Monday, March 26, 2012

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-13; 1 Cor. 12:13

The term “baptism of the Holy Spirit” refers to the activity of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Christian life when he gives us new spiritual life (in regeneration) and cleanses us and gives us a clear break with the power and love of sin (sanctification). – Wayne Grudem

1. The Bible is clear and consistent in its explanation of the baptism of the Spirit.
2. We must interpret our experiences through the lens of Scripture. We must interpret our experiences through Scripture instead of interpreting Scripture through our experiences.


PENTECOST EXPLAINED

• Pentecost means “fiftieth,” held 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:15-22)
• One of three annual feasts for which the nation returned to Jerusalem
• Firstfruits pictures Christ’s resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20-23)
• Celebrated the giving of the Law at Pentecost
• An offering of firstfruits is given (Lev. 23:20)
• The Spirit given as our firstfruits inheritance (2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:11,14)
• The 3000 saved were the firstfruits of the harvest of all believers


BACKGROUND

John speaks about the baptism of the Spirit. He emphasized that once Messiah arrived, He would baptize His followers with the Spirit (Matt. 3:11; John 1:33; Matt. 3:16; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16).

Jesus speaks of the baptism in John 14:16-17; John 15:26; Acts 1:4-5. Jesus’ comments in Acts 1:5 clearly link the two discussions (in Acts 1 and John 14/15). He was not talking about two different events – the coming of the Spirit (John 14) and the baptism of the Spirit (Acts 1:5). They are one and the same.


THE SPIRIT AT PENTECOST (Acts 2:1-4)

At this event, they are baptized, filled, indwelt, filled with rivers of living water (John 7:38-39), and empowered. There is no distinction. It’s all the same thing. Matthew, John, Mark, and Luke all used these terms interchangeably to describe the initial coming of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers. Long after the day of Pentecost, Luke and Peter added two more figures of speech to the list. They are more ways to describe the initial entry of the Holy Spirit into the heart of a believer. (Also see Acts 11:15-18; Acts 15:8)

The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening. . . . And all the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out. (Acts 10:44-45)


EVERY BELIEVER BAPTIZED (1 Cor. 12:13)

In my own study of Scriptures through the years I have become convinced that there is only one baptism with the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer, and that takes place at the moment of conversion. – Billy Graham, The Holy Spirit

THE DELAY IN THE BOOK OF ACTS

Those saved prior to Pentecost are baptized first. Then, the 3000 receive the Spirit. “There was this difference between them: the 120 were regenerate already and received the Baptism of the Spirit only after the waiting upon God for 10 days; the 3,000 on the other hand were unbelievers, received the forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit simultaneously, and it happened immediately. They repented and believed without any need to wait at all. This distinction between the two companies, the 120 and the 3,000, is of great importance for the norm for today must surely be the second group, the three thousand, and not as is often supposed, the first group. The fact that the experience of the 120 was in two distinct stages was due simply to historical circumstances; they could not have received the Pentecostal gift before Pentecost. But those historical circumstances have long since ceased to exist. We live after the event of Pentecost, like the 3,000 did. With us therefore, as with them, the forgiveness of sins and the gift or Baptism of the Spirit, are received together.” - John Stott, Baptism and Fullness

Acts shows us three progressive baptisms when God gives His stamp of favor on each race/group: the Jews in Acts 2, the Samaritans in Acts 8, and Gentiles in Acts 10. Then, in Acts 19 with the disciples of John, we see again (as with the 3000) that believing faith in Christ and the baptism of the Spirit are synonymous.

A better understanding of this event would be that God, in his providence, sovereignly waited to give the new covenant empowering of the Holy Spirit to the Samaritans directly through the hands of the apostles (Acts 8:14-17) so that it might be evident to the highest leadership in the Jerusalem church that the Samaritans were not second-class citizens but full members of the church. This was important because of the historical animosity between Jews and Samaritans. - Grudem

The new disciples in Ephesus (Acts 19) did not have a new covenant understanding or new covenant faith, and they certainly did not have a new covenant empowering of the Holy Spirit - they were "disciples" only in the sense of followers of John the Baptist who were still waiting for the Messiah. - Grudem

