“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
When I read this passage from Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, I am reminded of God’s miracle power. In the Old and New Testaments there are many examples and stories about the power of God at work. In Genesis, at the beginning of the Creation story, "the Spirit of God hovered over the waters" before God began His work. Moses tells of being in the presence of this miracle power that caused a bush to be on fire yet not to burn up. It was a miracle power that brought forward all the events that freed the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. The same people feared for their lives if they were caught up too close to the presence of that power. This power was so strong the face of Moses, who stood in the presence of that power when he talked with God, would radiate in such a way that the people even feared him. Moses would have to wear a veil over his face on such occasions to allay the people’s fear. There are stories of Elijah and Elisha being used as instruments of God’s power to bring about healing of the sick and to bring the dead back to life. The prophets Daniel and Ezekiel fell forward and lay face first on the ground when confronted with visions of the Glory of God; such was the power of the Lord.
In the New Testament, we read stories of Jesus healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, and bringing the dead back to life; all by the miracle power of God. In the Book of Acts, at Pentecost the power of the Holy Spirit filled the room with wind and fire and filled the disciples and all who were there with the power of God. From that point on, there is story after story of people being healed, non-believers being converted, and chains of bondage being set loose; all by the miracle power of God manifested through the disciples and other followers. By the power of the Spirit of the Lord, the church grew from a small band of persecuted followers of Jesus to an institution of millions and millions.
Throughout the Bible we see, time and time again, that the Spirit of the Lord is a powerful and life-changing force. It transforms people; it renews them and sets them free. I have seen this power at work in today’s times in the lives of everyday people. Before I was appointed as a pastor in the local church I worked in ministry at a Prayer Center where people came in every day in need of, and hungry for, that transforming and healing power of God. Every day we would sit in session with someone who realized that they were in almost desperate need to be in the presence of the Spirit of the Lord. And time after time we would be truly amazed by the experience of the miracle transforming power of God at work in people’s lives.
Sometimes now I come to church as a worship leader and wonder what has happened to the miracle power of God. I want to see the Spirit of the Lord move across the waters that are the people of God in the church and transform their lives. I want the people of God to come to church on Sunday hungry and thirsty for the touch of God’s Spirit in their lives and then to see them go away in exultation at having experienced the manifest presence of God’s miracle power in their worship. I want to see them moved by the Holy Spirit so strongly that they take that same Spirit out into the world with them and spread it around. I yearn to see the people of God, with “unveiled face”, so unembarrassed to be caught up in the Spirit that they are "transformed into the image" of Christ and go “from one degree of glory to another” as it says in the passage from 2 Corinthians.
Have we forgotten about the miracle power of God? Have we given up on the ability of God to make a difference in people’s lives and in the world? Are we desperate for God to make a difference in our lives on this day? Have we forgotten God’s call to us as his people to be the instruments of transformation in the world? Do we pray to Him each day to give us an opportunity to be the difference in the life of someone in need? Have we shared Christ’s love with someone new today, with anyone? People of God; expect the Glory of the Lord to work in your life today! And if you experience just a little bit of that glory in even just a little way, share it with someone else and then expect to experience more. Go from glory to glory that “comes from the Lord who is the Spirit”! That is my prayer for you on this day, in Jesus’ Name. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment