A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scriptures for the Day (April 25,2018)
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him (John 6:44).
When Loretta and I were first married, I was like a lot of other young men my age. I liked the Beatles music and I felt that Jimmy Hendrix (a famous rock star in the ’60s and ’70s) was the best dressed man in America. Even though I was a Christian and had been raised in a traditional denominational church, I wanted more and it looked like the world had what I wanted.
Then one day, Loretta invited me to a place on 18th Street in Kansas City called Evangelistic Center. That church met in a renovated movie theater with greatly slanted floors and a tall ceiling. It was in a part of Kansas City that was considered dangerous to be in after dark. The neighborhood had a reputation for drugs, alcohol, and crime. But when I walked into Evangelistic Center and heard the worship, I desired more of God. The services lasted for hours, but they were never long enough. For the first time in my life I raised my hands and although I didn’t understand everything that was happening, I knew this – God was in the house and He loved me.
The building was old and the musicians used whatever instruments they had. The worship services were so long that sometimes you would close your eyes while singing a song and later open them only to find that some of the musicians had changed during the song. There were no television cameras, no stage lights, no fancy stage props, and no security guards. It was just an old theater being filled with the manifestation of the glory of God and people being moved by the Holy Spirit.
Four decades later my heart is still yearning for the glory of God. I have discovered that all the high tech equipment the world has to offer cannot take the place of the Holy Spirit.
When I was a child, I would hear my elders talk about the good old days and I promised myself I would never do that. However, in recent years I find myself breaking my promise. But here is the good news. The good old days are still available. All that is required is that we have the same heart and seek the same things we were seeking then.
We live in a technological world and to a degree, much of the modern church has begun to worship this technology. I understand that technology is a tool that helps us take the Word to the world. Each week technology helps my ministry take the message of hope to potentially billions of people. However, we must remember that the technology and equipment are the tools and not the message itself.
Years ago, I was at a ministers’ conference in Texas. About 300 ministers were there. World-renowned evangelist Kenneth Copeland was the speaker and as he began to speak, a storm took out all of the electricity in the building. It was late at night and the room was dark, but someone handed him a flashlight and he taught the Word without a microphone, without a stage, and without cameras. It was one of the most powerful messages I have ever heard him deliver. Some ministers would have sent everyone home, but not Brother Copeland! He had the Word burning in his heart and nothing was going to stop him from delivering it.
For 1,900 years, the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached on this earth before the advent of electricity. Jesus didn’t have the Internet, but He impacted the lives of twelve men and they turned the world upside down with the message (Acts 17:6). So my point is this. The hurting people in the world will not be changed by technology. Technology is the tool that can carry the Word and the Word will change people. The latest gimmicks may draw people to the church building, but no man comes to the Father unless the Holy Spirit draws him (John 6:44). It is the presence, power, and anointing of God through the Holy Spirit that draws men to God.
