This is the era of complexes. When men give excuses for almost all their wayward lifestyles. Instead of summoning God's power to overcome these lifestyles of sin they are now excusing them and have begun making laws to protect those caught up in it, to defend their rights they say. What made people cringe in discomfort a few years ago is now readily acceptable and welcome.
Describing the spiritual needs of our culture this man quoted by my spiritual formation lecturer said;
‘The paradox of our time is that we have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too much. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life, not life to years. These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, & pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It’s a time when the lights are on, but no one’s at home.’
Unfortunately Christians are also being caught in this web
‘I’ve been a Christian and attended church for many years. But I have no idea what it means to have relationship with Jesus. God is someone I pray to at night between the sheets when I’m in trouble’
‘My mind is full & my hands are busy, but my heart is empty & emotionally distant from God. Life moves so fast God has become a blur’
And I can hear you say oh Pastor Power belongs to God and according to David that is true as he says in Psalm 62:11 “God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.”
Yes power indeed belongs to God but He doesn’t wield it for His own sake. He does so for the sake of you and me.
Power for Salvation
Salvation comes through the gospel. Salvation cannot take place where the gospel is not preached. According to Rom 10:17 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. As Paul asserts the gospel …is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes… (Romans 1:16) Though the gospel is despised as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18) by the world, those who believe know that this message is the secret behind our godliness (Titus 2:11). That means we should never be satisfied or be comfortable in our initial experience in salvation but should strive to know Jesus more and be fruitful so that God’s power may be made evident in our lives. Having the mindset of Paul who said in Philippians 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” so that we “…may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy (Colossians 1:10-11).
Our assurance in salvation hinges on the power of God to keep us. We are saved and kept saved by the power of God (1 Peter 1:5). We don’t save ourselves or else we would worry on how to keep ourselves in the faith. Only God saves and only God can keep and sustain our spiritual life. So we quit walking in fear and doubt and instead take up our position of authority in Christ. If the enemy begins to attack our confidence we do not point Him to ourselves but to God who saved us. If the Lord has really found us worthy of salvation, who are we or who is the devil to try to discredit that? When we have this kind of mentality we will also triumph against sin and any other sinful lifestyle because our dependence is not on our human efforts but of God who truly saves and changes people. In God We have everything we need for this life and godliness as Peter boldly declares in 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue”
This statement cancels any excuse we may try to make for living contrary to God’s standard. Paul say “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
Any one that comes to Christ must be reminded that God’s power is sufficient to change us. This is the fact that Paul communicates to the Corinthian church that was displaying a lifestyle that seemed to deny the power of the gospel. He said with finality “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) Yes we don’t have to live under the power of sin or be controlled by addictions and appetites. In Christ there is enough power to change us. Try it out and you will see.
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