Why Is the Church Powerless? — Anton Bosch

The Church’s Powerlessness Without God

Please turn with me to the first book of Kings, please the first book of Kings chapter 18 and I know you wonder why we're going to the Old Testament and especially the book of Kings when we're going to speak about the Holy Spirit and My subject this evening is why is the church powerless today?

Why is the church powerless today? And the problem is that we often don't understand and recognize and I'm not speaking about this church. I'm speaking about the church in in America and in the West in general and we we assume that the church is not Powerless because things seem to happen, but in fact they don't happen.

There's a saying and I've not been able to trace Where it comes from some people say it was a man from Africa other people say it was a Chinese man but anyhow somebody and maybe it was a fictitious man, but somebody came to America and Having been here was asked about the church in America.

What did he see? And how does it look everything that he's that he saw the big churches and and all the stuff that happens and and and his comment? Was it is amazing what you've been able to do the church in America has been able to do Without God and and that's the thing.

We have the technology. We have the Buildings we have the advertising we have the the Physical stuff that the fleshly stuff to to make things happen and to make things look like they're really happening.

But is something really happening is our lives really being changed? And the answer is no in far in the vast majority of churches lives are not being changed. And and so that's where we are. And so why is the church in that state?

It's not just America. It's Europe is exactly the same. Every Western country is the same. The only places where there's a real move of God's Spirit is in the countries that are oppressed China North Korea and those kinds of places.

Elijah, Baal, and the Fire of God

So let's turn to the book of Kings Chapter 18 then and I'm going to begin to read. Let me see in verse 24. Well, let me begin in 20. I wanted to cut a little shorter. But we need the context so I had sent for all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together in month on Mount Carmel and Elijah came to tell the people and said how long will you falter between two opinions?

If the Lord is God follow him, but if Baal follow him, but the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people. I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. Therefore let them give us two bulls and let them choose one bull for themselves cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood.

But but put no fire under it and I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood. But put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods and I will call on the name of the Lord and the God who answers by fire He is God and so all the people answered and said it is well spoken.

Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first. For you are many and call on the name of your God and put no fire under it. And so they took the bull which was given to them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning even until Noon saying Oh Baal hear us.

But there was no voice. No one answered and then they leaped upon the altar which they had made and so it was at noon that Elijah mocked them and Said cry aloud for he is a God either. He is meditating or he is busy.

In fact, literally he's on the toilet or he is on a journey or perhaps he is sleeping. I must be awakened and so they cried aloud and cut themselves and was as was their custom and with knives and lances until the blood gushed out on them and When midday was passed they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice.

But there was no voice and no one answered and no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to the people come near to me and so all the people came near to him and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down and Elijah took 12 stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob to whom the word of the Lord had come Saying Israel shall be your name.

Then with us with the stones He built an altar in the name of the Lord and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seers of seed and he put the wooden order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the word and said fill four water pots with water and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood and Then he said do it a second time and they did it a second time and he said do it a third time and they did it a third time and so the water ran all around the altar and he Also filled the trench with water and it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice.

Then Elijah the Prophet came near and said Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel. Let it be known this day that you are God in Israel. And I'm your servant and that I have done all these things at your word.

Hear me O Lord hear me that this people may know that you are the Lord God and that you have turned their hearts back to you again. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust and It licked up the water that was in the trench.

Now when all the people saw it they fell on their faces and they said the Lord he is God the Lord He is God. And Elijah said to them seize the prophets of Baal do not let one of them escape and so they seized them and Elijah brought them down to the book of Kishon and executed them there and So I'm gonna come back to that near the end.

So when I get to Kings, you know that we're almost through and that'll be in another two hours so so let's just settle down and it's Let's get down to the business here. So that the question then is Why is the church powerless?

Cessationism and the Decline of Spiritual Gifts

The Answer is from the cessationists and for those who've been with us through the conference those who say that the spirit is No longer being poured out that the gifts have ceased. Their answer is that this is a not a new thing that this happened somewhere in the first century.

