Many Christians today have good reason to be concerned. We live in a world that often seems less interested in God, less committed to truth, and more focused on personal opinion. Some people see the church as outdated, unhelpful, or even harmful.
But we also have to be honest. Sometimes the church has helped create this problem. At times, Christians have mixed the faith too closely with politics. At other times, we have focused on rules without showing the character of God. And sometimes we have trusted human arguments more than the living power of God.
Still, there is hope. The world today is not completely new. In many ways, it looks like the world where the first Christians shared the gospel. The early church lived in a culture full of many beliefs, many values, and much confusion. Yet the message of Jesus changed lives.
The good news was simple and powerful: Jesus came to show us what God is like and to save us from sin. Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The angel also said, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
But the early Christians did not only have a message. They also had the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit made the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus real in them. The Spirit helped them live differently from the world around them.
Many churches today speak about the Holy Spirit, but sometimes we do not live as if we truly depend on Him. We may mention the Spirit in songs, prayers, and creeds, but still act as if Christian life depends mainly on our own strength, plans, or ideas.
The Bible shows us that the Spirit brings both character and power. The fruit of the Spirit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). The gifts of the Spirit are also given to build up the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12–14).
We should not choose between the fruit and the gifts. We need both. We need holy character, and we need spiritual power. We need love, and we need courage. We need wisdom, and we need the strength to witness. This is life in the “radical middle”—a life fully centered on Jesus and fully open to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not just an idea or a feeling. The Spirit is God’s personal presence with His people. He helps us pray, grow, serve, worship, and live as citizens of God’s coming kingdom while we are still in this present world.
If Christians want to be faithful in a confused world, we must return to the gospel of Jesus and depend again on the Holy Spirit. We do not need empty religion, political pride, or powerless tradition. We need the living presence of God to shape us, empower us, and make us a faithful witness in our time.
Minister A Francine Green, September 2026