The Ignorant Church

There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land…. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:1, 6) This was God’s message to Israel during the days of Hosea the prophet. I wonder what God would say to the church today? Israel lacked a knowledge about God. They were ignorant, and their ignorance led them into both spiritual and physical bondage.

A recent Pew research has come up with some challenging statistics based on their recent survey. In asking Christians, atheists, Mormons, Jews, and other religions, the results revealed where the church has failed. For example, the results state: Four out of ten Catholics (45%) do not know that their church teaches that the elements of communion, the bread and the wine, are not symbols, but actually become the body and blood of Jesus. It makes we wonder how many folks come to church on a Sunday morning out of ritual and tradition, but who do not know what they believe or why they believe it. If they were asked the reason for their faith, how would they answer? The Bible tells us that ‘as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7) What is the church thinking today?

The Ignorant Church

The Apostle Paul wrote to the early church, challenging them because of their seeming ignorance, their need for milk and not meat. They were acting like small children instead of mature saints. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. (Hebrews 5:12) Paul knew that if the church was going to survive, it needed to mature, grow up and challenge each succeeding generation to spiritual maturity. That maturity depends on our diet. What kind of spiritual food are we eating. Our natural man often demands that we feed it many kinds of things that are not good for us. Our cupboards are filled with junk food, foods that put on the pounds and destroy our immune systems. Somehow I wonder if what we tend to eat in the natural is a reflection of the lack of spiritual discipline and wisdom in our spiritual lives as well. It was a problem in the early church, so it is probably still a problem in the church today. Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:2-4) What a danger for any church to fall into! We can so easily fall into a trap of “not enduring sound doctrine.” The moment the church clamors for entertainment rather than sound doctrine, we begin the long trail to ignorance of the Word of God and solid teaching. When pastors and teachers fail to teach their congregations the basic doctrines of the Word, and clearly explain their importance for today, we risk being turned aside to fables. It is sad to say I have heard of some churches who no longer use the word ‘sin’ in their messages. In an attempt to not offend ‘sinners’, we tend to coddle them into an understand that God sees their ‘mistakes’ and loves them. They fail to get the sound doctrine regarding sin—that sin is an offence to a holy God, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)

Others have eliminated the Sunday School classes due to poor attendance or lack of teachers. When do we get to teach this next generation the basics of the Christian doctrine? Can it all fit into the neat package of 90 minutes most churches have for their Sunday morning Worship service? How will they learn what is wrong with the many cults and world religions clamoring for their attention today?

A New Generation

The Millennium generation (ages 19-29) is one that is moving more and more away from the church and all formal religion. They most often claim to be atheistic or agnostic or have no affiliation with religion at all. How does the church reach this generation today? They are not moved to action or to allegiance by our institutions (home, school, church,) or by our buildings (mega churches) or even by our religious code of conduct. They become passionate about a movement, as every generation in the past. Christ came not to establish an institution (church) but a movement...a kingdom of believers who would carry the message forward with passion and commitment. A movement is alive, something you can believe in and feel part of, and whereby you can change the world. This generation has seen how a ‘movement’ led by Muslims is changing the face of the world for Islam. It has seen how a movement of political agendas has sent America into a pit of debt. But what are they seeing from the spiritual camp? In the past they have witnessed the disgrace of individuals who have fallen into sin. But they have not seen the rise of any strong spiritual leadership that can change the world for God. Spiritual ignorance coupled with sinful behavior has crippled the church and turned off a generation. It’s not the size of your church sanctuary, nor the money you spend on missions, nor the fame of your pastor that matters. What motivates you to serve God to the point of sacrifice and even death? It takes us back to the basics. Jesus prepared His disciples to become the apostles. He told them in John 14: 11-15 Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can't believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it. That's how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I'll do.15-"If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you.

Motivating a Generation

What will motivate this generation to see and become a part of a powerful movement of believers who walk in the Spirit...who are not afraid to do the “greater works” Jesus talked about? It will take an honest demonstration of the mighty power of God at work in the lives of needy people. You may have heard the famous quotation by Rod Wolford—“A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.” The church that is maturing today needs that fresh experience of the mighty power of God. It needs to see bodies healed, lives transformed, and the kind of ‘revival’ that changes people, cities and nations. When I experience something dramatic, I never forget it. It becomes a part of me. When the church experiences the revitalizing power of God, it too will never be the same again.

