It is important to understand that
the work of the Spirit in our lives is necessary for salvation (Titus 3:4,5;
John 3:5-8; 1:12,13). It is also important to understand that it is necessary
for living a life of obedience to God (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:16;
Ephesians 5:18). But sometimes, even when we get that, we can forget His work
is also necessary to serve God (2 Corinthians 3:5,6; Colossians 1:29; Ephesians
2:10). I can realize the fact that I cannot have the fruit of the Spirit in my
life (Galatians 5:22,23) without His working. But I can then turn to my clever
programs or capable administrative ability or the newest ministry fad to
accomplish God’s work in the world. Yet the Scripture says that it is Christ
who will build His church, not our human efforts (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians
3:6,7; Psalms 127:1,2). That is not to say we have no obligation to carry out
God’s commands to minister to people (Matthew 28:18-20; Colossians 1:28; Acts
1:8). But this should be done trusting in God’s power, not our ability. It is
easy to take on our shoulders burdens we were not meant to bear. If we see the
obligation for impacting the world as falling totally on us, it can produce a
feeling of desperation that can overwhelm us. Also, it can cause us to be so discouraged
we refuse to be involved. Especially if we feel we do not have the right
technique. Or we can come to believe that all such things should be left to
professional clergy.
In the United States, we as a
culture have departed from at least nominal adherence to Christian principles
to embrace a secular worldview. This can cause Christians to panic and look for
some quick fix to bring us back to where we used to be. And instead of trusting
God, we can end up trusting in the newest methods to do His work. Yet
Scripture, far from saying we can expect the world to be on our side, says we
should expect opposition (John 16:1-4; 15:18-20; Matthew 10:16-22). This does
not mean we should despair of having any impact on our culture, but I do
believe we should let go of the past. We need to recognize that we are
currently Christians in a pagan culture and rebuild from there. But we must do
it not based on gimmicks and panaceas but on trust in God, and by His Spirit’s
working through us to accomplish the things He wants to accomplish. We also
need to turn back to the basic disciplines of the Christian life, to Bible
study (2 Timothy 2:15), prayer (Ephesians 6:18), meditation (Psalms 1:2), and
the other things that will build us up in God (Hebrews 5:12-14). For through
this we can learn to trust Him to work in us in every aspect of our lives. For
without Him we really can do nothing (John 15:5; Romans 8:8; 7:18).
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