John Zain
Member
This was written 20 years ago … sorry for the delay in sharing it with you!
For those who believe in the Word (Jesus) and in the word (the Bible) …
Jesus was ANOINTED with power and authority over everything
• “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me (Jesus), because He has anointed Me
to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives (of Satan) and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed (by Satan)†Luke 4:18
• “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power,
who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him.†Acts 10:38
Jesus PROVED His power and authority over everything
• “… and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with
various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed,
epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.†Matt 4:24
• “… they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He
cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick†Matt 8:16-17
• “Then Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.†Mark 4:39
Jesus GAVE power and authority to His disciples
• “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him,
He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out,
and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.†Matt 10:1
• “(He) gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.
He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.†Luke 9:1-2
• “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also … “Behold,
I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over
all the power of the enemy … the spirits are subject to you†Luke 10:1-20
Jesus COMMANDED all disciples to use their power and authority
• “And Jesus came and spoke to them (His 11 disciples), saying,
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations …
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.†Matt 28:18-20
Note: disciples were to do such things as heal the sick, cast out demons, etc.
• “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who
believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be
condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name
they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up
serpents…they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.†Mark 16:15-18
Then He said, “Do all of this only until the canon of Scripture is completed.â€
Later, the Lord GAVE power and authority to many obedient apostles
• “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done
among the people … And believers were increasingly added to the Lord,
multitudes of both men and women … sick people and those who were
tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.†Acts 5:12-16
• “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of
human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your
faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.†1 Cor 2:4
• “… in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God,
so that from Jerusalem … I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.†Rom 15:19
When people’s faith is in the power of God, the gospel is much more powerful.
Disciples have been commanded to carry on the Lord’s work
Jesus is with the Father. The original disciples and apostles are dead.
Jesus has commanded us to take their places.
If we are His disciples (Matt 28:18), we are to be His obedient apostles.
The Holy Spirit is with those who believe and are obedient.
So, Go Forth!
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper†– Isa 54:17
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts†– Zech 4:6
“If God is for us, who can be against us?†– Rom 8:31
“We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us†– Rom 8:37
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you†– James 4:7
Past problems with God’s original plan to evangelize the world
After the original apostles died off, many powerful church leaders wanted to be in
control instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to have His rightful place in the church.
All of this was done with the gleeful support of Satan … actually it was his idea!
These men did not have God’s anointing, but desired to hold on to their power.
So, the gospel was spread with less power, fewer people were saved,
and few were healed by God's power.
Who here would like to sign up to be a disciple of Jesus … and Go Forth?
