The Power of God

“But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.” Isaiah 63:10.

Power

Would you agree with me that the church of Jesus Christ in the west is in a sad and woeful state? We have our church programs, activities, seminars, master plans, publishing houses, radio and television programs, contemporary, blended, and traditional worship services, and a plethora of evangelistic strategies. Here’s my question, in light of all the activity we experience- are we holy, are we transforming our culture, are our nations more righteous than we were twenty or fifty years ago?

What’s the problem? May I suggest we have the same problem the nation of Judah faced when Isaiah prophesied about her around 720 B.C. We have rebelled against the Lord of glory. We have grieved His Holy Spirit. Therefore God has become our enemy. He has been fighting against us. Is this too strong of language? Am I overstating the case? The best the Christian church can do, in light of the continued abortion holocaust, same sex marriage legislation, and the continued downgrade of our once great western civilization into unmentionable debauchery; is to wring our hands in disgust, and then watch reruns of Sex in the City and other filthy television programs. We have a form of godliness but without a demonstration of the Spirit and power.

I commend to you a prayerful reading of Isaiah 63, trusting that a sober assessment of our present spiritual state would truly burden us to pray and work for a return to our former covenant glory. Here’s a brief outline of the chapter to help in your reading: verses 1-6, the vengeance of the Holy One on the antagonists (Edom) of His covenant; verses 7-9, the remembrance of the Holy One’s covenant mercies; verse 10, the disobedience of Israel and the Holy One’s consequent covenant curses; verses 11-14, the awareness of Israel’s sin and their cry for the return of former days; and verses 15-19, the zealous, emotional, and bold prayer for renewal of covenant mercies.

I am praying that I, along with the people of our church, will begin to ask God to show us how far we have fallen from our former glory as His church. It seems to me that we are like fish in water, so much a part of our culture that we are oblivious to our worldliness, materialism, lack of concern for the suffering and lost people of our world, given over to formalism and professionalism in ministry. Is it possible that we are so afraid of excesses in the charismatic movement that we have stopped believing a Holy Ghost revival is possible or even desirable? Again I ask, are you satisfied with the current level of your spirituality? Are you satisfied with the impact your church or denomination is making in seeing the lost saved and sanctified, transforming our culture? If so, then okay, continue as you are. If not, and that’s where I am, then I urge you honestly to assess the spiritual climate of the western church. Do we need to repent of sin? Do we need to believe in, look for, and seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit to fall upon our preachers and evangelists? I have often said that our job is to work daily and consistently for reformation (reforming the church of Christ back to the word of God), and it is God’s responsibility to bring revival, something He may or may not sovereignly choose to do. We can, however, prepare ourselves for revival. May God move us all to seek His glory by showing us our sin, repenting of it, and calling down the Holy Spirit upon our families, churches, and communities, in order that our preachers will preach with unusual authority and effectiveness, that God’s power will be manifest.

Al Baker pastors the Christ Community Presbyterian Church, West Hartford, CT., USA.

This and other previous devotionals can be found at www.christcpc.org