Power From God

I Timothy 3:15
.......The house of God which is the church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Power.....
The linchpin of recovery.
You come to believe in a Power greater than yourself....
You make a decision to turn will and life over to the care of this Higher Power....
Then you move through consecutive steps under the direction and guidance of this power...
We talk about power, but do we truly encounter such?
Let's look at some simple facts.
(1) When I talk about, and mention the word "Power" I am referring to the person and presence of Jesus Christ.

(2) All addiction, no matter what your definition is, began with a choice. A choice that was founded and started long ago in a garden when two people went against God's instructions. They chose to live life on their terms. Such is addiction. We have chosen to live life on our terms. We wanted to do what we wanted to do...when we wanted to do it, and we wanted no one to tell us how to live our lives. Trouble is, we fooled around with a snake that has turned on us. We thought we were in control. We thought we were running the show. But as time and usage progressed, we found ourselves in a trapped state of existence. Making bold statements that we were never going to use again, we returned to our drug of choice time after time. And with each usage, we sunk lower and lower under the weight of guilt and shame. Is there no answer for such an existence? Yes..and it is found in this Higher Power we talk about. Jesus.

When Power is brought to bear in our condition of addiction, change takes place.
Simple as that....
This whole idea of recovery and church and Jesus is more than simple talking about it.
It's more than a mental exercise and a few good tips on how to change your behavior. It is, and has to be a full blown--grab hold of---220 volts of electricity----get your attention--now go do it. In other words, we need a power encounter. We need to be touched by God at a deep level inside ourselves that awaken us to a new way of living.
Such is why we do church ( should I say why we "are" the church) on Saturday nights.
To start with, God has placed me in Saturday night because it is usually an evening that was dedicated to sin. Saturday night is viewed as the night to cut loose...let your hair down....live the good life. IN other words, on Saturday night a lot of people go to the devil's church. They worship at his altar (could be a bar..could be a coffee table where you prepare your next hit). They sing his songs, accompanied by the choir. You know full well that we have attached our using with certain songs and styles of music to the point that when you hear a particular song, you automatically are drawn to thoughts of using.
So Saturday night is a night when we gather together to hear some truth from God's word...and then experience the power of God which validates the Word that was taught.

John Wimber, founder of the Association of Vineyard Churches, said that the purpose of the church was 'To advance the rule of God here on the earth by continuing the ministry (or serving) of Jesus in word, deed, and life by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.'
The trouble is that the church today is relinquishing the power. They teach the word of God, but there is a discount to the idea that Power encounters initiated by the Holy Spirit still take place. Oh, there is the belief in salvation, which to me is one of the greatest Power encounters one could experience. But as to what some would refer to a miraculous...those have been cast aside.
Well, I believe, and church history would back me up, that Jesus still operates in the same manner today as he did when he walked this earth. My desire, which I believe is from God, is that Vineyard Recovery Church become a conduit through which those who come can encounter Jesus, be touched and changed. That withing the construct of change, we can look for healing from physical ailments and disease. We can look for deliverance from demonic oppression. We can look for salvation and subsequent filling by God's Holy Spirit in a person who has taken the 3rd step of turning will and life over to the care of God.

The spiritual gifting's and Power the Holy Spirit brings should be a lifestyle of our church. That operating in them and seeing them at work in our midst would be as natural as breathing. You see, I just don't want to talk about the Gospels, I want to live them. We do so by walking in the steps of Jesus, filled and following the lead of the Holy Spirit, all the while having an ongoing praise party with God for hauling us out of the muck and mire of sin.

Think on these things...
More to come....
God on you...
mb