I Must Confess!
S - Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. Acts 19:18
O - Fear gripped the people when they realised that demons were afraid of Jesus and Paul but not of the seven sons of the Jewish High Priest. The were filled with fear and honoured Jesus' name. They confessed openly their sins. They burnt their scrolls even though they were worth a lost of money. And the Bible reveals the result..."In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power."
A - There was fear of God, there was honouring of his name, there was confession, there was spreading of the word and there was a growing in power. Today I guess its so often the opposite. People tend to not fear God, they blaspheme his name, they claim their own righteousness and the word of God is not spread and the church doesn't seem to grow in power. We say this is cultural, its Western culture, but it may be that we have lost the fear of a holy God, heartfelt and genuine confession that leads to repentance and great faith.
Is there mighty, powerful things that God is wanting to do in and through me but my lack of fear, confession, repentance, and faith is stopping this? What about in our church? What about our cities churches? Has being a church become more about services and programs rather than the confession and prayer to a holy, powerful God. I need to ponder this more. What do I need to confess? What do I need to burn?
P - Father God, mighty in power, help me honour your name in everything I do, for your glory, Amen.
Daily Reading - Acts 19
A - There was fear of God, there was honouring of his name, there was confession, there was spreading of the word and there was a growing in power. Today I guess its so often the opposite. People tend to not fear God, they blaspheme his name, they claim their own righteousness and the word of God is not spread and the church doesn't seem to grow in power. We say this is cultural, its Western culture, but it may be that we have lost the fear of a holy God, heartfelt and genuine confession that leads to repentance and great faith.
Is there mighty, powerful things that God is wanting to do in and through me but my lack of fear, confession, repentance, and faith is stopping this? What about in our church? What about our cities churches? Has being a church become more about services and programs rather than the confession and prayer to a holy, powerful God. I need to ponder this more. What do I need to confess? What do I need to burn?
P - Father God, mighty in power, help me honour your name in everything I do, for your glory, Amen.
Daily Reading - Acts 19
These are good questions Jono. This passage, though (and all the exhortations to confession) are not about confessing our sins to God, but to _each other_. This is an essential communal practice along the lines of Matthew 18 (binding and loosing), which keeps us mutually accountable for our areas of weakness - a practical step to help us change. My experience is that this kind of vulnerability breeds a culture of vulnerability with one another that in turn creates an unparalleled depth of intimacy. This also keeps it from being "between me and God" which means I never really need to change...
ReplyDeleteHey Simon, thanks for leaving a comment! I only noticed it there today！
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