The Dynamic Church

As I was walking past a very large church in the city centre some time ago, I saw two young people with large nap-sacks on their backs, obviously touring our city. They were staring at the large oak doors, and the fine stone work on the front of the church. Just as I passed, one said to the other, “I wonder what it's like inside there?” They could have gone in: there was a sign on the door inviting them in for an organ recital.

My mind chewed on that for a while, and what came to me was another question that could very well have been asked by some people who spend a lot of time inside the church. Some of them could have asked, from inside the church, “I wonder what it's like out there?”

There are people outside the church who have no idea of the relevance of the church to their lives, and there are people inside the church who have lost all relevance to those outside the church. They are safe, so why go out there where it's dangerous?

Some members of the church, and this can apply to any denomination or to the whole church in general, have lost the dynamic which gives the church relevance. In Acts 1:8:

“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.”

In the early church, it was the power of the Holy Spirit, given as a gift to the whole church, which energised it to touch the whole world; the Holy Spirit made the church relevant. Even in the Old Testament, it was the mighty power of the Spirit of God which made the prophets dynamic and relevant. Read what the prophet said of his own experience in Micah. 3:8:

“But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.”

Of course it is a dangerous world out there! But Jesus told us to go and to bring them in from the highways and byways and hedges, and to call sin sin! But it’s time for a reawakening of some of the church in their comfortable pews to go our without fear, as 2 Tim. 1:7: says:

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Few people seem to feel qualified to really get involved with creative and aggressive ways of reaching out to a world in such confusion and despair. But, again, the Spirit of God adds the dynamic we lack. Read Rom. 8:26:

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

There are lots of people looking at the church from the outside, wondering what it’s like on the inside. Isn’t it about time some of the insiders asked for the power of the Spirit of God to help them swing open the door, and start giving out invitations?

After all, it is a joint effort between the church, or the bride of Christ, and the Spirit of God, as stated in Rev. 22:17:

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

It’s exciting being the King’s cup bearer, carrying the “Water of Life” to a thirsty world.