Some of them say 8050 some of them say at the end of the the the first 100 years. Some of them say at the death of Paul or of the other of the Apostles. John would have been the last of those Apostles 8100 roughly.

Others say well, it was the formation of Canon of the Canon of Scripture, which was 8300 roughly. So they have different dates. But basically the gifts stopped happening they say and then they will point to history and they say well You can look at history and the gifts were not operating beyond that day now.

We spoke about the fact that that is revisionist history. It's not the truth. The gifts have continued through the last 2 ,000 years. God has continued to pour out his spirit over the over true believers in the last 2 ,000 years.

But there definitely had was a decline and that decline happened around about 8050 probably. Probably at the end towards the end of Paul's ministry. There was a decline of The gifts of the spirit there was a decline of true ministries being raised up.

Now here's the problem we say well that happened because God has only only gave the gifts only gave the spirit for the Establishing of the church and thereafter it was to cease. That's what they say, but that's not the truth.

Yes, there was a decline. There was no cessation. It never stopped, but there was a decline and The decline was not because God Chose to no longer give his spirit. Because that was not part of his plan.

But it was because he could no longer give his spirit. Because of the state of the church and I'm gonna read a quote for you. I don't read many quotes, but I'm gonna read this quote for you from Harry Ironside.

Ironside by the way is one of those people they quote as being a cessationist. Now he and and and he came out of a cessationist. Denomination or group the Plymouth brethren who are vehemently opposed to the gifts of the spirit because of this things that they experienced with the Irvingites Going back 300 years.

Now in his commentary on 1 Corinthians chapter 12 Written in 1938 by the way Ironside says this. There are commentators who insist that some of these gifts have absolutely disappeared. But I do not know of any scripture portion that tells us that Something we've been saying all weekend.

I do not know of any passage that says the age of miracles has passed and I would not dare to say that the sign gifts all ended with Paul's imprisonment. I Know from early hit church history that this is not true.

Therefore, I do not think it is correct to take the position that these sign gifts have necessarily disappeared from the church. I Do however believe that many of the gifts are not often seen today. And I think there's a good reason for that.

In 2 Corinthians 11 to the Apostle wrote I have espoused you as a chaste virgin to Christ. Paul was writing to a separated company the Engaged bride of the Lamb and it was the delight of the blessed risen Lord to lavish upon her the gift upon her gift after gift.

The Corinthians came behind in no gift however, it seems to me that when we can see in the book of Acts that as time went on and The church began to drift a little and as dissension and other things that grieved the Lord arose.

There was more Reserve on his part in bestowing gifts. Then I believe explains the lack of many of these gifts today. The church has gotten so far away from what she should be and there is so much strife division worldliness Carnality and carnality that the Lord no longer delights in Lavishing his gifts on us as freely as he did in the beginning.

What a statement and I believe that that is the truth. That is the reason we don't see the gifts not because he does not want to give us the gifts. But because we don't deserve the gifts now. Here's and you if you've been with me for this this weekend, you know that I'm I'm trying to dispel a number of Pentecostal myths and one of the myths I believe is that the the Holy Spirit is a gift which it is and Because it is a gift we say well it is like salvation.

You can't earn it. That's what we say, that's the that's the mindset so it's a gift you can't earn it. God just gives it to us the same way as he gives us salvation. But that's not the truth and I'm going to show you in a moment Salvation is a free gift.

We cannot earn it. You cannot reach a certain level of holiness or whatever it is and say well Lord, you know, I'm you know I'm pretty good now now you can give me salvation. We understand there's no basis.

We cannot do that. We come Empty-handed and we receive by faith the gift of salvation but the gift of the Holy Spirit is Not an unconditional gift the same way as salvation is. Salvation is unconditional.

It requires only faith and repentance on my part. But the gift of the Holy Spirit is not unconditional. This is what we've always taught and what we've always believed. But I'm going to go to a few scriptures now and trust that we'll see that.

