More than ever, the church of God needs the empowering of the Holy Spirit through the revelation of Christ, but to limit the channeling of God's power to preaching and corporate worship is a big misconception.
We live in an age where people are motivated by consumerist demands. People want to receive, be fed, be pastored, be filled and be taken care of. And while the church is a place for the broken and lost to be restored and while Jesus comes for the sick, the church also needs members who take responsibility for their relationship with God without relying all the time on a pastor or leader.
Jude 20 urges us, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit."
Spiritual growth is not just the job of our pastors. Believers have the opportunity and responsibility of bringing forth personal growth into their personal lives. We do so by living lives fully devoted to experiencing God through personal prayer and Bible reading.
Joshua 1:8 tells us, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
God has always commanded us to read and meditate on His word, not because it does Him any good, but because it brings forth every good thing to us.
When we read our Bibles and pray, we gain access to the limitless power of the Holy Spirit who works in our hearts and situations to bring God's plans and purposes in our lives to completion. The church needs more empowered disciples who are not only energised by God through others, but also energised by God through personal encounters with Him.
Preaching, devotional materials, books, podcasts and trainings can all enhance a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as we do our part in tapping into God's empowerment and re-energising move.
Because of Christ's finished work, we don't only need the prayer and leading of an anointed preacher to hear and discern God's voice. The same Spirit that moves through teachers, evangelists, prophets and and exhorters is the same Spirit that moves within us and wherever God's Word is heard or read.
The most important thing is that we invest our time in coming to the Father. In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
So make sure you're doing your part to have a close relationship with Jesus and in doing so, be closer to your Heavenly Father.
