As we continue to study the Gospel of Luke, we’re now starting chapter 9 today. Some of the same issues are talked about here.
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 preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:1-2
In my last post I talked about how Christ ministered on a different level than the Pharisees. The power of God flowed out of Him. As in the case of the woman with the issue of blood, it was even without the Lord’s knowledge at times.
Now that’s a definite problem for us in modern day Christianity. We want control. We want to be able to turn it on and off. We want people to know who the power came from.
It seems to me that God wants us to be a hose, and we want to be a faucet. This brings my mind back to a post I wrote a few years ago. It was about II Timothy 3:5.
This was the verse in which Paul warned us that in the last days there would be those who had a form of godliness but denied the power. If you remember, the Greek word for deny was a-rheo – not flowing.
So many people want to control instead of flow. We cannot have that kind of attitude and be greatly used by God. We must see ourselves as a channel of the Lord’s power, and not a container.
That brings us to the verse we’re looking at in Luke today. Jesus called His disciples to Himself. Then, as they were all together, He gave them the power and authority they needed to do the same things that the Lord Himself was doing.
This is the next logical step in this line of thinking. Because the power of God flows, it can be given and received. Jesus was able to give the disciples power because it flowed through Him. This is good news for us also, because we have the same Holy Spirit living in us that Jesus had within Him.
“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.”
Acts 1:8
What a great verse! Power is given by the Holy Spirit and we can receive it. This seems a little too simple for our liking. We try to make it so complicated. So we have come up with all kinds of laws, disciplines, steps, and rituals that we say are necessary in order to walk in this power.
We have placed tithing, confession, and a whole host of other requirements in people’s path. But the truth of the matter is that I must abide in Christ. Then the power will flow through the Holy Spirit to me if I’m in a position to receive it. It’s actually all about positioning ourselves correctly. That’s what a majority of my blog is about.
I’m trying to get the church to reposition itself for revival. That’s where we need to be. In a position to receive the power of the Holy Spirit the same way that Christ did. Then, the world will see the difference and be drawn to the Lord. After all, it’s all about Him, not us.
That’s why I like the way the Lord positioned His disciples. He didn’t just give them power and authority, and then release them. He gave them a mandate. They were to preach the kingdom of God.
It wasn’t all about the power. The message was the most important part. The healings and miracles were simply the signs pointing to the truth of the message.
That’s a lesson we need to learn. We can’t just seek the power of God simply to satisfy our need to feel important. There’s a higher purpose that needs to be fulfilled.
As believers, the power of God is available to us all. Spending time in the spirit changes us to become more like Christ. That’s how we position ourselves to receive it. Then the world will be drawn to the message of hope through Jesus Christ.
Question: How would our church look different if we ministered like Jesus?
© 2022 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 