On Sunday our guest speaker, Pastor Steven, began a series of sermons on the church at Ephesus. Today we will take a brief look at one source of that church's energy: the people.
In Acts chapters 18 and 19 reference is made to the disciples of John. As we learned yesterday, John's disciples had two characteristics that distinguished them as powerful men and women of God:
They had revolutionary power. The disciples of John, like John himself, did not limit themselves to the social norms of the day. John chose to bypass the traditional system of worship and instead preached in the wilderness: and scripture tells us that people went into the desert to hear John preach. John was simultaneously radical and relevant, and his doctrine touched the hearts of the people.
They had repentance power. As Pastor Steven shared, life is not just about social justice. John's disciples embraced a ministry of repentance... and here is where many Christians today drop the ball. Repentance is critical to conversion, and is critical to being in a position to influence society for good. If we want to see a better society, we would do well to first take a step towards bettering ourselves.
But, we cannot better ourselves by ourselves! It is a work of the glorious Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit who "teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions". Today, and everyday, let's submit ourselves to Him: so that He might convict us towards repentance, and that He might start a revolution in us that transforms our lifestyle, our family, our community, and our world.
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