Notes From the Pastor's Desk
January 15, 2025
We Need the Power
I am sitting in my office this evening with the power out. We depend on our electricity so much that when we do not have it, it is desperately missed. I am thinking of Acts 1:8 that says, “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witness unto me…” Just as we depend upon the power company, we need to depend upon the Lord to give us the power we need as we sojourn in this life.
I. We Need Power to be Saved
Romans 1:16 says the Gospel is the “power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” It takes God's life changing power to transform a sinner into a saint. Salvation is not some easy believe-ism. It is God miraculously changing a rebel against God into a servant for the Lord. It is taking one out of darkness and giving him or her eternal light and life. It took the power of God to bring us one day into God's family.
II. We Need Power to Serve
Our text in Acts 1:8 serves as the basis for this idea. The early church was a witnessing church. They spoke of the Gospel of Christ to those whom they came in contact with in daily life. It is wearying to our physical frame to deal with people, many who are hostile and antagonistic toward the good news of the Gospel. If they were to get the job done in telling the story, a power had to take over them beyond themselves to accomplish the task. Service is ineffective and deficient if it is not done in and through the power of a risen Christ. The Holy Ghost lives in us that He might empower us for service. God does not fill us just to make us feel good, but to equip us to serve Him.
III. We Need Power to Stand
Jesus lived by the power of God. See 2 Cor. 13:4. If the Son of God lived by the power of God, then how much more do we need to do the same thing. The Bible says, “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10). If we depend upon the Lord rather than the flesh, then we can stand though conditions be difficult and burdensome. If we falter and fail then we will not be able to convey the testimony that we should.
IV. We Need Power to Suffer
See 2 Tim. 1:8. If we live godly in Christ Jesus, we will suffer persecution. How can we handle suffering for Jesus' sake? Realize that He suffered like no man ever suffered, yet he fulfilled the purpose he was sent of the Father to perform. Suffering does not separate us from God, instead it makes us want to draw closer to the Lord.
V. We Need Power for Safety
(Jn. 10:28-29). The Lord's keeping power is greater than the power any man can produce.