...of our proper response to the amazing greatness of God’s POWER at work in us...

Scripture reveals that the very same POWER which God “...worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand...” [Ephesians 1vv19-20] is the POWER that is “...at work in us...” [Ephesians 3v20, cp.v16].

This truth is often employed, quite appropriately, to encourage believers who are struggling in their walk with Christ and their growth (or, lack of growth) in Christlikeness by either informing them, or reminding them, of the amazing magnitude of true divine POWER available to them as a resource...true divine POWER which they may avail themselves of.

It can, however, sometimes assume the likeness of a cheerleading exercise, leading to a sense of “Wow!” “Look at what ‘you’ can do with this great POWER!”  Jesus, Himself, warned His disciples against such a response.  In Luke 10, the disciples returned from the mission Jesus had sent them on and they were filled with amazement at the POWER made available to them as they ministered in Jesus’ Name.  Jesus, however, says to them “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  In effect, Jesus says, Yes...I have given you use of (My) AUTHORITY and POWER...BUT!!!  Don’t rejoice in what you were able to do with that POWER...but rather, rejoice in what God has graciously done for you by that same POWER...that which could only be accomplished by His AUTHORITY and His POWER.

So, another aspect of this truth about God’s POWER at work in us also needs to be carefully considered.  It is an aspect of this truth that moves us to conviction, rather than (self) confidence.  Specifically, this same truth should move us to awe over the POWER necessary...the POWER required...to overcome the deadness of our sin-sick souls...to overcome the stone-cold deadness of our rebellious hearts!  It should, and must, move us to awe and wonder, NOT at what we can do by His POWER, but to awe and wonder at the POWER required to do what He has done...to bring us from death to life...from cursed enemies to blessed children...from hopelessness to sure hope.

His (available) POWER is awesome!  But, not more awesome than His LOVE...the motivation behind the use of His awesome POWER...by His grace, and for His glory...to which our only proper response is unbounded and unending praise!

...of the need for caution and humility in confronting what you believe to be error...

Identifying, confronting and refuting error and false teaching within the Church is a Scriptural mandate for those gifted and called as shepherds with the task of leading, feeding and protecting the flock.  However, this mandate must be both cautiously and humbly considered when addressing error taught in a context outside of the Church, by those outside the Church, who make no pretense of speaking to, or for, the Church.

You would never ridicule a man who was physically blind because you find his articulated description of the world around him to be imprecise, inaccurate, or just plain wrong.  Further, you would certainly never consider the need to warn those around you, who are, themselves, sighted, against listening to and accepting this blind man’s words...fearing that they might be lead astray.

Why, then, would you ridicule a man who you believe to be spiritually blind because you find his articulated description of the spiritual realm to be imprecise, inaccurate, or even just plain wrong?  More than that, why would you feel the need to warn those around you, who are, themselves, spiritually sighted, against listening to and potentially accepting this man’s articulation of spiritual reality...fearing that they might be lead astray?

This, especially, when you, yourself were once spiritually blind, until you were graciously, even miraculously, given the gift of new eyes to see clearly what was once hidden from your sight.

Should you not, rather, empathize with this man’s plight...reach out, if possible, to lend a guiding hand...and, most of all, desire with all your heart that he too, like you, might be graciously...miraculously...healed...given the gift of new eyes to see what he now struggles to understand.

Moreover, if you would listen carefully to the articulated description of this blind man, rather than simply dismissing it out of hand, you just might find yourself amazed at what he has been able to “see.”  You might even learn something you, yourself, have missed, or forgotten.

...we hide IN the DARKNESS...yet, we hide FROM the LIGHT...

We hide IN the DARKNESS...yet,

We hide FROM the LIGHT...

In the darkness, we are frozen by our fear of the truth that is hidden from us...

In the light, we are frozen by our fear of the truth that is revealed about us...

We long for a place of rest in which we can see all things by a light that is powerful enough to dispel the deep darkness, and so, with it, our fears of its unknown threats...(both real and potential); and yet, simultaneously, personal enough to dispel our fear of the consequences of the truth we know it must inevitably reveal about us.

We long for the rest we find when we are graciously given eyes to see all things by the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ...God’s holy truth, expressed in God’s perfect love...