NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER!

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

Fifty thousand exiles had returned from Persia to rebuild the altar and the temple in Jerusalem. When they arrived they were excited and enthusiastic about the rebuilding. But opposition arose from the neighboring Samaritans and soon the enthusiasm and interest began to dwindle.

Finally weariness set in among the exiles. It had been twelve years and when they came back they did not know how big the task was. After all these years the people were tired and discouraged and the task was far from finished. No matter what the leaders did, the people refused to go back to work and the situation began to look hopeless.

Into this dreary mess of discouragement and an unfinished task God sent a prophet with a message for the exiles. It was not just for them but it is for all who have ever faced the discouragement of an unfulfilled promise or the frustration of the inability to finish a task that looked so possible in the beginning.

“This is the word of the Lord . . . Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

When I was a boy, my home church frequently sang a chorus using these words. We sang the chorus often but I’m not sure how well I understood what the catchy tune was really about.

If you are like me, you have been taught to make life happen using your own gifts and talents. We have been told that the world loves winners and that we have to finish the fight in our own strength. But then God comes along and tells us that His ways of doing things are simply not the ways of the world system.

“Not by might nor by power.” The Hebrew word for might can be used to describe the strength of an army and is often used to imply financial power and wealth. The word might generally describes what the world system considers symbols of strength and the same is essentially true for the meaning of the word power.

God spoke to the exiles and said that the rebuilding would not be done or completed by human means. Abraham and Sarah had no physical way to produce a child (see Genesis 17:15-19). But God made it happen! David was an insignificant teenaged shepherd going out to face a battle-hardened giant but God gave him the victory (see 1 Samuel 17).

God comes to us in the middle of our struggle and quietly tells us that He is looking for those who acknowledge their weakness, that His rules are not the same as the world’s, and that He brings victory to those who trust Him and His ways.

“But by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” The Hebrew word for Spirit, ruah, is used extensively in the Old Testament to describe the Spirit of God. To the Hebrews this word describes the mysterious power and working of God and is used to describe the breath of life in all living creatures, but especially man.

The prophet Zechariah came with a message for the exiles about God’s way of bringing this unfinished project to completion. God makes it clear that He does not choose to always use the ways that His people may think are best. He works through His Spirit and not through the best intentions of man. It was by the Spirit that life was brought to man; it is the Spirit that brings the Word of God alive in us; it is the Spirit that becomes our Comforter and leads us and reveals truth to us. It is the Spirit that brings us power to live overcoming lives and enables us to share the Gospel with the whole world!

No wonder the apostle Paul wrote that we should “live in the Spirit” and we should also “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). We should be “led by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18) and should show forth “the fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). If any man had a strong grasp on “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” it was the apostle Paul. The circumstances that Paul faced in taking the message of God’s love and grace to the pagan world were impossible to the max. For Paul, building a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, would have been like going to a prekindergarten class at Spirit-Filled University.

Why did Zechariah finish his prophetic message to the exiles with the command to shout, “Grace! Grace!” to the impossible situation? Because God’s sending His Spirit to bring life into a dead situation, to bring an answer to an impossibility, is a demonstration of His unmerited favor; indeed, it is a demonstration of His grace. So go ahead and face that difficulty; begin to worship and thank the Lord that His Spirit is alive in you and is active on your behalf. Lay down your self-reserve and shout, “Grace! Grace!” Declare God’s goodness and favor to that impossible situation.

Different Christmas Poem

 The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughters beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.  
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

“What are you doing?” I asked without fear,
“Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,
To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light
Then he sighed and he said, “It’s really all right.

“I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night.
It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

“My Gramps died at Pearl on a day in December,”
Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas Gram always remembers.
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ’Nam,
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

“I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile.”
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue . . . an American flag.

“I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.  
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

“I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.

“So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”
“But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,
Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?

“It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,
For being away from your wife and your son.”

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
“Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

“For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”

                                                                                Author Unknown

NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER!

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

Fifty thousand exiles had returned from Persia to rebuild the altar and the temple in Jerusalem. When they arrived they were excited and enthusiastic about the rebuilding. But opposition arose from the neighboring Samaritans and soon the enthusiasm and interest began to dwindle.

Finally weariness set in among the exiles. It had been twelve years and when they came back they did not know how big the task was. After all these years the people were tired and discouraged and the task was far from finished. No matter what the leaders did, the people refused to go back to work and the situation began to look hopeless.

Into this dreary mess of discouragement and an unfinished task God sent a prophet with a message for the exiles. It was not just for them but it is for all who have ever faced the discouragement of an unfulfilled promise or the frustration of the inability to finish a task that looked so possible in the beginning.

“This is the word of the Lord . . . Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

When I was a boy, my home church frequently sang a chorus using these words. We sang the chorus often but I’m not sure how well I understood what the catchy tune was really about.

If you are like me, you have been taught to make life happen using your own gifts and talents. We have been told that the world loves winners and that we have to finish the fight in our own strength. But then God comes along and tells us that His ways of doing things are simply not the ways of the world system.

