Where is the Power

In John's Gospel, in chapter 15 and verse 4, Jesus declares, Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. As we read this striking passage of scripture, friends, we must ask ourselves this burning question.

Is the fruit of our life a result of self-effort and self-promotion, or the result of God's activity in our life by His Spirit? Sadly, too many of us produce fruit that doesn't last, when we are meant not to be fruit producers, but fruit bearers, which bear His fruit, which lasts for eternity. But the church found out long ago we can get by better with money and manpower, and get the job done quicker. But the church in former times had wisdom, and they did not do things by self-effort, but by the spirit of prayer and God's power.

That word abide in the Greek is the word meno, and it means to dwell, to tarry, to remain, as if remaining in the company or presence of someone. It was said of some of the old Puritan preachers that when they entered the pulpit, they looked as if they'd just been in the presence of God. But we get in the pulpit today, cracking jokes and telling funny stories.

Do you think Jonathan Edwards had to warm up his crowd in Northampton with laughter? We have entertainers in the pulpits today, when we need prophets who have stood at the burning bush and can go forth crying with authority, thus saith the Lord. My homiletical mentor, Dr. Stephen F. Oldford, shared a story with me that I want to share with you today, friends. He said he knew a well-known preacher who once asked him to teach him about the spirit-filled life and the Spirit's anointing.

But the man was so popular and busy in demand by big churches that he never found the time to go see Stephen Oldford about it. And one Sunday, this man came and spoke at a large Baptist church where Dr. Oldford was in attendance. And Stephen Oldford told me that all this man did that day was to tell jokes and relate funny stories.

And by doing this, he entertained his audience and received wild applause. And Stephen Oldford told me he wrote this preacher a letter after that, reminding him of his desire to be taught the spirit-filled life. Then Dr. Oldford finished the letter by saying, My dear brother, I see you have crowds, but let me ask you, where is the power? And that's why, friends, our churches today lack authority, because we lack power in the pulpit from the Spirit of God.

It's been said that a pastor's only as tall in the pulpit as he is long on his knees in prayer. And I like what J. Sidlow Baxter said concerning this. He said, How can a man, full of himself, preach to Christ who emptied himself? We need a Holy Ghost revival today in our church that will expose sin and crucify self so Jesus can come and have his rightful place of preeminence in our sanctuaries again.

This world is a sinking ship that's fast running out of time, and most of its passengers are the hell-bound. The church used to be a lifeboat that rescued the perishing, but somewhere it morphed into a showboat to draw attention to itself. The great Methodist preacher Samuel Chadwick summed it all up by saying, When a church is run on the same lines as a circus, there may be crowds, but there is no Shekinah.

I like that observation, friends, because it speaks to our situation today. The modern church lacks authority, and we must ask ourselves, Where is the power?