Lesson 1 – God’s Power in People
…that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…-
Ephesians 1:18-19
Most people have no doubt that God has an immeasurable greatness of power. But few indeed have considered that such a vast amount of power has been make available to us who believe. Please take a moment and re-read the verse above. God’s power – a power so great that it is immeasurable – has been made available to anyone who will simply believe.
The passage goes on to say that this power is the same power that raised Christ from the dead (vs 20). The same enormous dead-raising power has now been placed on the inside of you – if you believe.
Wow! This is truly an amazing statement! But as incredible as this revelation is, it does beg a question. Why? Why does God put such a huge amount of power inside humans who believe?
Every human being on this earth has a purpose in the eyes of God. For those who do believe, God’s will is for us to be the body of Christ. Jesus may have departed to sit at the right hand of the Father, but Jesus still has a physical body here on the earth. Believers are the body of Christ. He is the head, and we are His hands and His feet and His mouthpiece on earth. We are to continue the work that He started while He was here. Even more so, Jesus said that we were to do “greater works than these” (John 14:12)
But wait! Jesus is of God. And we are not. We are human. How, then, are we to do the same – or even greater – work that Jesus did if we are not equipped for such a monumental job?
As humans, we are not equipped. But as Holy Spirit-filled believers, we have the immeasurable greatness of God’s power available to us. The Holy Spirit is quite capable of accomplishing all that Jesus did. After all, they are one. And didn’t Jesus pray that we would be one with Him as He is one with the Father? (John 17:11, John 17:22)
So, the Father has placed the Holy Spirit in us along with all that power so that we are equipped to go about the work of His Kingdom. And He did not place it in us and then ask us if we feel like using it. No, to the contrary, He wants you to tap into it. God expects you to tap in. God needs you to tap in. Because tapping into His power is the only way to be effective and functional in His Kingdom.
And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
I Corinthians 1:4-5
Paul made this statement. Paul’s life exemplifies this use of God’s power. Paul was not relying on human wisdom and cunning. He tapped in to God’s power and relied on it completely. By doing so, he was extremely effective doing the work of God in His kingdom.
In the 4th chapter of I Corinthians, Paul is addressing a group of people who had been sewing strife in the church. Paul makes this statement:
But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.
I Corinthians 4:19
Paul indicated that he could care less about the words these people were saying. Unless the power of God was manifesting to confirm the words, he was not impressed. Even more stunning is Paul’s statement immediately following:
For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
I Corinthians 4:20
Did you catch that? The Kingdom of God consist in His power! That is one of the most amazing verses in the entire Bible!
Look at the closing of the great commission as recorded in Mark 16:
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
Mark 16:20
The power flowing through believers is how God confirms His Word is being accurately spoken through believers. I have often called this to the attention of my audiences when teaching, because if God’s power does not manifest to confirm the word that I am speaking, no one sitting in that room needs to accept what I say. (“And I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.” I Corinthians 4:19)
In order to live a Kingdom purpose life pleasing to the Father, you must use God’s power – a power that His son suffered and died in order to place in your hands. It is no small deal. He paid a great price in order to empower you sufficiently to do the work at hand. It is time we learn how to tap into God’s power and use it for His glory!
Lesson 2 – God’s Power At Work
Lesson 3 – God’s Power Utilized
If you have not yet completed the “Understanding the Kingdom” series, please do not continue until you click here and begin it. “Understanding the Kingdom” series is a precursor and a foundational teaching that will help you to properly understand all writings contained in this publication.
Click here to begin the series “Understanding the Kingdom”
