“I will put my breath within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on a sure foundation, and you will know deep in your heat that I the Breath of Life have spoken, and made it happen.” (Ezekiel)
Easter is nearly upon us, and we are reminded of the resurrection power of God and the life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit that feeds and sustains us.
The Church is an entity that requires God’s breath, Jesus’ presence and power, in order for it to function as the Church. A true church resides in relationship with God in spirit and in truth, filled with the power rand glory of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ.
The church is an organic being. It is not a building, it is not merely a social gathering of like-minded people, or even a group of community worshipers, following the traditions set down before them. The church is not a social institution, not a political institution, but the organic being of Jesus, resurrected and alive in the Holy Spirit’s breath, bought to life in order to witness to the truth of God’s power and glory in the world, despite the world.
The question we must always ask of ourselves is this: are we operating as a valley of dry bones (focused only on our own devices) or will we welcome the change that comes with Holy Spirit renewal?
Revival is not a result of something we do, not the great programs we put in place, not the amount of ministries our church can accomplish in a year, nor the amount of money we bring in, or even the number of people in our pews. But revival is a working of the Holy Spirit.
How we wish it were we who could figure out the right strategy, the proper things to do, the leaders to put into place, or the trick of the trade to draw in the people we desire.
We become frustrated with our efforts and disillusioned with our culture.
And yet the answer is so simple. It comes down to faith. It comes down to surrendering our plans, and strategies, and hopes, and agendas, and putting our faith in Jesus.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove form you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh,” said God (Ezekiel 36:26)
Only God can give renewed purpose to a desolate life. Only God can impart new life into a lost community or a hopeful church.
As we celebrate the coming resurrection of Jesus, know that He calls upon His holy Church in the world to put faith in Him, to trust in His presence and power, and to enter into the world confident in His restoring Spirit.
For we don’t need to worry about the future. We only need to put our trust in the Jesus of the present. The rest will take care of itself…all in Jesus’ time.