Tag Archives: power

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS…AUTHORITY -7c

Bible Study, ,

Authority (exousia) and power (dunamis), are two sides of the coin. Authority is the right to be in charge, and power the ability to act according to authority. After His death and resurrection, Jesus was given both authority and power over all things…

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We have explored the reality and nature of Jesus’ authority over all things in heaven and on earth. We have also examined the way in which His authority must be applied to our lives. 

His plan, on His return to heaven, was to delegate His authority and power to His disciples through the Holy Spirit, and through His Word, to continue His ministry on earth until He returns. 

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”…

He told them…

”You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬-‭5‬, ‭8‬-‭9‬ NIV

On the day of Pentecost, the power of the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples in the presence of all the people from all over the Roman Empire who had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Holy Spirit gave the disciples supernatural power to communicate with the people in all the foreign languages they represented. 

“When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This report is significant because it is through hearing the message about Jesus that faith is born. The Holy Spirit gave Jesus’ disciples the ability to speak in languages they had never learned so that the people would hear and understand the message of Jesus in their own mother tongue. 

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? “And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””

‭‭…Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬-15, 17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, what did Jesus’ delegated authority enable the disciples to do? 

  1. “…You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

It seems, then, that the Holy Spirit was given, first, to empower God’s people to proclaim the message of Jesus…and sometimes supernaturally in languages they had never learned…and this was a part of their witness.  

  1. However, Jesus said that His disciples were to “be” His witnesses.     

Preaching the message therefore, included representing the “Messenger”, that is Jesus…by the way they lived. Jesus rejected those who acted as though they were being His witnesses without living the lives that corroborated the message. 

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Being a witness involved living out the message in daily life. 

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This part of the believer’s witness is called “sanctification” or transformation into the image of Jesus. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us…He makes us holy by helping us to overcome sin and to live only for Jesus.

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect…,who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood…”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬a-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…through the Word of God…

 “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God the Holy Spirit purifies us from sin and sets us aside for God through His Word that renews our minds with truth as we apply it to our lives. 

So, second, the Holy Spirit was given to enable Jesus’ disciples to live the message. 

  1. The third aspect of Jesus’ delegated authority was to give His disciples power over Satan’s efforts to destroy them and to nullify their witness.   

Jesus delegated His authority to the twelve during their training. 

“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Later, Jesus also delegated His authority to seventy-two others. 

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go….The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬, ‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To understand the meaning of the miracles which were part of their witness, we must understand their purpose. They were signs of the presence of God’s kingdom on earth. 

 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  1. A fourth area of Jesus’ authority is the use of His name in prayer. What do I mean…?

Jesus gave His disciples (and that includes us), the right to use His name, that is His authority, when they approach the Father. First, we come to God through His shed blood, guaranteeing our acceptance with God, the forgiveness of sin and the righteousness of Jesus which allows us access to the Father. 

Second, He gave us the power of attorney to use His name. 

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ NIV

The name of Jesus is not a magic formula to repeat, but an understanding that He alone is our Mediator, and that He alone can sanction and guarantee the answers to our prayers when we line up with His character and will. 

“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued…

FOUNDATION STONES – 3

Christian Life, ,

WATCH YOUR TONGUE

Proverbs 18:21 NIV
[21] “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

The next stone to build into our foundation for a healthy life is the “stone” of what we say. Jesus told us that the mouth is the opening from which what is in our hearts flows.

Luke 6:45 NLT
[45] “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

This shows us how closely our hearts and mouths are connected.

There are serious consequences for good or evil that come from what we say. Proverbs 18 highlights the end result of our words…life or death! How often a cruel or thoughtless word can damage a child’s life to the end of his days. Words like, “You can do better,” “You’ll never amount to anything,” or “Why are you so stupid?” can kill a child’s heart and drag him down to self-destruction.

James warns God’s people about the problem of a polluted heart.

James 1:26 NLT
[26] “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.”

He has harsh words for those who claim to be believers but can’t or don’t control their tongues.

James 3:2, 4-12 NLT
[2] “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way…
[4] And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. [5] In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. [6] And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. [7] People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, [8] but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. [9] Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. [10] And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! [11] Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? [12] Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”

Our tongues, then, are the fountainhead of what is in our hearts. If good and evil flow from the same mouth, be sure that the heart is evil and the good that comes from it is polluted.

David gives us sound advice.

Psalms 34:12-13 NLT
[12] “Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? [13] Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!”

First, then, as I have already written, is the importance of filling our hearts with the truth of God’s pure Word. We also know that we have the potential to speak evil things because we still have our old nature inside us which demands attention and influences us to speak what it thinks without considering the consequences.

