You say, 'Well, instance that'. Look at all the happenings in Corinth. What was it Paul said to them? "For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep [have died]" (I Cor. 11:30). There is a secret spiritual history there. The Holy Ghost has got hold of the situation. They might have looked at it in a natural way. 'Somebody is ill - send for the doctor.' But wait a minute. May there not be some spiritual factor bound up with it? May not the Holy Spirit have something to do with this? Paul says, Yes! It does not mean that everybody who is sick is a spiritual delinquent, but the principle is there. The Church is being dealt with by the Holy Ghost in relation to God's fuller purpose.

The point is quite clear, then, that God gets hold first of individuals and then of companies, and He deals with them in this way: so that, not because they have been given a message or a truth, but because of what God has done in them, they have a spontaneous ministry. It just happens, that is all; somehow or other, it happens, without our being able to explain it - except thus: that the Holy Spirit has taken account of something and He is using it; He is seeing that what He has done there is expanded, is reaching out. It just happens. Paul said about the church in Thessalonica, "From you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place..." (I Thess. 1:8). Do you think that that necessarily meant that they sent out evangelists? They may have done, but it does not say so. Look at the context. You will see that Paul is saying, 'All over the place in other churches they are talking about you; I need not speak of you - it is known'. It is spontaneous ministry out of what God does. God takes in hand to get these intrinsic values, and He is not going to waste them.    6mmb

Hi brother Paul. I am in a very busy conference from Friday through Monday. The general subject is: "Loving the Lord and Loving One Another for the Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ."

We had one entire message based on Ephesians 6:24

Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruptibility.

Love is mentioned in Ephesians 19 times and the phrase "in love" 6 times. Even so it was Ephesus that took the lead to "leave her first love." in Revelation 2. 

   Yes love, and the deepening of love is our primary discernment and experience in Christ IMO.  If we fall short with men whom we can see, how are we faring with the invisible GOD?

PAULFROMNYS said:

If we fall short with men whom we can see, how are we faring with the invisible GOD?

Right. We fall short because we are short of God. We need to gain more of God that God may gain more of us.

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained or am already perfected, but I pursue, if even I may lay hold of that for which I also have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

   Wish I had a nickle for every time that verse spoke to me, in short: amen brother.