THE DECISIVE MOMENT
“There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment.”
- Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson (22 August 1908 - 3 August 2004) was a French photographer who saw each picture captured as a decisive moment. Apparently, Cartier-Bresson adapted this phrase from Cardinal de Retz (1613-79) when he published his book The Decisive Moment in 1953. As a photographer, he sought to be fully connected with his surroundings while predicting the decisive moment. This required much practice and patience which eventually lead him to become a master at his art.
In a similar way, our life is full of decisive moments full of unpredictability and adventure. We all have a plethora of opportunities in life, and as disciples of Jesus we want to embrace what God brings our way. However, how do we discern if it really is God’s will and plan? Which opportunities do we seize? We can accept that decision-making is complex but necessary in order to move forward in life, and God won’t leave us hanging as we wrestle through the discerning process.
In Acts 21:1-16 we see an instance where the Apostle Paul and the church dealt with a decisive moment that became catalytic for his life and the Gospel’s advancement. The Apostle Paul’s purpose in life was to proclaim the Gospel everywhere God sent him, and although he preached to the Jews, Paul did have a greater focus on the Gentile community. His ministry was marked by the power of the Holy Spirit, preaching, miracles, conversions, church planting, crazy adventures at sea, and yes, loads of persecution and suffering practically everywhere he went.
In this particular passage, the Apostle Paul was on his way to Jerusalem, and he stopped at a few places where he connected with disciples of Jesus. Once in Tyre, for seven days, where the believers felt lead by the Holy Spirit to compel Paul not to go to Jerusalem. And then another stop in Caesarea where he stayed at Philip’s house. During that time the prophet Agabus told Paul that the Holy Spirit was revealing he would be bound and handed over to the Gentiles if he went to Jerusalem. As a result, those who heard this also tried to convince Paul not to go. Yet, Paul would not be persuaded by their heartbreak because he was ready to go through whatever came his way for the sake of Jesus. The conclusion was that everyone entrusted the situation into God’s hands by saying, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”
This scene demonstrates confusion, struggle, tension, discernment as well as the resolution that allowed them to live aligned to God’s will. Through this story we can also find comfort that we are not the first ones to face these types of challenges, and we can also be strengthened with the reliable wisdom God’s Word gives for our future.
While analyzing how they arrived at a decision, I’d like to emphasize that it was done in the context of community. Sadly, today, the idea of valuing community collaboration in decision-making seems to take a back seat as we opt for a value system of individualism and consumerism instead. So maybe, God intends on shocking our system a little bit with how the early church wrestled through their decisive moments.
This story in Acts 21:1-16 not only ties with Acts’ overall theme of advancing Christ’s mission “to the ends of the earth,” but it also provides us with wisdom in: (1) Define your life’s purpose; (2) Evaluate the evidence of God’s purpose; and (3) Know when to take action.
DEFINE YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE
Throughout the countless conversations I’ve had with people that find themselves at a crossroads, defining their purpose is by far the most challenging of the steps. The reason is perhaps that we over-fixate on doing life without asking “why”. Yet, by answering this ground-breaking question we end up exposing what we will hold on to versus what we will surrender. Meaning, is your “why” based on what you prefer in life? Or is it based on God’s overall purpose? This daunting definition will make the world of difference. So, let’s see how Paul and the church worked through that.
While in Tyre (Acts 21:4), “through the Spirit they [the believers] were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.” What did this mean? When Paul continued on, does it mean that Paul was disobedient to the Holy Spirit’s guidance? I mean, Proverbs 11:14 says, “in an abundance of counsellors there is safety,” so obviously the believers were onto something, weren’t they?
Well, the believers received a prophetic word, but did they have the fuller view of God’s purpose? Did their interpretation of that prophetic word get discerned through the lens of their preference (keep Paul safe in order to have longevity to his ministry)? Or, through the lens of God’s purpose that had been unfolding through Paul’s ministry up to that point?
In Acts 20:22-24 Paul says to the Elders of the Ephesian church, “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” For Paul to say that he was “constrained by the Spirit,” and that he just wanted to fulfill what Christ entrusted him with, shows a lot about his disposition and identity. He viewed himself as a “slave/servant” of Christ, as he often wrote in his letters to the churches, and even here Paul places more value in his faithfulness to the Lord over personal comfort. This is crucial to embracing God’s purpose and surrendering our preferences. We need to determine the posture of our heart before God, and only then can we honestly say whether we are holding to our preference or God’s purpose. For Paul to knowingly go into suffering, he must definitely have any self-perception issues resolved because that can become a hindrance to him advancing the Gospel.
Let’s take a step back for a moment and glance at Luke’s intentions throughout the Gospel of Luke and Acts. In his two writings to Theophilus we find various parallelisms and continuations between Jesus and the church. However, for the sake of brevity and relevance to this blog, I’ll only bring up this resolve toward Jerusalem in both letters. Luke 9:51 shows Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem,” knowing full well that He would suffer and die there. He did not shy away from suffering for the sake of fulfilling the Father’s mission, and in like fashion, Paul also set he eyes toward Jerusalem. According of Acts 1:8 and the progression seen throughout Acts, “the ends of the earth,” is anticipated as the final destination, not Jerusalem. Meaning, Rome is seen as the place from where the Gospel can spread throughout the empire.
