The Great Omission of the Church…..by Robert Beike
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 HCSB)
Jesus gave the church its great commission in Matthew 28:18-20. The great ignition of the church occurred with the infilling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). But, the great omission of the church may well be the words Jesus spoke in Acts 1:8.
A number of years ago during a well publicized trial in Cincinnati, Ohio, one witness had an adverse, and bizarre, reaction to a single word. Each time the word “sex” was used in the courtroom this witness would faint, and need to be revived. This scene was repeated over and over. The cause of such extreme behavior is a bit hazy, but clearly, there are certain words in Christian circles that cause equally severe responses. “Witnessing” is one of those words. There is nothing like the words, “Let’s now go out and witness,” to cause church members to get weak in the knees.
It is estimated that only 2% of Christians regularly share their faith, and less than 10% ever lead another person to Christ. Numerous reasons have been offered for this omission. Some suggest it is a matter of ignorance–a lack of know-how. For others it could be indolence; many Christians are, perhaps, too lazy and comfortable to make the effort. Often, not sharing one’s faith is due to indifference; being too preoccupied, not caring, or expecting someone else to do it. Still others are silenced by insecurity–fearful of being made a fool, experiencing hostility, or losing a friendship. Then, also, there is the isolation factor of our comfortable homes, personal automobiles, and privacy fences that reduce relationships to a wave and a nod.
Whatever the cause of the church’s great omission, the greater issue is how to fix it. The power of The Holy Spirit is the obvious key. Power that Jesus promises is a delegated power and authority from God that gets things done. The Holy Spirit animates and energizes Christ followers for the task of giving witness of the life, death, burial, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus. The Spirit also authorizes offering the free gift of God’s salvation to all people groups in our community, our country, our continent, and even to the extremities of our world. Since the indwelling Spirit of God is a common experience to all true believers, then perhaps eliminating the great omission requires the uncommon practice of yielding to the Holy Spirit, that His power may flow through us to those around us.
Health-E Church 