Holy Spirit Power

Christian believers and Christian congregations must be thoroughly consecrated to Christ’s glory alone. This means absolutely turning their backs on the contemporary insistence on human glory and recognition. I have done everything I can to keep “performers” out of my pulpit. I was not called to recognize “performers.” I am confident our Lord never meant for the Christian church to provide a kind of religious stage where performers proudly take their bows, seeking personal recognition. That is not God’s way to an eternal work. He has never indicated that proclamation of the gospel is to be dependent on human performances.

Instead, it is important to note how much the Bible has to say about the common people—the plain people. The Word of God speaks with such appreciation of the common people that I am inclined to believe they are especially dear to Him. Jesus was always surrounded by the common people. He had a few “stars,” but largely His helpers were from the common people—the good people and, surely, not always the most brilliant.

Jesus looked first for consecration. In our own day it is certainly true that the Spirit of God uses those who are no longer interested in their own promotion but are dedicated to one thought: getting glory for Jesus Christ, who is Savior and Lord.

To please God, a person must be just an instrument for God to use. For a few seconds, picture in your mind the variety of wonderful and useful appliances we have in our homes. They have been engineered and built to perform tasks of all kinds. But without the inflow of electrical power they are just lumps of metal and plastic, unable to function and serve. They cannot do their work until power is applied from a dynamic outside source.

So it is in the work of God in the church. Many people preach and teach. Many take part in the music. Certain ones try to administer God’s work. But if the power of God’s Spirit does not have freedom to energize all they do, these workers might just as well stay home.

Natural gifts are not enough in God’s work. The mighty Spirit of God must have freedom to animate and quicken with His overtones of creativity and blessing. 

There have been in the past great preachers who were in demand all over the world. I think of one—a contemporary—a recognized divine in New England. He was not known primarily as a Bible preacher. He expounded on such subjects as nature and science, literature and philosophy. His books had instant sales and his pulpit oratory attracted great crowds. But when he died, the bottom just dropped out of all the work that had kept him so busy. He had given no place to the Spirit of God to direct all of that natural talent and energy. God’s eternal work had not been furthered.

We may recall, however, that when Charles H. Spurgeon and G. Campbell Morgan passed away, their work and outreach went right on. Both of these well-known preachers had built their lifetime ministries on the Word of God and the power of the Spirit.

You can write it down as a fact: No matter what a man does, no matter how successful he seems to be in any field, if the Holy Spirit is not the chief Energizer of his activity, it will all fall apart when he dies.

Perhaps the saddest part about all this is that the man may be honored at his death for his talents and abilities, but he will learn the truth in that great day when our Lord judges the work of every person. That which is solely his own work, accomplished by his own talent, will be recognized as nothing but wood, hay and straw.