Critical Voices

Since we moved to Cape Town to begin with the church plant, there have been many who have given advice, expressed their concerns etc. about the route we have taken. At times it has been incredibly hard, other times it has been easy to just nod gently and to thank those concerned. Every so often I am tested again in my convictions about this road we are walking. Last month a respected church leader expressed his personal concerns about me and felt that by now 'I' should have a bigger 'following' and that maybe this 'church experiment' should be reviewed. That statement could start a whole range of discussions about the kingdom success vs. worldly success, but let's not go there now.

John 2:23-25 "...many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man."

The voice of man will come whether we want to hear it or not. The big challenge is not to try and stop the voices, that would be stupid because some of these voices are of God. The big challenge for me is to learn what voices to 'really hear' and which ones to ignore. The challenge continues - sometimes God's voice is the one easiest to ignore, because it is the one we least want to hear. In the end, as far as I am concerned it comes down to obedience. I must choose to really hear the voices that will help me above all else to walk in obedience to Him.