving, willing to yield, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. They are peacemakers who sow in peace and raise a harvest of righteousness. Spirit filled people also know when to pull up stakes and move their tent and flock to another location. Seasons when it is time to move come occasionally to most of us. The mature dependable Spirit filled people of God are prudent and discerning. Their decisions are thought through and prayed through. They are people where the ordinary and the righteous have long merged in the deepest part of their souls. They are the old money in the Kingdom of God, the people who count and are wanted everywhere. They can hear the voice of the good shepherd, and they follow that voice to the good pasture he has selected for their growth. They are not cruising through the Kingdom, they are not looking for entertainment. Their call is to serve their master all day, every day even when the price they must pay to serve is so high it costs all they have. They are God’s people, special in his sight, set aside for his purposes, calling and blessing and you can be one of them. Tough people may get going when the going gets tough, but when God’s people face a challenge they go to Him and listen for his voice. When they hear that voice, they move with the confidence that only the bonding of the commander, commandee and commandment can produce: A prophetic awareness of God.
PR
Category: Living the Faith, Winter 2001