Show Me the Power!

Hello everyone,

There has been so much controversy in the church concerning the manifest power of God being available to every born-again believer.  Which is really crazy, especially since the New Testament and history, have so much to say about it being a very real, and active part of the church throughout the years and today.   And yet Christians are still being taught that operating in the power of God is a privilege that ended when Jesus and the Apostles left the earth.  I want to tell you today that nothing could be more wrong; and the tragedy is that when we are not accurately taught the truth from God’s Word, we won’t believe and be open to receive and experience all that He has for us while we are on this earth.

The truth is: The manifest power of God is an essential part of the identity of our Christian faith.  It has everything to do with the nature we received at our salvation, when the Holy Spirit came to live inside us.  All the fulness and power of God resides in Him, and since our spirits are one with His, that power resides in us too!   Without it, it’s impossible for us to effectively spread the Gospel to a world that is searching for something more powerful than the bondages and addictions they cling to in order to numb their pain and disappointment in this world. It’s the manifest power of God in the believer that gives us the confidence to act in our authority over the devil and cast out demons that are oppressing people, keeping them in spiritual chains of defeat. It’s the manifest power of God that allows us to pray for the sick and see them healed. In fact, one moment surrendered to that power of God will completely transform a life forever. But where is that power today? Is it really no longer available to, or evident in, the believers of Jesus Christ? 

The truth is undeniable; the power of God is as much alive and evident today as when the Holy Spirit was released to enter the lives of the believers on the day of Pentecost. It has never ceased to burn like a holy fire in hearts and lives; spreading like wild fire, setting people alight with power and passion; leaving a trail of visible manifestations of miracles, healings, deliverances and a fervent passion for souls – across the globe! Signs, wonders and miracles are not a thing of the ancient past; they are administrated through the empowered body of Christ, right here, right now!  This is something I have personally seen, experienced and operated in, so quite frankly, it’s too late to even try convince me otherwise.  

I have no doubt in my mind that every born-again believer desires to experience the tangible presence and power of God in their lives. Isn’t that the very thing that makes our faith so alive and vital in this world? There is nothing that compares to experiencing the Spirit of God dominating our lives; and when He does, it’s never insignificant, quiet, or without some kind of visible manifestation. When the supernatural presence of God influences our natural lives, it is evident not only to us but to others around us too!

According to the Word of God this manifestation of the power of God is available to every believer! All we need to do is be knowledgeable about it, so we can believe it, make ourselves open to it, and receive it! Now the Apostle Paul has quite a bit to say about the manifest power of God that should be operating in every believer. In 1 Corinthians 1:4 he speaks about the grace of God being poured out, or bestowed on us, in Christ Jesus. He was, at the time, addressing the Corinthian church, explaining how grateful he was to see how they had embraced the teaching of the truth of God’s grace, believed in it, opened their lives to it and experienced it in their lives. Then in the very next verse, he spoke of the visible results that grace had on their lives. He said, “...in every respect you were enriched, in full power and readiness of speech [to speak of your faith] and complete knowledge and illumination [to give you full insight into its meaning].”  

The Corinthian church was enriched with full power to be ready and equipped to testify and spread the Good News of the Gospel more effectively and efficiently than they could on their own, by the grace of God.

Now it’s very important for us to understand what Paul meant when he used the word grace here. In the Greek, it’s translated charis. Now here’s an interesting fact: that word charis is an original pagan term, depicting someone being touched by the gods, and receiving a visible manifestation of this supernatural empowerment. I recently listened to a teaching series by a Greek scholar, Rick Renner, on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He shared some pretty amazing facts on this rather remarkable topic.  You may want to check it out for yourself.

Now, when Paul said the charis of God is poured out and bestowed on the believer, he is explaining it as the manifest presence of God, touching our lives in a significant way, to empower and equip and transform us, to do what naturally and normally we could not do on our own. When we open our lives to the charis of God, it changes everything about us. It allows God’s Word to become alive to us, and in doing so, it transforms the way we think.  You know where that leads don’t you - how you think affects how you speak and how you behave. The charis grace of God empowers us to have victory over sin; it gives us a great boldness to witness; and it causes the manifestation of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit to operate in and through us as we cooperate with the Him.  As I mentioned before, when the supernatural presence of God influences our natural lives it’s never insignificant, quiet, or without some kind of visible manifestation.

Whenever God’s charis power is embraced by a believer and at work in our lives, it enables us to do things that are outside of our natural abilities. We read about this same grace being active in believers throughout the New Testament. On every account, the result of its work was both tangible and visible.

Paul spoke of how the charis grace of God marvellously transformed his life and made him to be the man he was; a very powerful, effective vessel for Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:10; 3:10; Ephesians 3:7).  He said it was the grace of God that empowered his work to be fruitful and effective.  It empowered him to be a master builder in the things of God, and it enabled him to minister the gospel in great power. 

1 Peter 4:10 teaches us that this charis grace of God is many-sided, or multi-faceted.  It has many different expressions and manifestations. This grace for spiritual gifts is a divine endowment, a part of our spiritual inheritance for every born-again believer. We are instructed to put it to work in our lives to benefit others, as good trustees of this marvellous gift! “As each of you has received a gift (a particular spiritual talent, a gracious divine endowment), employ it for one another as [befits] good trustees of God’s many-sided grace [faithful stewards of the extremely diverse powers and gifts granted to Christians by unmerited favour].”

In 2 Corinthians 9:8, Paul tells us that God’s charis grace is able to abound and overflow in our lives making us super-efficient to do the work of God. According to James 4:6, the only prerequisite is that we humble ourselves to put away our own preconceived ideas, believe what His Word says, and be open to receive and experience it.  It says, “...He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).”  

God’s manifest power is alive, active and available to every born-again believer today! It’s a power that touches our lives in a most significant way.   It transforms and equips us, and cause us to operate in the Spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, with great power, as we cooperate with Him.

If you want to see the manifest power of God at work in and through you, then educate yourself by meditating on what His Word says about it, then ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh infilling of His power and trust Him to lead and guide you in flowing in that power each day! Remember, the power is wrapped up in the Person of the Holy Spirit, Who lives inside you, so reach out in faith, believe, and receive a fresh surge of that power today.

Love,

Jen