Could you use a little power? Who doesn’t want that, especially when it comes to serving God and accomplishing those things that He has commanded us in His word. Take for instance the command to make disciples, known commonly as the “great commission.”
Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV) — 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We will notice that Jesus commanded this because He has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth.” When we consider whether to seek to fulfill this command or not, we need to weigh it out by the authority of the One who gave the command. Secondly, the Lord Jesus Christ made it known in that great commission that He was not sending us out on our own, He has promised to be with us. His teaching on the Holy Spirit in John lets us know that He is with us always in the person of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, what need we fear and what do we lack to accomplish what He has given us to do, if we have the power of God in the person of the Holy Spirit?
John 14:16 (ESV) — 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
John 14:18 (ESV) — 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:26 (ESV) — 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
When Jesus was about to ascend to Heaven, He commanded His disciples to return to Jerusalem and prepare for the power of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to be witnesses of Him to the world around them. Notice the importance of waiting for the power before attempting to accomplish the task at hand.
Acts 1:4–5 (ESV) — 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:8 (ESV) — 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Of course, people could easily use that as an excuse for making no attempts to fulfill the great commission by saying, “I’m just waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit before I act.” Notice then what took place as the disciples met in the upper room with the dedicated believers in Jerusalem as they prepared for the coming power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ would be known in the making of new disciples. The people prayed and God answered first in a demonstration of power as people from various places in the world heard the declaration of God by those present in their own language. When Peter, by the same power, preached the Gospel of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, people responded.
Acts 2:1–4 (ESV) — 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:37–40 (ESV) — 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
The point is this: The Lord Jesus Christ has promised the power of the Holy Spirit to be with us as we carry out His command. He expects us then to live in dependency upon Him to provide for us as He provides the power in us as well as in preparation of those to whom He connects us to carry His message.
Keep in mind this power from the Holy Spirit is nothing to take lightly. The apostle Paul expressed in his prayer for the church at Ephesus that they would be enlightened as to know the hope, their inheritance and the greatness of the power that is theirs. This is not just any power – the power that believers have is the same power that raised Christ from the dead.
Ephesians 1:18–20 (ESV) — 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
Could you use a little power? Power is available from the Lord Jesus Christ and He is willing and able to give us the power we need to accomplish His will. If we want His power, then we need to prioritize doing His will as in seeking to bring the message of salvation to those around us. Likewise, if we want His power, then we will be seeking Him as living in the attitude of without Him we can do nothing so we will be praying for those with whom we are seeking to share the Gospel and for ourselves that we might have the power and wisdom of God. No wonder the Gospel is like dynamite as God brings together those He’s prepared to hear the message and those He has prepared to deliver the message. Boom!
Romans 1:16–17 (ESV) — 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Don’t miss out on enjoying the power of the Holy Spirit as you serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
