THE EARLY CHURCH AND OUR CHURCH

When we compare the early church with the present day church, we observe that the early church must have been predominantly made up of spiritual people. The book of Acts shows that this was the reason for their quick and positive development. They had no other aid. But they had the Holy Spirit.

We have excellent aids in abundance.

But we have a deficiency of the Holy Spirit.

The great theologian A. W. Tozer once said,

“If the Holy Spirit were taken away from our church today, 95 % of what we do would continue and no one would notice the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the early church, then 95 % (this means almost everything) of what they were doing would have stopped and everyone would have noticed the difference.”

Preaching, praying publically, organizing church life, preparing evangelistic programs, worshiping, counseling — these all can be learned and also put into practice without the Holy Spirit. Ellen G. White described this dangerous possibility as follows,

“The reason why there is so little of the Spirit of God manifested is that [we] learn to do without it.” Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p.383

As a consequence, we will notice more and more that personally and collectively our central problem is the lack of the Holy Spirit. In the personal area we can quickly change this with God’s help.

The apostle Paul showed a very important concern,

“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

We wonder why God showed up in more supernatural ways in the early church – and today, across the ocean – than he does in our church. Could it be that our desperation and expectation are different here? Could it be that we have other alternatives so the supernatural is a “last resort” instead of a “first response?”

OUR Prayer TODAY

Lord, forgive me for conducting life and ministry like I can make it happen on my own. Forgive me for having expectations based on persuasive words rather than on the power of your Spirit. Launch me into the adventure of supernatural expectations. Empower me to lead like you are still doing miracles of conviction, salvation, deliverance, healing, reconciliation, calling, and more . . . because you are!

QUESTIONS FOR MEDITATION & DEVOTION

1. Why are we often powerless and to a large extent without victories in spiritual matters?

2. How do we develop a life without the Holy Spirit? What are the dangers of it?

3. Do many of the serious problems in many areas come from carnal attitudes?

4. How can we access the supernatural source of power God makes available?