Jan 4, 2023
The period from the ascension of Christ to the present hour has been labeled the Church Age. In reality it should be called the Age of the Holy Spirit. Yeshua (Jesus) did not tell His disciples, “The Father will teach you how to have good churches.” He promised them they would be endued with power by the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses in the earth. And my New Year's resolution is to change my emphasis from Church first to being filled with the Holy Spirit first and endued with power to be His witness today.
Show Notes: The Church Age is the term most widely used to identify the years since the ascension of Christ until now. This label, I think, misdirects the focus of our faith in this generation. When Yeshua (Jesus) prepared His disciples for His departure, He did not give them instructions about Church. He taught them about the Holy Spirit directing them and guiding them and about their being witnesses in all the world to make disciples of the nations.
Christ could have said, “Go to Jerusalem and focus on gathering everyone together who believes in Me and establish an order and a structure for the Church.” But He did not do that. He said, “You are to go and receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses.” Eventually those who had this experience were drawn to assemble together. But their assembling together was secondary to their individual experience of having this promise of the Holy Spirit resting upon them.
We have tended to lose this emphasis. To us being led and taught by the Holy Spirit has become secondary to being part of a church and being led and taught by the leaders in the church. I think we need to refocus our emphasis, and that is what I want to do this year. I want to focus myself on being filled with the Holy Spirit, not dependent on others, not dependent on something that is not provided by the Father and Christ to me through the Holy Spirit. If we can do that as individuals, I believe the Church will have the power and witness in the earth that Christ promised to His disciples.
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