<> Ask the Pastor The Rev. Walter Snyder Q: Is it true that the churches have no power anymore? The small gathering where I am worshiping the Lord tells me that the Holy Spirit is not in the church anymore. They say ... the last church therefore was in Acts, at least any church with power. A: If we look for "power," we may not see other ways in which God reveals himself. Often his power appears as weakness or folly in human eyes. Many overt expressions of God's power are events of terror. Angelic visits brought fear to the hearts of those visited, and when God really cut loose, abject terror and wholesale destruction often resulted. Sodom and Gomorrah, Babel, the Flood, and Jericho all illustrate this. Even when God's power is revealed in more "benign" fashion, few can face it. Israel cowered from their God even as he made them his covenant people in the Wilderness. Only a few could go up the mountain with Moses; only Moses could look upon the Lord with even a glimpse of the divine power revealed. The presence and aid of the Lord usually don't appear in awe-inspiring, earthshattering force. Consider how the Lord came to Elijah as he was hiding in the cave. It wasn't in the powerful events, but in the quiet voice where the Lord revealed himself to his prophet. These prophets joined with Jesus in his Transfiguration. Peter, James, and John couldn't comprehend the event, and were reduced to babbling idiots by the scene. Later, the Scriptures were opened up to them, and they understood, but this was done by their Savior's quiet teaching following the Resurrection. If you want a display of power, gaze upon the destruction at Calvary. Here is the Father's hatred of sin poured out in unbridled fury upon his beloved Son. Here is Satan's last-ditch effort to thwart the Father's plan of salvation. Christ won the victory by the surrender of his power to his Father's will. He won by losing. He displayed the divine power to save by cloaking his own divinity. The truest expression of "power" by God and his church is viewed by many as weakness or insignificance or foolishness. 1 Corinthians 1:18 begins a discussion of this: "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." I won't deny that God may be working splashy "signs and wonders," even in this age. But I don't go seeking them. Instead, I look to where God promises that what really matters will be revealed. The miracles I really care about are not healings, shoutings, predictions, and the like. God wants us to be forgiven for Christ's sake. Then he wants us to be involved with life in him and in the spread of his forgiveness to others. It is in the simplicity of the Gospel, Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord's Supper that the power of God to forgive, redeem, and restore is poured out. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways," he tells us. It is not in the spectacular, but in the simple where we see God as he wishes to be seen. He delights not when we show off, but when we wait for him to give to us in our times of need. As he told Paul, "My grace is enough for you. For my power is at its best when you are weak." Is God's power still expressed in his church? Yes, or it is not his church. Are sins forgiven? Do people hear and believe the Gospel? Is Baptism washing away sins and placing the Name of the Lord on his adopted children? Do believers gather to receive the body and blood of Jesus in Holy Communion? What more power do we need than the miracles of being converted, sustained, forgiven, restored, and brought safely to our heavenly homes? For every Pentecost-type event, there are thousands upon thousands of times when God quietly - through Word and water and Spirit - converts unbelieving hearts to lives of faith. You asked a related question about false prophets. The Scriptures referred to today warn that we should carefully examine those who put on a big show of signs and wonders. These may cloak unbelief and the work of Satan. They may be signs of God's wrath rather than his grace. Test the spirits - and any who would be prophets - by their fidelity to God's Word. If they depart in any detail, flee all their teachings, for if they hide one error, they may be hiding more, and they are certainly untrue to the One True God. Until next week, when, Lord willing, we enjoy more of your questions, remember to "Ask the Pastor" at P.O. Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com; or catch me around town. Pastor Snyder serves St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches, Jasper and Woodville, Texas and is the coauthor of "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1997 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.