It is time for the Church to return to its reliance on the Holy Spirit and get off of the idea that great strategies, creativity, and the "arm of the flesh" are going to bring eternal transformation. Strategy and creativity are good things, but they are no substitute for the power and Presence of God.
What's the Church to do in a day when a pastor can be shot down in his pulpit, people are losing hope in the face of the ever worsening economy, and church after church is unable to service their mortgage? What's the Church to do when leaders fall to immorality, members are addicted to internet pornography, and accountability is non-existent? What's the Church to do when the Body of Christ just shifts from one church to the next and call it "growth"? What's the church to do when the lost aren't being found, the sick aren't being healed, the poor are not being clothed, the afflicted are not being comforted, and few are interested in the return of the Christ?
Odd thing about troubling times...they present both challenges and opportunity. I see opportunity for God to be God. You see, I believe that the Church's finest days are ahead. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!
Its time to stop playing "church" and start being the Church, its time to be filled once again with the Holy Spirit until our lips quiver and our lives are transformed. Acts 1:8 tells us we will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you, power to become witnesses, power to stand in difficult times, and power to be the Church.
The only way the Church can rise to meet the challenges of this day is to be filled and full of the Holy Spirit. I believe it as much now, if not more, than I ever have before.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
3 comments:
This is my prayer! Awesome word my friend...
Good word, Dave. The arm of flesh will create more stress! I'm being reminded I need to "let go and let God." We're studying How to Be Persuasive without being Offensive in one of our groups and realizing that the "win them" mentality actually puts us in opposition with people we want to "win." We are reminded that all we can do is plant and water - it is up to God to give the increase -
People also need to be encouraged during these hard times. Kokomo is number 3 in the nation as far as cities being affected by the economic downturn. Last month our unemployment rate here doubled - to over 17%! Yet we are experiencing testimonies of healing, people wanting what we are now calling "a real relationship with Jesus Christ," of course the food pantry ministry is bigger than ever, tremendous response to our Upward ministry - but it is so much more about God than anything we are doing. We always want to see "more" and get stressed out when we don't! Thanks for the reminder that it is of the Spirit - in His way - in His time - and not according to our ingrained cultural standards of what we think "results" are.
To make this comment longer than your blog, I was speaking with my brother last week, and I'll forego the illustrations, but we gave several examples of how we are not "in the world" but we sure are "of the world" - which is exactly the opposite of what Jesus told us to do. Love ya, man!
Great word!
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