STYLE, SUBSTANCE, OR SPIRIT?

STYLE, SUBSTANCE…OR SPIRIT?

The rise and fall of those aspiring to the presidency has been stunning.  Out of nowhere Donald Trump has risen to take the lead among likely Republican voters.  Mrs. Clinton has watched her political fortune dissipate one scandal at a time.  Ben Carson is showing an impressive come from behind surge.  Bernie Sanders, (Who? You know the socialist from Vermont) is packing huge stadiums in the west.

Voters are telling pollsters that they like Donald Trump’s style.  He’s confident.  He’s certain.  He’s definite.  While it remains to be seen if Trump’s “style” will carry him to the White House, it is certain that style often trumps (pun intended) substance in political campaigns.  The 2008 campaign of the junior senator from Illinois proved that image and style could win.  Who really knew what he meant as he campaigned in Columbia, Missouri, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”  Who really cared?  After all, Obama was cool.

Style may secure the victory, but it is substance that sets the agenda.  The voters and the media need to ask hard questions and thoughtfully consider not only what the candidates are saying, but what they have done.

While “image politics” has certainly cost the nation, it is “image church” that is damning our nation.  In too many quarters we have not resisted the siren call of the cool popular.  They want to dance. So we dance.  They want to rock.  So we rock.  They want to look cool.  So we look cool.   They do not want to know specifics—“thou shalt have no other Gods before me”…”Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”…”thou shalt not kill, commit adultery, lie or steal”…”To be carnally minded is death,”—so we keep it general, “Love God.” 

Of course, in a culture where the beat is more important than the words, where the feel is more important than the facts, and where the substance driven, Bible believing, teaching, preaching ministry is considered irrelevant at best and pharisaical at worst (dem legalists)—we are faced with an existential moment.

So what’s a 21^st century church to do?

Change our style?  That’s superficial. 

Change our substance? That’s specious. 

We need Spirit!  The Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of the Living God.  The Spirit of Pentecost. The Spirit of Holiness.  The Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead.  The Spirit that purifies.  The Spirit that guides us into all truth.  The Spirit that bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  The Spirit that intercedes.  The Spirit that sanctifies.  The Spirit that satisfies. 

Without Him we can do nothing. 

The last recorded words of our Lord Jesus in the New Testament are not the Great Commission, “Go ye…” Nor are they His words at His ascension, “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”  His last words were recorded by John in Revelation 3, “HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAITH”  Let’s do that.