Since my last birthday I have a growing awareness and gratitude for the seeds of Unbound ministry planted around the world. I believe they will continue to grow and bear fruit.
In 1 Corinthians we read:
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)
The laborer’s work comes to nothing unless God gives the growth.
In Acts 5, the Sanhedrin became infuriated with the apostles, wanting to kill them.
A pharisee named Gamaliel came to the apostles’ defense, speaking with wisdom:
I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God. (Acts 5: 38-39, NIV)
God has entrusted us with a message and what is born of God will continue to grow. Consider with me some recent signs of ongoing growth:
– As I write, friends from Poland are teaching Unbound in Ukraine.
– Leaders in Uganda are planning to lead an Unbound conference with all African leaders doing the teachings.
– Fr. Jude from Cameroon recently took the Unbound message to an area of Nigeria.
– A professor at our local seminary previously asked me to address his classes. Now he does the teaching himself.
Ten years ago, Janet and I first presented Unbound in Ireland. We spoke in both Dublin and Knock. Matt has since visited twice, providing more input via the e-course and mentoring.
We recently had a Zoom call with Unbound leaders in Ireland. They are considering ways to unify Unbound groups in their country, planning to build a solid foundation of mature leaders in preparation for a future Unbound conference. They have been using the Five Keys for many years without a single complaint ever registered against them. Their maturity and wisdom so impressed me! Seeds were planted, but God gave the growth.
But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Mathew 13 :23, NIV)
