In looking for something yesterday I came across a brand new book tucked away on a shelf. I do not know when I got this book and I will need to put it on my “read list.” The foreword in the book was written by John Maxwell. There was an interesting paragraph in the foreword which caught me eye. John Maxwell wrote, “It’s time that Christians allow God to work in every church and every individual expression of ministry. Sadly, too many contemporary churches have lost their grip on the force that makes them a unique power in the world today – the supernatural, transforming, life-changing power of Christ. That’s a serious flaw. For without holy empowerment, all our competence, preparation, programming, facilities, and sacrifices produce dissatisfying results.”
As I reflected on this paragraph I wondered why so many people inside and outside the church fear this “supernatural, transforming, life-changing power of Christ?” I may share at least a partial answer later. There are those who believe everything is energy, but do not have the ability to connect that energy to its source. Then there are those who claim to believe in the Source and are unable or unwilling to link the Source with how they live their life in this world. Both groups are disconnected from what the Apostle Paul was declaring in 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
Paul is being very inclusive in the repeated use of the word, “all” and in the link between what God does and what we do. When you understand the authority and power of living with “Christ in us” and being “in Christ” you gain an advantage over those who don’t. What has been viewed as a rare supernatural occurrence opens the door to the possibility of ongoing transformational events. This was what took place in the early Church and needs to happen again.
God does not operate outside of the laws instituted at creation, but operates within those laws. We simply do not understand those laws and are not willing to seek to understand them within the context of a close relationship with the One who created them. Only when we are committed to this relationship and also to learning to understand and actively apply the laws to our own life can we live life to its full potential and see our world changed for the better.