Where Is The POWER?

Red scripture references are links to scripture & will open in a new window.

Jesus, while on this earth, was radical, revolutionary, extremely challenging to any comfort zone and very powerful.

The religious establishment, which actually was set up and initiated by God, had become very corrupt. The “clergy” despised Jesus because He ran completely counter to their status quo and exposed them for the hypocrites they were.

Jesus even said the religious leaders refused to enter into the kingdom and prevented others from entering, as well [Matthew 23:13]. The corruption of the God-ordained faith by the religious “leaders” had become that bad.

The early church, functioning as the body of Christ, was also radical, revolutionary, extremely challenging to the comfort zone and very powerful. This was due to the reality of Jesus living in and through them, which is the calling of the body. They knew, believed and took hold of spiritual truth.

Think about this: The early body of Christ, in spite of enormous opposition and persecution from the religious and the civil authorities, were able, within a fairly short time span, to turn the most powerful empire that had ever existed on its head.

The disciples [not just apostles] were either the stench of death leading to death; or the aroma of life leading to life to those who were outside the fold of the flock [2 Corinthians 2: 14-16]. There was no middle ground.

There are trustworthy, historical testimonies of the boldness, power and fearlessness of these Christ-followers. They faced torture, even death with peace, with songs of praise on their lips and prayers for their tormenters.

There are even testimonies of unbelieving heathen joining themselves to the disciples as they were being abused, seeing the power in their lives, knowing they too would suffer or die.

Satan was losing ground and souls. Things got so bad for the devil, he even had to change tactics, from direct persecution and opposition, to having Emperor Constantine embrace the church and make the faith an official, “acceptable” religion in the empire in the year 313. “Christianity” quickly came to dominate the religious landscape because of the church’s marriage to the State, but that was a very costly marriage.

The life and power of the body of Christ started to rapidly decline from that point, as numerous corrupting influences came in to the church, and "religion" began to take over and dominate. You know, those nice, official programs and activities for the flock to faithfully "attend"!

Heathen and pagan "stuff" were entering in, too, many of which remain to this day, but that's a matter for another post.

Understand, there have been many churches down through history that have maintained the life and power of the body, to one degree or another, but it has been in steady decline for a very long time.

Churches today, in places like China, N. Korea, Yemen, Iran and others do live in varying degrees of the original life and power of the body, mostly due to the fact that, in those places, it is risky and costly to even name the name of Christ and to follow Him. One must be serious about the faith to make that commitment. The people must “count the cost”, as Jesus clearly said would be necessary [Luke 14:26-33].

Despite the glorious claims of Charismatics, Pentecostals and TV “preachers and healers”, the churches in the “free”, prosperous, comfy world, and our many global transplants and clones, do not live and move in this life and power.

If anyone believes that westernized churches do operate in biblical life and power, I won’t debate this, since I’m convinced that they absolutely do not.

How can there be genuine, biblical life and power when…..

1. We are the most biblically illiterate generation of “believers” ever?

2. Church-goers don’t know one another or their so-called pastors and elders, and the “leaders” don’t truly know them?

3. A mixed multitude in the "church" is permitted, even encouraged, to increase the number of attendees and tithers?

4. The under-shepherds refuse to fulfill their biblical mandate and calling, to raise up the flock into the actual ministry and into the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ [Ephesians 4:11-16]?

5. We are all about doing certain “nice” things [never risky things] at certain times and in certain places, like church “services” or Revival Week meetings with the travelling evangelist?

6. Very few believers share any kind of gospel at all, and the gospel that is shared by the few is a very man-centered one, geared toward getting people to "accept" Jesus and/or "go to church"?

7. We invest an insanely small percentage of our resources into reaching the unreached, the perishing, with the gospel of salvation?

8. “Church growth” is almost always because of “believers” leaving one church to start going to another?

And much more.

In summary, churches in the “free” world, and our many global transplants, are far, far removed from God’s design, purposes and agenda.

It’s way past time for us to come out of our stupor, see truth and reality, repent and turn back to walking in “The Way”.

Of course, only a relatively small remnant with see and understand this and take it seriously. It has always been so!

Will you be part of that remnant? Will I?