“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,”Ephesians 1:19-20 ESV
Reflection: where do you get your power from?
You have probably noticed that our modern society relies more and more on energy, specifically electricity. It used to be simply an energy source for light. But then the convenience of receiving that energy source directly into your home, it also became a source for heating, for cooking, etc. And today, pretty much every appliance, almost every little device in your house is powered by electricity. We do all our banking and shopping using electricity. Our books and knowledge is based on electricity. Some have turned to electricity for their transportation, relying partially or completely on electricity. And, there is a strong push across the world to make even our money based on electricity. So we can easily see that our modern society would literally collapse without electricity. So, let’s think for a moment here. Where are you getting your electricity from; what is the source? Since it is so critical for us, for sustaining life at this point, shouldn’t we be concerned about the power source, like
Is there even enough power for the increasing demand? What happens if the energy supply run out?
A few years ago, the charismatic and worldwide church called Hillsong which started in Australia, just about collapsed. How could that happen, with a seemingly thriving church? Not to go into details, but simply said the energy source was wrong. It may have started right, but became of man, not based on the Spirit of God. And, not to pick on Hillsong, but their internal leadership issues became so public that they are an easy example to consider. The truth is that many churches around the world focus on the worship of man as opposed to of Jesus. Another example, a bit more subtle, is the ritualistic services that some churches offer; some call them “traditional”. In fact, a friend of mine once told me that he preferred the “traditional” style of service. The question is why? What is it about a man made ritual that many like so well? If we look at the early church, and even how Jesus Himself taught, we don’t see much that resembles what many call church today. So the question for all believers and follower of Christ really is,
What is truly your power source?
Is it man-made religion? Or is it God? We read today of the power source that raised Jesus from the dead, and seated Him at the throne, the right hand of Father God. Talk about real power! Paul prays for the followers that they will learn about and experience “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” Ephesians 1:19-20 ESV. This is the power that is in us who believe, that we have access to. This power will never run out, nor cause any collapse due to confusion. In fact, by this power Christ is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” Ephesians 1:21 ESV.
A power above all.
Not to jump ahead here, but we read a bit further down, that not only was Christ crucified, died, was buried, but was raised again and is seated on the throne, we too who trust and believe in Christ have a parallel reality in Christ, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”Ephesians 2:5-7 ESV. Amazing truth.
So where does all of this lead us today? What is the main point the Lord wants us to hear? Perhaps simply a warning that we need to make sure we are plugged into the right power source. Any other power source, even the best of pastors, churches and religions, will not only run dry, but will lead us astray if that is what we rely on for power.
Jesus alone is our source to God.
