I’m noticing of late that it’s not only cynical unbelieving people asking, “If God exists, then why doesn’t He show Himself?” But some Christians are asking it too. My answer to the cynical unbeliever is simple, “God reveals Himself to humble, repentant people. Besides, you know He exists.” But that’s not my answer to a brother or sister in Christ, who also knows God exists. Nevertheless, when I read the account of the initial spread of Christianity in the New Testament book of Acts, I see it is not a question asked by unbelievers or believers. God made His existence very obvious to both. One could dismiss or mock God, but they couldn’t ask that question.
So what’s who’s changed? Not God, that’s for sure. For I am the LORD, I change not Malachi 3:6. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever Hebrews 13:8. Not the cynical unbeliever either, that’s for sure! So that leaves us with God’s called out ones – the church; the church has changed. I notice there were no sophisticates among those first gospel messengers. Neither were any of them bogged down by seminary or other kinds of theological academia Acts 4:13. There was no ‘knowledge is power’ mentality among them, only ‘Holy Spirit-power’ reality. Whatever theology they might have possessed, they allowed none of it to exalt itself over Holy Spirit revelation. Not so though, a few years after those first Christians passed on.
And that has been the church’s greatest problem ever since. The cynical world of unbelief says, “God is dead,” and the western church too often appears to confirm it. However, the truth of Psalm 127:1 has never changed; neither has the principle. Ignore this, (as the church has) and all you have is a religious (dis)organization, not a church. But worse than that, if you ignore it as a Christian individual, you’re going to be disorganized too, in your thoughts in your plans and in your actions. As such, it’s not going to be too long before you hear yourself asking, “If God exists, then……..?” It’s the wrong question to ask though. The right question is who’s building the house? The reality is for too many, it’s not God.
No matter what our ability, skill, gift or talent, unless we surrender them all to God and become entirely God-dependent, we are building the house in vain. This applies to our work, health, spiritual, mental, moral and physical strength, wisdom, knowledge, insight, courage, understanding, academic studies, prayer, Scripture reading and studies – everything we are and do. Biblically, vain is a sobering word. Among its meanings: ‘desolating’ ‘destructive’ ‘ruin’ ‘idolatry’ ‘uselessness’ ‘false’ ‘lie’ ‘lying’ ‘vanity’. Good gracious! What’s that if it’s not an accurate picture of the western church? After all, the church is people. Can you imagine a congregation of a hundred people where the majority are building their individual house in vain?
There’s no hope for that church whilst it remains in that state. As a new Christian I frequently heard the church praying for a revival. It was some time before I understood that there would be none. When that church got tested, the first thing that showed up was the quality of individual house building. It didn’t show up in the praise and worship services; things looked and sounded quite good there. Neither did it show up at fellowship lunches and dinners; things looked and sounded quite good there too. It showed up through lack of attendance to prayer meetings and, when the Holy Spirit began to speak among us prophetically. I’ve since learned that’s where it always shows up. Why doesn’t God show Himself? He will when we show ourselves to Him.
Another word for show is ‘present.’ As Christians, we not only must surrender the job of house building to God, but also regularly present ourselves before Him for house inspection. Lots of Christians believe the inspection part of the deal was taken care of when they initially turned to the Lord. In other words, “If you prayed that (sinner’s) prayer,” said the evangelist, “then you’re now in the family of God; not only has He forgiven you your sins, but He’s also forgotten them, so you must too.” Whilst that’s gloriously true there are multitudes of things in the house that now have to go so as we will sin less and less in the future. The Christian walk is a series of victories, not a series of forgiveness’s.
Many of these “things” are not necessarily sinful in themselves, but they will become so if God doesn’t remove them. They are no longer part of your life. In other words, God wants no clutter in the house; He wants freedom to create and recreate within at all times. But should He not be given freedom, He will step aside leaving you to stumble and trip over your clutter, until you come to the desperation point whereby you re-surrender yourself to Him. Sadly, the majority of Christians don’t re-surrender; they spend the rest of their lives working out all sorts of religious schemes and methods for the cleaning up process themselves. This kind of Christian frequently asks, “If God exists, then…..? They may not express that openly, but they ask it, nevertheless.
