Let God Have His Way

I am sitting here at Chicago's O'Hare airport waiting to catch a flight to Memphis to attend a funeral in Bolivar, Tennessee for two of my deacons whose mother went home to be with the Lord. As I am sitting here, I am reflecting on what God did through our church service Sunday and to tell you GOD IS AWESOME does not even do justice to what He did Sunday.

On 1st Sundays I always start church with Baptism. This Sunday we had one to baptize, a young lady whose parents had already joined and were baptized. I went downstairs, changed clothes and came back up. We always have a welcome song where we greet our visitors and church family and I use this time to try and personally connect with all visitors and people who don't have access to me on Sundays after church for a variety of reasons.

As I greeted, I came across a man by the name of Vance Moore. He told me, Pastor when you were baptizing I knew that I needed to be baptized but I didn't know how to come down there. Excited, I told him at the invitation period come and give your life to the Lord and we will take care of that. As I was walking back to the pulpit, I heard God say, "GET OUT OF MY WAY". I listened, which is a major accomplishment for me (another story, another day).

I told the church, God has added to the church so why wait for the time on the program and I asked Vance to come forward. I wasn't prepared for what would happened next. The church went bananas. His wife started shouted, the mothers who have been praying for her started shouting, women hit the aisle and started dancing and it was over, BUT GOD WASN'T DONE.

The Bible says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." When the aisles cleared, there wasn't one man who wanted to be saved and baptized, THERE WERE FOUR! ALL MEN!!! They said we were thinking the same thing Vance was so we decided to come. I heard God again say, "GET OUT OF MY WAY". I offered the invitation right then, no sermon, the choir hadn't even sung yet, but God was moving and I was listening.

Four people joined the church right then and we shouted awhile again. I told the church God has preached and we are the witnesses so I went back downstairs, put back on the baptismal gear and took four more in the water, as we shouted some more.

I had planned to preach "The Obedient Life" today. God gave me a chance to live the sermon I had planned to preach. What could Macedonia be if I would learn to stay out of God's way EVERYDAY? What kind of pastor/preacher could I become if I learned to stay out of God's way? Forget me, what kind of church, what kind of life, what kind of ministry could you have if you stopped playing control freak, trying to run every detail and let God have his way?

Wonderful sermon today! Why? New close, cute story, full throat and holla, nope! God preached! Wonderful service today! Why? New song, musicians hit new riffs, new soloist dumped the house! Nope, God was the worship leader. God said, GET OUT OF MY WAY AND WE LISTENED.

It's time for me to catch my plane but in my ear I hear the song DeWayne Woods sings that was written by Paul Morton Jr. that says:

There so much going on Sometimes I can't find my way And often times I struggle Struggle from day to day I have to realize that it's not my battle It's not my battle to fight I have to know if I to put it in His hands That everything will be alright

As soon as I stop worrying Worrying how the story ends I'll let go and I let God Let God have His way That's when things start happening I'll stop looking at back then I let go and I'll let God have His way

Owens