This church did not have a manual; they did not have the luxury of structure. They did not have the Bible; there was no Bible. There were no letters. They had the Torah, they had the law, and some of the prophets, but they had no organized manual. This was a way they were going that had never been prescribed, and although that is frustrating, it was the best thing for them. I feel the Holy Ghost, and some of your lives have been so disrupted, your normals have been so shaken and broken, that although it is uncomfortable and awkward, you have been forced into a place where God can really be God in your life. To a certain degree, the church has gone through its own disruption because I love the church with all her flaws. She is as flawed as anything can be, yet I still love the church, and God loves the church. The Bible says that whom God loves, He chastens. In other words, if I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t chasten you; I would just let you do what you do, even if what you are doing leads you somewhere wrong. But whom I love, I chasten. If I’m invested in you, I correct you. My correcting you signifies that I see value in you. The church, and the world, but the church in particular, has been greatly shaken over the past 16 to 17 months. The pandemic disrupted church operations, and we were talking about how we just had to pivot. No, what we had to do is humble ourselves and get into the presence of God. Out of our systems, I love systems; I teach and preach on systems and structures. But I can tell you, sometimes they are as much a curse as they are a blessing because systems and structures sometimes attempt to harness the move of God, and the move of God cannot be harnessed, oh hallelujah! In fact, that’s the only time that trying to use a system is okay. I know what God is doing, so since this is what God is doing, let me try to put some structure under it. But what happens when God is not doing it anymore? What happens when God moves, or shifts, or has a different vision for your life? Now those same systems and structures are actually working against divinity. With good intentions, you’re building around where God was, and so what God has to do is allow a shaking. It is unsettling, and it is nerve-wracking. What do you do when a God thing becomes a good thing? Did you hear me? We talk about the difference between a good thing and a God thing; everybody gets that. But do you know that sometimes a God thing that is out of date becomes a good thing and no longer a God thing? So what do you do when a God thing that you waited for turns into a good thing? You’re trying to get back to the God thing. What do you do? Surrender. Not my will, but Your will be done. The early church had the advantage of not having a manual; that was an advantage to them. They had the advantage of not having experience. This is the one time in the world when a lack of experience actually works in your favor because when you don’t have experience, you’re forced to posture yourself in a manner of learning, submission, and humility. If you see it right, it can be a very exciting time because the monotony is being broken up, and you can live an off-field life with God every single day, allowing your relationship with Him to grow and flourish. This is what the disciples were going through. They were on this incredible journey with God, and even Jesus didn’t have all the answers. They asked Him early on in the book of Acts, «Hey, is this going to be when the reconciliation of Israel comes? How do we know the times?» Jesus replied, «I don’t know.» He said, «That’s in the Father’s hands. I don’t even have access to that.» Even though they were with Jesus, things were still limited. They had enough sensitivity about who Jesus was to follow Him, to move, but not enough to have it all figured out. That’s who we have to be. We must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He’s not going to give us everything, but He’ll give us enough. He said, «Follow me» to those He was calling, but He never told them where He was going. He was close enough to them that they could perceive His glory and divinity. And so they went along, but they didn’t know where they were going.
