TOPIC: THE POWER OF GOD DEFINES YOU.
To some, they look at power as being pompous or lacking in humility.
If God doesn’t give you power for ministry, you are wasting your time.
However, the nature of power depends on its source.
If it is God’s power you are looking for, aspire to have it. You can’t do without it.
The Lord cannot call anyone without supernaturally equipping him.
The man of God is called and equipped with power to make his job easy in order to remove those things that hinder the gospel.
We should all pray for this supernatural enablement
Acts 1:8(kJV)8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
You can’t be an effective witness of Christ without the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself was filled with the Holy Spirit – Matt 3:16-17(KJV)16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Often, when we emphasis the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it looks like we want to be forced into another doctrines of a particular denomination. We must remember “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.
Zech 4:6(KJV)Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
We live in a world where the context of power is crucial. Jesus Christ was fully aware of this. When he said “ Until you are endued with this power from on high?”
Luke 24:49 (KJV)49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
There is no other foundation we can lay. – 1 Cor 3:10-11(KJV)10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
By this power we shall be recognized.
The work of God ought not be done with carnality.
Num 16:29-35(MSG)29 If these men die a natural death like all the rest of us, you’ll know that it wasn’t God who sent me. 30 But if God does something unprecedented — if the ground opens up and swallows the lot of them and they are pitched alive into Sheol — then you’ll know that these men have been insolent with God.” 31 The words were hardly out of his mouth when the Earth split open. 32 Earth opened its mouth and in one gulp swallowed them down, the men and their families, all the human beings connected with Korah, along with everything they owned. 33 And that was the end of them, pitched alive into Sheol. The Earth closed up over them and that was the last the community heard of them. 34 At the sound of their cries everyone around ran for dear life, shouting, “We’re about to be swallowed up alive!” 35 Then God sent lightning. The fire cremated the 250 men who were offering the incense.
If I be a man of God is not a life of leisure or flamboyance. The man of God is a direct ambassador of the living God, whose words carry divine authority. When he speaks, God speaks through him.
2 Kings 1:6-14(NLT)6 They replied, “A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. ‘This is what the Lord says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.'”7 “What sort of man was he?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?”8 They replied, “He was a hairy man, and he wore a leather belt around his waist.””Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed.9 Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us.”10 But Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.11 So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once.”12 Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.13 Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. 14 See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!”
If I be a man of God is a confident utterance from a representative of God, an embodiment of supernatural power who can call down fire from heaven and it will come.
If I be a man of God, there must be a demonstration of power in the house of God resulting in change.
God identifies with the man of God in action.
Being a man of God is not just about words; it is about the Holy Spirit’s power in evangelism.
1 Kings 18:31-38(KJV)31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
Our inability to achieve extraordinary things often stems from a lack of belief and insufficient emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 4:14(KJV)14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
I love it in the church when it is written “ And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”(Acts 2:4 KJV)
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, your behavior is transformed.
Acts 4:33(KJV)33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
Power is essential for abundance.
For example, I had no purse during my evangelism, yet I always had everything I needed when I need it.
This is the mystery behind a life of faith – it is sweet.
If you have not experienced giving all and immediately receiving more than you gave, you have not truly known the power of God..
Holy Spirit must be at the center of the gospel, your business, and whatever you do, before you can effectively win souls.
Luke 4:18-19(KJV)18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Acts 10:38 (KJV)38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
The apostles observed Christians who were dancing and rejoicing because they were born again. They asked them “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?
Acts 19:1-2(KJV)And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
After praying, the Holy Ghost came upon them and they preached the gospel with signs and wonders.
Acts 4:31(KJV)31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Only when you are baptized by the Holy Spirit can you give a full witness of Christ. Without the Holy Spirit, you might lead someone to Christ, but you cannot heal the sick, cast out demons, or perform other miraculous acts.
By the anointing the yoke will be broken, by the power of God what you are looking for today will be found.
