Real Change Real Power

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

As I reflect on this passage of Scripture, I am left very perplexed. If God builds the church, then the gates of hell cannot withstand it.

But it seems that the gates of hell are doing just find today. And, there is real reason why that may be so.

According to a recent Lifeway Research study, in the next seven years 55,000 churches in the United States will close their doors, and the number of those who attend a church on the weekend in the United States will drop from 17 percent to 14 percent.

Only 20 percent of churches in the US are growing, and only 1 percent are growing by reaching lost people. So, 95 percent of the church growth we celebrate merely shuffles existing Christians around.

We need a fundamental shift in how we think about the mission of the church.

J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church in North Carolina. In his book, Gaining by Losing, he addresses the problems in many churches today.

Some Christians see church as a cruise liner, offering Christian luxuries for the whole family, such as sports, entertainment, childcare services, and business networking. They show up at church asking only, “Can this church improve my religious quality of life.? Does it have good family ministry facilities? Does the pastor preach funny, time-conscious messages that meet my felt needs? Do I like the music?” If their church ever ceases to cater to their preferences…well, there are plenty of other cruise ships in the harbor. In fact, often they get involved with three or four of them at once.

But the church in America faces another real problem.

In Post-Christian America, unbelievers will simply not make their way into our churches, no matter how “attractive” we make them.

In a recent study in Great Britain, 70 percent of the British declare that they have no intention of ever attending a church service for any reason. Not at Easter. Not for marriages. Not for funerals or Christmas Eve services. For more than two-thirds of the people in Great Britain, nothing will carry them naturally into a church. The reality is that Great Britain is a few years ahead of the United States in secularization.

The fact is that the people that need the message of the Gospel will not enter our churches to heart it. As Martin Luther said, it wouldn’t matter if Jesus died a thousand times if no one heard about it.

All of us—every follower of Jesus Christ—must recognize that we are all called to take the message of Christ to our community.

The great English paster, Charles Spurgeon used to say: “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

Transition: So, what must we do?

Jesus said:

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

We need real power to be used by God to bring about real change in the lives of people around us.

Without real power from the Holy Spirit, we live like real cowards—afraid to tell anyone (words and actions) about the real hope that comes only through Jesus Christ.

Sadly, I think we lose ground in the impact we have in our community primarily because we lack the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Look what Paul said about His impact:

1 Thessalonians 1:5 ESV

5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

The effectiveness of the early church to substantially change their world was directly connected to the power of the Holy Spirit.

The power that we need is called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. And, this Baptism is for all Christians!

Transition: There are three important facts about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit that we need know:

Jesus is the Baptizer

Luke 24:46–49 ESV

46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Luke 24:46-

A big stumbling block for people in receiving the Spirit Baptism is that we seek an experience rather than the Person who gives that experience.

Center you minds and your heart on Jesus.

The Holy Spirit Baptism is a Gift

The promise of the Holy Spirit is for every believer.

Acts 2:39 ESV

39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Spirit Baptism cannot be earned or deserved (just like salvation). It is a gift from God to empower you for His purpose.

Spirit Baptism is a Gift received by Faith

Matthew 7:7–8 ESV

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Galatians 3:14 ESV

14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Matthew 7:7

We keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. It is a faith that trusts in what God’s Word says.

Gal

Conclusion

Acts 2:1 ESV

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.

What do you think they were doing—together?

Praying/Seeking

Worshipping

This is what we need to do today. I don’t want to be a church that is like a cruise liner—all about attempting to impress people with programs, activities, and entertainment. I want the real thing—I want what only Jesus Christ can supply. We need power to be the church that can reach people with the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Are we willing to be that kind of Church?

Then we need the power that Jesus Christ gives through His Holy Spirit.

So, we are going to do what the early church did: worship and prayer—seeking all that God wants to give to us.