To guard our lips, then, is to think first and then speak, disciplining our hearts to release the truth that is in us rather than the first thing that comes into our heads.

Isaiah 12 has a wonderful prescription for releasing the water from a pure fountain.

Isaiah 12:3-6 NLT
[3] “With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! [4] In that wonderful day you will sing: “THANK the Lord! PRAISE his name! TELL the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is! [5] SING to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world. [6] Let all the people of Jerusalem SHOUT his praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.”

Here’s the cure for a polluted heart. Drink deeply from the wells of salvation. Then thank, praise, tell, sing, and shout what the Lord has done.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
[18] “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

Christian Life, ,

THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.'” Luke 6:31-34 (The Message).

Jesus was brilliant!

What an amazingly simple, yet powerfully effective prescription for creating harmony in the world! But it takes far more than the disposition of ordinary humans to do that.

We humans have far more inclination to destroy that to build and to sustain. Watching television is enough to convince us of that. How many TV programmes and movies and books and news stories are about destruction? And we thrive on them all! Watching or reading about everyday stuff is tame and boring. We like murder and war and bloodshed.

Jesus challenged His hearers, and He challenges us today. Try living this way for a  month and see what it does to your depression; your stress; even your anxieties and fears. How many of the issues you have with others will melt away? How much suspicion, mistrust, dislike, offenses will dissipate? How much peace will you experience in the place of inner turmoil?

Just imagine how far the ripples will go out from the pebble you drop in the pond! You have issues with your husband? Try doing for him what you are always nagging him to do for you. Your wife refuses to be your servant? Try lovingly serving her without expecting any reward. The outcome beggars imagination. Homes would be transformed from war zones to havens.

Jesus put His finger on the nerve centre of our problems — selfishness! What if we dethroned ourselves, just for a month, put Him back on the throne of our lives where He belongs, let God be the centre of the universe, not us, and practised these simple ways to create harmony, not chaos, around us? Jesus said our behaviour would be as visible as a candle in a dark room.

None of these things are difficult to do, but we have strong resistance from inside because they are foreign to our natural disposition. That is the reason why we need a supernatural solution to our problem of selfishness. It may take sheer grit and will power to do what we are not disposed to doing, but it will not last. We will soon be back to our old ways because every kind thought or act would be cutting across our real selves.

What Jesus was describing is “kingdom” living and He said that it takes a “birth” from above to understand and live the way God does. This kind of “power” makes no sense to the person who is used to living by the sword. Is that why the disciples switched off when Jesus spoke about His death? It made no sense to them then that the way to overcome the world system of power through force was to absorb the evil without retaliation until that power could do no more to Him.

Nothing about God’s kingdom make sense to the person who is still dark inside. The disposition of darkness only understands the power that pushes others around. Jesus was advocating a new kind of power, the power to subdue one’s own heart to the advantage of others. The power of love. What the world calls “power”, He called weakness. What He called “power”, the world called weakness, foolishness, but it turned out to be the most powerful event in the history of the world — the cross!

The cross changes things for the better like nothing else can. Force can change the world — for the worse. But the cross changes lives.

Has it changed yours?

BRAGGING ON GOD

Bible Study, ,

BRAGGING ON GOD

“Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done – by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Holy Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written, ‘Those who were not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.'” Romans 15:17-21.

What place is there for boasting in the work of God’s kingdom? Was it right for Paul to boast about his accomplishments?

First of all, let’s look as Paul’s motive. What was he trying to prove? Was he, like the little boy in the nursery rhyme, patting himself on the back and saying, “What a good boy am I?” It could be if we do not take into account what it cost Paul to do what he was doing. The list of hardships he suffered for the sake of the gospel was far more that most of us have ever had to go through, including beatings, shipwreck, imprisonment and persecution at the hands of his own people. What sane person would choose to endure these things unless he were committed to something or Someone much bigger than himself?

Secondly, was Paul taking the credit for what he had done? How could he when he was just a man? His was a partnership with the Holy Spirit where he did the preaching and the Holy Spirit confirmed His word with the power of signs and wonders. Had Paul preached anything other than the truth, he would have been on his own. It was God’s word that was confirmed to be the truth by the miracles that happened.

Strange, isn’t it that Luke said very little in his story about miracles! They were happening, but he did not major on them because they had their place in a much bigger story. The Book of Acts is not primarily about what the apostles accomplished but about a much bigger miracle, the church, beginning and growing in hostile soil and yet flourishing against all odds because it was the work of God, not a new religion started by man.

