For thought and meditation Sunday Nov 26

[Markopolo]

November 26
The Focal Point of Spiritual Power
By Oswald Chambers

…except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… —Galatians 6:14

If you want to know the power of God (that is, the resurrection life of Jesus) in your human flesh, you must dwell on the tragedy of God. Break away from your personal concern over your own spiritual condition, and with a completely open spirit consider the tragedy of God. Instantly the power of God will be in you. “Look to Me…” (Isaiah 45:22). Pay attention to the external Source and the internal power will be there. We lose power because we don’t focus on the right thing. The effect of the Cross is salvation, sanctification, healing, etc., but we are not to preach any of these. We are to preach “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The proclaiming of Jesus will do its own work. Concentrate on God’s focal point in your preaching, and even if your listeners seem to pay it no attention, they will never be the same again. If I share my own words, they are of no more importance than your words are to me. But if we share the truth of God with one another, we will encounter it again and again. We have to focus on the great point of spiritual power— the Cross. If we stay in contact with that center of power, its energy is released in our lives. In holiness movements and spiritual experience meetings, the focus tends to be put not on the Cross of Christ but on the effects of the Cross.

The feebleness of the church is being criticized today, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this focus on the true center of spiritual power. We have not dwelt enough on the tragedy of Calvary or on the meaning of redemption.

Have a great day!!!

[ioon44]

Amen, if we are not preaching “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” then we are preaching another gospel.

[buckwheatpaul]

What a great post.....this morning it was reported that the majority of Americans under age 30 do not trust churches....it is so alarming and it points out that with each generation more and more parents are failing to educate their children in the Holy Trinity and the Bible....I pray that God will bless us and bring our wandering souls back unto Him.....

[Wayne Smith]

What a great post.....this morning it was reported that the majority of Americans under age 30 do not trust churches....it is so alarming and it points out that with each generation more and more parents are failing to educate their children in the Holy Trinity and the Bible....I pray that God will bless us and bring our wandering souls back unto Him.....

Yes, but, we should not trust Churches. We should trust Christ and celebrate Him in Churches. So to educate our children in Church trust is to fail them greatly, and that is what a lot of parents do. Teach them to trust Christ and Him only and that the Church is the arm of Christ, nothing more. This is the great failing of the Catholics, they teach people to trust the Church.

[buckwheatpaul]

Yes, but, we should not trust Churches. We should trust Christ and celebrate Him in Churches. So to educate our children in Church trust is to fail them greatly, and that is what a lot of parents do. Teach them to trust Christ and Him only and that the Church is the arm of Christ, nothing more. This is the great failing of the Catholics, they teach people to trust the Church.

Wayne, I know you are right....because I have heard countless preachers say that there are plenty of church goers going to hell as they are not worshiping God! But the point is church attendance is lower each year and each generation as less and less parents are teaching their children about God and the Bible and have it reinforced by a preacher stepping on toes and making people getting downwind from themselves!

[Wayne Smith]

Paul, my Dad always said that the pastor had two jobs. To comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable! Oswald Chambers had no problem afflicting the comfortable.