Powerless Church

If you tried to contact the church yesterday from about 11:30am - 3pm by phone, you realized that something was wrong. If you emailed a staff member and they did not reply to you all day when you thought they would....you realized something was wrong.

We lost all power yesterday afternoon to our offices and main building. As a matter of fact the entire block on our street lost power. The cables that run down the road that carry power, phone and our Time Warner cable snapped! In an instant we were powerless! Without AC the temperature began to rise. Without power we could not use our computers and be on our personal CSF network. Of course, their were no phones and no emails. Powerless.......

Things like cables and power poles snapping can happen and make us powerless, but, like yesterday in a few hours we can be restored to full capacity. It is a pain when this happens but it is not horrible and life threatening. (unless the cable snaps and hits you with 1 gazillion bolts of power or something like that...)

However, when a church loses it's real power for life change, then it is tragic and lives can be lost for eternity. What is the real power that can be lost in a local church? The easy answer is to say the "power of God". Although that is true...it really can't ever happen unless God chooses to do so and He would never to choose to do that. The local church loses it's power when the people in the church stop doing these things:

1) When people stop caring for lost people and make church a social club for Christians.

2) When people stop serving in their local church and community. Needs go unmet and ministry stops.

3) When people stop giving financially to their local church. The church can't pay basic bills and worse yet...can't move forward with a God directed vision.

4) When people in the church stop living in genuine Biblical relationships of loving and caring for each other.

5) When people stop growing spiritually by praying, Bible reading and growing in their wisdom and practice of the things of God.

If a church stops doing one of these things they lose some power. Stop doing more than three....you are dead in the water. No power! God is still alive and well and would want to have his life-changing power flow through that church....but the people have stopped the flow. People snap the power spiritual power cables.

Of course, for the most part and at this time, CSF is a full power church! However, it will take all of us doing these things as individuals to allow our church to continue being high powered for life change! We need every person who calls our church home....to be fully engaged in all these areas. We need full power by all people!

Today's Bible Reading Colossians Chapter 3

Time for a self spiritual living test. A personal power test! Read through chapter 3 and then ask yourself....."what did I use to do as a non-Christian that displeased God? Do I still do those things?" Verse 8 says....we use to do some wrong things, but we must rid our lives of such things. Some people call it their "old-self" and compare it to their "new-self" in Christ. As new powerful Christ follower, do you act like your old self or the new person who as given your life to Christ?