It seems therefore that there are no New Testament texts that encourage us to seek for a second experience of "baptism of the Holy Spirit" that comes after conversion. - Grudem

If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you “have the baptism.” Not only that, you have been indwelt and filled and, therefore, have everything you need to experience the Spirit-filled life.
– Charles Stanley, The Wonderful, Spirit-Filled Life

Like our Lord’s death at Calvary, Pentecost was a once-for-all event that will not be repeated. The church may experience new fillings of the Spirit, and certainly patient prayer is an essential element to spiritual power, but we would not ask for another Pentecost any more than we would ask for another Calvary. – Warren Wiersbe

The baptism of the Spirit evokes thanksgiving in our hearts that while we were orphans, separated from God, He chose to baptized us into His family and place within us the deposit of His Spirit.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Character Qualities of a Leader

Coach John Wooden's Seven-Point Creed for building the character of a leader:

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Help others.
3. Make each day your masterpiece.
4. Drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day (have faith in God).
7. Pray for guidance and counsel, and give thanks for your blessings each day.

Great leadership begins with good character.

Taken from Pat Williams' Coaching Your Kids to Be Leaders

Quotation of the Day

Once the truth regarding the absolute and final authority of the Scriptures is established, it is surprising to me that anyone would resist the idea that God still speaks to people in other ways today. God has been speaking to people from the beginning of human history, both directly and indirectly. God still speaks in all the same ways He has: He is the changeless God, and His reach to humanity continually extends by every communicative means, including intimately speaking by the Holy Spirit with His own sons and daughters in Christ.

Sometimes He speaks instructively, correctively, directively or protectively. Sometimes He speaks with thoughts we sense are His, as the Holy Spirit ignites what we are reading from the pages of the Bible. Sometimes He speaks with inner promptings that come as divinely given intuition, insight or warning. Sometimes He speaks with prophetic words which draw our attention to a larger, clearer understanding of His will as revealed in His eternal Word.
– Jack Hayford, Living the Spirit-Formed Life


I do believe God, through the Holy Spirit, communicates directly with believers. No, I don’t write these revelations in the back of my Bible and call them inspired. Neither do I run around telling everybody what God told me. My experience (as well as the experience of many godly men and women) is that the Holy Spirit, at the prompting of the Heavenly Father, still communicates with believers today. The Holy Spirit indwells me. He doesn’t need my ears. What He needs is a listening heart and a renewed mind. – Charles Stanley

Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Lesson of Waiting

I have been slowly going through Charles Stanley's 30 Life Principles this year. A couple of weeks ago, I studied this one - God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

It is based on Isaiah 64:4, From days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, not has the eye seen a God besides You, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

A great reminder for us! As a young adult full of faith twenty years ago or so, I had no idea how much of walking with the Lord involves seasons of waiting. We are action-oriented people by nature, and the Lord has ways of putting us into situations that require us to wait and trust Him. We can not like it, we can argue against it, we can try our hardest to change the waiting time into action time. But not until God is finished with His purposes in it will He release it and change it.

As eager as we all are to move forward, I am reminded of one of my favorite authors, Charles Swindoll. The past 10-12 years he has written an exceptional series on Bible characters called Great Lives from God's Word. Having read every one of them, I was impressed with how Swindoll brings out in each life how the Lord required them to go through extended periods of waiting while God developed them. He writes, Here is a principle that can stir a glimmer of new hope, if you remind yourself of it: Exceptional work is preceded by extended waiting.

Here are a few of Swindoll's quotations of other authors:

Waiting is a common instrument of providential discipline for those to whom exceptional work has been appointed. - James Stalker

Paul came to know the patience of hindered purpose. Stopped at the gate of Damascus, penitent in the street called Straight, filled with the Spirit he was a chosen vessel to bear the gospel . . . . Then came the discipline of delay in the desert of Arabia. The delay that instructs and prepares saves time, never loses it. From it one can walk with a step of assurance and a heart of flame. - V. Raymond Edman

Here are Stanley's excellent notes on the subject that God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

Those are good words to reflect on this weekend.

