On Church life

There is something about the whole structure of church life, and the necessity to perform something to justify its existence and its perpetuation, that compels it to act without waiting. There is no greater death than waiting, which is at the very heart of priestliness. Priests did not commence their priestly activity, or ministry, until seven days of waiting were fulfilled. Seven is the number of completion, and the completion was the final death of their well-meaning intentions to do for God. Until that dies, there is no true priestly service, and if it is not priestly, then it is not apostolic. Jesus is the High Priest and Apostle of our confession. The first must precede the last. Impatience, self-will, religious ambition, the necessity to do and to be seen doing, to be recognized and acknowledged is death to the purposes of God. Art KatzThe challenge of living an authentic Christian life

I agree

There is no man more qualified than the one who believes in his deepest heart that he is without qualification. The whole preliminary work of God is to disqualify us before we can be qualified. This is totally contrary to the whole religious mindset. It is absolutely wasteful in their eyes because here is a man, who at the age of forty and full of vigor, is ready to do great things for God. How many of us are itching to go out and make our mark for God? And yet God does not think it lavish, wasteful or extravagant to give Moses another forty years of waiting in the wilderness until he is completely emptied out—and then He calls him.Merely because we see something that deserves to be rectified is not a justification necessarily to perform it. We cannot act in response to need. Moses is not sent because he sees the need, but it says that, ”the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me.” God saw their affliction, and we are not to go on the basis of our seeing, but on the basis of His sending. What a difference that is from all the running ‘here and there’ that is currently taking place in Christendom! Art KatzThe challenge of living an authentic Christian life