Obedience, Repentance, and Receiving the Holy Spirit

In fact, it is not unconditional in Acts chapter 5. And I'm going to jump around a little bit and I'm going to actually want us to look at each one of these scriptures because Because they are it's important that we that we get this Acts chapter 5 and verse 32 and we are his witnesses To these things and So also is the Holy Spirit Whom God has given to whoever wants him to those who obey him.

Now I don't need any other scriptures. I have that that's all we need to dispel this idea that God will just give his spirit to whoever asks for it. He gives his spirit to those who obey him. Now one of the things that that they that the cessationist throws against us is That what we are doing is we are creating two classes of Christians.

First class Christians who get the Holy Spirit and second class Christians who don't get the Holy Spirit. Well, it's not we who've done that God has Said that he will give us his spirit. Everyone can receive his spirit, but he's not going to pour his spirit into an unclean vessel.

God is not going to inhabit a temple, which is not worthy of him now I'm not speaking about salvation. I'm speaking about the pouring out of his Holy Spirit. Which is which is symbolized in the Old Testament by the glory of God coming down on the tabernacle.

And you remember the process in the tabernacle as Moses built that tabernacle and you and you go through to the last book of the book of the last chapter of the book of Exodus. You'll see that over and over it says that he he built the altar as the Lord Commanded him he set the labor up as the Lord commanded him.

He did this as the Lord commanded him over and over he did as the Lord commanded him and when he had finished Everything exactly as God commanded him the glory of God descended. Now folk I believe with all of my heart that Moses could have done 90 of it good and right.

But he could have decided in his own mind. Let's take the altar of sacrifice. Which was the first thing you saw as you came in and said this is you know. This is this is a mess here the end of the animals are being killed here.

There's blood. There's stuff like it's a terrible place. Let's just take this and put it at the back there because it spoils the the beauty of the rest of this this wonderful thing that we have built for God and If Moses did that I don't believe God's glory would have descended.

But we mess with God's order in our lives. We mess with God's order in the church and we wonder why he spirit doesn't come. When we don't do what he tells us to do when we live lives that are disobedient.

Now I know that one of the arguments that people use is That that in the charismatic revival God poured his spirit on all sorts of people Roman Catholics who are worshiping Mary and sacrificing Jesus on the on their altars week after week after week and that God gave them the Holy Spirit.

Now folk I question with the God gave them his Holy Spirit. Let me just just tell you bluntly. Because on this basis of God's Word, I don't believe that God will give his spirit to those who disobey him.

Because here's the thing, but there is so much fake going around in charismatic and Pentecostal circles and that's let's just face facts and If there's fake in your life, it's time that you face those facts in your own life.

You say well, I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I spoke in tongues 20 years ago. And as I said last night, I don't care if you were is there evidence that you have filled with the Spirit today. That's really the question.

You said but I spoke in tongues, I don't care maybe it was fake. Now that'll rattle a few people's faith. But folks we have to be real. And as we said last night, I'm not gonna preach last night's message over again.

Don't worry, but but but it's it's no good saying you have something when you don't have it and It's no good the church saying we have the Holy Spirit when we don't have the Holy Spirit. Because we become just like the church and lay it is here.

They said we're rich and increased with goods and they're not only speaking material things. They're speaking about spiritual things. Also, we're rich and increased with goods. We have need of nothing.

And Jesus says you don't even know that you're wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked and that's the problem and so I Desperately don't want you to go away and to judge this church or your church if you come from another church.

But I want you to judge your own life. That's the only thing that you can control. You can't bring the Spirit into any church. But you can make sure that you personally are filled with the Holy Spirit and if each one of us will do that.

Well, then we'll have an assembly of people who are filled with the Holy Spirit. But going around and saying, oh, well, you know the you know Berean assembly or that or This church or that church. They just don't have it.

Well that that doesn't help anything. Do you have it? That's the only question and If you don't have it, maybe it is because there's disobedience in your life. It's as simple as that. Now let's go to Acts chapter 2 and verse 38.

Repentance, Baptism, and the Cost of Discipleship

Acts chapter 2. Verse 38 then Peter said to him Peter preaching day of Pentecost. Peter said to them repent. Let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and You shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

I've heard that preached hundreds of times probably. But what does Peter say? Repent be baptized and Then you will receive the Holy Spirit. Now I know that there are there are times when God pours his spirit.