Friday, March 16, 2012

The Functions of the Holy Spirit

John 14:15-27 and Selected Scriptures

Common, too common is the sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit. This is folly and ingratitude. They who yield to His influence become good; they who obey His impulses do good, they who live under His power receive good. Let us revere His person; let us hourly seek His aid, and never grieve Him; and let us speak to His praise whenever occasion occur. The church will never prosper until more reverently it believes in the Holy Ghost. – Charles Spurgeon

DESIRE:

We desire to encounter God in deep, practical, and meaningful ways. We don’t want our faith to be only a relationship with a Book- but a Person. If we ignore or disbelieve the Book, we will wade into error and ambiguity. If we ignore the Spirit, we will live a dry and at times powerless Christian experience, missing some of His blessings along the way. Bible knowledge must be combined with experiential knowledge gleaned only from walking with God. Lord, help us to both love the Bible and embrace the Spirit.


PURPOSE: The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to manifest Christ in us.


The Spirit’s functions

a) The Holy Spirit glorifies the Son (Jn. 15:26; 16:14)

b) The Holy Spirit baptizes believers into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13)

c) The Holy Spirit indwells believers (John 14:17; Eph. 1:13-14)


1) It is a permanent indwelling
2) It is true of every individual believer
3) It occurred at salvation

The Lord desires daily fellowship with us through the Holy Spirit, whom He sent to indwell each of us. The Spirit of Christ remains within you every moment of every day. – Bill Bright

d) The Holy Spirit comes alongside of believers (Jn. 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7)

e) The Holy Spirit produces fruit in and through believers (John 15:1-8; Gal. 5:22-23)

f) The Holy Spirit convicts and motivates toward holiness (Jn. 16:8-11)

g) The Holy Spirit draws lost people to Christ and the Father (Jn. 3:5-8;6:44,63)

h) The Holy Spirit illuminates (Jn. 16:12-15)


In this unique ministry the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the believer so that he or she may understand the things of God as recorded in Scripture. – Charles Stanley

In reference to the Bible, revelation relates to its content, inspiration to the method of recording the material, and illumination to the meaning of the record. – Charles Ryrie

This has been my experience as I have studied the Scriptures. Things I may have known intellectually for years have come alive to me in their fuller spiritual significance almost miraculously. As I have studied the Scriptures, I have also learned that the Spirit always lets more light shine from the Word. Almost every time I read on old, familiar passage I see something new. This happens because the written Word is the living Word. – Billy Graham

i) The Holy Spirit teaches (Jn. 14:26-27; 16:12-15; 2 Kings 6:17)

j) The Holy Spirit counsels (John 14:26)


God is not interested in simple convenience. He wants us to know Him as our Friend and Lord. He desires that we know Him well enough to learn to hear His still, small voice, even when it is as gentle as a whisper. True friendship is never quick or convenient. We must work at it over a long period.
– Bill Bright

I believe that God has related theses somehow: the voice of conviction in the conscience and the Holy Spirit, the point of contact, witnessing within man’s being. A person has not been illuminated until that voice begins to sound within him.

Men and women need to be told that it may be fatal to silence the inner voice. It is always perilous to resist the conscience within; but it may be fatal to silence that voice, to continue to ignore that speaking voice within.
– A. W. Tozer, Echoes from Eden

k) The Holy Spirit directly witnesses to our spirits (Ro. 8:16)

l) The Holy Spirit ushers in peace (John 14:27)

m) The Holy Spirit intercedes and helps us in prayer (Ro. 8:26)


The Spirit prompts us to pray. The Holy Spirit guides our prayers. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in prayer. The Holy Spirit leads us in prayerful worship. – Bill Bright

n) The Holy Spirit guides (Ro. 8:14; Jn. 15:13)

God is not boxed in by a single method, a certain way, a unique means, an established procedure. There are many ways and many vehicles the Holy Spirit uses to guide us into all truth. Most often, He uses the Scriptures. Sometimes He uses human authorities in their particular area. Sometimes He uses a family member, either a flesh relative or a spiritual brother or sister. In fact, God’s Spirit can and does use a diverse number of ways to speak to us. But, whatever His methods, we need to be able to discern His voice so that Satan will not be able to get to us. – Peter Lord, Hearing God

The Holy Spirit speaks to neutral hearts. I don’t mean passive or indifferent hearts. I mean being consumed with discovering what pleases the Holy Spirit rather than working to convince Him of the wisdom and brilliance of our plans. His ultimate goal is hearts and minds that are in complete harmony with His kingdom agenda. – Charles Stanley

o) The Holy Spirit directs and warns (Acts 20:22-23)

• Through the regular reading of the Word of God.

