When the Apostle Paul looks back on his ministry, he sums it up with these words:
“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5.
When Paul sums up what the kingdom of God is about, he says this:
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20.
When Paul sums up the Christian life, he says this:
“Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:8-9.
It seems to me that there is a huge gap between what we read in scripture and what we find in contemporary religious culture in North America today. If you read the Bible on its own terms and not with modern secular bias, you cannot help but come to the conclusion that Christianity is about the power and presence of God working in us. You cannot help but see that God does powerful amazing things in us and through us when we surrender to Him. And you cannot help but see that the Holy Spirit is as essential to the believer’s existence as the air that we breathe.
Without the Holy Spirit we operate by human strength, and we obtain human results. With the Holy Spirit we operate within God’s power and we experience supernatural results.
God’s power and presence is real. It is fundamental to the gospel. When we seek His power and presence amazing things happen. The world is blind. And, God help us, so often we are blind to spiritual reality. God has done and is doing amazing things through our community of faith, and it is vital that we recognize that… so that we know His power and presence. Years ago literally thousands came to faith in Sukuma land, by the Bentley’s team in Tanzania. In 1996 alone there were 1,799 baptisms. That was a spectacular work of the Holy Spirit. I could list many many others in… Prison Ministry, Celebrate Recovery, We Care, Habitat for Humanity, Arms of Hope etc etc etc. The Spirit has worked amazing things financially… The whole story behind the Campus Center is a remarkable tale. The story behind how we got 66 acres of land on the loop even more so. And there are plenty of other stories.
The best narratives however, are the God stories involving individuals at Singing Oaks. It seems like every time I turn around someone tells me about a physical or a spiritual healing that they have personally experienced… experiences which go beyond the natural realm.
How has God touched you? How have you experienced His Spirit in your life? He is there to be experienced. Listen to Jesus:
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13.
We need only ask.
