Claiming the Promise

Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, wrote, “God has given us a very simple equation if only we have the faith to reach out and experience it: The Holy Spirit’s power is our greatest need. This power and blessing is freely promised to all God’s people. This promise can only be fully received through sincere praying in faith and through waiting on God for his blessing to come. This is what happened in the New Testament, and this is the only thing that will satisfy our souls’ thirst. A decade of gadget and gimmicks will never accomplish what God the Holy Spirit can do in one month as he works in the life of the church.” Cymbala may well be on to something here! The first century church did not have the programs and technology that we seem to rely upon so heavily…and yet the Spirit moved thru the church in mighty ways. Today when we lack the apparent movement of God’s hand, rather than reverting to prayer, we try to force the Spirit with the latest technical widgets and agendas. You know I love technology, but without the Spirit, these gadgets and gimmicks are nothing more than stuff that distracts us from the effective path: prayer.