If people do not see the power of God in churches, they will seek the power of another god elsewhere.
Churches today should be able to demonstrate the Power of God in their services because the bible says " you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses"  Acts 1:8  

Our actions and our speech should show the world around us what the Lord has done in our lives.  We should be living epistles which are read of all mankind.  Our testimony should be one of truth and love.  Our speech should be seasoned with salt and light.
My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power. 1 Cor 2:4

Jesus is summoning us to walk in greater power than we have ever known before.  He is entrusting us to complete the mission that He began when He walked in this earth.  
When Jesus chose the twelve, " He gave them power and authority over all the demons, and power to heal diseases." Luke 9:1-3  Jesus is choosing you and I today.   He has given us the same power he gave to the twelve disciples so why are our churches so dead and dying?   People will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,  unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good,  traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people! 2 Tim 3:1-5   Men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw yourself.  But godliness with contentment is great gain.  1 Tim 6:5-6


  Most assuredly, 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 My Father.  John 14:12   Its time for the Sons of God to be made manifest.  Its time that we start walking in the Power of the Holy Spirit and do these GREATER WORKS that our Heavenly Father is commanding us to do! 

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. 2  Tim 1:7
May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints'  inheritance in the light. Col 1:11-12

Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.  Phil 3:20-21 

God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness" —He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.  We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.  2 Cor 4:6-9 

 





 

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength. He demonstrated this power in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens.  Ephes 1:18-20   

The Wisdom of God

During the space race NASA spent vast amounts of time and money developing a pen that would work effectively in a zero-gravity environment. What did the Russians do to solve the problem? They used pencils.

Man spends countless hours gathering statistics and conducting research to determine the right way to live when all he really needs to do is listen to God!  When we seek God's wisdom we find truths that enhance our relationships and protect us morally and spiritually.

For it is written, " I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will twart." 
1 Cor 1:19  Sometimes what we think is the most clever thing to do is not always the best thing to do because we have not sat down and counted the cost.  In order to make a wise decision we must first seek the hidden wisdom which can only be found in God. 
He is the source of our life and He holds the only wisdom that was decreed before the ages for our glorification.   It is not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age but it is a secret and hidden wisdom that only the Holy Spirit can impart. 

No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him. God has revealed to us through the Spirit.  For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.  So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.  And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit.  1 Cor 2:9-13
Contributor: Barnett Gushin  Published: Homiletics December 2004

 

Jesus Take the Wheel

The Department of Transportation once set aside $200 million dollars for research and testing of an automated Highway System. This system would purportedly relieve traffic woes by placing all cars that entered the highway on "super cruise control," allowing them to move in unison as they traveled in heavily congested cities.

Such travel would be made possible by using special magnets embedded in the asphalt every four feet, which would transfer signals between the vehicles and a main computer system. Steering, acceleration and braking would be controlled by sensors, computer navigation systems and cameras along the side of the road. Control would be returned to drivers as they exited the highway.


According to Mike Doble, Buick’s technology manager [at the time], ‘The only thing we can’t do yet is get people to comfortably trust the system. It’s not a technology issue." Mr. Doble asks, 'Would ‘you’ drive, closely spaced, at high speeds, through San Diego?’"

In a paper prepared for the University of California Transportation Center, Sanghyun Cheon writes, “…the extent to which motorists would accept reduced manual control of their vehicles and be willing to travel in automated vehicles at close following distance, on narrower lanes, and at higher speeds is not yet clear.”

The USDOT cancelled the NAHSC program in 1998, citing budget pressures, though many conjecture that the funding actually dried up, at least in large part, due to the public’s lack of enthusiasm (e.g., lack of trust and comfort level with the system) 
 
God has established a system that is intended to assist us as we travel through life--it's called grace! Grace is God's fail-safe system designed to put us in "super cruise control" when dealing with circumstances and relating to people. There is just one difficulty with the system--getting people to comfortably trust it. The truth is, we prefer to retain control of the steering wheel, even though it is this proclivity that drives us to discontentment and endless relational conflict. Rather than insisting on doing life our way, we should be crying out, "Jesus take to wheel!" 
 
Published: 1001 Quotes, Illustrations, and Humorous Stories for Preachers, Teachers by Edward K. Rowell, p.209; National Automated Highway Research Program: A Review. TRB Special Report 253.
 
"Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).    Sometimes we have to let go and let God do the work in our lives.   We cannot depend upon what man can do for us because man will always fail us and forsake us but God has promised that He will never leave nor forsake us!   

Many pains come to the wicked, but the one who trusts in the LORD will have faithful love surrounding him. Psalm 32:10  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act, Psalm 37:5 



How happy is the man who has put his trust in the LORD and has not turned to the proud or to those who run after lies!   Psalm 40:4 



Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah   Psalm 62:8 
 
With the LORD for me as my helper,
I will look in triumph on those who hate me.  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.  It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in nobles.  Psalm 118:7-9