“‘For my thoughts will not be your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Sometimes, taking a look at the outcomes is probably the most difficult solution to assess whether God is in something. The assumption is when the outcomes are positive, this have to be a God thing. However, that just isn’t all the time true. Results alone will not be the measure. How you get to those results is equally essential. Some consider that the outcomes will all the time be positive because we follow God. In the long term, that will likely be true, but not all the time within the short term. For example, Jesus followed the Father in perfect obedience, getting him nailed to a cross. In the short term, that consequence didn’t look so good. However, in the long run, his obedience paid for our salvation. So yes, results matter, but not greater than your obedience to what God desires you to do.
One way churches wrestle with that is they could have a look at a full sanctuary as proof God is on this place. However, it might be best to contemplate the way you enticed the people to enter your constructing and what you probably did with them while they were there. If all you do is entertain and also you never tell them about sin, repentance, or the gospel, then does it matter what number of individuals are within the constructing?
I went to a church with a fall program; well over one thousand people were packed into the constructing. They placed on a fun show at this event and gave out candy for the youngsters. The event looked like God was in it due to the amount of people that showed up. However, they never mentioned the gospel in any respect. It didn’t differ from going to a Nickelodeon kids’ awards show: plenty of fun but no actual substance. How can that be when the center of God is to attract people to Jesus, yet this event never mentions Jesus?
While results can indicate that God is doing something supernatural, we must measure the outcomes based on God’s standards and never worldly priorities. Otherwise, we might imagine God is doing something he just isn’t a part of.
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