Victorious Faith
Just recently I have become aware of the burden I have for both the leaders and the members of many of churches in my country.
If there ever was a time when we needed the power of God in our lives, I strongly believe it is now. Certainly many communities of believers are thriving and growing in Christ around the world. For this we praise God! Yet here are great concerns as well. This past year a number of Christian leaders have been in the news concerning moral failures that bring shame to the name of Christ and discourage many believers. At the same time, far too many ordinary believers continue to be enslaved by the power of addictions and numerous temptations.
There is no doubt that there are number of direct or indirect causes for these failures. Having grown up in church and after being involved in leadership for 45 years, I have seen much and have made many mistakes myself. I have sat in numerous leadership meetings and observed how situations are addressed and how answers are sought after. It has often been difficult for me to offer suggestions for the very reason that I do not often understand the perspective from which other leaders today are coming. My main area of knowledge and experience for all these years has been from the study of the scriptures, rather than from modern day administrative techniques. One day a fantastic thought occurred to me! How could we apply biblical understanding to these issues? Could not the Holy Spirit lead us in the same as He did back then?
Sometimes though, I wonder how people in the First Century church could even understand our 21st Century problems!
In these messages we have been considering what we in our time and culture might learn from the First Century Church. Of course there are the differences in cultural and historical situations that must be taken into account. At the same time there are principles that can still be applied for our benefit. However, some of these principles will not even work while we are building on a different foundation. When we build on a foundation of how modern business or political organizations are formed, our successes will only mirror the successes of business and political organizations. Is that what we want? Is that want God wants?
The church of Jesus Christ is built upon a supernatural foundation, on a totally different set of principles. Many today are returning to that foundation. Praise God! For some this can even mean starting over completely!
From the beginning of Luke’s account of the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that Jesus made a promise to His followers:
Acts 1:3-8
He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(NIV)
So the Early Church started out with total dependence on God and obedience to His command to wait in Jerusalem. Guess what! This principle, if you want to call it, worked! The church did receive the power to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus and to live holy lives in His presence! There were obstacles, pressures, and persecutions, but there was also phenomenal growth. During this time there was an explosion of joy in them and in the communities they formed!
Many are concerned today that Christians are beginning to trust more in political and economical power to further the Good News of the Kingdom of God. This is the temptation of our time and in many countries of the world. Yet, the church has often shown the greatest power when it was devoid of these things. Consider the words of James, the Lord’s brother:
James 2:5-6:
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor.
(NIV)
Then we must consider the times in history when Christian institutions actually used their political power to persecute unbelievers and even fellow believers! Of course, wealth and political influence can be used for good, but how much better it is to see God’s supernatural work in the world in a situation where no one could deny His superiority in love, wisdom, grace and power.
The first thing some people think about concerning power is the power to heal the sick and to work miracles. This is true, many miracles were recorded in the early days of the church. However, there is more to it than miracles when it comes to bearing witness to the Lordship of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus spoke of the fact that the kingdom of God was a realm where people lived a new life by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3). This new birth was foretold by God through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
Jeremiah 31:33-34:
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD.
(NIV)
Ezekiel 36:26-27:
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
(NIV)
By faith in Jesus, these promises have been extended to those of us who are not the natural children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And yet, many believers today are content to confess that they have no real victory over their own hearts and their sinful ways. Is this the result of misunderstanding or pure unbelief in the Words of our Lord? Could this unbelief explain our unrealistic and illogical dependence upon worldly wisdom?
Are you like me and many others who desire to see a victorious community of believers in Christ, continuing to bear witness of Him to the ends of the earth? Today we are not among those who personally saw Jesus after He returned from the tomb. And yet, Paul prayed for believers like us, who also missed that experience:
Ephesians 1:17-23:
… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
(NKJV)
This vision of Christ, and of Christ IN You is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) He is building His powerful Church, one against which the gates of hell will not prevail! By faith in His sacrifice for us on the Cross, we receive salvation and the forgiveness of our sins. But the Gospel of the Kingdom does not stop there. By faith we are also overcomers!
1 John 5:3-5:
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
(NIV)
Believe the Good News! God is working in you both the will and the ability to do His good pleasure! (Philippians 2:13) You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus! (Romans 8:37). That is if you have heard the Word, believed in Him, repented of your sins and are following Him. Today God is calling us to stop at nothing until we fully experience the very same power from heaven that filled those first disciples. Some have not even heard that it is still available to them today. We affirm that it is! Peter announced that this promise is given to many, many others.
Acts 2:38-39:
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
(NIV)
Today I would ask you all to read and re-read the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Catch a glimpse of the possibilities. Consider what could happen if we would only return to the simplicity of believing God’s Word and acting on His promises by His grace today!
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