Daily Devotion (July 20, 2024)
Acts 1:7–8 (NKJV)
7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The church that relies on external motivation is a powerless church. The church is to assemble together (Hebrews 10:24-25) in the power of the Holy Spirit. The motivation, the power of God does not come from external factors. It comes from the power of God working in the lives of each individual joined together with one purpose, to worship God.
The power of the church is not that of the world. It is not a power that focuses on the person. It is the spiritual and supernatural power of God, the power of His presence. The problem with many “worshippers” is the absence of God’s Holy Spirit in their lives.
Is it possible to attend a worship service and leave unchanged? The power of the Christians life is supernatural, it is of God Himself.
God reveals Himself to us based upon what God wants us to know (1:7). We must be prepared to receive God’s Word! We must empty ourselves of the world and allow God to fill us with His presence.
“Can these bones live?” Ezekiel 37 asks the question looking at the valley of dry bones, “can they live?” The only restoration of the dead church is the Spirit of God. The power of God working in the lives of the true believer. The church can be filled with a thousand dead souls and just one spirit filled person. That one person can make a difference. Only God has the power to restore life. That one person can be the instrument God uses to restore life in the church.
Are you that person?