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You should follow
my example, just as I follow Christ’s (NLT)
Sometime ago I was talking to a close friend about a mutual friend
of ours, and I asked, him if he has he made a commitment to
Christ.
He replied that he knew all the right words, but he didn't have
the right music.
All over the world there are what we call evangelical, orthodox,
fundamental, born-again Christians who have the right words but do
not have the right music.
The first-century church was so powerful that it turned the wicked
Roman Empire upside down. Yet today, in this country, with more
than 60 million adults professing to be born again, we as
Christians have had negligible influence on our decaying society.
Why?
I believe there are two main reasons.
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First, we
have not learned to love the way we should. If the love of
Christ were to suddenly begin shining through every born-again
Christian in America, masses would be running to Him. The
churches would be overflowing. There would be revolutionary
changes in our society. For example, if Christian husbands
began to love their wives as Christ loved the church
(Ephesians 5:25), the Christian divorce rate would drop to
near zero.
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Second, too
few Christians know about and rely upon the power of the Holy
Spirit. If we want first-century results in our present
century, we should go back and study the book of Acts to
better understand what happened.
Paul said, "Follow
my example and do as I do" (1Cor. 4:16, NLT). If we
followed Paul's example, we would see Paul's results. He had the
same Holy Spirit as we have. He also said, "You should
follow my example, just as I follow Christ's" (1Cor.11:1,
NLT).
Peter said, "Christ, who suffered for you, is your
example. Follow in his steps. He never sinned, and he never
deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When
he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in
the hands of God, who always judges fairly" (1Pet.
2:21-23, NLT). Jesus was always under the complete control of the
Holy Spirit.
Remember that in the book of Acts there was great emphasis on the
Holy Spirit, who is rarely mentioned in many churches today except
in liturgies.
When we begin to love as Jesus loved, and when we begin to imitate
Him and the first-century apostles, relying on the Holy Spirit's
power instead of our own, we will see an explosion of revival in
our world.
Let us hasten that day by our own faith and obedience.
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