IN FAITH
Reflections on The Power Source
The Church has been a part of my life for most of my life, though there were times when our family was outside of the church more than it was inside. In all of the years I’ve been involved in the life of Christianity, either as a student in grade school, junior high, high school or college, or later as a pastor, I’ve seen so many different “programs” in churches come and … go. They make their impact for a moment, and then the moment is gone. Hopefully what we glean from those programs or ministries makes a lasting impact. But, sometimes I wonder if a true difference was made.
Back in 1973 there was an evangelistic effort made, called Key 73. The goal of Key 73 was for every man, woman, and child, who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to come into such a relationship. The American Bible Society provided specially printed copies of the Acts of the Apostles, and other scriptures, the entire New Testament, if I remember correctly. The symbol used on those bibles was a flaming bush, reminding one of how Moses encountered the bush, which was burning, but not consumed, and the amazing and mysterious Presence of God, the Great “I Am.” Key 73 as a ministry did not succeed. And since then, there have been quite a few different evangelistic “programs,” which have been “trotted out,” by many different denominations at different times. The one that seems to be making a very huge impact right now is The Purpose Driven Life (also 40 Days of Purpose) by Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church in California. And my hope is that every congregation, which takes part in this exciting study, will find itself renewed, in greater love and commitment to Christ the Lord, and more effective at loving neighbor, and being agents of transformation here in Waynedale, Fort Wayne, and around the world.
From my observation, (and I am not the only one who sees this point), even though we take part in the “emphasis of the moment,” if the Power Source is absent from those programs or ministries, they will not make a lasting impact. The Power Source is the Holy Spirit, and the way we make a lasting impact is when we become Spirit Led Churches (no, I haven’t written a book with this title). But, Dr. Terry Teykl, who is a United Methodist pastor and someone who has committed his life to helping congregations tap into that source of Godly power, has written a book named The Presence Based Church, which makes the very point, that without the guidance, empowerment, and love communicated through the Presence of the Holy Spirit, the ministries, which we undertake, as Catholics, Orthodox, or Protestants, will not endure, or make the kind of impact, which God hopes that they make.
If you have ever been in a worship service, which went through all the right motions, had all the correct “elements” in it, but “lacked something,” that something lacking is the Presence of God. We can mechanically participate in worship, use the right liturgies, use some of the great prayers from the Book of Common Prayer or other sources, but if the congregation isn’t truly yearning to be “in the Presence of God,” the service will be flat, and so will the life of the congregation. Prayer and prayer groups, praying for the ministries of the church, the pastor(s) and families, the community and world, are not icing on the cake. They are the cake. If prayer and true worship are absent, then the church isn’t alive. This is what Dr. Teykl says about this important matter, speaking about the different models currently in vogue, including Rick Warren’s:
“These models however, any one of which can be dynamic and successful or dismal and empty, have to do with organizational structure, leadership, style preference and programs. The Presence based church, on the other hand, is about whether or not Jesus factors into these areas and to what extent. Is He the Master or the mascot? Does He receive our unbridled worship and adoration or just our requests and complaints? Is He the honored guest at all of our functions, or do we esteem people above all and relegate him to the role of butler? Is He the hope of glory or the hood ornament?” (The Presence Based Church, p. 11).
I hope I’ve given us something to think about, and a place to dig in as we carry out the ministries, which Christ has assigned to us. Just remember this, when Zerubbabel the priest was given the task of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews had returned from exile in Babylon in 538 B.C., the only way that that staggering task could have been accomplished was if God was the very heart and soul of the enterprise. God’s word to Zerubbabel was this:
“Then He said to me, This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. {7} What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!'” (Zechariah 4:6-7 RSV).
So, I guess what I’m saying is, “Where there is no true prayer or worship, there is no true power for ministry.”
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