“But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” – 1 Corinthians 16:8-9
These verses highlight an interesting reality as we minister, serve, and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, namely that we don’t control the most important element of successful evangelism – the Holy Spirit. Though we preach, teach, proclaim, help, serve, and love, it’s God who opens the doors for effective work. We have work to do, but the fruit comes from the Lord.
At all times, we must faithfully serve as we’re called to serve, but we must be sensitive to when and how the Spirit is moving. We must not be too hasty to move on when the Spirit opens doors. On the other hand, we must be discerning about whether to stay the course or move on when the Spirit has not (yet) opened a door. Should we continue, possibly for years, or rethink our approach – only prayer can answer that question!
The process of discernment isn’t made easier by the presence of opposition. Whenever there is effective Gospel ministry, there is likely to be opposition. We must not become discouraged by that when God is on the move. On the other hand, we must always make sure the opposition we face is because of the message of Christ and not simply because of some deficiency in the messenger!