Momentum (Christ – centred, Spirit – empowered, Mission – focused)
One of the questions that continually challenges me is, “Am I reallyexpecting God to work, or am I just hoping that He will?”
This became abundantly clear to me a few months ago when I was speaking at one of our Canadian Alliance churches. I went with a passionate hope that God would do something fresh and powerful in this congregation, but I must admit my expectation level was not that high. I was feeling a bit tired and I had to leave immediately after the service to catch a plane for another engagement. I attempted to communicate with passion and vision but felt my mind was a little fuzzy and my words were not smooth. At the end of the sermon I was hoping for some modest response but was overwhelmed by the way in which God showed up. People spontaneously began to come forward for prayer. Some for healing, others for deliverance—God was powerfully on the move.
The pastor was graciously attempting to move me toward the back door so I could exit in time to catch my flight, but there in front of us was another person needing prayer. A young man in his early twenties, from a Muslim background, simply stated, “I want to receive Jesus into my life!” The next moment was profound as we led this young seeker in a life-transforming prayer. As I made my way out the back door toward my car I was already flying. God had marvellously intervened into a normal worship service and unleashed His transforming power.
A.W. Tozer once declared, “One characteristic that marks the average church today is a lack of anticipation. Christians when they meet do not expect anything unusual to happen; consequently only the usual happens, and that usual is as predictable as the setting of the sun…We need today a fresh spirit of anticipation that springs out of the promises of God. We must declare war on the mood of non-expectation, and come together with childlike faith. Only then can we know again the beauty and the wonder of the Lord’s presence among us.”
In Acts 12 we read the somewhat humorous story of Peter’s miraculous escape from prison. The church had gathered together at Mary’s home to pray for Peter’s protection and release. I am sure they were hoping for the best. However, when Peter showed up at the door it was obvious they were not really expecting him to be released.
We read, “Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, ‘Peter is at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind,’ they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, ‘It must be an angel.’ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished” (Acts 12:13-16).
I wonder as we enter into a new year of ministry, who will be left knocking at our door? Perhaps we can take a risk and begin to expect in a new and fresh way for God to move among us. I agree deeply with Tozer’s challenge for us to “Declare war on the mood of non-expectation, and come together with childlike faith.” I hear someone knocking…
With great expectation
“The Holy Spirit is able to take everything we dare to give, and gives everything we dare to take.” — A.B. Simpson
“There is no field for faith so vast and so sublime as the mission field of today, and there is no limit to the possibilities which faith may claim.” — A.B. Simpson
Please find the original version in C&MA website