I Surrender All
...Our inevitable response to an Almighty God

“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs…Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. (NIV: Psalms 2:1-4 & 10-11)

”But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. …and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (NIV: Matthew 16:15-18b)

Foreign dignitaries labeled it the “death of diplomacy,” when the Bush administration resorted to U.S. military might, to enforce 12 years of broken UN resolutions in Iraq. Commencing with a campaign of “shock and awe,” Operation Iraqi Freedom, utilized two fundamental tactics of warfare: the element of surprise, and the use of overwhelming force. The level of “situation awareness” achieved by U.S. battlefield operations in the first three weeks, by land, sea and air, left many units of the Arab’s mightiest military with little choice—other than to respond with unconditional surrender.

Analogous to the failed attempts at diplomacy with Iraq, Old Testament history also records how a merciful God, through successive generations of prophets, called humanity to repentance and reconciliation. Even accompanied by miraculous signs and wonders though, the message of God’s diplomatic core had gone largely unheeded. It was only by the Spirit’s power and the Father’s love, manifest in the person and work of His Son at Calvary, that justice would finally be served and liberty availed to all mankind in Christ’s victory over sin and death. But the Holy Triumvirate didn’t stop there.

Fifty days after Christ’s resurrection, on the Day of Pentecost, the Father’s promise was fulfilled when the new church received the very power of the Holy Spirit. Proclaiming the Gospel since then, by God’s power and with great boldness, His church indeed began fulfilling the great commission harvest—to the very ends of the earth. As Scripture described it, “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47b). The book of Acts goes on to record the superintending work of the Spirit in directing, controlling and empowering a church ministry that was characterized by phenomenal growth, power and influence. For over two millennia this outworking of the Spirit has circumnavigated all obstacles.

Like the “new wine” that could not be contained in “old wineskins,” this movement of God Spirit vaulted beyond ritualistic religion, to the extent of entangling the souls of men in a relationship with the Father—that was intentioned before time began. So prolific is the affect of His sovereignty over redemption that it continues undaunted by either human corruption or spiritual counterfeits. In response to the liberal’s allegorical interpretation of Scripture in the modern era, the Spirit provided reformation. And to counter-balance the perceived need to merely finesse the secular mind of today’s post-modern, the epicenter of God’s movement has instead manifested itself in cultures throughout the world’s southern hemispheres.

Everyday, on average, somewhere in the emerging third world, over 200,000 decisions for Christ are being made. According to the latest research,1 Christianity numbers well over 2 billion adherents, is growing at a rate 200% greater than Islam and over 3 times faster than the world’s population. What’s most astonishing is the momentum of this end-time harvest, with 70% of all new growth occurring in just the last 2 years alone. The picture that emerges from these demographics is reminiscent of the first Pentecost—with God fulfilling all His good purposes—much to our surprise, through His awesome power.

So, how will you respond to this latter day move of God’s Spirit? Years ago, a visiting Pastor from Romania remarked about a curious custom in America, where converts “committed their lives” to Christ. With lowered arms and clenched fists, he explained that “commitment” is a term used when we’re in control. While with arms raised and hands open, he suggested that “surrender” is what takes place when God is in control. Confronted with His power and the limits of my own resources, I made a surrender that I invite you to try.

Father, Son & Holy Spirit, we stand in awe of you. Roll-on Triumvirate—thy kingdom come, thy will be done.

Roy Tanner