The Prophets of Baal

I have been reading Francis Chan’s book about the Holy Spirit, The Forgotten God. In chapter 7 of that book, entitled The Supernatural Church, I was stopped short by Chan’s assertion that many of today’s vibrant and “successful” churches (particularly in America) are more like the Prophets of Baal than the emerging Church depicted in Acts. Read 1 Kings 18:16-39. Let me quote a couple of paragraphs to show where he is coming from…

“Sometimes I leave Christian events wondering if we resemble the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 more than Elijah, the prophet of God… The prophets of Baal had a loud, passionate worship gathering that lasted from morning till evening. When they were done, they had a great time of fellowship (I think you can call it that). But “no one answered, no one paid attention” (1 Kings 18:29). After all that, Elijah prayed. God heard his prayer and fire came down from heaven.

“My favorite part of that story comes when it is all over and the prophets of Baal are saying, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!” They didn’t say, “Elijah is a great speaker” or “Elijah sure knows how to connect with God!” They were stunned by God. They were in awe of His power. They knew what they had experienced could not have been manipulated by Elijah. They experienced the power of God.

“Is that what happens at the Christian gatherings you attend? Or does it feel more like what the prophets of Baal experienced before Elijah prayed?”

Do we (do I) attend church services anticipating a supernatural work of God the Holy Spirit? Or do we go to church hoping to hear a stirring, impassioned message that leaves us exclaiming the oratorical skills of the speaker without ever acknowledging the part played by the Holy Spirit?

Do we expect fire to fall from heaven, or do we merely want to be warmed by words that tickle our ears? Do we leave saying, “The LORD—he is God!”, or do we just say, “That was a really nice service and a good message.”? Are we in awe of His power and presence, or do we merely go home untouched by the Holy Spirit we so faithfully claim to desire as an integral part of our lives?

What if this story about Elijah were about your life? What would be written as part of your testimony? Would we read stories about the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through you, or would we read stories about what you have accomplished on your own? Ask God to have His Spirit work mightily in you so that it would make a testimony so amazing that no one would even think to give the credit (the glory) to you, but lifts up the name of Jesus to the glory of God the Father!