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I sometimes hear people talking about “born-again
Christians” as if they were different from normal
Christians, and perhaps rather extreme. In fact,
born-again Christians are the only sort of Christians
there are! It was Jesus who said to all of us: “You must
be born again.” He told Nicodemus that unless he was
born again he couldn’t “see the kingdom of God” or, in
other words, be a Christian.
A Christian is someone who has had a supernatural
experience of God entering into the very centre of their
being, bringing them into a special relationship with
Jesus and changing their lives for the better. This may
have been a sudden, memorable experience or a quiet,
gradual but deep experience.
The church isn’t a building with a point on top where
people who like that sort of thing go on a Sunday. It
isn’t a club for those who happen to like organ music or
ceremonial or corporate sing-alongs.
No, the church is composed of people who come together
to experience the supernatural presence of God: to
worship him, to learn about him and to be changed by him
supernaturally.
The question is: how much of this are we experiencing in
the Church in the Woottons? It is good occasionally to
have a spiritual stock-taking.
Pentecost (Whitsun) is a challenge to us, but it can
easily play second fiddle to Christmas or Easter. The
purpose of Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection and
ascension was for God to be able to send his Holy Spirit
into the hearts of human beings. So Pentecost is a most
important Sunday which should be a high point every
year. It says loud and clear that Christianity is
supernatural and the church is meant to manifest that
supernatural power.
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The early church, whose example we should follow,
was characterised by supernatural power:
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They were bold witnesses to Jesus who couldn’t but
tell others about him.
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They offered wholehearted praise and adoration (love
and awe-inspired worship) to God
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They experienced miracles: healings, prophecy,
visions etc.
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They were a loving community who were “one in heart
and mind.”
Now I thank God for the many good things in our
churches, including fellowship and worship. I could
write about them at length. But it is clear that we have
a long way to go.
“Isn’t that a bit negative?” you might be thinking. No,
because the Christian life is an on-going pilgrimage not
a pleasant afternoon on a deckchair enjoying the
spiritual sunshine. In other words, we have never
“arrived,” we can never sit back and conclude that we
are Christian enough! We can never be “complacent in
Zion” as the prophet Amos puts it.
Paul writes: “Not that I have already … been made
perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Are you “pressing on”
spiritually?
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I want to see the Church in the Woottons “pressing
on” spiritually:
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Becoming so committed to Jesus that we can’t but
tell others about him.
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Experiencing new heights of praise, love and
awe-inspired worship for God
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Experienced miracles: healings, prophecy, visions
etc.
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Experiencing a new depth of community which is “one
in heart and mind” (though not inward-looking).
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Seeing many people in the Woottons coming to faith
in Jesus
We can’t make this happen, but we can facilitate it.
How? By persistent, heart-felt prayer and by a trusting
spiritual openness to the Holy Spirit. There is nothing
to be anxious about. We only want what God wants for us:
not necessarily what happens elsewhere, but God’s
tailor-made purpose for the Woottons.
Tony Higton |
Do
We Believe in 3 Gods?
