Since I first received Jesus, my outlook has changed from one of striving to do works and looking for God’s approval after the fact to one of resting in Christ and trusting the Holy Spirit to direct me in concert with God’s work. It is not unlike Peter who fished all day and caught nothing, who at the end of the day followed Jesus’ instructions and hauled in a huge catch. The former was Peter’s effort without Christ’s direction, the latter was Christ’s doing through Peter’s obedience. The lesson in that? Action without direction is fruitless.

One way I see things differently now, is through the gardening metaphor so often used in scripture. Working in my vegetable garden those scriptures come to life as I clean up a garbage pile behind the garage, kill the weeds, till the soil, fertilize, plant, water, prune, cultivate, deal with pests and finally bring in the harvest. It’s hard work, but a great way to get perspective on God’s work with us.

About that, Isaiah wrote that we are “a planting for the display of God’s splendor” (Isaiah 61:3). With an eye towards God’s role as gardener and mine as His planting, I’ve begun noticing places in scripture that underscore His responsibility in calling, saving, baptizing and teaching people. That leaves me wondering whether those scriptures should be taken at face value, whereby I trust God to do what they say He will do. If so, then He is responsible to complete the work of salvation, and my responsibility is simply to cooperate with Him as He directs me.

It was through gardening and yard work that the Father showed me a beautiful example of His role and mine, through the work ethic of my young nephew. Digging out a shrub to transplant it elsewhere, he watches what I do and does the same, or keeps the way clear for me, like raking the dirt back so it doesn’t fall back in the hole. If I drop to my knees to clear rocks and roots, he’s right there with me, at my side. If I use the shovel as a pry bar on the root ball, he’s there, pulling on the trunk from the other side to help break it loose. Lifting it out of the hole, he’s elbow to elbow with me to share the load. Amazingly, he was just 12 at the time, yet worked with the dedication and intelligence of a man.

Concerning scriptures that have me questioning God’s role and mine, are those about which Christians and churches devote so much busy work. For example, John 3:16 says God does the giving, our whole responsibility is simply to believe and trust in Jesus. When you trust someone to do something, you surrender all control and rely completely on that person to do what He says He will do. Salvation is 100% the work of God in Christ. Yet how much of our works are about trying to earn a measure of our own salvation, justify ourselves or give us reason to boast about our worthiness?

Similarly, John 12:32 says Jesus draws ALL men to Himself. There’s no need for pew-filling membership drives, advertising, or any of the other silly stuff churches do to promote themselves. Jesus promotes Himself. If your church has Jesus, that’s all you need. If it doesn’t, no interactive web site, rocking praise band or flashy new program will pack the pews for long.

Elsewhere, John 16:18 says the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin. So why do so many believers point out sin when they see it and chastise the sinner? Are we of the mindset that preventing sin will save the sinner? Sin is between the sinner and Jesus. Imagine if instead of being “anti-sin” we loved and encouraged sinners to choose life instead because we too are sinners. For us, it’s written “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8) which Jesus modeled for us. Are we serious about “what would Jesus do?” or is that just for bumper stickers, tee shirts and wrist bands? When Jesus said to the woman caught in the act of adultery “neither do I accuse you”, did He intend for us to follow His example? The Holy Spirit will do what needs done.

Do you want more of God? Why go to a man for what only God can give? Man baptizes with water. It’s Jesus who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire. All we meed do is present ourselves to Jesus for His baptism, or like it says in Luke 11:13, simply ask the Father for His Holy Spirit. In similar vein, 1 Corinthians 12 tells us to earnestly desire the best spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. Can a man give the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts? We need to ask God for that.

First John 2:27 says we do not need a man to teach us. It’s the Holy Spirit who teaches us (John 14:26). I can’t say that I’ve ever really taught anybody anything, rather, my witness about what the Holy Spirit has taught me is sometimes a confirmation of what the Holy Spirit has taught others. I experience the same type of confirmation when I hear others share what they’ve heard from the Holy Spirit. That leaves me wondering whether we overuse the word “teach” and perhaps should use the word “witness” instead. For the Holy Spirit in me is the same Holy Spirit that’s in my brothers and sisters. And it’s the Holy Spirit who connects us with the One who is the Living Word: Jesus. As such, when I testify about what I hear from the Holy Spirit, the hearer doesn’t learn from me as a “teacher” per se, rather the hearer simply has an “Amen!” reaction to the Spirit and the knowledge He’s already placed in them. My witness simply stirs up what the Spirit has already deposited there.

With regard to teaching, sometimes called discipling, consider the “great commission”, where Jesus said “go out into all the world and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The GNB for example says “make them MY disciples.” If as in those examples the word “disciple” is a noun, our job is simply to make someone a disciple of Christ through baptism. Other translations render the word “disciple” a verb which assumes an ongoing responsibility to teach people the ways of Jesus. Which ever is the best translation, we should ask who is responsible to teach Jesus’ disciples? Jesus, or men? Where 1 Corinthians 2:13-14 says it’s the Spirit who teaches spiritual things, I lean toward treating disciple as a noun, not a verb and hold that believers belong to Jesus who is their teacher, not men.

My concern about teaching is this: where we presume to teach, or “disciple” others, we run the risk of making them into “sons of hell” because men typically teach from their understanding, whereby they fill people’s heads with doctrines and dogma and people learn a legalistic and works-based approach to the faith. The Holy Spirit teaches from Spirit to Spirit and there’s nothing dogmatic or legalistic about that at all. There is another skeptical thought I have about teaching as it’s done in the modern church. Daily my wife and I go to the Lord for bread and every day, He has something different for each of us, based on what we need that day. I have to believe it’s the same for every believer: fresh bread, baked daily, just for you. So how is it that come Sunday morning a hireling preaches a “once size fits all” sermon and people accept that as teaching?

Finally, Matthew 16:18 says Jesus builds His Church. There are countless men trying to build churches and typically they start with a piece of land and a building. Yet for all our building programs, there is no unity because all churches are divided by doctrine, personality or denomination. In fact, Paul wrote “because of your divisions, your meetings do more harm than good”. And what are denominations if not another word for divisions? There is still just one church built by Jesus which according to Peter, all we need do is present ourselves as living stones and Jesus will assemble us into a spiritual temple (1 Peter 2:4-9). What Jesus builds will last; what men build will be burned on the day of the Lord.

Considering all these things, a clear theme emerges from scripture – Jesus is the one who does the work. Period. All we do is submit, trust, wait, watch, and participate cooperatively when He calls on us.

Such is a more ‘organic’ view of the Church and suits me far better than the ‘institutionalized’ view.

There is great peace in simply enjoying your spot in the sun and blooming where the Father has planted you. And I think it’s safe to say that the “Gardener knows what He’s doing.”