Walk in the Spirit

Ignorance is swept away as we learn to walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. His role is to guide us into truth, keep us from error and give us power to speak boldly to those who will listen. He wants to flow through believers to touch a hurting world. How does God want to use you? What part will you play in allowing the Holy Spirit to flow? It is tempting to sit back and let others do it—the pastors, the evangelists, the deacons. But we are all His servants, His ministers, His disciples. He has called us all to disciple others, to teach and repel the spiritual ignorance that surrounds the church today like a fog. His wind want to blow in, and sweep away the fog. His fire wants to burn up all the dross, the chaff, the things that cannot stand the test. We may be challenged in the fire, but it must come to cleanse us.

When the church of today becomes rigid and unmoved, unwilling to change and experience the presence of God, it becomes an ‘institution’ rather than a ‘movement.’ An institutional mindset breeds attitudes such as—be faithful but don’t rock the boat, do enough just to get by and then leave unchanged. That attitude will destroy the church and cripple the next generation. If your church has fallen into this trap, it is time to call the church to prayer, to challenge each heart to spiritual change and growth. As times get tough, and terrorism and elections shake our world we need to know and experience the God who shakes hearts and minds and who transforms people and churches from ignorance to conviction and commitment . What is our part? Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matthew 28: 19-20)
J. Johnson

Pentecostal Power

There are all kinds of power in the world. Some folks are power hungry. They want to be in control. They want others to look up to them. Then there are those who love the power that money gives them. They climb the ladder of success hoping that at the top of the ladder they will find the financial wealth that will position them for life. Some love the power that a title or position brings to them. They want and crave respect. Sometimes the power folks seek after, is knowledge. The more education and knowledge they can attain, the more powerful they feel. For some, sexual achievement is power. For others, dominance and control is power. But for the believer, power originates with God, and unless the believer is 100% yielded to the source of ultimate power that originates in God, he does not know what power is all about.

Power is an awesome thing.
Not everyone can handle the position of power. Many are intimidated by those around them who appear more powerful. They feel weak, without authority, uncertain, indecisive, and anxious. But Christ Jesus never intended that any follower of his feel that way. Too often we forget what we have been given—an awesome gift. It was promised by Jesus long before he ever died and the promise was fulfilled shortly after his resurrection. Gifts can be wonderful things if we know what they are for, how they are to be used and when they are to be put to work on our behalf. If you gave Christopher Columbus a piece of paper that was printed, detailing his flight from England to American on a American Airlines jet, he would have no understanding of what it was or how is was to be used. Yet such a piece of paper could have provided him with a quick flight across the ocean instead of a journey of months. He did not know the power of air flight. All he knew was sailing ships. Knowledge had increased over time. Today, we look back through the pages of history and the Bible to the days of Christ and the disciples, and the gift God gave on the Feast of Pentecost. We have seen the power of Pentecost at work in our world and in days gone by. Yet like Christopher Columbus, many are just as ignorant about the gift given on that momentous day in history. We often tell ourselves that the power of Pentecost is mostly for preachers and evangelists and missionaries. They are the ones who get to experience the miracles, the power, the dynamics of this gift. Let’s look back for a moment to the Bible and see what it tells us.

Who is it for?
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. (John 16:13) Jesus was speaking to the future leaders of the early church. He wanted them to know that the purpose of this Spirit was to teach and guide, and that He would lead them to grasp divine authority. Since the fall of man, in the garden of Eden, authority had been stripped away. But now, this new authority would lead these fledgling Christians into an new walk of spiritual authority, the kind that Jesus used every day. It was not just for those early disciples… but as Joel the prophet said hundred of years before...this gift was for everyone, young and old. 28 “ And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.( Joel 2:28-29)
He gave his followers some very clear instructions. There were to wait for a ‘gift.’ and when that gift arrived, it would change them all, giving them ‘power’....“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised...For John baptized in water, but in a few days you will be BAPTIZED with the HOLY SPIRIT”... you will receive POWER WHEN the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses...” (Acts 1:4-5, 8) And of course like every promise God makes, it came to pass. They knew something outstanding had happened because of the strange thing that happened to them all… When the day of PENTECOST came, they were all together in one place.... All of them were FILLED with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4) Then they remembered what Jesus had told them all just before he ascended to heaven….“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) And so we know that this power is for all believers, young and old, for all nations. Jesus does not have an exclusive company. It is not reserved for the few rich and famous. It is for everyone. The gift is for all.

