Friday 19 October 2007

They commended them to the Lord

“So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” - Act 14v23

I am the kind of person who likes to be in control of the situation. I have a hard time taking my hands off and letting someone else be in control. Part of it might be laziness as the guy in charge gets to tell others what to do, but the biggest problem is pride. At then end of the day I can really think that only I can do it right.

There are all kinds of problems with this mindset. No one can run everything knowing perfectly. Being a church planting pastor there was a day when my wife and I had to do everything. I got accustomed to knowing exactly what was going on in every situation. As God has blessed and allowed others to come alongside it has been challenging for me to “keep my nose out” and let others do what the Lord wants them to do.

Yet, when I look at the example of Paul and Barnabas I am challenged. They went from place to place, and as they went they appointed elders. As a side note, from the very start there was an importance laid on the church being organised and having leaders.

How did they leave these believers in the hands of relative rookies? They prayed, they fasted, and they commended them to the Lord. Ultimately their faith was in the Lord -not in their own ability.

What a wonderful lesson for those of us who can be “control freaks.”

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