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The Church in apostolic days was filled with power! Today,
Christians are spiritually lifeless. Why? What has happened that
Christians seem cut offfrom the source of that power?
flashes con–
stantly bombard
us with reports of
un d re a m e d-o f
new powers un–
leashed by sci–
ence. Never has
the world had in its grasp more
stupendous powers than it has
today.
Nations are stockpiling horrifying
weapons of unbelievable power in a
mad race for survival. Manufactur–
ers are building machines with ever–
increasing power output to satisfy the
power-hungry buying public. Health
food addicts are peddling new power–
ful potions guaranteed to rejuvenate
the impotent and the aged. Even the
churches are selling people on new
ways to tap "hidden powers" lying
dormant within them.
Yet people today are more spiri–
tually empty, lifeless and lacking in
power than ever before! The
churches seem to be destitute of any
real spiritual power!
Why?
What has gone wrong? Are we
missing the real source of power that
32
by
Herman
L.
Hoeh
imbued the original Church in apos–
tolic days?
The Source of That Power
There is a reason why people are
spiritually empty, dissatisfied, frus–
trated. People have been seeking the
wrong source of power! The churches
a re looking to material substitutes, to
psychological panaceas. But they are
not looking to the real source of
power which filled the apostles
and the whole Church in apostolic
days!
Notice the source of that power:
"May the God of your hope so fill
you with all joy and peace in your
faitb, that you may be overftowing
with bope, by the power of the holy
Spirit!" (Rom. 15:13, Moffatt trans–
lation.)
Notice it! "Filled"! Filled with
what? "With all joy and peace"! By
what power? " By the power of the
holy Spirit"!
The inspired, original New Testa–
ment Church was filled with the
power of the Holy Spirit. We don't
see tbat today. lnstead, we see eitber
insipid pseudospirituality or uncon–
trolled human emotionalism mas–
querading as the power of God.
Consider what mighty spiritual
power overflowed the Church in
apostolic days: "And when they [the
inspired Church] had prayed, the
place was shaken where they were as–
sembled together; and they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit, and they
spake the word of God with bold–
ness" (Acts 4:31 ).
Inspired preacbing-not soft,
purring sermons-came from the
apostles! Where do you see that kind
of power in today's churches? This
was not sorne kind of uncontrolled,
pseudospiritual, humanly generated,
emotional ecstasy often witnessed in
evangelistic campaigns. This was the
real power of God-not a counter–
feit, uncontrolled emotionalism.
World In Utter Confusion
But why are inspired, powerful; spiri–
tual-minded sermons not generally
heard today? Have the churches lost
contact with the Holy Spirit of God?
How many professing Christians re–
ally know what the Holy Spirit is–
why they need it-and how they can
receive it? And how many really
know when they have received the
Holy Spirit?
How many really believe that God
The
PLAIN TRUTH April 1979