If you want to know what the Holy Spirit thinks about something, read the Bible. You will never be able to accurately identify the peace of God or the voice of God without some understanding of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will never lead you where the Word of God forbids you to go. – Charles Stanley

• Through the lack of or the presence of His peace.

“The absence or presence of peace is often the first indicator that the Holy Spirit is up to something in your life. God is not going to violate our free will and force us to do the right thing. We will never lose our freedom to make mistakes. Therefore, it is that much more important for us to develop moment-by-moment sensitivity to the presence or absence of God’s peace in our lives. ” - Charles Stanley

• Through inner promptings.

Once the truth regarding the absolute and final authority of the Scriptures is established, it is surprising to me that anyone would resist the idea that God still speaks to people in other ways today. God has been speaking to people from the beginning of human history, both directly and indirectly. God still speaks in all the same ways He has: He is the changeless God, and His reach to humanity continually extends by every communicative means, including intimately speaking by the Holy Spirit with His own sons and daughters in Christ.

Sometimes He speaks instructively, correctively, directively or protectively. Sometimes He speaks with thoughts we sense are His, as the Holy Spirit ignites what we are reading from the pages of the Bible. Sometimes He speaks with inner promptings that come as divinely given intuition, insight or warning. Sometimes He speaks with prophetic words which draw our attention to a larger, clearer understanding of His will as revealed in His eternal Word.
– Jack Hayford, Living the Spirit-Formed Life

• Through checks in your spirit.

I do believe God, through the Holy Spirit, communicates directly with believers. No, I don’t write these revelations in the back of my Bible and call them inspired. Neither do I run around telling everybody what God told me. My experience (as well as the experience of many godly men and women) is that the Holy Spirit, at the prompting of the Heavenly Father, still communicates with believers today. The Holy Spirit indwells me. He doesn’t need my ears. What He needs is a listening heart and a renewed mind. – Charles Stanley

• Through the use of our conscience.

The conscience is one of the Holy Spirit’s primary tools through which He communicates with believers. Don’t ignore the warnings and promptings of the conscience. To do so is to run the risk of missing God. – Charles Stanley

The conscience is an inner voice of God (Ro. 2:14,15). Conscience may be smothered and silenced – even seared or burned – but it cannot be escaped. – Jack Hayford

• Through prophetic words (Scripture, other Christians, preaching)

Real devotion to Him is having a consistent Bible reading plan and getting regular teaching. - R. T. Kendall

The Lord still speaks to people through the prophetic prompting of the Spirit. Prophetic utterance, while not equated with Scripture, must be supported by Scripture. - Hayford

p) The Holy Spirit places people (Acts 20:28)

q) The Holy Spirit gives spiritual (grace) gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-11)


A spiritual gift is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit at work in and through a person’s life for the common good of the body of Christ. – Henry Blackaby

r) The Holy Spirit anoints and equips people for tasks (Is. 61:1-3)

s) The Holy Spirit personifies truth (John 14:17; 15:13
)

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth. He guides believers into truth and according to what is true. That makes Him a trustworthy guide. The Holy Spirit helps believers discern between what is true and what is not; what is wise and what is foolish; what is best and what is simply OK. – Charles Stanley


The mystery of God’s inner promptings: a few examples . . .

1. In times of loneliness and desperation, the Spirit prompts hope and encouragement (1 Kings 19).

There are times in my life when the Lord’s promptings have been just as real to me as Elijah’s experience, when in difficult situations, the Lord whispers to my spirit, I have everything under control. Trust Me. Depend on Me. Wait patiently for Me to work.

