This is That  – – – What?

This is That . . . . Power!

The dictionary describes “power” as the “ability to do or act; the capability of doing or accomplishing something.  The world needs power. When you walk into a darkened room and light a candle or turn on a switch, light has the power to overcome the darkness.  An airplane flying in the air has the power to overcome the forces of gravity.  A small seed planted in the ground has the power to break through the crusty earth and grow.  If your heart is pumping blood through your body, you have power over death.  We all need power.

POWERFULLY GOOD OR POWERFULLY BAD

Power can produce good or bad results. For example, a few drops of rain on a hot summer day can give a cooling effect but, when multiplied by millions, they have the power to produce a raging flood.  In another example: the atom is so small it cannot be seen and is thought to be harmless, yet it can be made into a bomb so powerful that it can destroy whole cities, or it can be used to produce electricity to light those same cities.  Yes, we need power in our lives but one that will do good and not evil.

THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The power of the Holy Spirit, when used, is the most important use of good power ever known to man yet, it is seldom used today. The reason is that teachings, customs, rituals, and programs of various denominations have persuaded people to believe that although necessary to evangelize in the early days of the church, those days have passed away and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are no longer necessary.  But that’s not true.   Are we not still evangelizing and starting churches all over the world?  Of course!  And just as the flame of a candle will overcome darkness and bring light to the natural world, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to shed light on the spiritual world as well.  Perhaps you are unaware of this great power.  It begins with salvation.

SALVATION – A GIFT YOU CHOOSE TO RECEIVE

You see, 2000 years ago Jesus Christ came to earth and willingly died for your sins so you could go to Heaven. He died but He didn’t stay dead. Because of God’s supernatural power to raise Him from the dead, Jesus walked away from the tomb He was buried in and went to Heaven where He now sits at the Right Hand of His Father, God. Before He left earth to go to Heaven, Jesus promised His followers that He would not leave them to fight their battles alone. He said He would send Someone back as their Helper and Comforter in times of need.  His Name is the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the Power that Christians need today to overcome forces that would prevent others from hearing the salvation message of Jesus Christ.

The Bible foretold the day when the Holy Spirit would come to earth to empower the followers of Jesus. About 800 years before Jesus was born, God spoke through His prophet, Joel (Joel 2:28-29) and said, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your rung men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:

800 YEARS LATER

Fifty days after Jesus was nailed to a Cross, His followers were gathered in a room praying and waiting for the Holy Spirit to come, as promised by Jesus before returning to Heaven. Suddenly a sound from Heaven was heard like a mighty rushing wind. The sound filled the house where the followers were gathered. Small flames of fire appeared over the heads of each person, including Mary, the mother of Jesus. The flames were evidence of the Power of God. At the same time, the fire appeared they were filled with the Holy Spirit and all began to speak in different languages.

THIS IS THAT

Outside in the street, travelers from various nations were passing by and they heard the followers of Jesus speaking in languages from their own countries and they spoke them with great boldness and authority. At first, they laughed, believing the followers had drunk too much wine but one of the followers named Peter, boldly stepped forward and called out to them that they were not drunk with wine as they supposed and went on to say, “But THIS IS THAT which was spoken by Joel . . . . . . ” and he repeated the words of Joel concerning this power which had descended from Heaven, ending with, ” . . .  and it shall come to pass that WHOSOEVER shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

3000 “WHOSOEVERS”

Three thousand people believed Peter that day and they all accepted the fact that Jesus died for their sins. They were baptized (immersed) in water, as an outward sign that they were “dying’ to their old sinful nature and putting on the nature of Jesus Christ, the nature of love and forgiveness. (Acts 2:1-42).

ARE YOU A “WHOSOEVER”?

If you would like this love and forgiveness for the sins of your past life and want salvation, just ask God to forgive you by saying this prayer “Father God, I am sorry for the sins of my past life. Please forgive me. I believe Jesus is Your Son and that He died for my sins.  I believe He rose from the grave.  Help me Jesus.  Come into my heart and help me to live an abundant life just as You would have me live it. Amen.”

Now your past sins are just that . . . “passed away” and God remembers them no more.  Jesus has taken care of all the details, there is nothing more you or anyone else can do to add to it.  You are beginning a new life.   It is just as if you have been born all over again and, you have been. This time your new birth has come from Heaven by giving you a new spirit.  You can start life afresh but this time you have Jesus to help, guide, walk besides, and sometimes even carry you.

You will want to tell others about Jesus, His love, and forgiveness. You have the presence of the Holy Spirit living inside you, but you also need the POWER of the Holy Spirit, just as Peter and the others did that day so long ago. Nothing has changed since that day. The salvation message of Jesus must still be proclaimed throughout the world and there are still evil forces in the world to prevent it from being done.  So, now you need the ‘baptism” in the Holy Spirit to give you the boldness, power, and authority you will need to overcome those evil forces. Ask for it now.  If you have said the above prayer and asked forgiveness of your sins, then you can also ask the Holy Spirit to fill you to His “overflowing” with power and authority over evil.

ANOTHER FREE GIFT FROM GOD

Say this prayer, “Jesus, please baptize me in Your Holy Spirit to give me boldness, power, and authority over the Devil and evil forces in this world.  I ask for it and I receive it just as I receive salvation, by faith in You and Your Word. Thank you. Amen”

CONGRATULATIONS!

That’s all. You have salvation through Jesus and now you have the power through the Holy Spirit and the authority over evil when you pray in the Name of Jesus.

A NEW PRAYER LANGUAGE!

Now, just stop whatever you are doing, get alone somewhere, and begin to thank God for His salvation through His Son, Jesus. You may begin to speak a language you don’t understand but don’t be afraid.  The Holy Spirit will never force you to speak in this new language because you accept, and speak it, by faith.

This new language may be used to speak directly to God in prayers that only He understands.

Go in the power of the Holy Spirit and tell others about salvation through Jesus. Don’t let anyone try to tell you that it isn’t for today.  If salvation is for us today then the same power that was needed in Peter’s day to proclaim the salvation message is needed even more now.  So, go and tell about salvation with boldness, authority, and with power!