The Church must A.C.T.

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Text:  Joel 2:28-32

Joel 2:28-29

“And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
²⁹ Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

(ESV)

The ugliness and hatred in the world seem to be increasing at an alarming rate.  As a Christian dedicated to bringing the Gospel to the lost in the world, this creates a sense of urgency for with each passing day, the world moves closer to the coming “Day of the Lord.”  While the text of Joel 2:28-32 has as its primary purpose the provision of hope to Judah who is recovering from a destructive locust attack, it also provides hope and a sense of urgency for the church as the Day of the Lord approaches (Acts 2:1-21).  However, the text is also a call to action for the Church to become a transformative force in the World.  As the day of the Lord approaches, the Church must A.C.T. by,

1)      Allowing the Holy Spirit to work fill the hearts of each believer (Joel 2:28-29) – While the Book of Joel is considered a minor prophet due to the brevity of the book, Joel 2:28-29 is a powerful passage that found fulfillment and was referred to by Peter in Acts 2:1-21.  Just 50 days prior to this event, the Apostle Peter denied knowing Jesus three times (Matthew 26:69-75) and yet we now see him speaking boldly about Jesus (Acts 2:14-41).  These changes in the life of Peter occurred because he saw the risen Lord and received forgiveness (John 21:1-19).  Peter had also just received the power of the Holy Spirit in his life, empowering him to minister (Acts 1:8).  For the church to become a transforming force in the world it must have a renewed encounter with the risen Lord and empowerment from the Holy Spirit.   

2)      Connecting but not compromising with the world – When one asks Jesus into their heart, they are not immediately ushered into the Lord’s presence but instead remain with the calling to engage the lost in the world with the Gospel message (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).  Unfortunately, far too few Christians boldly engage the world with the Gospel out of fear they may revert to their lifestyle prior to receiving Christ into their hearts, rejection by friends and family, or persecution.  Even though Jesus was only addressing the eleven in Mark, the spreading of the message of the Gospel did not end with the death of the last Apostle but continues because the Lord does not want any to perish (2 Peter 3:9).

3)      Train through prayer and the study of the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) – One of the people at my church recently made a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon.  For those not living in Arizona, this entails starting at the tip of one rim of the canyon, hiking to the bottom of the canyon, and climbing up the rim on the opposite side.  The dimensions of the Grand Canyon are around 18 miles across and one mile deep, so this is a major hike and not for the faint of heart.  It is also not something one wakes up one morning and decides to do without any training.  Regular study of the Bible is the training regimen all believers in Christ should involve themselves in.  Those that have given their lives to Jesus that practice diligence in the study of God’s Word are called His disciples (John 8:31).  Through this regular training regimen, a believer’s spiritual body becomes strong, equipping them to face any persecution or challenge they encounter as they act doing their part in furthering the spread of the Gospel. 

For far too long the Church has been a passive force in society hiding behind an appearance of moral superiority.  While believers in Jesus as their savior should grow to live by a higher moral standard, the calling of the church is simple, declaring the message that God came to earth in human form and took upon Himself the sins of humanity, rising from the dead in demonstration of victory over death to restore humanity’s broken relationship with God.  May the Body of Christ, the Church, act by allowing the Holy Spirit to empower them and provide counsel, connecting and not compromise with the world modeling the life of Christ who lived in the world without sin, and training in the gymnasium of God’s Word to be strong in spiritual battle.  May God bless all reading this post.