Thirdly, Paul’s ambition was about serving God, not himself. Oh yes, he had ambitions, but they were not self-seeking, self-exalting plans to make a name for himself. His ambition was to go where no one else had to gone to make Christ known where He was unknown. That meant that Paul had to take risks and travel to the farthest ends of the Roman Empire, but always in the will and under the supervision of the Holy Spirit.

The story of Acts reveals that he was not only ambitious but obedient. He went where the Spirit directed him. On the other hand, he didn’t sit around waiting for detailed marching orders. He made his plans and got on with the job. The Holy Spirit was there to redirect him when He wanted him to move in another direction.

So Paul could brag about his accomplishments with confidence because he was not bragging about himself as much as he was bragging on God. He could take no credit to himself for what had been accomplished. Without the Holy Spirit he was nothing but an empty shell, a mere human with no engine and no GPS.

One thing Luke’s story makes very clear. Paul and his fellow apostles were not in it for what they could get out of it. They had an assignment to complete regardless of the hazards they encountered along the way. It was not about how easy they could make it for themselves, but how faithfully they would carry out their commission until it was completed.

Paul’s words to his young partner, Timothy, at the end of his life are testimony to a job well done, words of confidence and assurance because he had fulfilled his side of the bargain.

“For I am ready to be poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6, 7.

Another boast? Yes, but a boast based on a life of faithfulness and obedience. What boast is there in saying, “I have done what I was told to do”? He did his duty; that was all. As for him, so for us. We shall receive our full reward if we have done our duty.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

IT’S A MYSTERY

Bible Study, ,

IT’S A MYSTERY

“What, then, shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’

It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.” Romans 9:14-18.

Now we get to the difficult part. We view God through our human eyes and think that He has no right to do with people whatever He chooses.

Does that mean that God deliberately creates some people to show off His glory by making them wicked and then sending them to hell? The Bible never insinuates that He ever does anything like that. This is the kind of thing a man-made god, capricious and unpredictable like its creator, would do!

We have to see the picture from God’s perspective. Since our forefather Adam decided to disregard God’s instruction and make his own rules, the entire human race has been in a state of rebellion against God, leaving Him no option but to allow the consequences of our rebellion take their course. To be true to His justice, He has to punish sin. His punishment comes in the form of death because death is the result of anything imperfect and corrupt.

God could have left it at that and allowed the entire human race to perish at its own hand. Instead, because of His mercy, He intervened by sending His Son to take the rap for us. Having removed the reason for our punishment, He invites whoever wants to, to receive His mercy and His gift of forgiveness, and get back on track to being restored to His image. With sin and punishment out of the way, those who entrust themselves to Him are in the process of being made holy; that is, being set free from sin to obey God for His purposes and for His glory.

So, where do our rights come into it? As guilty sinners, the only right we ever have is to God’s justice – and that means eternal separation from Him. He put His law into our hearts at conception. Everyone instinctively knows what is right and wrong; and that makes us doubly guilty before God – guilty because we know what is right and guilty because we because we refuse to submit to His authority and choose to do wrong.

How can we question God if He chooses to show mercy to those who respond to His invitation to return to Him, and to reject those who reject Him? Take the case of Pharaoh to which Paul refers. The Biblical record indicates that God gave Pharaoh ten opportunities to listen to His instruction, and release His people, but five times Pharaoh refused.

Every time he refused to obey God, his heart became harder towards Him. It was not God’s fault that Pharaoh would not acknowledge His authority. Pharaoh made his choice and God simply confirmed it by making it impossible to for him change his mind. So, whose fault was it that Egypt was destroyed? God’s fault? No! Pharaoh chose to ignore God’s warnings and take the consequences. And, in so doing, he inadvertently shone the light on God’s power and glory.

Does that mean that our destiny is in our own hands? Yes, in a sense it does, and yet, at the same time, in a way which is beyond our understanding, God miraculously intervenes and rescues us from our own stubborn rejection. Take Paul, for example. He would never have become the apostle he was, had Jesus not confronted him on the Damascus road. He needed that kind of shock treatment to wake him up to the truth.

That is the mercy of God! If left to our own devices, would we ever turn to Him? I don’t think so. Self-will is too deeply entrenched for us to let go easily. The miracle is that some people actually respond to God’s mercy, turn away from their sin and follow the way back to Him. They are the ones who fulfil His will, enjoy His goodness and will experience the fullness of eternal life.

It truly is a mystery – this sovereignty of God!

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.