Anyone can have enough wisdom to be reasonably discerning. The beginning of wisdom is ‘fearing the Lord.’ This means worshiping God and doing what He says. Intelligence is a help, but is not a guarantee of wisdom or discernment. There are very intelligent people who are notoriously undiscerning – which is not obvious to themselves but it is to those who know them. Then there are quite simple people who astonish you with their discernment. In their case it comes from a humble, pure heart that seeks after God and understands His Kingdom.

I once taught a small class of students in social science who were at the bottom of the academic stream. It was a pleasant experience and they made good progress, possibly learning as much if not more than some of their more self-absorbed peers. They learned chiefly because they had the humility to listen and give attention to what was being said.

There are people of moderate intellect who don’t possess this attitude. They are not celebrities and not in high status jobs but neither are they humble. They are quite satisfied with their own views. They maintain themselves in various positions of bondage and limited potential because they talk so much and listen so little. They don’t listen enough to learn. They are very much attracted to what they have to say, yet belong to that class of people who talk a lot without saying anything. The time is coming when the humble really will inherit the earth and take the positions of leadership that Jesus has given to them in the church.

There are people about who insist on being leaders irrespective of their ability to lead. They find themselves in these positions due to personal overconfidence or because others who dread change have placed them there. These people were born to minister in particular sphere and can do this with distinction. But they are ministers of the table and not of the word. The Spirit of Christ among us does not rob us of individuality or the purpose for which we have been gifted to serve. If we are in the Spirit of Christ, our uniqueness will be revealed so that we can enrich our group life by being who we are.

The emergence of the house church has provided an opportunity for someto be confident in their incompetence and limited understanding of what Jesus is doing and what He requires of us. This may be because we still live in the flesh and have moved side ways from an institutional church into a simple church where we propagate the same thing. Or it may be because we have acclimatized ourselves to a culture of sentimentality, emotionalism and group dynamics that we mistake for the Presence of the Holy Spirit.

The latter can produce a category of people who imagine they are receiving and giving a ‘word’ from God when the reality is quite different. Mike Bickle stated a truth in a book I read long ago when he wrote ‘They have a weak mind and lose tongue.’ In this season the wise will shine like the sun while all that is hollow will be revealed for what it is.

‘Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces’ Matt 7.6 NIV.

‘But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted’ Luke 14.10-11 NIV.

A life in God’s Son will equip all to live with grace and competence. We will become who we are and positioned to do what we are meant to be doing because a life in the Presence of God reveals who we are.

When we are attracted to Jesus we will also be attracted to those in whom He lives and speaks. Seeking Jesus’ face, we will behold our own faces and those with whom we worship. We will understand one another from the Spirit and not the flesh. We will have an accurate idea of what God is doing and what we are meant to be doing. Together Jesus will reveal our true selves to us and our community. We will be positioned in His House as living stones. Such stones are strong, alive and accurately positioned because they live in God and not in themselves and their false assumptions. They are fruitful and multiply because they are most truly themselves and doing what God made them to do.

There are blind leaders of the blind. There are blind folks who attempt to lead people who can see. There are also sighted leaders who help others walk in the revelation of God and discerning leaders who walk with those moving as one in the light of what Jesus is doing now.

Jesus sets before us an open door. He is the Doorway to who we really are. If we behold His face and hear his voice He will close doors to those possibilities that are not us and open doors when opportunities arise for us to serve as who we are. We are the most life-giving to each other and the most devastating to the Enemy when we are living in our genuine identity and purpose.

‘Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: “How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?’ Prov 1.20-22 NIV.

‘Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him’ John 14.21 NIV.

‘So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables’ Acts 6.2 NIV.

‘Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them’ Acts 6.3 NIV.

[Note on the picture: Pride leads us to force open doors that do not belong to us and were not meant for us to enter.]

Keith Allen