Acts 1:8 But 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."
What is the "dunamis" power of God? It is a spiritual power to
overcome the forces of darkness, the principalities that hold the
captives. We can't release the captives if there is no power and
annointing to break the yoke, the bondage of the principalities who
ruled each town, area, and people. When the apostles received power on
high, it is the power of the Holy Spirit and the annointing to overcome and to go out the
preach the Gospel effectively. Miracles are a manifestation of the
supernatural victory that has already been won in the heavenlies.
If we were really honest, we need the power to
break into the new harvest field and ministries, yet we often lack this
power committed as we are. We soon rationalise it was a necessity for
the early church but not for today. The gifts and miracles are over we
exclaimed even though the power of God is needed then and today. The
need for the power of God, of revival, and for miracles to accompany the Gospel message
has never been more pertinent especially for a stagnant church seeking
a breakthrough.
The harvest field is much bigger today than it was
yesterday. We need the power and annointing to reap the Harvest field and
not only of miracles, but for a spiritual breakthrough for revival. The church itself needs a revival from within for
we often no longer
worships Jesus but man made gods subtly it seems. We seldom war
agressively against the powers
of darkness but instead ignore their reality as myths and superstitions.
When Jesus healed the blind man, we debated
whether it was the sins of the fathers that caused his
blindness. This question remains pertinent today, for we carry the sins of
the church Fathers. We are part of the universal church.
The harm caused throughout the last two thousand years of her existence is still with us.
When they railed against gays from the pulpit and caused deaths, the
blood calls out for justice. The work of God and the move of the Holy
Spirit is hindered by our unrighteousness.
We have
an institutional church that often no longer believes in the
physical resurrection of Christ, nor of Jesus death being the way, the
life, and the truth to God. We put the priests, the Saints before Jesus.
Evil is within and Satan doesn't exist we proclaim.
The more conservative
are no different, using the religious laws to
persecute the weakest in the community (eg gays). We have become modern
religious pharisees living by the letter of the
religious law but not having its spirit nor power. We worship ourselves,
we seek to perpetuate power and wealth.
Hence, we often lack power for we have quenched the Holy Spirit of God
by our heritage, words, deeds, and tradition. We pray that the Holy
Spirit will do our bidding, yet He often kept silent.
We have often taken the Spirit of God for granted, for we say He is
always there. The manifestation of the power of God starts with the
communion with the Holy Spirit for Jesus did not leave us empty handed
for the ministry. We abide by the Holy Spirit and not Him abiding by our
ways.
By God's grace, the Holy Spirit of God still moves mightily in the hearts of
people and to do battle in the spiritual realm when we call on Him in
humility and meekness when we fall on our knees to pray and seek God.
Hence, we see the revival happening in Asia and Africa. It is important
to tap into the mighty move of God.
Acts 4:7, "They had Peter and John
brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what
name did you do this?""
I was in conversation with friends
who were questioning how others could call
themselves Pastors even though they did not have a Masters of
Divinity. I smiled for I remembered Peter and John. A Masters
degree in divinity doesn't make one a Pastor although proper
qualifications for any job is important. Yet, theology is no precise
science like Engineering, and how we do religion and faith varies
greatly if we had graduated from Oral Roberts University (ORU) versus
a liberal Episcopal College.
We in the Pentecostal tradition have often taken
the call and the annointing of power as equally important. The
Charismatic movement have her "less than educated" women heroes in the
likes of Kathryn Kuhlman and Amiee Semple McPherson. In Singapore, the mega
church pastors Kong Hee and Joseph Prince did not have their Masters
of Divinity before starting the largest mega churches in Singapore. They had power, the
power and annointing of the Holy Spirit.
The Pharisees who were so angst against Peter and John
for healing the man on Sabath, because they were not even certified
religious leaders. They had no "masters of divinity". They were unknown, sheep like followers of Jesus
whose occupation were fisherman. They had no qualifications and Peter
was known to have betrayed Jesus. Yet, would any qualification have
helped? For the Pharisees and Saducees learned in the Book couldn't do
any miracles let alone raising the dead.
Peter and John were clearly guilty of working on a Sabath, if
indeed the work of God was considered sin but yet they couldn't convict
Peter and John for it would have created a public uproar for the healing
was seen by all. Everyone knew the lame man being healed, so denying
the testimony was useless.
The Jewish religious leaders had gotten rid of
Jesus, and now wanted to know on what authority they had to heal the
man. The apostles (other than Paul) were not learned religious scribes, so how could they have
found the power, the sacred teachings and sayings to invoke the power of
God. Yet, a proper educated religious intellect is important. Whilst Peter and John set the scene, the
intellectual powerhouse of Paul was required to frame the theological
understanding of the Cross of Calvary and God's grace beyond the
incumbent Jewish religious faith.