There are examples in the book of Acts when he pours his spirit on people who have not been baptized yet. But I don't believe there's a single example of him sporing his spirit on people who have not been repented yet.

Now we preach a gospel today, which is void of repentance. Because we have this cheap grace message. Just believe. That's all you have to do. Just believe. Now I don't have the time to deal with that whole thing but that's a huge doctrinal issue and I'm not the first one to speak about that.

Bonhoeffer who who lived and died during the Second World War spoke about wrote a tremendous book the cost of discipleship and he coined this phrase cheap grace and The and the basis of his thesis was quite correct because he was a Lutheran and he says that we Lutherans have taken Luther's idea of salvation by faith alone too far.

Because it's not just faith alone faith needs to be proven by works. Faith results in repentance. If you've really believed when you came to Jesus Christ, there will and must be repentance. The idea that you can become a Christian and continue in your wicked way lifestyle.

Like most Christians in America and in the West does do today. That is absolute nonsense and absolute rubbish. He said but I believed. No, you didn't believe if you believed you would repent. If you believed in God's judgment and God's wrath if you believed in hell.

You would repent if you believed the message of the cross that Jesus paid that terrible price for us upon that cross of Calvary. You would run from your sins. So we haven't really believed so we're not changing the message of salvation by faith alone.

But faith must would produce repentance and so Paul is a Peter is saying then repentance and Baptism, so what's the big deal with baptism? Well, remember that those days that you didn't get baptized and unless you were genuine.

You didn't get baptized just because everybody else does it. Because baptism those days meant exactly what it does in Islamic countries it meant that you would be cut off from your family that you could even be killed by their family if.

If that was what they felt like doing but certainly it contained a tremendous price. It was not something you did if you were half-baked and you weren't genuine about your repentance and about your salvation.

Now today baptism doesn't have the same thing and yet there are many Christians who choose not to be baptized. And we say well, what's the big deal? Because it's a little step. You said well, it's just such a small thing.

You know, what's the big deal? No, it's a small thing that shows a big problem. Because if I'm not willing to be baptized I'm being disobedient. He gave his spirit to those who obey him. And our baptism is not obviously not the only issue that keeps us from.

From the baptism of the spirit any area in which we're disobedient. I don't believe that that that we can expect God to pour his spirit into our into our hearts and into our lives. John chapter 14. There are other scriptures also, but I'm going to just give you these these three this evening.

John chapter 14 and This is this is Jesus speaking in the upper room to his disciples just before his crucifixion and he speaks about the fact that he's going away and he's going to send the spirit and John chapter 14 verse 15 and if you love me keep my commandments and I will pray the father and He will give you another Helper that he may abide with you forever.

Obviously the Holy Spirit. Now look again. If you love me keep my commandments. That's the first issue. We say well, I love Jesus prove it by keeping his commandments. God commended his love towards us.

God proved his love to us. In that while we're yet sinners Christ died for us. And so God didn't just say I love you. He showed his love. He declared his love by Christ's death and He's asking the same from us.

It's no good. Just saying I love you he's saying prove that you love me by keeping my commandments and. Then the next verse and here's the problem. We read these verses one by one because they have a number and so this is one idea.

That's another each one is a separate idea. No, they not when the book was written, it didn't have different verses and. So really verses 16 and 17, is it? 15 and 16 shouldn't even be two separate verses because verse 16 begins with the word and so what what is he just said keep my commandments and I'll pray the father.

He'll give you the spirit. Can you see the connection again between keeping the commandments and obviously is not the Old Testament commandments? He's saying my commandments New Testament commandments keep my commandments and I will pray the father and he will give you the spirit.

Waiting on God Rather Than Seeking Instant Experiences

Now for right there I can stop this message and I've answered my question Why does the church not have the Holy Spirit? Why do Christians not have the Holy Spirit? Because of disobedience and because of sin a lack of repentance those two issues and.

