Biblical Principle #1

The spirit and life application of the New Testament Church can and must be recaptured.

Is it realistic to think that we could experience today, what the early church leaders experienced in the first century? Is it possible to believe that God would desire to move among His people as He moved when the church was born? Am I out of my mind to hope that lives will be radically changed and the Good News will be taken to all the known world as it was in those first few decades of the New Testament Church?!

No. I’m not. Out of my mind. Yes. It IS realistic and possible and even expected. As far as God is concerned. He tried to make it real clear to us.

“‘But you will receive power

when the Holy Spirit comes on you;

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,

and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the ends of the earth.’”

Acts 1:8

“I tell you the truth,

anyone who has faith in me

will do what I have been doing.

He will do even greater things than these,

because I am going to the Father.”

John 14:12

“It was he who gave some to be apostles,

some to be prophets,

some to be evangelists,

and some to be pastors and teachers,

to prepare God’s people for works of service,

so that the body of Christ may be built up

until we all reach unity in the faith and

in the knowledge of the Son of God and

become mature, attaining to the whole measure of

the fullness of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:11-13

“My prayer is not for them alone.

I pray also for those who will believe in me

through their message.”

John 17:20

“As the Father has sent me,

I am sending you.”

John 20:21

“Then Jesus came to them and said,

‘All authority in heaven and on earth

has been given to me.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations….’”

Matthew 28:18-19a

It doesn’t sound to me like God was quitting with the “lives being changed stuff” with Jesus. It doesn’t look to me like God wanted to limit His life changing power to only the first Twelve Apostles, or even to only the early church in the first few years.

It sounds and looks to me that the power and authority given to Jesus through God the Father, is now being given to us – here and now – through God the Holy Spirit! Right? Right!

So, let it be! Bring it on! My past experience can and will no longer limit God to what He wants to do! My future experience – beginning today – will be different! I am expecting to see and believe and hear and touch and live in the day when God’s Church is dynamically alive! The life of the Church is being written about in Heaven. The realities of today’s Church are being released by you and me. The power of the New Testament is being experienced right now, right here. Right on!

How do you explain –

• . . . churches being planted today in former Communist countries?

• . . . the salvation of a former general in Sadam Hussein’s army?

• . . . the “magnetic” draw to the church on a drug using, witchcraft practicing recording star?

• . . . a family joining a Christian community even though they and their parents were repeated taught that there is no God?

“’In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people’”

Acts 2:17

Witness, faith, boldness, spiritual power, changed lives and groups of people being added to the number.

The New Testament is OUR testament. Do these words describe your church? Why or why not?

I’m not talking about institutional strength and power. I’m not talking about the wisdom and knowledge of the best of men and women. I’m not talking about a nice building.

I’m talking about the power of God resulting in radical, habit, conversation and policy altercating change. I’m talking about what you and I have read about in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I’m talking about modern day “Peter and Pauls”, today’s “Timothy and Tituses”.

I’m still on the “Hymns versus Choruses” discussion. God is on the “Principalities and Powers” discussion. When will we join Him? When will you and I start thinking about what God thinks about? When will we begin to see that the 21^st Century will look a lot like the 1^st Century in Biblical terms?

God has, is and will pour out his Spirit to those who seek him. His promise is here and now. Our hope is in him. His hope is in you.

Andrew Murray: “As we contemplate the work to be done, we are conscious that the fundamental difficulty is not one of men or money, but of spiritual power.” (Reaching Your World for Christ, p.8.)

What would “The spirit and life application of the New Testament Church” look like today? What would it look like in your church? What would it look like in your life?

The spirit and life application of the New Testament Church can and must be recaptured.

• Do you believe “The spirit and life application of the New Testament Church can and must be recaptured?”
• What would be the first steps in recapturing it?
• What would be YOUR first steps?
• In what ways is God doing this now in Europe?

• What signs/evidences do you see?

Comments

[PD]

Jerry,
Right on!! Radical surrender and obedience is what its going to take! We pick a person(Jesus) not a path! I tend to try to direct my path. When I picked Jesus (or should I say, He picked me), the path is in him, not me! Great blog!
Dick

[speartKess]

Tony and his this is robbs celebrities pushed me into the pregnancy f the hearf and rapidly stood back.