Derek Prince - Let God Choose And See What Happens
This is an excerpt from: The Headship of Jesus - Part 2
Again in Acts 15, verse 7, there's this tremendous dispute about whether Gentiles can be admitted to the church without coming under the law of Moses. It's really an interesting fact that just recently in the last decade or so the Assemblies of God in the United States had exactly the opposite problem. The problem was could they admit Messianic Assemblies into the Assemblies of God? And when they were discussing this one of the leaders stood up and said: Well 19 centuries ago they let us in, how can we refuse to let them in?'
So history has come full circle. But anyhow, right at the beginning of this discussion and brothers and sisters, let me tell you from personal observation, when Jews have a discussion, it's very active. I mean, they don't moderate their voices. Have you ever seen a broadcast or a television showing of the Knesset in Israel? I mean, it is packed with action. They raise their voices. I'm not saying the apostles did exactly that but, believe me, this was no quiet debate. Somebody said if you have two Jews in a city you need three synagogues, one for each of them to attend and the third one in which neither of them would be seen dead. So, you read Acts 15 in the light of that and it becomes very vivid. Anyhow, it says in verse 7: When there had been much dispute That is an understatement. All right?
Peter rose up and said to them, 'Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.' So again it's God's choice. The church didn't appoint Peter, God chose Peter. And he was very reluctant as you know. He didn't want to go to Gentiles and preach to them. But God overruled.
I'm really convinced that if we would focus on God's choice and submit ourselves to God's choice and not act until we know God's choice, things would be totally different among us. Which of us can choose better than God? None of us. Mind you, God's choices are improbable. I mean, he usually chooses the person we wouldn't choose. You go right through the Bible. And I'll tell you another thing about God's choices. When God chooses, the person chosen usually is convinced they can't do the job.
When I come across somebody who says, 'God chose me, God called me and I know I can do it,' I just question whether God ever called them. Building on this picture from Acts 13 I want to draw out certain principles. What I want to emphasize is the importance of what I call open ended worship. In other words, being in the presence of God, worshiping Him and not setting a time limit. This is not a prayer meeting. You know, the prayer meeting begins at 7:30 and ends at 9:30. And after that everybody goes home regardless of where God is or what He's done. But this is waiting in the presence of God in an attitude of worship, focusing on God, turning away from distractions like food, and getting into His presence and staying there until you hear from Him.
I was in a church once where they had a clock on the wall opposite the pulpit which is, of course, a good place to have it. But this clock said it is time to seek the Lord. And the passage that that's quoted from said it's time to seek the Lord until He comes and reigns righteousness upon us. The limit is not set by the clock, it's set by God's sovereign actions.