Why is it the Church in the West lacks so much in terms of power? The kind of power that led Peter to say:

“Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Acts 3 v6

The power of the Holy Spirit, working in and through clean vessels reflecting His light.

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

John 14 v12

Maybe it is because we ignore the harder parts of Jesus message. In the Church’s working Bible, Mark 1 v14-15 reads:

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and Believe the good news!’

In so much of the Church, we don’t ‘do’ repentance. If we get close to it, it so often comes out as a version of saying sorry. And that’s not repentance.

Repentance is literally turning away, turning back, no longer doing the things you once did. Even, and especially, the things you enjoy doing, and have now covered with a ‘Christian’ veneer.

To repent is literally to consider all the attractions of the world as dust. In the light of knowing the One who eclipses all. In the words of Bonhoeffer – grace is free, but it is not cheap.

And a cheap gospel is a counterfeit gospel – it is no gospel at all and contains no saving power. It inoculates you just enough against the real thing so that you might never catch the Father heart of God.

There is no power, because there is no cost. We do not want to take up our cross, and walk the Golgotha road.

But there is hope. Because He is merciful, He is kind, He is forbearant. He knocks on a persons heart, to listen, to test, to see whether there is the faintest of responses. He does not treat us as our sins deserve, but is a patient and loving Father.

But we cannot presume, to resist, to wait forever. There is always the window of opportunity. When it is gone, it is gone. Some decisions are final.

These are the times that will test. The next wave comes. We have a choice to make – to turn on to the narrow, rocky and steep road that leads to salvation, or to continue on the gradual, easy, downward sloping road, arcing smoothly to hell.

Wake up slumberer, and see the times that are here. Do not wait until it is too late. Open your heart to the One who yearns to welcome you home.