The Great Choreographer

September 21, 2009

Last night I got together with a couple friends who get together to pray and talk once a week. We are all from Beeson and have visions for ministry. As we talked last night, it became evident that God had been choreographing something in each of our lives. He is truly superintending things on big and small levels, and it is exciting to see.

Let me begin (selfishly) with me. I just began a series of teachings on 1 Peter entitled, "Declaring the Excellencies of Christ in Word and Deed" (Check it out here). Last week, I found out that the pastor had preached on 1 Peter 2:9 which is the lynch-pin verse of my series. He had no idea of what I was going to be teaching (or really that I would be teaching as far as I know), and I had no idea that he would be preaching on that text when I planned out my series.

The series began yesterday, so Charissa and I went to the church service. The connections to my lessons were continued. The pastor brought up elders to install at the local church, and he read over them from 1 Peter 5:2. He was setting the table for me even though he did not know it. And his sermon had themes which connected to my teaching regarding "gathering" (my term) and "togetherness" (his term...a bit lame if you ask me).

The point I am making though is that God is in this. When men or women do not plan repetition in spiritual matters, God is speaking through this repetition. God is going to do something in the midst of this series—I hope I get to see what it is, but I may never see what is happening in the hearts of those who are there (the teaching was fine...but I hope I get better at teaching if the Lord is calling me to it).

The second thing that happened within our group was that one of my buddies went to a church he had never been to before and knew nothing about to preach a sermon which had been on his heart, but was a bit edgy. Not that it was sinfully edgy, but most Southern Baptists might object to it on the grounds that the word "sex" was used (I overexaggerate). The church he went to take the message to was a bit edgy—it had tv monitors running things, and people from slightly edgier walks of life. So the message fit in perfectly.

The last thing that happened is also a blessing to me. My other friend has three children, a Buick four-door car, and a truck for work which he has been gracious to allow me to use at times after I work for him (which is four days a week). But most days, Charissa has to come pick me up, taking forty minutes of her day away from her, right before dinner. This has made it very difficult for us. So, for the past few weeks, Charissa and I have been praying that the Lord would provide for another car and provide for the insurance. My friend was just given a great deal on a nice minivan, so he is letting me use one of his cars on a regular basis—I just have to buy some gas! The Lord is good!