Powerless Christianity

Excerpt from "Ablaze With His Glory" by Del Fehsenfeld Jr.

"The church is waiting for the world to come to Christ and get saved, but the world is waiting for the church to come to God and get right. God does not judge a nation simply because of the wickedness of the ungodly. He also judges a nation because of the disobedience of His own people. Without the power of God in our lives, we have nothing to offer this world that can really make a difference.

"Jesus put it simply: 'Without me you can do nothing.' (John 15:5). Without His life operationally living through us, the sum total of everything we can do that has eternal value is zero. It does not matter how many seminars, insights, formulas, ideas, or programs we have been exposed to; we cannot succeed in the Christian life without God. No one can live the spiritual life apart form the power of the Spirit.

"All the cosmetic improvements in the world will not empower us to live for God. The only person who ever succeeded in living the Christian life was its author, Jesus Christ. The only way you or I can hope to live like Him is by going to the cross and exchanging our lives for His life. We can wear our best clothes, be on our best behavior and even talk our best talk to impress others, but none of that impresses God! God is only impressed with the sinless life of His Son. Unless His life is released in us, all else is in vain.

"Even full-time Christian workers often miss the point. We can get so busy in the work of the Lord that we forget all about the lord of the work. He is the whole reason and purpose for our existence. When we overlook Him, we lose the refreshing power of His presence in our lives. To compensate for the barrenness inside, we keep up the facade of religious activity on the outside. The result is always spiritual burnout. We become tired of the treadmill and weary in the work. First, we lose the power of God, then love and joy go. Soon peace is gone, and it isn't long until nothing is left. That's when we begin enduring Christianity instead of enjoying Jesus, its author.

"Do you remember what it was like when you first got saved?

"...Loss of spiritual power does not necessarily begin with a flagrant act of sin. It may start with slothful, undisciplined habits. Like the glory of God gradually, reluctantly departing form the temple, God slowly withdraws the manifestation of His presence. Chances are, we haven't openly rebelled against God. We are too spiritual for that. We just let Him slip away a little at a time until we feel empty inside. But even then we are too proud to let anyone know that we are slowly dying spiritually."

pp. 56-57