“Not by might nor by power.” The Hebrew word for might can be used to describe the strength of an army and is often used to imply financial power and wealth. The word might generally describes what the world system considers symbols of strength and the same is essentially true for the meaning of the word power.

God spoke to the exiles and said that the rebuilding would not be done or completed by human means. Abraham and Sarah had no physical way to produce a child (see Genesis 17:15-19). But God made it happen! David was an insignificant teenaged shepherd going out to face a battle-hardened giant but God gave him the victory (see 1 Samuel 17).

God comes to us in the middle of our struggle and quietly tells us that He is looking for those who acknowledge their weakness, that His rules are not the same as the world’s, and that He brings victory to those who trust Him and His ways.

“But by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” The Hebrew word for Spirit, ruah, is used extensively in the Old Testament to describe the Spirit of God. To the Hebrews this word describes the mysterious power and working of God and is used to describe the breath of life in all living creatures, but especially man.

The prophet Zechariah came with a message for the exiles about God’s way of bringing this unfinished project to completion. God makes it clear that He does not choose to always use the ways that His people may think are best. He works through His Spirit and not through the best intentions of man. It was by the Spirit that life was brought to man; it is the Spirit that brings the Word of God alive in us; it is the Spirit that becomes our Comforter and leads us and reveals truth to us. It is the Spirit that brings us power to live overcoming lives and enables us to share the Gospel with the whole world!

No wonder the apostle Paul wrote that we should “live in the Spirit” and we should also “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). We should be “led by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18) and should show forth “the fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). If any man had a strong grasp on “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” it was the apostle Paul. The circumstances that Paul faced in taking the message of God’s love and grace to the pagan world were impossible to the max. For Paul, building a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, would have been like going to a prekindergarten class at Spirit-Filled University.

Why did Zechariah finish his prophetic message to the exiles with the command to shout, “Grace! Grace!” to the impossible situation? Because God’s sending His Spirit to bring life into a dead situation, to bring an answer to an impossibility, is a demonstration of His unmerited favor; indeed, it is a demonstration of His grace. So go ahead and face that difficulty; begin to worship and thank the Lord that His Spirit is alive in you and is active on your behalf. Lay down your self-reserve and shout, “Grace! Grace!” Declare God’s goodness and favor to that impossible situation.

THE TRIUMPH OF POLYCARP

“I know your works . . . and your poverty (but you are rich)” (Revelation 2:9).

I am teaching a Bible class on the book of Revelation at our church. Believe it or not, Revelation is one of the greatest studies of victory in all the Bible. In the second and third chapters, Jesus describes the seven churches of Asia and He has nothing negative to say about the church at Smyrna.  History tells us that the apostle John pastored the church at Ephesus and, as an elder, oversaw the other six churches of Revelation. One of John’s acts as an elder to the church at Smyrna was to appoint a pastor named Polycarp.

According to history, Smyrna was a prosperous city, yet the Christians there were poverty-stricken. The word used here for poverty actually means deep poverty. The Christians of Smyrna knew poverty because they were being fired from jobs, their businesses were being destroyed, and their homes taken away as they experienced persecution from an anti-Christian community.

Late in Polycarp’s life, a heavy wave of persecution came upon the Christians of Smyrna. His congregation urged him to leave the city until the threat blew over. So, believing that God wanted him to be around a few more years, Polycarp left the city and hid out on a farm belonging to some Christian friends. One day on the farm as he prayed, Polycarp had a vision of his pillow engulfed in flames. He calmly told his companions, “I see that I must be burnt at the stake.”

Meanwhile, the local authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest. They seized one of Polycarp’s servants and tortured him until he told them where his master was. Soldiers came to the farmhouse where he was hiding and when they found him, they were embarrassed to see that they had been sent to arrest an old, frail man.  

On the way back to the city government, officials tried to persuade Polycarp to stand before a statue of Caesar and simply declare, “Caesar is Lord.” That’s all he had to do and he would be off the hook. They pleaded with him to do it in order to escape the dreadful penalties. At first Polycarp was silent, but then he calmly gave them his firm answer: NO. The chief official was angry with the old man and pushed him out of his carriage onto the hard ground. Polycarp, bruised but resolute, got up and walked the rest of the way to the city.

A large, bloodthirsty mob had gathered to see Christians tortured and killed in the arena. One Christian named Quintis had boldly proclaimed himself a follower of Jesus and said he was willing to be martyred. But when he saw the vicious animals in the arena, he lost courage and agreed to publicly declare that Caesar was Lord. However, another young man named Germanicus did not back down. He marched out and faced the lions, and died an agonizing death. Ten other Christians gave their lives that day, but the mob was unsatisfied. They cried out, “Away with the atheists who do not worship our gods!” To them, Christians were atheists because they did not recognize the traditional gods of Rome and Greece. Finally, the crowd started chanting, “Bring out Polycarp!”