2. In times of threatening fears, the Spirit prompts calm determination and courage (Acts 20:22-24).

3. In times of sorrow and pain, the Spirit prompts inner reassurance and ministers grace to us (2 Cor. 12:7-8).

Sources Used: Experiencing God Together by Henry and Melvin Blackaby, The Holy Spirit by Billy Graham, His Intimate Presence by Bill Bright, Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, Manifest Presence by Jack Hayford, The Spirit-Formed Life by Jack Hayford, Sensitivity to the Spirit by R. T. Kendall, Hearing God by Peter Lord, The Sacred Anointing by Tony Sargent, The Wonderful, Spirit-Filled Life by Charles Stanley, Baptism and Fullness by John Stott, Flying Closer to the Flame by Charles Swindoll, Echoes from Eden by A. W. Tozer

Quotation of the Day

How can I shift from my disappointments to His faithfulness?

- Boyd Bailey

Monday, March 12, 2012

The Promised Gift

Acts 1:4; John 14:16-18,26

The Holy Spirit is a Person (14:16-18, 26; 15:26; 16:7-8, 13-14)

1) This is affirmed by the masculine pronoun (14:26; 15:26; 16:7-8, 13-14)

2) This is affirmed by a parallel ministry (14:16-18)


Viewing the testimony of Scripture as a whole, we cannot but concede consistent and clear testimony to the fact that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, working with intelligent consciousness, infinite love and independent will. This fact and truth is of fundamental importance to Christian experience. If He is merely a power or influence, our dominant aim would be, “How may I obtain more of His power and influence?” But if He is a Divine Person, our consistent attitude should be “How can He more fully possess me so that I may become the vehicle of His power and influence?” - J. Oswald Sanders

a) Has intelligence (Jn. 14:26)
b) Has emotion (Eph. 4:30)
c) Has will (1 Cor. 12:11)
d) Is called Comforter and Counselor (Jn. 14:16)
e) Can have relationships (Jn. 16:14)


The context of Ephesians 4:30 gives us indication as to ways that the believer can either grieve the Holy Spirit or please the Holy Spirit:

Ways we can grieve the Spirit:

1. By lying and speaking untruthfully (25).
2. By harboring ungodly anger (26).
3. By stealing and refusing to work and be productive (28).
4. By speaking unwholesome things that tear others down (29).
4. By harboring all forms of bitterness, fighting, and malice (31).

Ways we can please the Spirit:

1. By speaking truthfully (25).
2. By keeping short accounts with our anger (26).
3. By working and being productive (28).
4. By using our words to build up others (29).
5. By embracing forgiveness, compassion, and kindness (32).

Monday, March 5, 2012

The Right Motivation

We had another good morning of worship together at The Spring yesterday. And with a couple of families out of town, we almost had a full room. I am looking forward to going through these weeks in the book of Acts with you. I pray that, as were the early believers, that we will be a people marked by . . .

Belief in the gospel and the Scriptures
Belief in each other
Belief in prayer
Belief in God's leading


The Brooklyn Tab video testimony we watched yesterday was awesome! I plan on showing more of those testimonies in the coming weeks. Remember, the book of Acts is a story of changed lives.

I enjoyed singing at my mother's church, First Baptist Greer, last night. Dad and Mom joined Greer in the year 2000. That is only the second time I have worshiped there with her (them). In the life to which God has called me and my family, I seldom go to church with my parents or mix and mingle with people who knew me in my childhood and youth. I enjoyed talking with some folks last night who have known me for most of my life - with whom we were in church in the 1980's in Greenville. It was also nice to talk with some older men who had known my Dad; we enjoyed reminiscing. One man told me, "Your dad left a big whole when he left."

I hope that can be said of us one day. I hope that our lives make a difference and matter to the people around us.

Things are about to begin rolling in terms of the Bridgeway building! I have talked with a few church members today, and a new building is bringing excitement!

Next Sunday we plan on bringing you a plan of what renovation and decoration will look like in the next 6 weeks or so. Please reserve Saturday, March 17, as a work day at the Bridgeway building. We will give you more details later.

