The Power of God without the Character of God

Larry Randolph was a conference speaker last year at an event attended by David F. Watson. Watson, a professor at United Theological Seminary, was stunned when Randolph said he was praying "against" revival in the United States. Who would do that? Why? Randolph's point was simply that "we are not ready for revival. We are arrogant. As he put it, 'We want the power of God without the character of God.'"

It hurts to admit the truth of his conclusion. God is all-powerful yet Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Jesus performed miracles, but only when they pointed people to the Father, not himself.

The depiction of Christians as King's Kids is true yet often misconstrued to mean Christ followers who have genuine deep faith will not suffer physical illness or financial distress. Experience over the breadth of time and geography suggests otherwise. Jesus did not have much in the way of material possessions. His body was pierced with nails and scarred from a whip embedded with pieces of bone and metal. He was humiliated on the cross and exposed to the elements. This is the King of Kings and LORD of Lords. Many want his power. Few want to endure the experiences that produce the character from which such power flows.

Far too often pride not compassion is the response of King's Kids who prefer to pass by on the other side rather than minister to the sick and dying in the slums of Calcutta, visit those in prison, or spend time on the outside of the soup kitchen with those previously served on the inside. "Power is made perfect in weakness."

It is the character of God that leads to the power of God. Jesus was known for personal sacrifice and self-giving love. Those who followed him were known for the same. One notable example was Matthew, a wealthy tax collector. Once he began to follow Jesus he began to give away much of his wealth and sought to make right the things he had done wrong.

A ready-made opportunity for living into the character of Christ is available. In addition to those opportunities in local church families the larger body of Christ is coming together to help those in need of food. It is called "One Bag." Whether through a local church or by picking up a paper sack at the Manna Center off Tulsa Street, many are spending around $10 to purchase items needed to prepare a celebratory meal common at Thanksgiving and Christmas and place them in the bag. Those that can afford to and are convicted may add another ten dollars to help the caring people at Manna Center purchase turkeys to give away along with the remainder needed for that special meal. Giving more than receiving best reflects the character of Christ followers.

David Watson asked in a recent blog post, "Are we willing to put aside ambition, selfish desire, the love of wealth, the desire for notoriety? Are we willing to be looked down upon for Christ and for other people? Are we willing to live with less so that others can have enough? Are we willing to become 'weak' so that we can truly experience God's power? God's power and God's character cannot be separated. So if we want the power of God, we had better be ready to assume the character of God."

-- Dr. Randy Rowlan is pastor of First United Methodist Church. Comments are welcomed at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.

Religion on 11/18/2015