Where did the power go?
Many churches today seem to be lacking in the power that these early disciples experienced. We often ask ourselves why? As I study the Word of God, I see several key things that the church of today is sadly lacking. While we often seek the power….we fail to seek the power giver. It is a misplaced affection. We want shortcuts. We want instant results. We want numbers, and ministry and respect. But we are lacking in modeling our lives after Jesus. Jesus did not come to promote His will or ideas. He came only to speak the will of the Father who sent Him. He was a humble obedient servant. He had no personal agenda. He only wanted what God wanted. God wanted a sacrifice. We don’t like that word very much. We don’t want to make sacrifices let alone be one. I wrote an article some years ago that spoke of the sacrifice God expects of us. For there to be a fire, there must be wood or fuel. And that fuel must give its all to produce the fire. It has no will of its own. It is just fuel in the hand of the fire tender. If the church is to experience holy fire once again, it needs to re-learn the role of sacrifice. It’s not what the pastor wants, or what the family demands, or what the President decrees that matters. It is where your own heart is in relationship to God. Daily, He wants to find it on the altar. We will never know what could have been if we continue to do things our way….
So often it is a struggle in authority.
We allow ourselves to be intimidated. We let Satan take the lead. We walk in fear. We tremble at His voice. And we have forgotten he is an ‘already defeated’ foe. We have been given the authority he once had. Remember the words you just read a moment ago??? “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore …” We also forget how He gave that authority to his followers….”Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.”( Luke 9:1) If we have that same authority today, why does it not seem to be working? Has God changed? No! We have! We have failed to walk in humility before God. We have failed to know His heart. We are intimate with everything around us that is earthly, but we are not intimate with Him. We listen to all the voices around us, but we fail to listen to His voice alone. When we pursue power, position or results we are out of line. John Bevere describes it this way…. “How would you describe a marriage relationship of a woman whose only ambition was to produce children for her husband? She would only be intimate when it would produce the offspring she wanted; she would have no interest in knowing her husband personally. I know it sounds absurd, yet how different is it from our cry for God to ‘use us to get people saved’ when we ourselves don’t enjoy relationship and fellowship with Him. When we are intimate with God, we will reproduce the way He intends.” God never wanted to be ‘used’ but he does want to be loved. Yes, there is a secret we must learn and that is that integrity and power are linked to a holy intimacy with God. How many have ‘used’ God...called Him Lord, did miracles in His name, even cast out devils, but because they lacked intimacy and integrity, he will tell them, “Depart from me you who practice lawlessness.” (Matt 7:23)

Pentecostal Power...
The power is still there. It is waiting for us. As we first prepare our hearts for humble service, then listen to his voice and move in His direction, we too shall see a demonstration of the power of Pentecost. We can walk in divine expectation of miracles, healings, deliverances. That power will change our services from performances and entertainment to the pursuit of God. It will change our music from carnal rhythmic repetitions to heavenly inspired melodies from the heart. But there are some things we must do. We must recognize the attacks of the enemy and not be intimidated by them. We must stand our ground in the power and authority Christ has given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. As the disciples experienced Pentecostal Power, they change from timid men, afraid of worldly authorities—to powerhouses for God. As they were filled to overflowing, the boldness oozed from them. They took their stand in God. They knew His authority was greater….for greater things they would do. We also can step forward into that place of intimacy with God, being filled with the Spirit daily, walking in His guidance, moving at His direction, flowing in the gifts, overcoming the attacks of the enemy and putting satan under our feet. You can fear man or devils and walk in defeat or you can stand tall, focused on the One who is your Deliverer. Remember…."God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit." ( Tim 4:2 TMB).
J. Johnson