Tag Archive for power at Zeal For Truth

Tag Archive for 'power'

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Part IV)

Published by Chris A July 1, 2008 in Religion. 2 Comments

There are many benefits of the Holy Spirit afforded to those who are believers in Jesus Christ. However, the failure of many in receiving of these benefits has to do with ignorance of receiving the Spirit’s power. In fact, I dare say most Christians examine the power of God through a historical lens looking back to biblical times. Although most Christians acknowledge the miracles the early church experienced in the book of Acts, there is a disconnection in there minds between then and now.

This kind of thinking fosters within people an attitude of skepticism toward any claim of the miraculous. Those who display this attitude plainly show their lack of experience with the power of the living Christ. Some seem to think that the power experienced by the early church has to do with their extreme persecution. While there may be truth in the reasoning that opposition causes people to draw nearer to God and him to them, it is not correct to say that the totality of God’s power through the Holy Spirit cannot be accessed without opposition. There are some Christians who attribute the great power of the early church to the apostles. This too is erroneous and unscriptural.

The Voice of the One Crying in the Wilderness
Most of us understand that John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ earthly ministry. What has received less attention, or at least has not been fully understood, was one key thing John said about Jesus’ ministry.

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (John 3:11).

This ministry of baptizing with, or more literally, in the Holy Spirit has been misunderstood for centuries. Nevertheless it is a key part of the ministry of Jesus Christ and should be experienced by all believers. This baptism is the experience of being endowed with the same power Jesus was endowed with. Jesus’ own water baptism experience demonstrates what John meant by being baptized in the Holy Spirit. This experience is recorded in Luke 3.

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Here we see that following Jesus’ water baptism he was empowered by the Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, the book of Acts records similar instances in which the Holy Spirit descended on believers much the same way.

Then You Shall be Witnesses
Jesus did not baptize anyone in the Holy Spirit as part of his earthly ministry; rather this aspect of his ministry began to take place after his ascension to the right hand of the Father. Jesus alluded to this before ascended, as recorded in Acts 1.

4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But 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.”

Notice that Jesus said in verse 5 Jesus said they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit “in a few days.” This, of course, coincided with his instruction to remain in Jerusalem. The fulfilment of what Jesus said would happen took place after Jesus had ascended, for we read in verse 9, “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”

We should realize that Jesus predicated their being witnesses upon their being empowered by the Spirit, the implication being that they would not have been equipped to be effective witnesses prior to their receiving the power they were instructed to wait for. Notice also that verse 4 makes clear the fact that this was a command. This is particularly important in light of the fact that it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the unbeliever of their sin in order to reveal to them the grace of God through Jesus Christ. It only stands to reason that those who would be witnesses of Jesus be empowered by the Spirit whose function it is to draw men to the Father.

The Day of Pentecost
Jesus baptized the early believers in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost following his ascension.

1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesas the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:1-4).

What happened subsequent to this experience? Peter preached the Gospel and 3,000 people repented and professed Jesus Christ. This was made possible because he was empowered by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit worked in conjunction with the message preached by convicting the hearers of their sin. Notice the response of his audience after hearing the Gospel.

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ (Acts 2:37)

Notice the phrase, “They were cut to the heart.” This is evidence of the Spirit’s work.

Bibilical Bodily Healing VI: Christ, the Anointed One

Published by Chris A March 11, 2008 in Religion. 1 Comment

The Anointing
Jesus Christ is uniquely totally God and totally man. He is not a mutant, but is the totality of divinity and humanity in one person. He demonstrated the love of God for humanity by reconciling man back to God. This reconciliation culminated with Christ redeeming mankind by offering his own body as a ransom.

However, prior to his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension - he manifested the Spirit of reconciliation by healing the sick and forgiving sin. It would behoove us to examine how Jesus was able to heal the sick. Many have assumed that Jesus was able to heal simply because he was the Son of God. However, the Bible does not support this position. In fact, Jesus made quite clear what enabled him to heal when he quoted Isaiah 61 in the fourth chapter of Luke.

14And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 22And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

Jesus said he was able to heal the brokenhearted and open the eyes of the blind because he was anointed with the Spirit of God. Even the power of Jesus’ preaching should be attributed to the Holy Spirit. Up until this moment Jesus had been the Son of God. Yet he had not been anointed to work the works of God until after the Holy Spirit descended on him following his baptism by John. Peter also made clear the fact that Jesus healed by the power of the Spirit.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him (Acts 10:38).

Notice the emphasis on Jesus’ humanity in this verse. Peter referred to him as “Jesus of Nazareth”. If Jesus had been working miracles as God in the flesh, then he would not have needed to be anointed. Who would be qualified to anoint God?

Jesus himself even attributed his ability to cast out evil spirits by the Spirit of God.

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. (Matthew 12:28)

The Anointing to Heal in Demonstration
There are various passages that we could look at that show Jesus’ ministry to the sick. Some of them are more specific in terms of revealing to us how Jesus healed with the aid of the Holy Spirit. One such passage is found in Luke 6. For clarity we will examine this passage from the New International Version.

17He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, 18who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evilspirits were cured, 19and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

Notice that verse 19 says that power was coming from him. What was that power? It was the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus was anointed with. When people touched Jesus that power was released and caused healing to take place in those that touched him.

The most overlooked part of what transpired here is found in verse 17. Why did people come to Jesus in the first place? They came first to hear him, and secondly to be healed. Faith comes by hearing, and that is directly linked to whether a person receives healing or not. Even though the Spirit of God was in manifestation, it took faith to receive as we see in Mark 5. Once again we will go to the New International Version.

The Woman with the Issue of Blood

25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31″You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Again, pay special attention to verse 27 which says, “When she heard about Jesus…” This is where faith is initiated. When she touched Jesus, Jesus felt the power of the Spirit go out from him. So we know that the anointing of the Spirit played a major role in the healing of this woman, yet Jesus attributed this woman’s healing to her faith. It is faith that gives action to the power.

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