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Real Power…

By July 14, 2016August 30th, 2022Lost in Translation

Frankly, our country is a mess right now. We have political animosity developing between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Then we have had to deal with the hearings and political fallout from the head of the FBI and his recommendation to not prosecute Clinton on the email “scandal.” Of course, since Bill Clinton met the Attorney General on the tarmac in Arizona, that cast a shadow as to the transparency of any relationship between the FBI and the office of the Attorney General. And, finally, the Attorney General decided to endorse the recommendation of the FBI and the matter with the Clintons is apparently over.

But then the government had to have hearings on the investigation and its conclusions; and they were anything but objective. Now, I don’t care which party you favor – the point here is that partisan politics are the rage right now and people are vying for power and recognition. There are several republicans still trying to secure a place on the ticket with Trump as the party’s VP choice for the upcoming election. And in a wild week on the political front, Bernie Sanders has endorsed Hillary Clinton, a person he repeatedly labeled as unfit to serve as President. I am kind of sick and tired of hearing about all this.

Because in the ultimate analysis, it is all about power. Power to control the country, power to “build a wall” or push selfish agendas that don’t necessarily serve the best needs of the country as a whole. And on top of that, we have to deal with coalitions of people fighting about gun control and then the shooting of people in various cities around the country, ending with the assassination of five policemen in Dallas in retribution for the deaths of two African-Americans earlier in the week. They were killed by police and the entire country is now on alert.

There were conflicts brewing in Baton Rouge and many other places where protests are on the rise. Chicago is a hotbed of unrest and it is becoming increasingly unsafe to be on the streets – running the risk of getting caught up in acts of vandalism and confrontations with police. Once again, all this is about power.

Groups such as Black Lives Matter are in opposition to the efforts of the police and earlier this week some joker changed the words of the Canadian National Anthem at a baseball game to include the words “all lives matter.” Of course, this was done without any consent and the person has now been suspended for an indefinite period. What gives people the right to change the words of another country’s national anthem? Once again, all about power. I can’t believe how far we have regressed as a nation – lacking the respect and dignity for our nation and fringe groups doing their own thing, in the name of power, to achieve some individual goal. A goal, that in their minds, is more important than the overall health of the United States.

And then there are those who are too politically correct to cry “foul” when these issues come up. That means that these perpetrators get away with their aberrant behavior and believe that they can push the boundaries even further. Once again, deluded into believing that they have real power…

But there is only one kind of power that is worth having. And that, quite simply, is the power that we get from the Holy Spirit. That’s right – divine power. The Greek word is “dunamis” and you would be right if you said that it sounds quite a bit like our English word, “dynamite.” That’s because our English word comes from the Greek origin. So when Jesus speaks to us about “power,” it isn’t just regular power, it is a type of explosive power, like dynamite, that we get when we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

What this country needs is for its Christians to stand up and tap into the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit to get a handle on the discord and evil that is happening in this country at this time. God is still in charge and it is up to us to act in accordance with His will for our lives and to use our God given power to achieve divine goals. Regardless of the outcomes of these various issues – politically or racially motivated – God already knows the outcomes and we would be best served to leave this in His capable hands.

The verse for this evening is from Dr. Luke’s Gospel. Jesus was telling his disciples that He was going away and that the Father would send another to them. But Jesus also commanded his followers to stay put until they had been empowered. Jesus tells us, in Luke 24:49, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” That power that Jesus refers to is that word “dunamis” – explosive, dynamite-like power from God!

That power gives us strength to do what is right – much more powerful than any manmade power of any kind – including dynamite, or even an atom bomb, for that matter. My encouragement this evening is that if you believe in Jesus, you already have the “dunamis” to change the world in the name of Christ. My prayer is that you will use this divinely given power for good and that regardless of the problems this country faces right now, God will ultimately be victorious and we can be accomplices in that victory. Do what is right, and remember that God is still on the throne. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

One Comment

  • Dave Toussaint says:

    Scott
    Very well said. I cannot even tell you how true all the above is, and how frustrated I am over all this. Your solution is obviously correct as well. Thanks for a great blog.
    Dave

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