UCB WORD FOR TODAY BEFORE YOU BUILD (3) ‘…it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us...’ Acts 15:28 Listen for God’s guidance. As long as you keep listening to people whose opinions don’t align with God’s Word and God’s will, you’ll be frustrated and get nowhere. When important decisions that affect the future must be made, you must be able to hear from God. You must also welcome feedback. Why? Because if you’re not teachable, you’re not usable. Now, the majority opinion can be valuable in run-of-the-mill matters, but when a God-given vision is at issue, first and foremost you must listen for God’s guidance. You say, ‘Isn’t there wisdom in having a plurality of leadership?’ Yes, even the best leaders have blind spots and need people with 20/20 vision in those areas. ‘…certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved’’’ (Acts 15:1 NKJV). What was the result? ‘…Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, [and] they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question’ (Acts 15:2 NKJV). How did the apostles handle it? They said: ‘…God, who knows the heart, acknowledged [the Gentiles] by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith’ (Acts 15:8-9 NKJV). So after prayer and deliberation, the apostles wrote a letter to the church, saying, ‘…it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things’ (Acts 15:28 NKJV). And what was the result? ‘When they had read it, they rejoiced…’ (Acts 15:31 NKJV). Neh 8-10, Lk 22:1-13, Ps 78:40-55 , Prov 24:1-4
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 14:31:47 +0000