{"id":1911,"date":"2021-04-11T18:09:03","date_gmt":"2021-04-11T23:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebcsv.com\/pa\/?p=1911"},"modified":"2021-04-11T18:09:22","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T23:09:22","slug":"help-in-our-weakness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebcsv.com\/pa\/help-in-our-weakness\/","title":{"rendered":"Help in our Weakness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GodWeakness<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe Spirit Himself helps us in our weakness\u2026\u201d
\nRomans 8:26a
\nReading Martin Lloyd Jones\u2019 book on the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, I came across a gem.
\nJones was talking about how the early church was characterized by the dynamic working of the Holy Spirit. As he developed this theme he reminded us that that is exactly why early church life was so messy.
\nThe more life there is, the more there will be evidences of God\u2019s power at work in weak human vessels.
\nHe put it like this:<\/p>\n

\u201cTake your New Testament as it is. Look at the New Testament Christian, look at the New Testament church, and you see it vibrant with spiritual life, and, of course, it is always life that tends to lead to excesses. There is no problem of discipline in a graveyard; there is no problem very much in a formal church. The problems arise when there is life. A poor sickly child is not difficult to handle, but when that child is well and full of life and vigor, well, then you have your problems. Problems are created by life and vigor, and the problems of the early church were spiritual problems, problems arising because of the danger of going to excess in the spiritual realm.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Hmm. This paragraph made me muse for a while. Living, breathing, healthy churches can get a little messy.
\nIt\u2019s easy for church leaders like myself to just want to tone down the mess to make life a little bit more manageable. Less messy. Kind of like putting a hyper active boy on Ritalin to keep him manageable.
\nMakes life easier on a tired mom and dad, but in reality not the answer.<\/p>\n

Maybe boogers on the wall, noise in the sanctuary and a ruckus in the hall are signs of good things not just annoyances?
\nMaybe struggling marriages, addictions and financial woes are all signs that God is doing something in people\u2019s lives? Maybe we should embrace the messiness a little more realizing that God\u2019s Spirit is the One who orchestrates and build\u2019s Christ\u2019s church.
\nMaybe we shouldn\u2019t focus on just reaching perfect people- the ones who have it all together? Didn\u2019t someone once say: those who are well don\u2019t need a doctor only those who are sick? Maybe He was on to something.<\/p>\n

Because of grace,
\nTim<\/p>\n

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