More Power To You (Part 3)

In parts 1 & 2 of this series of articles on the POWER of God in us, we saw that firstly, Jesus promised us the power; secondly, that He paid the full price for the dominion and authority over everything above the earth, on the earth, and beneath the earth. Then thirdly, we saw that His promise came true on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came on all the disciples gathered in the upper room, and miracles was the direct result of that outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Let us now look at the relevance of the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God to the times in which we live. From writings that were recovered from the early church period, it is evident that miracles and powers was part of the daily life of Christians. Then however, the organized church, (and church organizations) gradually resisted the power of the Holy Spirit, as the church organization had a need for the authority and use of power to be structured.
Even today, we still see churches where individuals who allow themselves to be channels of the Holy Spirit are reprimanded if they do not force the Spirit to work under and through the structures of the organized church. Yet, Jesus never promised power to a church organization. He said that believers would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. And, please note that this author is NOT against church organization. We can however NEVER content with situations where the Holy Spirit has to take a step back, for the sake of the ‘church’.
Thus, anyone can receive the Holy Spirit if he/she turns to God in the Name of Jesus, repent of his/her sins and accept the salvation of God in Jesus Christ. Nobody can however receive the Holy Spirit because of good works or church membership. The power of God through the Holy Spirit was meant only for those who take the decision to be ‘believers’.

Acts 2:38 WEB Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Repent, be baptized, and receive. That was God’s order. Then came the organized church, and changed the rules slightly. Be baptized (even as a baby in most cases) and you will be saved. However, along with it came deadness in church, which later became the public image of the church. When church and state married, the dilemma worsened.
Laws were made that compelled people to belong to the church. If you wanted a decent job in many countries, you had to belong to the state church. This brought a false sense of security with it that gave individuals and families the assurance of ‘salvation’. However, this was a salvation from present day tribulations, but not eternal salvation.
Indeed the Spirit of God sometimes had to work through unlearned (common) people to manifest the power of God for the believer.
Through the ages, several revivals started in different places on the globe, and wherever the Spirit caused revival, you could almost be sure that it would be beyond the limitations of the structured church. This is in fact the reason why so many born-again believers were persecuted. They became a threat to the ‘powerless church’.
Early in the twentieth century, the Pentecostal Revival started a Spiritual fire that the church could no longer contain. Wherever the born-again Spirit-filled children of God went, people came to knowledge of their sinfulness as well as knowledge of their need for salvation. Power Ministry became a known phenomenon that was either embraced or rejected, depending on the position of the organized church.
Gradually however, the power was once again contained, and miracles became few and sometimes far between. The organized church was once again able to prove their position that ‘miracles were meant for the early pre-organized church’.
Hence, we are back at a point in time where today, the powerless church is the reason for the secular world’s scorn. This need however not be the case, and if more Christians would be prepared to return to the Word of God, the power of God would soon be re-established in the church. In the latter years of last century already the Spirit spoke to the author clearly concerning the condition of the church.

“Look at the condition of my church. ... When My voice became quiet, they simply raised the volume of their sound systems, and when My power withdrew, the increased the magnitude of their performance. (Show business.)

Dear reader, Christianity need not be a powerless religion. In fact, we are supposed to be setting the pace as far as miracles, signs and wonders are concerned. We are expected to function in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is supposed to be the norm for Christians. The signs will follow those that believe.
The problem that we are faced with is that it will not happen by itself. God has never changed, and His Word is still as it was in the first century after Christ. We have changed, and we will have to return to God. He is still a God of power, miracles, healings, signs and wonders.
2 Chronicles 7:14 WEB if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Christianity however, will have to return to the ways and standard of God. The power of God is available. It is there for the asking, and God is waiting for His people to return to a position of authority.
Often however, we are more than willing to take authority over poverty, but do not feel the need to withstand the enemy in the other aspects of life, such as in our marriages, illness, sin and especially those areas that will interfere with our ‘freedom’ and post-modernism.
Come Christianity, let us once again take authority and dominion over our circumstances and take a firm stand against sin and the consequences thereof.

James 4:6-7 WEB But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (7) Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The first Adam cost us our positions of authority and dominion through sin.

Genesis 1:26 WEB God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Emphasis by author)

It was the will of God for us to have dominion, and although it cost Him the life of His only-begotten Son, He paid the price to restore the believers to a position of authority and dominion. (Remember to read part 4 of this series to understand more.)