Today’s thought: D. L. Moody was short, stocky, and did not have the credentials to become ordained. His writings were often filled with grammatical errors and his speaking was often accompanied with mispronounced words. Yet he was one of the most instrumental men of the nineteenth century in regards to introducing folks to Christ.
As Easter leaves, I find myself engulfed, once again, in the motions of Acts. As I walk the shore of this book which describes the beginning of the Christian church, I pick up a bottle containing a note with a longing question – why did Jesus pick such a lot of men to raise the sail to His Church? Why didn’t He herd in scholars of the law, rabbis, and gifted orators? Why did He choose such ordinary men as fishermen and tax collectors? His choosing does not indicate an executive search committee or corporate head hunter searching for highly educated leadership qualifications...
... Could it be that Jesus knew the Power to come? Could it be that Jesus knew that common men, who have touched the Fire and felt the Wind, would be transformed and empowered to lead a march that the hounds of hell would never quench? Could it be that Jesus knew that common men with total reliance on the Power of God would give the glory back to God? Could it be that Jesus wanted to include qualified leaders, but found that their qualification was man-made and arrogant in self and pride? Could it be that Jesus knew that the mixture of the Holy Spirit and common man and woman would create a blend that would supernaturally move a world? Yes, Jesus physically moved to Heaven, but a magnificent wind blew into town that erupted common man and common woman into a supernatural dimension that supersedes any talent or education which earth can create. Can I move from writing to preaching just a second? The Wind still blows, my friends and the Fire still burns. We don’t want to talk about it much because it takes us out of the realm of predictable. We had rather be organized and educated in a more stable religious motion. As I continue to read the note of the bottle of Acts, I believe it has the signature of Jesus and He is sending it to common man and common woman again. It reads, “I will send Power.” Are you non qualified? “I will send Power.” Are you non educated? “I will send Power.” Are you not a grand speaker? “I will send Power.” Have you failed miserably in the past? “It is okay. I will send Power.” I wonder what would happen if we let our guard down from organization, programs and executive search committees and simply stepped into the Wind and Fire of the Holy Spirit. I bet we might see D.L. Moody results or maybe Acts results. Shoot fire, we might even see a real revival again. You know, the ones that are not preached at a PhD level, but at a sinner level. The ones not planned in a program printed weeks before. You know, the ones led by God and the ones which God can only get the glory. Despite all the preaching that I found myself – Please know. Please know. God has sent a force that can lift our “not so grand” abilities to a supernatural ability that can rock a world and build a Kingdom. And guess what – when we, who are not so talented or educated, hit a lick, God gets all the glory, because we couldn’t have done it without Him. Today’s prayer: God, place us in Your Wind. Place us in Your Fire. God, I pray this with the Wind whipping my hair tonight – Bring forth an Acts event in the lives of the ones reading these words. God, help us remove our man-made credentials and step into “I will send Power”. Breath upon our “natural” with your “supernatural.” Be Blessed, Country Side
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form