Two Powerful Words
By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
Two words. Two simple words. Two ordinary words: “No Power.”
There’s nothing wrong with these two words; the location of the words made it ironic.
The words were printed on a label that has been carefully affixed to an electrical outlet.
Now this electrical outlet looked like every other outlet. The outlet cover was not damaged. The outlet itself looked fairly modern. In fact, it was a three-prong outlet so that you knew it was supposed to have an additional level of safety.
Those two words, however, indicated that despite appearances the outlet didn’t work. It looked just like another outlet located just a few feet away on another wall but those two words – No Power – said that you could try to plug in all day long, but it would be wasted effort.
You know the real irony of this “no power” plug? It was located inside a church!
It still a mystery to me as to why that electrical outlet didn’t have power, but it did call into question the idea regarding our own lives and the lives of our churches.
Acts 1:8 talks about power in the lives of members and the church body:
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.
Jesus was talking to his disciples and giving clear instruction as to how the church was to do ministry and mission. They were to be filled with the Holy Spirit and when that happened they will receive power.
Jesus also gave clear instruction and assurance that the Holy Spirit is one of those gifts that when we ask it will be given.
If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
It is clear that Jesus never intends to have those two words “no power” ever assigned to the Christian church. Jesus wants to have His church filled with His power and He is willing and able to give that power to individuals and to the church body as a whole.
It is my prayer that we all don’t just look like Christians and talk like Christians, but that we all are truly plugged into the power that is promised and given to those that ask.