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In the Power of Jesus |
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Sometimes we can become enthusiastic about concepts rather than willingness to be called by the Lord or living in His reign. Our concepts tend to be our own ideas devoid of God's love and Jesus' power. In such situations, unfortunately, our intellect becomes more important and to such an extent that we forget to seek the love and power which are gifts of the Lord. What is required of us - all people, not just Friends - is God's calling for His adherents, to surrender to Jesus to hear His inward commands, as a result, abide in His directions wherever we are. Remember the ruling Lord who gathers His present day apostles to obey the Father our generous creator who cares for all creation. Small wonder that Jesus in His beatitudes (Matthew 5) reminds us that we need to recognize our own poverty, spiritually speaking, our emptiness, in other words, to absorb our Heavenly Father's guidance in spirit and in Truth. When we eliminate our own propensities, we realize that we do become a holy community dedicated to serving one another in Jesus' government. In this holy submission, We recognize that Jesus is our reconciler who affords us the desire to love each other as He loves us. Yet we need to welcome that love within us to recognize this reconciler. Of course we have many concepts of reconciliation - far too many - which block surrender. But once we absorb that particular power in us and, just as important, among us we will become a gathered body in His name. Likewise, Jesus is our peace - even though humans have so many ideas regarding heavenly peace. But when we do surrender, Jesus in His Father's love, affords us the power and willingness to seek peace. Early Friends recognized this power when they understood Paul's admonition to accept the spiritual armament of God enabling them to recognize that each of us is a creation of the Lord. This understanding of God's power enabled George Fox to declare that he lived in the love of God which takes away the occasion of war. In that same power and love, when we study the Bible, we realize as a community that we are not concerned with concepts of God but with and in obedience to His commands. When we do surrender, the author of scripture, Christ Jesus, delineates God's expectations, imploring us, among other things, to wait on Jesus for true love and true power. In our waiting, Jesus often leads us to scriptural passages which do speak to our condition. Conservative Friends, in obedience to our Lord, would read passages that moved them to obedience without debate. Let us remember, therefore, that the Bible is the book revealing God's commands and expectations for His people. Jesus admonished His hearers as He is admonishing us to worship God in Truth and Spirit. Conservative Quakers in their obedience in unity with our founders waited on the Lord to hear and obey His Truth. But before we utter a verbal word, we must recognize spiritually speaking, that we recognize the power of Christ calling on us to be a caring obedient people. Because Jesus chooses those who should minister vocally, we must understand that the vocal expressions belong to the Lord to empower His adherents. When we gather in worship, we strive to be obedient. And we who listen are expected to recognize that the outward words spoken in our worship are God's ministry. When we wait in obedience without vocalizing, we too are in the power of the Lord. To put it succinctly, our lives, when we are obedient, reflect the power of the Lord. Yes, we must be aware of His presence at all times.
Arthur Berk |