The Daunting Task
The Church's success in spreading the knowledge of Christ's salvation is due to the miraculous element of the Holy Spirit, and it continues to need this empowerment to accomplish its task.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the monumental task of the Church in spreading the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God for salvation. He reflects on the Church's reliance on the Holy Spirit, who empowered it at Pentecost, enabling it to achieve remarkable moral victories in a short time. Without this divine empowerment, Tozer argues, the Church would have failed like many sects before it. He calls for the same power today, recognizing that without the Holy Spirit, the Church remains incapable of fulfilling its mission. The sermon concludes with a prayer for empowerment to continue the work of spreading the gospel.
Text
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. --Romans 1:16
The greatest event in history was the coming of Jesus Christ into the world to live and to die for mankind. The next greatest event was the going forth of the Church to embody the life of Christ and to spread the knowledge of His salvation throughout the earth.
It was not an easy task which the Church faced when she came down from that upper room.... Left to herself the Church must have perished as a thousand abortive sects had done before her, and have left nothing for a future generation to remember.
That the Church did not so perish was due entirely to the miraculous element within her. That element was supplied by the Holy Spirit who came at Pentecost to empower her for her task. For the Church was not an organization merely, not a movement, but a walking incarnation of spiritual energy. And she accomplished within a few brief years such prodigies of moral conquest as to leave us wholly without an explanation--apart from God. Paths to Power, 7-8.
"We continue to need that power, Lord, or we still are hopelessly incapable of the task You've left us. Empower us for our work, Holy Spirit, even as You empowered the early church. Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of the Gospel
- The Mission of the Church
- The Challenge Faced by the Church
- The Need for Ongoing Empowerment
- The Church's continued reliance on the Holy Spirit
- The empowerment of the Holy Spirit
Key Quotes
“The greatest event in history was the coming of Jesus Christ into the world to live and to die for mankind.” — A.W. Tozer
“We continue to need that power, Lord, or we still are hopelessly incapable of the task You've left us.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- The Church needs the Holy Spirit's empowerment to accomplish its task and spread the knowledge of Christ's salvation.
- We must continue to rely on the Holy Spirit for our strength and guidance.
- The Church's mission is to embody the life of Christ and spread the knowledge of His salvation throughout the earth.