North Americans are nearly talked to death! If this generation is to be reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it will have to be a Gospel confirmed by the supernatural power of God.
Psalm 68:34-35closePsalm 68:34-35
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary;
the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God! (ESV)
Proclaim the power of God… [35] the God of Israel gives power and
strength to his people.
•• That’s my desire today: to proclaim the supernatural power of God!
• Most of Jerusalem rejected and killed Jesus.
• Then came Pentecost! and 3,000 from among many of those same people in
Jerusalem were saved!
• Then the cripple was healed and thousands more were saved!
•• Christians, don’t ever stop proclaiming the supernatural power of God.
• …and the fact that He gives power to His people.
• The great soulwinner Paul understood this.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5close1 Corinthians 2:4-5
4 And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (ESV)
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive
words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, [5] so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
•• The Contemporary Christianity has too many “wise and persuasive words” and not enough “demonstration of the Spirit’s power”.
• Pulpits in thousands of mainline churches are filled with pastors with Ph.D.’s and
Th.D.’s, but no supernatural power or anointing!
• Entire denominations are shriveling up — they have conventions, conferences, great
speeches, nice coffee hours and socials … but no power of God!
• Therefore, the people’s faith rests not on the supernatural power of God, but on the
eloquence of the preacher. And that is a tragedy, leaving many souls outside of God’s
saving grace.
1 Corinthians 4:20close1 Corinthians 4:20 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. (ESV) …the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
•• Our generation are talked to death! They need to see God’s power!
• They need to see divine healings, at the Temple gate.
• They need to hear a true “Thus says the Lord”.
• They need to experience God’s supernatural power, as the first church did at
Pentecost.
•• In our days we are saturated with talk radio, TV talk shows, and church pulpits full of
empty talk.
• “The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power.”
1 Thessalonians 1:5close1 Thessalonians 1:5
5 Because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (ESV)
…our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with
power…
•• My wife’s paralyzed legs were stretched out instantaneously by God’s healing power.
•• I have seen medically diagnosed infertility been healed.
•• I saw a lady diagnosed with AIDS been healed.
•• My wife and I saw our kids been healed throughout the years
** I was healed a couple times from stomach ulcers
** Pastor Jason and I saw a young girl being resurrected from death in Angola
•• My faith stands in a gospel that came forth with God’s holy Word, but also with the
manifested power of the Holy Ghost! I have seen it.
• That’s the New Testament pattern — HEAR and SEE the Gospel. Hear God’s Word
and see it confirmed with supernatural power.
Acts 10:38closeActs 10:38
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (ESV)
…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and
how [only AFTER that ANOINTING with supernatural POWER!] he went around doing
good and healing all who were under the power of the devil…
•• Prior to the Holy Spirit anointing, Jesus performed no miracles! His very first miracle was subsequent to the anointing, at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:11closeJohn 2:11 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (ESV) ).
• After the anointing, Jesus performed numerous healings, He did miracles, He walked
on water, multiplied the loaves and fish, and much more.
• And these supernatural signs of power caused many of His listeners to take heed to
the things that He said.
•• In obedience to the Great Commission, the disciples “went forth and preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs
following” (Mark 16:20closeMark 16:20
20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]. . . . (ESV)
).
• We cannot improve on the pattern established by Jesus — God’s Word confirmed with
God’s power!
1 Samuel 10:10-11close1 Samuel 10:10-11
10 When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” (ESV)
…the Spirit of God came upon [Saul] in power, and he joined in their
prophesying. [11] … they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son
of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
•• Saul was timid, shy. The Holy Spirit came on him, and he began to prophesy.
• People said, “What’s happened to Saul?!!”
• It is the supernatural power of God manifested in timid, weak human beings that
captures people’s attention.
• Pray for His Spirit to fall on YOU in power. Remember Elisha and his request for a
“double portion” of the Spirit that was upon Elijah (2 Kings 2:9close2 Kings 2:9
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” (ESV)
).
2 Chronicles 25:7-8close2 Chronicles 25:7-8
7 But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites. 8 But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down.” (ESV)
…“O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the
LORD is not with Israel… [8] Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”
•• To his credit, King Amaziah of Judah listened to the word from God and sent the hired Israelite troops home.
• Don’t count on the arm of flesh … the strength of numbers … seeking strength through natural means.
• Stop depending on what man can do.
• Instead, confess and depend on the fact that “God has the power to help…”
Psalm 68:28closePsalm 68:28
28 Summon your power, O God,
the power, O God, by which you have worked for us. (ESV)
Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.
•• Let that be your prayer every day:
• “Summon your power, O God.”
• “Show us your strength, O God.”
• “Pour out your power today, as you have done before.”
• “Enable us to reach the multitudes, and let their faith stand not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
