Did Your Power Go Out?
A few hours ago, as Pastor Jose and I sat chatting at our desks, without warning the two overhead lights started to flicker. A moment later, I noticed the WIFI had gone out. PJ half-jokingly commented that it was a good thing. I think his point was that we are sometimes too dependent upon technology to “do ministry”. Too true. Anyway, the power would end up staying on in the church, but it got me thinking, did it really? Or semi-metaphorically speaking, has the power gone out in the church at EBC? Has the power gone out of the global Church?
Doesn’t it sometimes feel like this is the case? If were being real, doesn’t it kind of feel like we’re living in the midst of a spiritual power outage? That like Elvis, God and His transformative power have “left the building”?
First … the good news. God is nothing like Elvis and He’s not left the building. Jesus promised to be with us “always, to the very end of the age”. Jesus and His power most assuredly is with His Church. In case you weren’t sure of this fact, feel free to let out a collective sigh of relief! In addition to this, the Holy Spirit hasn’t gone anywhere either. Jesus sent Him “to be with you forever” … “for he dwells with you and will be in you”(John 14:16-17). The power has not gone out in the church at EBC. I’ve been reminded of it in very tangible ways recently. I’ll continue to say it, “God is on the move”! If you want to read about his power at work recently in the “Capital C” Church, namely in Asia, check out the fantastic autobiography “An Asian Harvest”, by Paul Hattaway.
Now the bad news: It’s possible that your power went out awhile back and you didn’t even realize it. PJ pointed out to me that the reason why the power flickered in the church building was because of the wind. This reminded him that Jesus teaches in Matthew 7 that foolish builders don’t put into practice the teachings of Jesus; hence, when the winds and the storm comes, their house loses power and will eventually come crashing down. What Pastor Jose and I are suggesting is not that Jesus is short on power in His Church today, but that we are short on building our lives upon Him, using His blueprint. That we need to plug back into the source of all power, Jesus, as branches abiding in the vine, going where He goes, doing what He does, and sacrificing as He has sacrificed for us. Jesus was radical. When was the last time you followed Him into the radical?
Check to see if your power has gone out. If it has, repent, connect with Him, and follow Him into ministry that requires His power. Don’t worry, the power will come back on. Trust Him, He’s got more than enough.
Pastor Matt
Categories: Evergreen Connection