“Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.”

I did not quote chapter and verse here because I would like us to consider the event without considering context.

Would we be willing to be overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit, lose control of ourselves and be changed instantly?

When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we become a new creation but we do not feel it immediately. Change comes slowly, as babes in Christ we mature with time. Most of us did not even consider being changed but rather wanted to escape the corruption in which we were trapped. Not everyone comes to the Lord with the expectation of being changed.

Eventually we learn about the rapture and our minds are filled with thoughts of what it might be like to be caught up in the air with the Lord. Others see putting on incorruption as the final stage of change. We still are not sure everything that will be manifested by perfection but we desire that welcomed end.

Now place the opening verse in context. It is 1 Samuel 10:6. The context is Saul’s anointing as the first king of Israel. We know from Saul’s history that his change was not permanent and that he disobeyed God later in his life.

The context of being changed upon new birth is that while we are a new creation our molding into the image of Christ is incomplete and care must be taken in the choices we make. Obeying God is more complex as we grow in Christ. Nothing is expected of babies except growth.

Grow we must and how we mature is very much a matter of being willing to listen, willing to change our minds, willing to change our plans, and willing to obey by faith.

Living a life of faith is one of willing submission.

Colossians 3:17 English Standard Version (ESV) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Why are you there? By there I mean with a body of believers, or alone. Everyone has a reason to be there. Personally I have been attached in one way or another to seven different administrations of the Christian faith. It has always been Christian.

At times between those different churches I have been on my own. Yet I was not alone. During those times I witnessed to neighbors and on the internet. My connection with internet witnessing has had a long history. It began with chat rooms.

Chatrooms invites in all kinds of vicious attacks from a variety of unbelievers. What is lacking in that arena is the essence of deeds. With neighbors I could see their struggle and those deeds were readily available. It is nearly impossible to have deeds with mere words.

Paul’s greatest contribution to the body of Christ was perhaps his epistles that form the bulk of the New Testament and gives structure to our churches today. Being placed under house arrest and then prison was the reason his ministry was limited to the written word.

But is that true? We know little of the personal contact Paul had with other prisoners and his jailers. Just because we are not left with a record of great accomplishments during those times does not mean that God didn’t use him in deeds.

During this current season I find myself once again left with words. The face of our churches has been altered by this pandemic, but they are still seen and they still have deeds. It is not as public as before but circumstances do not deter the will of God.

What are your opportunities for words and deeds?

God does not stop just because of a slowdown in the world around us.