When Polycarp was brought into the arena, he and the other Christians heard a voice from heaven saying, “Be strong, Polycarp!” As he stood before the authorities, they tried one more time to get him to renounce Jesus. Polycarp was told to agree with the crowd and shout out, “Away with the atheists!” Polycarp looked at the bloodthirsty mob, waved his hand toward them and said, “Away with those atheists!” The authorities persisted. “Take the oath and revile Christ and we’ll set you free!” Polycarp answered, “For eighty-six years I’ve served Jesus; how dare I now revile my King?” The authorities finally gave up, and announced to the crowd: “Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian.”

The crowd shouted, “Let the lions loose.” But the animals had already been put away. The crowd then demanded that Polycarp be burnt. The old man remembered the dream about the burning pillow, and took courage in God. He said to his executioners, “It is well. I fear not the fire that burns for a season and after a while is quenched. Why do you delay?”

They arranged a great pile of wood and set up a pole in the middle. As they tied Polycarp to the pole, he prayed: “I thank You that You have graciously thought me worthy of this day and of this hour, that I may receive a portion in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of Your Christ.” After he prayed and gave thanks to God, they set the wood ablaze. A great wall of flame shot up to the sky and when this happened, witnesses say they saw a dove fly up from the smoke into heaven. At the very same moment, a church leader in Rome named Irenaeus said he heard God say to him, “Polycarp is dead.” God called his servant home.

Current studies tell us that persecution of Christians is increasing all over the world. Every eleven minutes, somewhere in the world, a Christian dies for professing that Jesus Christ is Lord!  Persecution is increasing everywhere and it is increasing here in North America. The word of the Lord to all is, “Be strong!”

LIFE IN THE VINE

“I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides [lives] in me and I in him, he it is that bears much [abundant] fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, ESV). 

When John wrote the fourth gospel, he was not writing for the saints at the headquarters church in Jerusalem or for the executives of this new movement called The Way. John was writing to help new believers get grounded in their faith. He lived in Ephesus in what then was known as Asia Minor (Turkey) and was the pastor of the growing church there. The focus of his writing was to assist the newly saved grow in faith while living in a community that was overtly hostile to Christianity.

I am convinced that it is extremely important for a believer to prioritize his devotional life. Everything else in the believer’s spiritual life is secondary; other things may be important but not as much as being tightly connected to the Author and Finisher of our faith. The devotional life makes or breaks the success of our walk with God. It is also of great importance to understand that John was telling his friends that in order to handle the pain of persecution, they had to be connected to the Vine; otherwise, they had nothing that would sustain them.

John begins this verse with a clear declaration of identity: “I am the Vine; you are the branches.” The question and struggle over identity goes right back to the Garden (Genesis 3:5) and the age-old struggle of man wanting to be like God. John highlights Jesus’ statement because he understands that until the identity issue is settled, there can be no forward progress. There can only be one Vine but lots of branches. So this has to be settled: “He is the Vine and I am the branch! He is God and I am not!”

One reason I stress so strongly in my writing and teaching the importance of the devotional life is clearly spelled out in this verse. Fruitfulness comes from the relationship of the individual with Jesus. The branch draws life from the vine and from that life comes fruit. Before a branch can be fruitful, it must be in continual contact with the vine. We draw life from Him and then we give out to others and it cannot be otherwise. The vine feeds and nourishes the branch. “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit” (NIV)

.

I am concerned for the sloppy Christians who think that going to church once a week carrying a Bible, singing loudly, putting a few dollars in the offering, smiling, and shaking hands is all that is needed to fill up their spiritual batteries. There is nothing wrong with a lively teaching and worship service but that does not, I repeat, does not, replace the importance of your regular personal time with Him. And then there are the millennials who come to church most Sundays in jeans and T-shirts, carrying a big cup of coffee and smiling as they listen to the rock-and-roll worship band and the 25-minute teaching. For many of them, that is the totality of their spiritual life. To them, Jesus is worth sixty minutes on Sunday morning as long as the pastor is cool, the worship band really rocks, and they can have a cup of coffee and see friends at the same time. For many of these millennials, personal prayer and Bible study has no place in their lives. Pretty sad commentary on the state of spiritual vitality flowing into them.

Try this experiment! Get a knife or a pair of scissors and go into your yard. Pick out a hedge or plant and cut off one of the smaller branches. Put that little cutting on a piece of paper in a safe place and see what happens over the next couple of days. Some of you are shaking your heads, saying, “This is silly. I know exactly what will happen. Once the branch is disconnected from the plant, it will begin to die,” and you are exactly right. The point is very clear—Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches and disconnected from Him we are helpless. We cannot survive, we will wither and die, because “apart from me you can do nothing” (NIV).

The little cutting that we set aside is now dead. Within hours dryness began to set in and within a few days the cutting dried up and withered. The possibility of its ever being fruitful is over and gone. So it is with the man (or woman) who habitually neglects his personal communication with the Savior. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” The Greek for nothing is there is no prospect of success, none! Apart from the Vine there is no fruitfulness that counts.

Dryness in us does not begin as quickly as it does in that little plant, but don’t fool yourself, it will start and continue unless we get back to being connected to Him.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4, NKJV).