So, we can conclude that God’s overall purpose regarding Paul, is that he must go through Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth. There’s simply nowhere else that Paul is to set his eyes on for his journey, which leads me to assume that the believers in Tyre received something from the Holy Spirit, but were limited in their interpretation and perception. Paul, however, would’ve seen it as a confirmation to keep going.
This initial step, in the decision-making process, we have to be honest with ourselves about whether we are favouring the comforts and safeties of our preferences, or if we are weighing in God’s purposes. Ask yourself a few questions that will help you define what God’s overall purposes are:
How do you view yourself? Like the Apostle Paul, self-perception can become a hindrance to advancement. If you see yourself as someone that God serves instead of one who serves God, that can become a problem. The way of a disciple is one of surrender and service. We do the following, not Jesus.
What does the Bible have to say about your purpose? There are some purposes of God that are very clearly presented in the Bible, all we have to do is be devoted to reading and studying Scripture to find out. God’s Word is also able to discern “the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word also does two other things: (a) it reveals His divine purposes; and (b) it is also the agent that ensures His divine purposes are accomplished (Isaiah 55:11). We can generally agree on the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) as God’s purposes. But how does this show God’s specific purpose for my life? Well, there’s no simple formula for that. Yet, for those who spend time with God in prayer, in devotion to the Scriptures, and in Christian community, usually have a greater chance at gaining clarity about those specifics. It’s a journey after all.
Is this decision so comfortable and safe that it doesn’t push you to trust in the Lord? Not always does the journey need to be dangerous, but often times the pattern we find throughout the Bible, regarding God’s purpose, is that it pushes people to seriously walk by faith. The task seems too far for their reach, or too big to handle on their own. Only with confidence in the Lord’s ability could it be done. BUT BE REALISTIC as well. If you’re not a singer, and others can confirm that, don’t just go around saying that you will become the next Andrea Bocelli.
Does this decision honestly advance God’s purpose? Is it an opportunity to represent Christ to those you’ll encounter? Sometimes we like to manipulate our narratives and squeeze in our own agenda and then justify how it accomplishes what God desires. The thing is we can’t deceive God. He sees right through it. So, ask yourself this question honestly.
Ultimately, what is the Holy Spirit saying is the purpose? This calls for a devoted prayer life where we fellowship with God. Everything God does in us and through us is always relational. This means we are attentive to the Shepherd’s voice.
EVALUATE THE EVIDENCE OF GOD’S PURPOSE
God doesn’t waste our time nor the life lessons we’ve acquired over time, and maybe you’ve never thought about that being an indicator for your direction. Yet, that’s something Paul’s life can demonstrate. In Acts 9:15-16, when Paul had his first encounter with Jesus, Ananias was told by the Lord regarding Paul, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So we know that right from the start of his journey with Jesus, Paul’s trajectory was set by the Lord and everything he went through from that point on was one building block upon another.
Think back to all the experiences that God has lead you through and discern what lines up and confirms what you feel needs to be decided at the moment. Sometimes the way forward is to simply forget what is behind, but that usually has to do with things that weigh you down. Our past should, however, serve as confirmations about the path that is set before us. God won’t waste the pain you went through in your past trials, and He won’t waste the character building that took place during those times. All of it was to prepare you for where you are today.
What Paul told these concerned believers was consistent with what Jesus had said about him right from the start and throughout his journey up to that point. This principle should not be avoided in your decision-making process. If anything, it will encourage you and give you confidence that if the Lord sustained you in the past, then if He is in this new thing, He will sustain you there too.
KNOW WHEN TO TAKE ACTION
If the process of defining your purpose and evaluating the evidence of that purpose has given you greater clarity, then the only thing left is to know when to take action. Depending on what needs to be decided, timing is crucial. A striker on the soccer field might know his/her purpose (score goals), and know the evidence of this purpose (diligently practiced and prepared for this game, and has scored before), but still needs to time their movement in order to be at the right place at the right time. Sometimes we have to wait while other times we have to get moving asap. But this too, God will confirm to you.
As the opportunity unfolds and becomes more obvious that it’s time, that’s when you step into it. Maybe a close group of people that you trust are the ones giving you that final nudge, or you’re the more adventurous type that doesn’t need much convincing to go for it. The fact is that there is not just one answer to this, so I’ll tell you about a time when I knew the Lord was calling me to take action.
Back in 2010 the Lord used my close friends, who were also my employers at the time, to give me the nudge to move into God’s clear plan. It had been six years of wrestling with the Lord about becoming a Lead Pastor of a church. I ran from it, avoided it at all costs, and was happy with doing ministry in a supportive role. Obviously, God had different plans, and I knew it. My friends, who were devoted followers of Jesus, had been praying for me and felt they needed to encourage me to take a step of faith, a step out of my comfort zone and preferences. Although I pushed back at the time saying this would be a huge leap of faith for me and my family, my friend replied, “Marco! One day you will be preaching about walking by faith. How can you preach about something you have not done?” That’s all I needed to hear to accept an invitation that I had received to become the Lead Pastor of a church where I lived. Looking back, I am so grateful that the Lord used my friends to give me the nudge, which confirmed the timing of it all, and He can do that for you as well.
The decisive moment requires quite the rigorous process of defining your purpose, evaluating the evidence of that process, and ultimately to know when to take action, but it is totally worth it. And by submitting to God through this whole journey, you will eventually see the picture that God is taking. It truly will be a masterpiece that will leave you saying with conviction, “Only God!”