Then we have a minority of Christians who do give the Lord freedom to build their house, and they too question God from time to time. They don’t ask, “If God exists,” they ask, “Lord, I know You exist, but where are You?” They long to feel again the presence of the Lord too and He knows that. But God also knows that those who try to live the Christian life out of their feelings rather than faith are a soft touch for Satan the devil. Feelings-based Christians can cave in at the drop of a hat; some will walk away from God if the pressure gets too much. Not so, faith-based Christians; they’re always in training learning God’s ways; learning to wait on the Lord, developing courage and spiritual strength at the same time Psalm 27:14.
When it comes to the on-going battle of feelings versus faith, they still get tossed around a lot, but nevertheless, they settle for the latter every time. More than once have they done so in their training and more than once have they been assured it was God Himself speaking directly to them when they read Scriptures such as, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand Isaiah 41:10 and I will never leave you nor forsake you Hebrews 13:5. They’ve read lots of promises like that and by faith they took their stand upon every one of them when they needed to. Not only that, but just as the first Christians did at the beginning, they spoke the word of God with boldness to others whenever the Holy Spirit prompted them to do so Acts 4:31.
Whilst these Christians are ever grateful they possess God’s eternal life, it’s the abundant life they’re now in training for. They see this as one great difference between the early church and today’s church. To identify one’s self with Christ in His death by faith is one thing, to identify one’s self with Christ in His resurrection by faith is another. Satan has less of a problem with Christians who live in Christ than he does with those who allow Christ to live His life through them! He would much rather his cynical unbelievers witnessing on-going spiritual defeats in a Christian than on-going spiritual victories. A spiritually lifeless, politically correct, people-pleasing church is a sign of many people within experiencing on-going spiritual defeats.
Christians in training, giving the Lord freedom to build their house are also believers of God doing miracles today as He did at the church’s beginning. They don’t necessarily think He does them exactly as He did back then because we now have a completed Bible. For example, there will be no more revelation from God that is to be treated as equal with Scripture. That means Christians are free to accept or reject prophecy, words of wisdom and knowledge that comes from the mouth of any Christian, even when that mouth utters, “Thus sayeth the Lord.” Nevertheless, they see no evidence within Scripture that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased with the completion of the Bible as many churches teach.
They’ve experienced the spiritual, mental and physical healing powers of God in their lives; some on numerous occasions. In faith, they’ve responded to prophecy, words of wisdom and knowledge and God has brought about miraculous change. That’s why many of them are in Christ today preparing themselves for Him to speak and work through them. The church that has the faith to believe God still seeks to raise up a Spirit-led, Spirit-empowered group of believers as according to 1 Corinthians 12:4-12, is the church that will bless countless believers and unbelievers alike. And into the bargain, they’ll stop the mouths of cynical unbelievers and their ever-asking ridiculous question, “If God exists, then……?”
Granted, every spiritual gift manifestation must line up with Scripture otherwise people get led off the track and away from Christ. Instead of their eyes being on the Lord, they place them on the so-called “gifted” men or women imparting the gifts. Seen then as “mighty men/women of God” they become hopelessly dependent upon them for everything. That’s a reason some Christians want nothing to do with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But that’s not wise. Sticking close to the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures is wise; He will confirm His gifts are being used, not abused. The other thing to ask is if the gifts have ceased, then what’s Christianity all about? Certainly it’s about honoring and worshipping the one true, glorious God whom we know and love, but what else?
The saving of souls? Certainly. Eternal life is God’s desire for everyone. But what about the abundant life? John 10:10. The two don’t often go hand in hand in today’s Christianity, but it’s God’s desire that they would. Abundantly means: ‘superior in quality’ ‘exceedingly’ ‘ very highly’ ‘beyond measure’ ‘superabundant’. How many Christians can truthfully say they have that? The western church gives its own witness as to how many … not many! As individuals and as a church, God has much more to pour into us and much more to pour out of us, but He can do neither if we keep getting in the way or insist on getting our own way. Who’s building the house? “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13. “For in Him we live and move and have our being” Acts 17:28.