Christian Living
Back to the Upper Room
By: Rick L King
November 12, 2011
I recently had a conversation with a pastor friend of mine. He made the comment that several churches in his town were getting ready to shut their doors, as they just didn’t have enough money to keep them open. My response to him may seem odd, but I told him “good”. In fact, this may cause you to wince, but I would like to see most of the church doors shut. You might like my reason after you see the explanation of that statement.
When Jesus was on this earth before His crucifixion he spent many hours with his disciples. They had an intimate relationship. Jesus taught them and directed them as to what to do and when to do it. Yet, after Jesus was resurrected this intimacy stopped for awhile. Jesus promised them that he would send the comforter, the Holy Spirit, so they would not be comfortless. What then did the disciples do? They went to the upper room until they were endued with power. They waited on the Holy Spirit. They could have just gone into the entire world and preached. They had a command of the Lord to do so. Yet, they knew that it took the power of God doing the preaching through them. So they knew that they had to wait and be endued with power before they went out. Had they not done this they would have become religious. They would have become under the law. All the things that Jesus had told them to do they would have just started doing by their flesh. They were smart enough to know that by the flesh they could not please God. They knew that they needed power; the power of the Holy Ghost. So many churches walk the word in their own strength. There is no power. This is for the most part why the churches are dying. They do not have any rhema words from the Lord and the knowledge of specific plans for that body. The world does not see much difference between the church and the world so they are not drawn to come to the services. Here is something that if you really will consider you might be shocked. We are told that we are not under the law. We are told that he that is led by the spirit is not under the law. We are told to be led by the spirit. We are not told to be led by the word. If we are led only by the word then we are practicing religion and legalism and our relationship with God is only based on the law. We have put our self into trying to fulfill the do’s and don’ts of the word. The problem is we cannot fulfill the law. If we are guilty of one then the word says that we are guilty of all. God did not intend for us to walk the word in our strength. He intended for us to be endued with power, the power of the Holy Spirit.
If churches were to close their doors and go to the upper room once again, then when they were reopened there would be power. They would be opened not to the programs and religious works of man’s flesh, but to a mighty anointing as people have heard from the Lord and have an anointing that will break every yoke.
Intimacy with God only comes by allowing the Holy Spirit to teach, lead, and empower us. It then becomes God as we are just the vessel. It is no longer religious dead works, but it is the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us. The Holy Spirit will then draw people that do not know God to the church. The power of God will always bring life to a spiritually dead person.
If we could shut the doors of the churches and go to the upper room once again and realize that it is nothing to do with us, but it is about Him alone. It is about what His plans are and how He would have us involved in bringing them to fulfillment. We have so made church about us and left Jesus and the power of God outside the building.
I remember revivals where the people in town were constantly talking about and commenting about what is going on in that little church. When the power of God is in the church, the world takes notice. They know this is what they need. The Holy Spirit will draw men to life, not dead works. Religion and dead works do not work. They do not save or change anyone. It takes the anointing to break the yoke. Many churches are having a form of godliness but are denying the power of God. They are trying to run things and let’s face it; it is not working. Unless we go back to the upper room once again we are not going to see happen what needs to happen.
Need to contact me or make a comment? Please direct all correspondence to: [email protected] (Please note that there is an underscore ( _ ) between the r and the k in my email address). Thanks so much!
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