What Do YOU Expect?

posted by Vaughn Harris, webmaster of justonemore.info and member of CrossPoint Church in Argo, AL

Over the years I have developed certain expectations. I expect my service at a restaurant to be excellent. I expect my car to start when I get into it each morning (sometimes I get let down). I expect my boys to get along most of the time. Nothing extravagant, nothing life changing, just some expectations I have embraced over the years. I’m sure there are many, many more but these are just a few.

A few months ago, two teen girls invited a friend to our church for the first time. This friend did not walk into our student ministry in possession of a relationship with Christ and probably didn’t expect to leave with one. But as we worshiped, as we loved each other, as the word of God was opened, God did something in this girls’ life that caused her to surrender her life to Christ. The girls who brought her said, “I am really surprised. I just didn’t expect it. This is awesome!”

In my heart I thought, “Why not?” Why didn’t you expect God’s love to come through? Why didn’t you expect the power of the Gospel to penetrate her soul? Why didn’t you expect the Jesus we love and serve to become her friend? Why didn’t you expect the Holy Spirit to draw this girl to the Savior?

Many Christians I know who share Christ do not expect a life to change, but they are mildly optimistic. If we even attempt, we cringe when we share Christ, we timidly invite people to church, and we hem haw at opportunities when we should be saying, “I know SOMEONE who can help.” In other words we know what God can do, were just not sure He will. We know what God wants to do, we’re just not sure that He will.

Let’s look at what Paul wrote:

“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

I Corinthians 3:5-7 ESV

These words are saturated with expectation. He is saying, when someone plants and someone waters – GOD DOES SOMETHING! All farmers have the expectation of plant, water, grow. They know they plant and water and then wait with EXPECTATION. Jesus told us the same thing when He said, “…the fields are white and ready – go harvest”. We must expect a harvest.

What would happen if everyone who knows Jesus suddenly thought, “Wow, I have the gospel and it is the power of for salvation. I EXPECT when I share it, something in the eternal realm is happening and God is bringing His power to bear upon the hearts of people trapped in darkness, I EXPECT Him to win.” Would having this expectation alter how often we share Christ with others? Would having this expectation alter how we bring people to church? Would having this expectation help define and clarify our role in the process?

I have learned that when I EXPECT God to do something in someone’s life, I see opportunities for God to show up as opposed to people who would never believe. When I EXPECT God to do something in someone’s life, my prayer life is more focused on God and His will being done here on earth than my needs being met. When I EXPECT God to do something in someone’s life, I see my role as to either plant or water and then to fully trust that God will cause growth. When I EXPECT God to do something in someone’s life, I ignore what I might have to lose in sharing Christ and develop a passion for what others might have to gain. When I EXPECT God to do something in someone’s life, I become less surprised by what God does and become more amazed by who He is.