As an avid reader of church history, I’ve noticed a consistent trend in Western religion.  It seems to disengage God — treating Him as a figure to occasionally honor rather than as a living power source.

Let me explain.  A car has a powerful engine, however, if you start a car and leave it in park or put it in neutral, nothing happens except for the noise of an idling engine, because the engine is disengaged from the drivetrain.

When I read the history of much of Western Christianity (or attend contemporary church services), disengaged power seems to be the story:  a powerful engine (God) is disengaged from people and institutions that call themselves Christians.  There is a lot of noise, but little that impacts daily life.

However, when I read the New Testament book of Acts, I see an engaged God pouring His power through simple, humble people.  Also, throughout the history of Western Christianity, you can find fringe groups (often called heretics) that actually engaged God as present reality rather than as mere theology, for example:  Catholic mystics, Waldensians,  Anabaptists, early Quakers, many Catholic monastics, Moravians, early Methodists, early Pentecostals, early Salvationists, and many smaller, independent groups.  Their early histories read like the book of Acts.

So why would anyone want an engine that is continually disengaged from the drivetrain?  Isn’t time we shifted our gears and engaged the living God on a daily, moment-by-moment basis?

Need help engaging the living God and plugging your life into His awesome power?  Drive down to 225 Berry St., Nashville, TN, 37207 and experience God’s power engaged as people show and tell what God is doing in their lives at The Salvation Army Berry Street.