So that's where we need to begin now the second myth that I'm going to try and dispel this evening is The idea that because it is a gift and flows from the first idea because it is just a gift all I need to do is I need to Go to the pastor or come to the church or whoever and we have this idea of impartation today so whoever has the ability to impart the Holy Spirit if I come to them, they'll Zap me and that's it.

I'm gonna receive the Holy Spirit. It doesn't quite work that way either. Now as we went through the different of five or six different examples in the book of Acts you remember that that there was One occasion when it just happened immediately but I want to take my cues from the day of Pentecost because that's really the The the prototype that's really where the model is set for us.

Now remember just by the way as we go through the book of Acts. There are many things in Acts which are not which are just recorded for the sake of history that that's what happened then and they Are not what we call normative for us.

They they they applied only to them and they didn't apply to us and the trick of course is Understanding what was just for them and what is for us and so in the upper room? There was tons of fire and there was a sound of a mighty rushing wind that was just for them.

There may be and I've read records of other times when they've been tongues of fire, I think in In the Philippines if I remember right. And and at other times where there's been the sound of a mighty wind.

But those are the exceptions that is not the that is not normative. That is not the norm for every situation and So we have to separate those things out so let's go back then to the book of Acts and Let's have us let's see how this how this happens it would help if I was an actor not in John.

Acts Chapter 1 verse 4 being assembled. Acts chapter 1 verse 4 being assembled together with him. He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem. But to wait for the promise of the Father. Which he said you heard of me John truly baptized with water.

I'll baptize with the Spirit wait in Jerusalem. How long did they wait if you were in Sunday school this morning? You'll know the answer if you were awake that time of the morning. 10 days good 10 days they waited so we have 40 days from the Ascension or the resurrection right from the resurrection to the ascension and then we have 10 days from Jesus's ascension.

To the day of Pentecost so we have a total of 50 days. Which is the Greek word Penta 50 and so it is 50 days from the resurrection basically. Give or take a couple of days depending on how you count the days.

Until the day pinnacle so we have 10 days for 10 days. They are locked into the upper room and We don't know whether they slept there. They may have slept there. Or whether they just went there during the day.

But certainly they spent most of the time of the day there. And they did that for one purpose and that is to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Now immediately we have this problem that they waited for 10 days.

But we want to wait for five minutes when I was a young guy growing up in the church. We used to have and I'm sure you had them here in America tarry meetings. Tarry meetings based on the old King James version of this of this passage tarry in Jerusalem.

Wait in Jerusalem. So they waiting meetings. Well the longest waiting meeting that I know of would go through them through the night. But most of the time it would be two hours or maybe three hours. While people pray for people and try to get them filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now there's a little difference between two hours and 10 days now now, please understand I'm not saying that we have to wait 10 days. The 10 days is not a magical number. But the issue the principle is one of waiting until it happens.

Waiting until it happens. Now let me get back to that, but let me just deal with something else in between as. They are waiting during those 10 days. What were they doing in those 10 days the scripture tell us tells us about one thing they did at least.

They were going through the scriptures. I Don't know whether they had a copy of the Old Testament or whether they many of them could recite it but somehow they were going through the scriptures and. For what purpose were they going through the scriptures?

I believe one of the reasons they were going through the scriptures was to check. Whether they had obeyed his commandments. Whether there was something in them That prevented the spirit from coming. So well, that's a.

That's a long shot. That's a big guess. Well, let's let's let's look at the scripture verse 15. Acts chapter 1 verse 15 in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples all together. The number of names was about a hundred and twenty and he said men and brethren.

This scripture had to be fulfilled. Which by the Holy Spirit spoke before which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas. Became a guide to those arrested Jesus for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.

Now this man purchased a field and so on verse 20 for it is written in the book of Psalms. Let his dwelling place be desolate. Let no one live in it and Therefore of these men who have accompanied us all the time.

Since the Lord Jesus went out and so on let's appoint a man. So what did they discover in their searching of the scriptures and of their own hearts? That there was something that was undone. That there was something that was undone and that was appointing someone in the place of Judas.

