Why had their flocks abandoned their scholarly erudition to join the stampede thronging Jesus of Nazareth? What was His secret? What did Jesus bring to the table that today’s market-savvy, member-surveyed, felt-need-centric, production-esque American church doesn’t? The disciple whom Jesus loved offers some insight:
And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. (John 6:2)One word—Results. Jesus had Spirit-power that got results. And lots of ‘em. “Yes, but Jesus was the Son of God,” you say? Fine. I have another question. What did Jesus have that isn’t available to today’s—I’ll even give you a clue—Spirit-marginalizing church? You catch my drift. Nothing.
Granted, dunamis isn’t easy to choreograph—3,000 new converts in one service who need to be baptized and discipled; 1000’s of out-of-towners who need emergency housing; a man and his wife struck dead in the same day for lying to the Holy Spirit; church services regularly interrupted by authorities; church leaders constantly standing trial, some of them beaten; a city-wide yard sale to help the needy; a round-the-clock soup kitchen to feed the masses; a major congregational rift over who eats and who doesn’t; a highly-esteemed, miracle working church leader executed; and your congregation scattered because of persecution—but it sure beats a Broadway spectacular! There’s just no way that status-quo Christianity turns the world upside down like that. Disease-destroying, demon-dispelling, death-defying miracles are not going to happen because of flawless stagecraft. We need dunamis! Everything else is stage prop.
Had the disciples disembarked at Gadara’s necropolis to perform a street skit on the benefits of weekly synagogue attendance, it is doubtful they would have gotten the results Jesus did with “Go” spoken to a legion of demonic squatters. (Mark 5) Call me crazy, but by my calculation dunamis + “Go” = lots of demons gone = deranged man returned to sanity = a swine stampede = a human stampede to find out what all the hullabaloo is about: “And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.” (Matthew 8:34), herd of dead swine notwithstanding. But the people of Gadara weren't any more eager to be around Jesus than the swine that had just kamikaze'd into the sea. The new reality Jesus introduced frightened them far more than the city’s demonized, graveyard-dwelling, maniac with superhuman strength; they asked the Son of God to bolt. Too bad for them. I don’t hear Jesus muttering second thoughts, “I knew I should’ve waited ‘til after the service to cast out those demons,” as He gets back into the boat.
In spite of Jesus’ success, it is doubtful He would even land an audition, much less a role in today’s Church production. If, however, He showed up on a street corner in your town and began healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out legions of devils, I’ll bet the stampede of unchurched and churched sheep charging down to that street corner would be audible! People are hungry for God, for the living God. Get God, and you’ll get the herd.
Being “purpose-driven” is helpful, but purpose is hardly a substitute for dunamis; without it, we are barely able to drive out of the parking lot when it comes to fruitful ministry. Still, many churches invest countless hours crafting finely-tuned mission statements that will convey a sense of purpose and motivate their members to action. In most cases, however, church strategic planners wind up with the Great Commission in another form:
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)Jesus gave the Church its purpose before Pentecost. But before He was even crucified, Jesus told His disciples, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12) Purpose doesn’t empower anything. It just keeps the herd from scattering. (Proverbs 28:18)
Just before He ascended, Jesus told his followers, “Don’t go anywhere; don’t do anything, until you receive power from on high. (Acts 1:4-8 paraphrased) When He arrived at His Father’s right hand, Jesus received the promise of the Holy Spirit which He then poured out on His Church on the Day of Pentecost! (Acts 2:33) Once endued with power from on high, Jesus turned His followers loose, with “rivers of living water” flowing out of their innermost beings, to a needy world! (John 7:38)
It is worth mentioning, that after salvation, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the summation of every other spiritual gift and blessing Jesus gives to His Church. Why then, do so many church leaders neglect to teach their congregations about the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and miracles? Pastors will often cite concerns over “divisions” that could occur if they teach openly about the Holy Spirit. Such fears are absurd and deprive God’s people of gifts and blessings distributed by the Spirit of grace. Such worries lend credence to the false notion that our heavenly Father might indeed give his children a serpent when they've asked for a fish. (Luke 11:11)
Paul the Apostle was clear in his emphasis on demonstrating the Spirit's presence and power wherever and whenever he proclaimed God's word:
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God … But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5, 4:19-20)If the Church hopes to reach its culture, we will need to recover a key distinctive—power. Without dunamis, our message amounts to fiction.
© 2009 Seeds for Good Soil.
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