The following is a blog entry from February of this year. I thought it would be good to share considering the events of this past week. During a worship encounter on Wednesday night, several people were touched by the power and presence of God.
One story before I re-post the blog. One of the boys in our church came forward for prayer on Wednesday night. A week or so before he had broken his thumb. The family asked me to pray for healing. He removed the splint from his thumb, I anointed him with oil and prayed, and he began to move his thumb saying that it felt better. The next day, he destroyed the splint. His mother encouraged him to hang on to it so he could "protect" the thumb. He said, "Why? My thumb is healed. The devil can have the splint!!!" You gotta love the faith of a child.
2 Timothy 3:1-5...In verse 5 the Bible says, "having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" Allow me to share some points from the message.
In the latter part of his second letter to Timothy, Paul warns him of the perilous times ahead. He gives a detailed description of what we can expect to see in the world. Men will be lovers of themselves, boasters, lovers of money, etc. These are easy traits to pick out. However, the most deceptive trait of people in the last days is found in verse 5. People will have an outward appearance of godliness but will deny its power. Here's what I believe:
1) They Will Deny the Power of the Gospel
When we read passages such as Romans 1:16 and 1 Corinthians 1:18, we discover that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. If we are talking about those who are simply playing the game...going through the motions...and using hypocrisy to cover up their sin, then you can be that the "Good News" of Jesus Christ will be nowhere to be found. You cannot allow the Gospel to be preached or you will see the power of God manifest itself in the lives of someone.
2) They Will Deny the Power of the Word
Hebrews 4:12 teaches us that the Word of God is powerful. God said of His own Word that it will accomplish that which He has sent it out to do. Just as we have found people today who deny the power of the Gospel to change lives, we have also found that there are way too many in the church who do not believe in the Word of God. We will see an increasing denial in the power of God in creation, the incarnation, and redemption. In these last days you will find a more humanistic approach to preaching, teachers that will scratch itching ears, and a more socially acceptable version of Christianity. We must remember that the Word of God is the foundation of all that we believe!
3) They Will Deny the Power of the Spirit
Paul knew nothing of preaching the Gospel without the power and demonstration of the Spirit of God (Read 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 & 1 Thessalonians 1:5). In the book of Acts we find that the early church operated in the power of God while proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to the world. Far too many churches operate just the opposite of this approach today. We vainly think that it's all about our singing, our preaching, our programs, and our ministries. How desperately we need to see the power of God in our midst!!!
Here's what we need to remember: "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." {1 Corinthians 4:20}
In the Greek we read that the kingdom is not in "logos" but in "dunamis". It's not in our words, the expressed ideas of the kingdom, and not just in the Word of God only. This verse tells us that the kingdom is in the MIGHTY, ENLIGHTENING, QUICKENING, CONVERTING, & SANCTIFYING Power of the Holy Spirit. This kingdom is also found in the demonstration of that power.
We already see many today who deny the power of God. We even find them trying to use the "logos" WORD of God to claim that certain aspects of the "dunamis" POWER of God are not the same. But I still believe in Acts 1:8!!! I still believe that we are to be "endued with power" when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. That power coming upon us should transform our lives, our churches, and our mission in life. It is through the power of God that we expect to see nations changed, communities awakened, and people saved. It is the power of God that is needed to impact our families, our schools, and the kingdom of God. If we deny this power then we lose our ability to touch lives.
I guess if all you ever want to do is "play church" then the power of God will only get in the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment