God brought back a true story from over 40 years ago that sets the stage for the study that I believe He wants us to focus on at this crucial point in our nation, in the Church, and as individual members of His Body. There was a man in our community who learned how to remove his meter that monitored the power on his home and noted the time frame each month when the meter reader came by to record the usage for the month. He ran a scam on how to cheat on the power company as he removed the meter after the monthly reading and plugged it back in before the reader returned. God used this account as an analogy to where we are today as a “wake-up call” to Christians. Could it be that we like the man only plug in once a week to God when we go to a building called The Church but all week are living for self and compromising with the world—cheating on God—unplugged from His Power and His command to be a light to the world? In ancient Israel, the priests were in charge of lighting the lampstand of God in the Temple and keeping the light burning. As God’s believer priests, we are to be keepers of the light. Many believers live as if God’s light doesn’t need keeping, as if it just burns by itself. It is not enough that we lit the light of God in our heart. We have to maintain it, trimming the wick and replenishing the oil to keep our lamp burning. God’s light never goes out, but our lamps can go out if we don’t keep them by being plugged in to His power and plan. I Peter 2:9 says that believers are God’s royal priesthood and charged with keeping our light burning which is our calling and ministry. God’s Spirit dwells within believers, making us Temples of the living God (I Cor. 3: 16). God is calling us as Christians to trim our wick with obedience, replenish our heart with the oil of His Spirit and the fire of His Word. We are to stay plugged into God moment by moment and day by day so that the light of God can continually shine in our lives. It is time to plug into God by returning to the roots and practices of the early church—God’s ways and methods have not changed!
The question is: How did we get unplugged from God as a nation, as a Church and as Christians? I recently read an article written in 2000—24 years ago entitled “That’s What Christians Do Now” that gives us insight into how we arrived at this crisis moment in history. Here are some highlights of the key things that it points out:
In 1973 the Supreme Court said it was OK to kill unborn babies. Since then, we have killed more than the entire population of Canada. A woman’s choice? Half of those who have died in their mother’s wombs have been women. They didn’t have a choice. It is called abortion. First, it was in dingy, dirty theaters; then convenience stores; then grocery stores; then on television and movies; now, it’s in the homes of millions via the Internet. It’s called pornography. They call it “no-fault.” Why should we blame anyone when something so terrible happens? Haven’t they already suffered enough? Half of the marriages in America end this way. The children suffered. The family broke down. It’s called divorce. At one time it was a perversion. We kept it secret. We secured help and hope for those who practiced it. Now it is praised. We have parades celebrating it, and elected officials give it their blessing. Now it is endowed with special privileges and protected by special laws. Even some Christian leaders and denominations praise it. It is called homosexuality. It used to be an embarrassment. A shame. Now a third of all births are to mothers who aren’t married. Two-thirds of all African-American children are born into a home without a father. The state usually pays the tab. That’s why we pay our taxes, so that government can take the place of parents. After all, government bureaucrats know much better how to raise children than parents do. It is called illegitimacy. At one time it was wrong. But then the state decided to legalize it, promote it and tax it. It has ripped apart families and destroyed lives. But just look at all the money the state has raised. No longer do we have to teach our children to study and work hard. Now we teach them they can get something for nothing. We spend millions encouraging people to join the fun and excitement. Just look at the big sums that people are winning. They will never have to work again! It is called gambling. Not long ago, Christians were the good guys. But now any positive image of Christians in movies or on TV is gone. We are now depicted as the bad guys—greedy, narrow-minded hypocrites. The teacher can’t have a Bible on the desk but can have Playboy. We don’t have Christmas and Easter holidays—just winter and spring break. We can’t pray in school but can use foul language. It’s called being tolerant. All these things came to pass within 30 years. Where were the Christians? The pat answer to each of these and a multitude of other critical issues is: “But don’t blame me, I go to church, the pastor, preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now!” And my friends and neighbors that is how we got to where we are today! As the Church goes so goes the nation! Charles Finney (August 29, 1792-August 16, 1875), was a central figure in the religious movement of the early 19th century and sometimes called the first professional evangelist, sounded an alarm to Christians: “If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discernment, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the Church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in Christianity, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics becomes so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it.” May I add that we as Christians are all called to be professional evangelists as we all have a purpose, a role and a life and we are called to be light where we are placed, wherever we go, and with whomever we are connected! That is what the early Church did and that is what we are called to do and be today!
We know the account of how the early Church began in Acts 2: 1-4 as they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given without delay to those who met the one essential condition of trust in Christ. This is the permanent fact for the entire Church Age. God was doing a new thing—His Presence no longer dwelt in a building, the Temple made by human hands, but in the hearts and lives of believers in Jesus Christ. Every believer is born of the Spirit (Jn. 3: 3-6); indwelt by the Spirit, whose presence makes the believer’s body a Temple (I Cor. 6:19); baptized with the Spirit (1 Co. 12: 12-13); sealed for God (Eph. 1: 13). It was evident through the ministry of the early believers that the desire of their heart was to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ—to be Jesus to others. They didn’t ask the Lord to move them to more favorable circumstances. They asked for boldness to preach more of God’s Word as it was being opposed and they were being threatened. Their plan of action is stated in Acts 4: 28-31: 1. They were determined and courageous as they sought God’s face and not His hand knowing that He was in total control. 2. They saw God as the conqueror of all things. 3. They did not complain but praised and thanked God for victory. 4. They totally submitted to Him as Lord and they wanted Him to inhabit them and display His deity through them. 5. They had already been filled with the Holy Spirt, but they were filled with the Holy Spirit again. Dr. Adrian Rogers gives special insight into being filled with the Holy Spirit. He teaches that there must be a fresh filling of God’s Holy Spirit as we cannot operate on yesterday’s experience; that God doesn’t fill us with the Holy Spirit to make us feel good or to soothe us, but to empower us; that the Holy Spirit will fill us when we are totally surrendered to God and committed to being a witness for Jesus Christ; and that they knew the time and place when God’s Spirit came upon them in power. Dr. Rogers goes on to say: “We are not to be wired together by organization, frozen together by formalism, or rusted together by tradition. We are to be fused and melted together by the Holy Spirit of God, and there is a unity and a power that causes the Gospel to be believed when we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Believers were first called Christians, which actually means “little Christs,” at Antioch. (Acts 11:26) That was the calling of the early Church and that is the calling for us today!
Dr. Stanley passes on much wisdom and insights to Christians: “Many in the Church today have come to accept the idea that we must hold the right views on every issue and we must spend every energy in defending them—as if our relationship with God is dependent on our intellectual agreement with Him. Although it is crucial to know the truth and to be accurate in our study and interpretation of the Bible, remember one very important thing: the truth is a person. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth and the life.” (Jn. 14:6) The other part is becoming who He saved you to be. A spiritual work must be done through the power of the Holy Spirit as you stay in His Word—He transforms you into His likeness from the inside out. That means you’re like Him in every way—in character, mission, motivation and love. Like Jesus, you’re not focused on conquering in this world but are uniquely focused on helping others know God, so they may enjoy Him in eternity.” We must stay plugged in to Him day by day and moment by moment. Jesus is our lifeline and our life! Dr. Stanley gives us five qualities that are important in this pursuit: 1. Abandonment—our total dependence on God for everything in life and a total surrender of our hopes, abilities, and possessions to His use. 2. Abiding—the Lord is our source of love, wisdom, and power, and we must hold on to Him with everything in us to empower our service and make our ministry effective. 3. Awareness—be sensitive to those around us and their struggles. 4. Availability—we must not be tied to our schedule but to be flexible, ready to be the Lord’s representative and answer to prayer when the need arises realizing that people are more important than things. 5. Acceptance—accept people just the way they are as Jesus would—because that’s how God accepts us. We must fix our eyes on Jesus—the Author and Finisher of our faith turning away from all that distracts us from Him; cast our burdens on Him and look in steadfast faith to Him; seek His face daily through personal prayers and sustained time in His Word.
Our nation is in great peril and we will continue to have countless days of God’s judgments if we don’t repent and get plugged into Him and recognize our current days of God’s grace and mercy and return to the LORD Jesus Christ. Our prayers will make the difference! We must pray, worship and declare and decree the Scriptures. We must look beyond the visible to the invisible—God is the Controller of all things! Nothing has gotten out of the control of God. He foresaw it all. God knows exactly, precisely what is going to happen. We get bent out of shape and think that the devil has taken over and that things will not turn out as the Bible says they will, but nothing has happened that God has not already foreseen and does not control. Corrie Ten Boom once said that “there is no panic in Heaven, only plans.” The Holy Trinity never meets in emergency session. God’s plan has been in place before the foundation of the world! God is on the Throne! Sin cannot win! Faith cannot fail! God is the conquering God! IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP, GET UP AND GET PLUGGED INTO GOD’S POWER! God’s children have read the last chapter, and we know how it will end!