Faith or risk?

In the summer I was at the EMA in London and heard John Piper give a couple of talks on the idea that risk is right for the Christian and the church. It was one of those talks that leaves you fired up and ready to seize the next risk.

But the problem is in working out sometimes what is a risk taken in faith and what simply unwise. For example is it a risk taken in faith to plant a church in April with a smaller team and less build up or to wait until October for a larger team to perhaps be involved and for there to be more build up?

In the west we all live very comfortable existences and most of our churches are comfortable too, but comfort doesn't seem to feature too much in Acts or in the Epistles (Acts 2, 4, 8). Are we too wedded to our comfortable risk free church environments?

And when it comes to planting new churches Paul lived by faith, go to a new town preach the gospel see some people believe and start a new church eventually with its own leadership (Acts 14, 16, 17, 18). Paul Barnabas, Timothy and others certainly seemed to have the pioneer risk taking spirit.

Risk is right? The key for Paul is in being where God wants him at the time God wants him there (Acts 16:6-10), risk is right in God's timing. Such examples should drive us to pray to ask God what he would have us risk and when he would have us risk it.