Paul’s life was soaked in God’s word. He applied it to himself and it was a source of continual reference and his compass for ministry. In Psa 32:8 God says ‘I will instruct you…’ – we must put ourselves in a context where we can study and hear the word of God, both in our personal reading and in listening to biblical preaching. There’s no way to short-cut through this important process! Paul drew on his knowledge of God’s word for guidance on leadership and ministry decisions.
Some years ago, at a time when I was considering the possibility of coming to Catford, I wondered if I should become a church planter. I went to a day conference and heard Titus 1:5 read. ‘The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.’ God spoke to me through that verse and confirmed that my path was to Catford. I followed that direction and have not regretted it.
Since then I’ve had some major decisions to make. At the moment we are thinking about the possibility of going to a fourth Sunday meeting, going multi-site or purchasing another building – or all three! These strategic decisions will be the basis for many others, with consequences for the elders and staff team and for all our committed members as we budget for these decisions. We proceed in faith – confident that God has called us to this work in this place and that where He guides, He provides!
And in case you’re still wondering - we didn’t sell the building to the Jehovah's Witnesses…
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