Healings are rare, then and today. But the power
of God remains then and today. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and
tommorow, and the Holy Spirit no different. And so it was a shock to the
Pharisees to see the healing miracle, the power that gave credibility to
the Gospel message. And in the answer that would have perplexed the
Pharisees, Peter and John then declared:-
Acts 4:10 "then know this, you and all the people
of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you
crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before
you healed."
They couldn't persecute Peter and John on this
account, for surely they already crucified Jesus and so couldn't call a
dead man to the stand. It also troubled them that Jesus was not really
dead but truly alive in the disciples.
How is Christ alive in each one of us through the
Holy Spirit of God?
I remember entering the prayer room of CHC in their
office some 15 years ago at Selegie Singapore. It was said that on this
hallowed grounds of unceasing prayers and fasting did the power for
revival came and the church expanded rapidly. How do we have the same power to bring revival?
a) Be Harvest centered - The first disciples went around preaching the Gospel
message of the resurrected Christ and His message of salvation. They
didn't go around preaching the shema Yisrael alone - loving God, loving others as we love
ourselves. They preached Jesus,
His death and resurrection and the need for faith and repentance. When
we preach Christ, the Holy Spirits fills and annoints us.
b) Be harmless as Lambs - The
disciples didn't go around antagonising the Pharisees. They were not
against the Pharisees or the Romans. They were not anti-Jewish faith and
many still go to the synagogues and remained part of the Jewish
Community. He didn't go head-on
with the religious leaders or the Romans authorities in the city. Jesus
roamed the desert for He knew that change is not outward but inward,
within our hearts. If we were desperate enough for the move of God, we
would have gone from the cities into the desert to seek Him.
c) Be Holy Spirit centered - What made the disciples so bold? they had the Holy
Spirit in them. We take the Holy Spirit often for granted. He is
everywhere we declare, even when we eat, drink and be merry. Yet, the
Holy Spirit is not often in us to fill our spiritual tanks full. From the time of Moses,
the Spirit of God had left mankind and is easily quenched. He is like a
wind that comes and goes. It takes a decision to follow the Spirit of
God. When Peter and John healed the lame man, it was not their own
power, for the Holy Spirit was already there and led them to the
healing. He only picked one person at the beautiful gate to be healed
when there were others who were lame and blind.
d) Be Jesus Christ centered It is
the nature of the Holy Spirit to exalt Jesus, His name and His ministry.
When we continue to the ministry of Christ, and proclaim, "In His name",
we invoke the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit proclaimes and exalts Jesus, and
when He is exalted high above the heavens, above our wordly structures,
power and wealth. The Holy Spirit will honor the name of Jesus with His power
and annointing to break the yoke and the hardened ground of our
ministries to the lost, the wounded and the hurting.
e) Be mindful of the causing harm In the 21st century, we still put gays in the
closet and throw the keys away. When we sin in the name of Christ, we
grieve the Holy Spirit. When we cause harm, God is grieved and no longer
the Holy Spirit with us in power. For surely, God will not sanctify our
actions.
f) Step out by Faith We stand up
by faith to proclaim the Gospel message of Salvation in Christ beyond
the progressive mandate for social justice. Peter and John were
willing to move by the Holy Spirit. Are willing to step out in faith to
come of the closet as a church! The term "Christians" was
first used at Antioch when they begin to mobilise for evangelism to the
Gentiles. They had to step out into the unknown for it was hard ground
filled with spiritual forces stopping the move of god for each town had
their own gods and the people of faith worshipping it. They needed the
power of God to breakdown the spiritual strongholds.
We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit again in
our ministries for we need the Holy Spirit like never before. It
is the Holy Spirit that we need to welcome into our churches. Just
like the first century christians, the ministry to the GLBT is on hard
ground due to the strong anti-gay crusade by the church resulting in a
high barrier.
We need to have power to conduct spiritual warfare against the Spirit of
darkness holding the GLBT community in their captive. Being gay or straight is not the issue, but whether we are of Christ.
When the Holy Spirit is working, we need to do very
little to strive nor to work. We are to go with the flow and move where
the Spirit of God leads us. It is not by our works, it is not by our
strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. We are to rest for Jesus said, the
work is completed. It is when we take the step of faith to move in the
power of the Holy Spirit that miracles happen in our lives, our ministry
and in the extension of the Kingdom of God.
Come Holy Spirit, like a mighty wind
1. Come as a wisdom to children, Come as new sight
to the blind, Come, Lord, as strength to my weakness, Take me:soul, body
and mind.
Refrain: Come, Holy Spirit, I need You, Come, sweet
Spirit, I pray; Come in Your strength and Your power, Come in Your own
gentle way.
2. Come as a rest to the weary, Come as a balm for
the sore, Come as a dew to my dryness: Fill me with joy evermore.
Refrain:
3. Come like a spring in the desert, Come to the
withered of soul; O let Your sweet healing power Touch me and make me
whole.