On Tuesday, I met with a pastor who is a missionary/pastor to the United States from Nigeria and a friend of his who is a pastor in Nigeria. We talked about the church in the United States before we prayed together. American Christians, in their opinion, tend to ignore the realm of the spiritual, explaining sin and suffering only in psychological and/or sociological terms. We do not admit that evil is real and personal, the acts of Satan and his demons who are in rebellion against the Kingdom of God. When we prayed together (what a time of prayer!) I heard the way that their worldview shaped their prayers. They called on the Spirit to rise up and defeat the Devil.
The conversation left me with much to think about. Have my efforts in the work of the Lord focused too much on behavior modification and too little on defeating evil? Am I trying to rehabilitate people instead of expecting that the supernatural power of the Spirit will transform them from the inside out? Dallas Willard, author of The Divine Conspiracy, asserts that most American Christians settle for a ‘gospel of sin management.’ We do not go to war to defeat evil and we do not expect sinners to become saints! Instead, we aim to manage sin and its effect on us aiming to become marginally better people, centering our religion around moralistic piety. (translate that - We just try to be nice people!)
Imagine Paul going into a pagan city and offering classes on stress management or financial matters. I can’t, can you? His ministry was Christ-centered and expected profound results. "We go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. … to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.” … Nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it!" (1 Corinthians 1:23-25; 2:4, The Message)
We do not have to discard our understanding or education to work effectively with the Lord. But, we must acknowledge the limits of efforts based solely on those things. The primary mission of the Church is to establish the Kingdom of God. That can only be done in the power of the Spirit and because of the completed work of Christ, who lived, died, and rose again. The promise of Jesus to us is not merely preservation. He offers empowering. He left His disciples with this promise, which must also be our expectation. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NLT) We need a new Pentecost, a new outpouring of the Spirit!
Here’s a word from the Word. May it increase our faith and inform our understanding. “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. “What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ” (Zechariah 4:6-7, NIV)
________
By My Spirit
Is there a mountain in your way?
Do doubts and fears abound?
Press on, Oh hear the Spirit say,
“This mountain shall come down!”
“Not by might not by pow'r,
By My Spirit.” saith the Lord of Hosts.
“Not by might not by pow'r
By My Spirit.” saith the Lord.
This mountain shall be removed.
This mountain shall be removed.
This mountain shall be removed.
“By My Spirit,” saith the Lord.
Then trust alone the mighty God.
He speaks, the winds obey.
Take courage then oh fainting heart,
For you He'll make a way.
© 1957. Renewed 1985 Gospel Publishing House (Assigned to Lorenz Corporation, 1998)
Almeda Herrick | Cyril McLellan
CCLI License No. 810055
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