Back To Our Roots
If there has ever been an hour where the church desperately needs to be reminded of her roots it’s right now. Where did we begin? How did this whole thing start? It started on the day of Pentecost when the breath of God filled His body, the Church. A living being, full of the Spirit of God, was born and raised up to fulfill the mandate of Heaven. Full of the Spirit of God, these men and women turned their world upside down. Friend, it’s time we return to our roots and do the same.
The early church was very aggressive. Sadly, we, the church of the twenty-first century, have become very passive. Where did we go wrong? Why has everything become so performance based? The answer is actually quite simple. When we look to self, we look away from the Spirit. When the Church has her eyes turned inward we inevitably forfeit the power we’ve been given to change our world. We need Holy Spirit power! The Church without the Holy Spirit is just a lifeless organization. We cannot fulfill Heaven’s mandate for our lives until we have been filled.
In Acts 9, after Paul, who was called Saul, had encountered Jesus, went blind and was lead to Damascus, explicit instruction from the Lord came to a man named Ananias saying, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight” (Acts 9:11-12 NKJV). In obedience, Ananias goes to him and says, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17).
What We Must Understand
Timeout! I was raised being told that when you “hear from the Lord” you only say what you heard Him say – nothing more, nothing less. Ananias seemed to put some extra words in God’s mouth. Remember, God did send Ananias to Paul to restore His sight. But when the Lord is giving Ananias instruction, He doesn’t say anything about Paul being, “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Did Ananias put words in God’s mouth? Did he add to the will of the Lord? No. Ananias had a revelation we must come to understand if we are going to walk in power, it is God’s will that His people be filled with the Holy Spirit!
Do you need to hear an audible voice from Heaven to know if God wants sinners to repent and come to the saving knowledge of Christ? No way! You know that’s the heart of God. Heaven longs for the church to know that just as it is God’s will for the lost to be saved, it is His will for the saints to be filled! Therefore, Ananias was able to boldly and confidently say that God had sent him to Paul not only for the restoration of sight but also for the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Be Filled Afresh
If the Church is going to change the world, we must be filled afresh. We cannot win the lost in our own strength. The only reason the Church has become performance based is because we lost sight of the power of His presence. Eloquence cannot replace authenticity. To be the Church that we are called to be, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit!
Caleb and Ali live in East Tennessee where they serve at The Lift Church. With boldness and conviction, their deepest desire is to see the church revived and the world awakened. Learn more about The Lift by visiting theliftchurch.tv.
