After a long absence from writing my wife reminded me of how important it is to keep commitments - so I will try to improve on consistency and content.
In case you haven't noticed I have been trying to establish this line of thought in the Sunday A.M. sermons - "Jesus is on the Move." This movement is best seen in the book Acts as Luke records the actions of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the appointed servants.
This Sunday we are going to examine the action of the Spirit through the means of preaching the gospel. The question simply stated is this: Is the gospel still able to break through the spiritual darkness of our age? We know that the Apostles took as their primary mission the speaking of that gospel (Jesus died, Jesus rose - repent and believe Him as Lord). We also know that through the witness of these apostles that the greco-roman culture was broken open and changed. The change was so dramatic that is caused pagan population rioted as the apostles brought the gospel to bear on the culture. Systemic change - not superficial change - resulted and hope came like a warm breeze in Spring. There is no way for us to truly measure the impact of the gospel on the first century culture except to say that history records for us that the transformation was experienced on every level of society.
So where does that leave us in the present age? Is the spiritual darkness deeper and stronger today than it was 2000 years ago? Is the gospel spoken to non-Christ followers still the means through which the powers of darkness will be crushed? The great challenge we face is not if the gospel is powerful enough but whether we believe the gospel is powerful enough.
The north country is as dark of a place as the pagan culture in Ephesus, Colosse or Philippi. We have major crime, family breakdown, addictions, materialism, greed, sexual sins, etc, etc, etc. We also have the most powerful weapon to break through the darkness - the Spirit of power working through the people of Jesus as they declare the saving actions of almighty God.
I encourage you to pray for me as I preach this Sunday that I would communicate God's grace to people attending who may not even be Christians. So the Spirit is needed in our church to break through darkness. Pray also that we as a Church will believe that the gospel is enough and that as we give obedience to living it the Spirit will bring about transformation in our area just as He did 2000 years ago.
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I am glad to see you back to writing.
ReplyDeleteI am unsure of the world here in the North Country is darker or less dark. Certainly there are sparks of light in churches and individuals throughout the area that would not have been in places like Ephesus in the early days of the church.
But that does not mean the darkness that is here is any less dark. And that our mission is any less vital, or daunting.
Daunting at least if we go it alone. But together, with God at our back, and hand in hand, we can become more than sparks - we can become bonfires in the night.
Thanks Tom for one of those men who wants to go together in the mission. The victory is ours - so let's go and win it for Jesus.
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