Last night in the car I listened to a Charles Swindoll message about how Nehemiah motivated people. Swindoll compared extrinsic motivation (motivating with rewards that come from outside an individual - giving people money, prizes, and other gifts in exchange for certain behavior) with intrinsic motivation (motivation that comes from inside a person - the reward of simply doing the right thing, having strong character, or helping other people with no outward reward). Swindoll highlighted the speeches of Sir Winston Churchill, the great Prime Minister of Great Britain. Interestingly, in his speeches to the country, Churchill never used extrinsic motivation but rather intrinsic. He, like Nehemiah, challenged the people to do the right thing because it was the right thing to do.

That reminds me of Paul's words to the Corinthians . . .

We live by faith, not by sight. . . . So we make it our goal to please Him. (5:7,9)

As The Spring, may we be people motivated to live by faith, doing the right things and making the right choices not primarily for external rewards - but because we have the intrinsic motivation to please the Lord.

This We Believe / Acts 1

Basic Principles of Interpretation

• Acts is a transitional book.
• Acts is more descriptive than prescriptive.
• Acts introduces the Holy Spirit.


In What Did the Early Church Believe?

1. They believed in the risen Christ (1-11).

a) the reality of His resurrection (3a) (Ro. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 15:1-8)
b) the coming of His kingdom (3b) (Mt. 6:33; Ro. 14:17)
c) the power of His Spirit (4-8) (Jn. 14-16)
d) the assurance of His coming again (9-11)

1. He is our Advocate (1 Jn. 1:9 - 2:2)
2. He is our Mediator (1 Tim. 2:3)
3. He is our High Priest (He. 4:15-16)

2. They believed in each other (12-14) (Jn. 7:5; Acts 1:4 – his family)

• A mix of 120 ordinary people – men and women, apostles and others
• A beautiful assembly of humble people
• Jn. 7:5; Acts 1: – his physical family
• Key phrase is “in one accord” (1:14; 2:1,44,46; 5:12; 15:25)
• “It is not enough for Christians to have faith in the Lord; they must also have faith in one another.” - Warren Wiersbe
• No time for asking who was the greatest or who committed the greatest sin
• How easy division and criticism could have reared their heads (Peter, John)
• A time for praying and standing together in the Lord

People need people. This need is part of what it means to be a human being. If we are to grow intellectually, socially, and spiritually, we need others. Christians needs other Christians. When you become a Christian, you do not become one in isolation. Rather, you enter into the body of those who are also Christ’s disciples, and you find fellowship with them. – James Boice, Acts: An Expositional Commentary


3. They believed in prayer (15,24-25)

• Prayer plays a significant role in the story of the early church.
Prayer is both the thermometer and the thermostat of the local church, for the spiritual temperature either goes up or down, depending on how God’s people pray. – Wiersbe
Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan. – John Bunyan


Sometimes we have periods like this in our lives, and they make tough going for us. These are often the hardest periods for us to live through. We want to do something. Or, what is even more significant, we want God to do something. When God does not do anything, we think, “Things have gone wrong.” This period of waiting was not, however, a period of inactivity. It was a period of preparation. Sometimes in periods of waiting we can see the preparation. At other times we cannot. God is doing things in our lives that we cannot see. Perhaps He is developing character. We seldom see that, in ourselves or others. The second half of Acts 1 shows the early Christians practicing obedience, praying, studying the Scriptures, and choosing leaders in preparation for the ministry. – James Boice


4. They believed in God’s leading (16-23)

Peter in charge – the first among equals (Mt. 16:19; Jn. 21:15-17)

Factors that contributed to the- discovering of God’s will in this instance:

a) General leading of Scripture
b) Common sense, or sound deductive reasoning (Judas’ replacement must have same qualifications)
c) Prayer
d) Trusting Jesus to make His choice known (casting of lots) (Pr. 16:33)


The situations in which we learn most about obedience are those in which we cannot see why we are called to do what we are doing. If we can give a reason for what we are doing, then we are not necessarily learning obedience, at least not simple obedience. What we are really doing is trusting our ability to reason things out. There is nothing wrong with thinking things out. But it is quite another thing to learn obedience when the prescribed course does not seem the best option.
If you are going through a period like that in your life, when you know what you should do but do not know why you need to do it, or if you are experiencing a delay in God’s dealings with you and it seems that you are stuck in a spot and can’t quite get off it, learn that there is valuable preparation for future work just in remaining where God has put you. The action will come later. – James Boice