What is the issue? – Lack of spiritual power. 2 Tim. 3:1-5
Over the last four decades, many churches have become no more than social clubs focusing on entertainment rather than teaching the scriptures and making disciples for God.
Most churches, trying to pique people’s interest in attending church, have turned to practices that mimic the world while ignoring God’s formula for church growth.
This humanistic approach to please the human senses has critically diluted biblical content. It has both trivialized and marginalized the instruction of the Word of God.
The teaching of the word of righteousness, sound biblical doctrine, and theology is, for the most part, non-existent. Instead, the church has turned to musical entertainment, human experience, and emotional hype.
This lack of teaching and training in the word of righteousness has produced a breed of professing believers who lack the power of God in their lives, representing a poor example of the transforming power of the grace of God.
Thus, we have churches with a form of Godliness but lack spiritual power and authority to carry out God’s will for their lives. (2Tim. 3: 1-5)
What is the problem? Faithlessness: Matt 17:20
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Who is involved? – Immature believers: Heb. 5:11-14; 6:1-3:
Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.
What contributes to the problem? –
Negative self-perspective:
Num. 13: 33: But the men who had gone up with him said,
“We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.”
So, they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying,
“The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.
“There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Satan has established a deceptive world system that wars against the kingdom of God.
This world system identifies people by their gender, race, condition, skills, abilities, occupation, hobbies, and physical characteristics etc.
This was all done to create an identity crisis in the lives of most people. It is a system where a man’s worth is determined by his possessions and status.
The solution – unwavering faith in your position in Christ.
Matt.17:20: 1John: 5:14,15
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
Heb. 11: 6: And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him
Outcome: An empowered life:
1 Cor. 4:20: For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power
Goal: Authoritative proclamation and demonstration of power:
John 14:12-14: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.
“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
“If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
Objective: Strengthen the Church Community:
Matt. 18:18
Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
Eph. 4: 14-16: Then we will no longer be immature like children. We will not be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.
We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever, they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
The Principle: Tomorrow’s Not Promised” is true.
Now is the time to take control of your life.
You are perfectly positioned for this opportunity……. NOW!
It all starts with you! Investing in your spiritual growth and development is the greatest investment you will ever make in your life.
The first step is to deal with self -perspective.
Self-perspective is how you determine your attitude and preference by interpreting the meaning of your own behavior.
How do you see yourself as it pertains to spiritual power and authority to do the impossible?
- You can do all things Phil. 4:13
- You are fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 139:14
- You are made in the image and likeness of God Gen. 1:26
- If you say it, it will happen. Matt. 21:21
You are a royal priesthood 1 Pet. 2:5:
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Too often, we see our obstacles as giants and ourselves as mere grasshoppers, helpless to do anything.
We give up, thinking that there’s no way we can possibly overcome.
In turn you are not recognized by the spiritual realm as one with authority Acts 19:14-16
It begins and ends with what you see through your own eyes.
God’s vision isn’t limiting you. Others’ opinions aren’t limiting you.
You will be the reason you succeed or fail nothing or no one else.
You must take inventory on what you are doing. Everything is based on the decisions you make.
You must be willing to make the sacrifices and pay the price for a short time to live the life you want forever.
The question is, are you willing to make the commitment and sacrifices necessary to do it?
Remember there is always a high price to pay for achievement
You must take ownership
“For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the
world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.
The most important person you will ever need is YOU.
When you believe that God is working through “YOU” you will be confident that you have power and authority for empowerment, deliverance, guidance, comfort, healing, and transformation.
Your entire objective must be to glorify God, not please people.
This is essential for you to stay true to the process.
The objective is to establish kingdom rule here on earth as we await Jesus’ return. be solution driven; find a need and fill it!
We pursue the kingdom of God and His righteousness