Getting Busy

Isaiah 22:8-11
(8) He has taken away the covering of Judah. In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest,
(9) and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool,
(10) and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.
(11) You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.

Jerusalem was under siege. The people had to get busy defending it, but they forgot one important fact. The Lord withdrew His covering over Judah. That meant that ultimately all their work would be in vain and they would still suffer defeat.

I spend a lot of time listening to stuff about church planting. There is a great emphasis on the characteristics of good church planters. This is all right and good. However, there also is an emphasis on how the Lord works the life of a church plant. That isn't something that we can control, but it's something we need to acknowledge.

It's easy to get too high or too low as we seek to accomplish mighty things for God. However, ultimately He is the one who does or does not provide the increase in the ministry. He is the one who builds up local churches. I believe it is vital to properly assess potential church planters, particularly in terms of their personal holiness. I have a hard time imagining how God would bless a church plant led by someone who struggles with habitual pornography use, for example.

The point of all this is that God is the one who builds the church. God is the one who builds nations. God is in control. The sooner we realize this the sooner we can direct our efforts appropriately and with the appropriate focus.