And so they appoint Matthew Matthias and I'm not going to deal with the mechanism, you know the story. So they appoint Matthias. Now remember this happens in this period of ten days. Acts is not giving us a day by day or a moment by moment a chronological account of exactly everything that happened but Luke is writing and remember that Luke writes in very ink with incredible detail and.

And what Luke records is for a very specific Luke is incredibly precise in the way that he writes and if you go to verse 26 of chapter 1 now remember there are no chapters and They cast their lots and a lot fell on Matthias and he was numbered with the 11 Apostles.

When the day of Pentecost had fully come. They were all in one accord in one place and suddenly there came the sound from heaven. So what is Luke doing? Luke is saying they discovered that there was this thing that they had not done that they needed to do they obeyed and did and said in order what needed to be said in order and Then what happened the Holy Spirit came?

Now it may not have been the next day it may not have been the same day. We don't know but Luke is clearly making a connection here between their obedience and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So when we speak about tarrying one of the things that is essential in tarrying which I've never heard in a tarry meeting or a receiving meeting is That the first thing that needs to happen is we need to take stock or as you say in America take inventory and Brother Keith will tell you when they take inventory.

It's a big job big business in retail because you have to go through every shelf every rack and count every item and Make sure what is there is there and what is on the books is on the shelf and that nothing is missing.

And so part of this process and I don't advocate public tearing meetings any longer. Exactly for this reason because for some people it can take several hours, but for most people this is a process that can take weeks months or years.

Depending on how quick you are in fixing the stuff that needs to be fixed. But the first part of that process now this you I have never heard this taught in in Pentecostal circles. But I can't come to any other conclusion based on what the scriptures teach the first thing we need to do in this process is to start taking inventory and Go through the scriptures and say what is there as the same way as they at Home Depot?

Check what what is on the computer is on the rack? You have to check what is in here? Whether it's in my life and If it's not there, I better fix it because he's only gonna give me the spirit once I've obeyed him.

Now it doesn't have to be a long process because generally we deep down know the issues that God has spoken us to us about. We know the issues. We're disobedient about and so it really shouldn't take a long time, but unfortunately sometimes it does.

The problem is not recognizing the problems the problems fixing the problems and those shouldn't take a long time, but unfortunately we We we don't rush to do these things. We delay in making right we delay in repenting we delay in doing what God has asked us to do because generally we just those kinds of people and.

Persistence in Seeking God’s Blessing

So as they obeyed him He then poured out his spirit. Then the second thing that I want to emphasize on this and there are many other details that we can speak about the second thing I want to emphasize on this is the principle of waiting until.

Until. Waiting until. Now what would have happened. Now in hindsight, we know that it happened on the day of Pentecost to fulfill them the days as it were so it happens on the day of of Harvest and and so the God had predetermined that day knowing that they would obey and all of that kind of stuff.

But but what would have happened? If They stopped on the ninth day. Now remember nine days is a long time. Some of us are very tired after having been in this place for three days and we've got to go home and do other things in between.

But imagine just being in prayer and just waiting upon God for nine days. And I suspect I don't know but I suspect that they may even have been fasting during that time. And so after nine days, they said well, yes I've got it.

I Can speak in tongues by a Cadillac by a Cadillac by a Cadillac now folk we joke about these things, but it's incredibly serious. Because that's exactly what we do. We begin to imitate things we begin to force people.

We begin to use all sorts of techniques and things to get people just to say a few words in tongues. So we can go home if you really want this. And I believe that we must want the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

But if we really want it We will wait upon the Lord. Whatever time it's going to take. Now I'm not suggesting that you go out into the woods or somewhere there for a week or two weeks or whatever. If that's what you want to do, that's fine.

But it may just be a process you're gonna have to go through in your daily living or setting time aside every day and seeking the face of God. Checking your life going through the inventory going through the scriptures going through the issues that need to be fixed.

Going and seeing the people that you that you've held grudges against that and and repairing those relationships making right the things that you that you need to make right in your in your life and then coming to the Lord and saying I'm gonna be here in your presence.