Spiritual Power Tune-Up

And they went forth, and preached everywhere, 

the Lord working with them, and 

confirming the Word with signs following.

Mark 16:20

Spiritual power is not something we work up through emotion. We do not produce it just with Scriptural learning. Even knowledge of Biblical power principles does not guarantee receiving spiritual power.

Spiritual power flows from its source. Jesus is compared to a vine. We are spiritual branches. We cannot produce power in our self.  Jesus is the life flow from which the power comes.  His power has to flow through us:

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.            John 15:5

The bible is the reference manual we adhere to and it lets us know the Biblical guidelines for experiencing the enduement of power:

®     RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST:

But ye shall receive power, AFTER that the Holy Ghost is come upon you  Acts 1:8

®     FAST AND PRAY:

Come before God and humble yourself through fasting and prayer. God has promised to hear when we come before Him in this attitude:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven. . .   2 Chronicles 7:14

Do not pursue power itself. Through prayer and fasting, prepare yourself as a channel through which God's power can flow.

®     EXERCISE FAITH:

By faith, accept His promise of power:

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.   Luke 10:19

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

You accepted salvation by faith. Now accept the power of God by faith. Why is it so easy to accept salvation by faith and so difficult to trust God for miraculous demonstrations of His power like healing and casting out demons?

®     APPLY BIBLICAL POWER PRINCIPLES:

By faith, begin to apply Biblical power principles; these include:

¨     The power of the Gospel: 

Your life must first be changed through the power of the Gospel. Repentance is the basis of true spiritual power.

¨     The power of the Holy Spirit: 

You receive power AFTER that the Holy Spirit is come upon you.

¨     The power of love: 

Any spiritual gift, any manifestation of power is ineffective without it.

¨     The anointing of power: 

It is the anointing that will break the yoke. You cannot do it in your own strength and power.

¨     Power, faith, and works: 

These are inseparable. They must function together in your life and ministry.

¨     The name of Jesus: 

You come in His authority. It is power through HIS name.

¨     The power of prayer: 

Prayer and fasting result in spiritual power.

¨     The power of the Word: 

Speak His words, not yours. His Word will not return void. It will accomplish the purpose for which it is sent forth.

¨     The power of authority: 

Remain under authority so you can function in authority.

¨     The power of His resurrection: 

Experience it now in your mortal body.

¨     The power of suffering: 

You have power IN adversity as well as OVER adversity. Greater pressure results in greater power. Turn ordeals into opportunities for the manifestation of God's glory.

Spiritual power must be experienced individually by believers but it is not to function independently of the Body of Christ. It is God's plan that the Church [body of Christ] experience spiritual power corporately. The Church building is where we come together collectively, where we invite the lost because it is to be the center for the demonstration of His power.

One day Jesus went into the temple in Jerusalem and found the leaders selling oxen, sheep, and doves. They had actually made a prosperous business out of people’s need for sacrificial animals. They were using the church as the center for this merchandising.  Jesus made a small whip of cords and drove these people out of the temple. He poured out the money and overthrew the tables. He said. . .

. . . It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.  Luke 19:46

In many instances today the Church building has become a social center, a place for recreation and fellowship. It has become a center of food distribution and entertainment.

Some of these activities may have their place, but it is not God's true purpose for the Church. The Church can even become a center of prayer and Bible study and still miss God's purpose if human needs remain unmet right outside its door.

The temple Jesus cleansed had become a center of trading and merchandise. But Jesus explained the true purpose of the Church in a parable in Luke 14:16-24. In this parable, the master of the house told his servants:.

. . . Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt and the blind. . . .   

Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.   Luke 14:21,23

The Church is to be filled with multitudes having deep human need. Believers are to go into all levels of society and compel them to come in. The Church is to be populated with believers who have spiritual power. This creates the corporate environment where God can manifest Himself. The lame will be healed, the blind see, the deaf hear, and the power of the Gospel will change lives.

Our lifestyle today may not include the use of the church building but never forget that individually we are the church and collectively, we are the body of christ and we still employ all the tools and strategy given us by God. 

In the account of the lame man who sat at the temple gate in Jerusalem (Acts 3),  religious services were going on inside the temple. There were beautiful ceremonies, expressive prayers, lovely singing--yet unnoticed and with his needs unmet, just outside the door sat the poor crippled man. Finally two men, believers in God who had experienced the enduement of spiritual power, passed his way. Peter said to him, 

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.  And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.  Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.  Acts 3:4-6

Immediately, his feet and ankles received strength and he was healed by the power of God. A needy world is looking on us. Suffering humanity is turning their eyes to the Church of Jesus Christ. We must have something to give.

Your spiritual power will be increased by proper application as you operate in and through the name of Jesus.  In the parable told by Jesus in Luke 19:12-26, note that the servants who used and increased the money given them received more money. The one who had done nothing with the money he received lost it. The "Law of Use And Increase" is just that: 

Use what you are given, and it will increase. You either must use it or lose it.

God gives you spiritual power for the purpose of serving, not reigning 

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.   Matthew 20:25-28 

When you use spiritual power properly, that flow of God's power will increase within you. You will see even greater manifestations of His power in your life and ministry. 

(Biblical Studies)

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02/23/21