None of us can avoid being part of the Divine Plan, because it embraces the cosmos in its entirety. There is, however, a huge difference between the unconscious unit, pulled along by the gradual working out of the Plan and the conscious, committed and trained serving disciple – the ‘intelligent agent’ – who purposefully aids outworking and grounding of the Kingdom of God on earth.

It is very easy to convince ourselves that we are effective agents – or would be if the circumstances were different. We use excuses – ‘I could serve more effectively if there was more time, more money, if people were more responsive, if I had support.’ Our list of ‘outs’ is lengthy.

Yet in the end none of these is a valid reason for lack of effectiveness. In the end effective service comes about solely as the result of deep, preferably conscious, commitment and the perseverance to act as an intelligent agent on behalf of divine Purpose every moment of every day, no matter where we find ourselves, no matter what it takes. Anyone who makes this type of commitment is, without exception, also making a deep soul commitment to undertake the intense ongoing training needed. That training will thrust us into God’s refining fire. It is in the fire, and only in the fire, that we will be equipped with the knowledge, understanding, tools – and the beginnings of loving wisdom – that we will need to be effective.

During Piscean times discipleship training was often undertaken in seclusion from the world. That has changed. The impetus is clear. We are now being called to be, simultaneously, turned toward God and the world. To be in training and to serve. Such intense and ongoing parallel and integrated training and service demands stickability, courage and daring, growing understanding, and real focus on the task in hand – the ‘yeasting’ and externalisation of the Kingdom of God on earth. It demands that disciples begin to add to their humanitarian work on behalf of the poor, the needy and the disenfranchised a push toward greater alignment with Divine Purpose and Plan throughout every field of human endeavour in co-operation with other committed, aligned and steady disciples.