I
have often pondered the question asked by the title of this
article. How can we know the answer? In Acts 2:40-47, the
New Testament church was growing. The evidence was in souls.
Verse 41 reveals that about 3000 converts were added to the
church in ONE DAY! Wow! That is growth! That is the moving
of the Holy Spirit! It is also not possible without
GOD...without His favor. What were they doing right? They
were studying and proclaiming the Word of God. They were
consistently fellowshipping around the Word. They were
consistently praying together. They were in total awe of who
God was. They experienced the POWER of God together. They
spent their time together. They shared their blessings with
one another. They paid attention to one another's needs.
They consistently met with one accord of mind/spirit in the
temple...in each others' homes...eating together...not
worried about the cares of life. They were more concerned
about praising the Lord together, instead of jockeying for
position. They were not self seeking. They were seeking the
ways of the Lord! Their attitude of gratitude, and
life-style of love was impressive to all who came in contact
with it. They had favor with ALL people! Daily, they were
seeing people saved as the Holy Spirit of the Lord moved on
hearts.
Oh that we would see the Lord begin to move at Covenant LIFE
in such a way! I pray daily that the Lord will pour out His
Spirit on us. Daily I am seeking the favor and blessing of
the Lord. I believe with all of my heart, that God is
willing to move on our church, as He did on the New
Testament church! I believe we are headed in the right
direction. I believe it is only a matter of time, before we
begin to see more evidence of His power. But, we must not
shrink back. We must not look to the temporal things of this
world to motivate us. In James 2:5, "...Has God not
chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs
of the kingdom which He promised to those who love
Him?" As heirs of the kingdom, we have access to the
very throne of God! He has promised His children amazing
blessings! We must move forward on the promises of God! We
must speak those promises! God would have us...Covenant
LIFE...to speak His promises. He wants us to walk in them.
He wants them to be fulfilled through us...through all of
His children! The key however, is us. Are we willing to
believe? The New Testament church was willing! They
experienced God in awesome, powerful ways. They were not
disappointed as they trusted in the Living God! We also must
learn to trust. We must be willing to believe. Believing
requires action. Action prefaced by, and motivated by the
Word of God, is evidence of faith...belief! The New
Testament church didn't just sit around like a bunch of holy
couch potatoes! They moved out...among the unbelievers! They
took the TRUTH of God's love to those who would receive it!
They were movers and shakers! They put aside the temporal to
pursue the eternal. No wonder they were growing! No wonder
they were of one accord! Jesus Christ was FIRST in that
church! Jesus Christ was the reason for EVERYTHING they did!
There were no hidden agendas! There were no selfish
desires...only self denying ones. In a word, the New
Testament church was in harmony with God, one another, and
the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Growth that proceeds from that
formula is PERMANENT! It is the kind of growth I desire for
us at Covenant LIFE...for any other kind of growth will be
superficial. It will only bring problems, and discord.
Growth that glorifies the Lord starts in the heart. Growth
that proclaims that Jesus is Lord, is what I'm praying for.
Do you desire to see growth of the eternal kind among His
people at Covenant LIFE? Do you desire to see souls saved?
Do you desire to see people discovering the deeper things of
the Spirit led life? Do you desire to experience the God
ordained harmony that the New Testament church displayed?
Then, we must agree in prayer. We must ask that the Lord
bind our hearts together with cords of love. We must pray
for unity...for oneness of vision. If you don't know the
vision the Lord has given to Covenant LIFE...read about it
on this web-site. Ask the Lord what He wants you to do. Ask
Him to reveal your gifts. Ask Him to use you for His purpose
in the vision He has given! Be willing. Be yielded. Be the
clay. Allow Him to mold you...to transform your
thoughts...to take control of your very spirit. As we move
toward building on the land in Wolfforth, we should pray all
the more fervently for this body. As we seek God's favor and
wisdom, we need to be willing to be poured out for His
Kingdom. We need to seek His will...not our own. I believe
God's acts for the church in 2008 will be GREAT! Will you
believe with me? Will you put action to your belief? Will
you give evidence of your belief, as the New Testament
believers did? I pray you will! Until next time...may you
experience God's BEST!
Your
Partner In Ministry,
Greg McCowen
Covenant Life Fellowship - Lubbock
Church - (806) 771-4244
