| (Copyright 2023) by Dwight Fleming (Oroville, California) |
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| The New Testament church of Jesus Christ began nearly 2,000 years ago when God sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to the 120 disciples meeting together in Jerusalem. Ten days before, Jesus, just before ascending to heaven, told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received POWER. But power to do what? “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). As Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit came upon His disciples with great power in the form of cloven tongues of fire. Many Jews who had come to Jerusalem for Pentecost were startled by the sight since they heard the disciples speaking in various tongues. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter preached a message which added 3,000 believers to the church that very day. Jesus also stated that He would build His church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. See Matthew 16:18. The early church was wrought with problems, yet it grew despite persecution. As Christ warned, there were those who entered to make merchandise of the flock leading many astray into false doctrine and pagan influence. Controversy often rocked believers and the faithful. Despite poor leadership and the power struggles that took place after the death of the apostles, the Christian church, as imperfect as it became, did exert influence upon Western Civilization. That influence was primarily a moral standard which every civilization needs for prosperity, both physical and spiritual. The Christian moral standard primarily upheld and protected the sanctity of the family which allowed Western Civilization to flourish despite its many other flaws. Yet that influence is beginning to wane. In Britain and Europe, Christian churches have become relics of a bygone era. What attracted one generation to the Bible and Christ is old news to the next. Why do young people often feel that church is not relevant to the world they must cope with? The church that they attended as a child may provide happy songs and feel-good sayings, but often does not provide meaningful answers to the challenges that they are bombarded with by a secular world. So-called wizards of science poke fun at the Bible and make it sound like nothing more than a collection of fabricated myths created by ignorant and superstitious charlatans and story-tellers. Ken Ham addresses this growing problem which seriously challenges the Christian church today. If any church cannot keep its young people or attract new people with young families, then, that church will not thrive and will someday face extinction. Did God foresee this problem in our modern era? Does God have a solution for it? Certainly! First, listen to Ken’s message then ask God for more of His Holy Spirit which will provide answers! Here is the link to Ken’s message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nDJ_wJPGDc ———————————————————————————————————- See Dwight Fleming’s other articles at: Fleming, Dwight – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) ———————————————————————————————————- |
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