In the “Great Commission” Jesus told his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. What exactly did he mean by “power”? What kind of power would it be, and what would it be used for? To many in the Christian world today the power Jesus spoke of is the power to heal, to do miracles, to be wealthy and prosperous, and to speak in tongues and have various charismatic experiences. However, this view is utterly missing the point of Christ’s commission, and it’s an expression of a worldly view of power masquerading as power from the Holy Spirit.
As always, context is vital when it comes to the words of Jesus. Here’s the entire verse:
“But 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” (Acts 1:8).
YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES
Empowerment was the enablement of Jesus’ disciples to be effective witnesses. They would take the good news of Jesus – his death and resurrection and forgiveness for sin – to the entire world. Notice what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t say, “…and you will do great miracles to the ends of the earth and bring people to faith by your power”. He didn’t say, “You will amaze multitudes of people with your signs and wonders” and he didn’t say “You’re really gonna have a great time with my gifts”‘.
UNSEEN DAMAGE
One of the worst results of faulty teaching in regard to empowerment is that there are unseen multitudes who have been turned off the Church and turned away from Jesus by false miracles and the failure to deliver. It’s the gospel which brings people to faith and to salvation, not the “power” to fall over, or the “power” to speak in a language no-one understands, or the “power” to make someone’s back pain less intense.
STAND AND DELIVER
Paul reminded the Corinthians that he preached the gospel to them free of charge, and told them why he was reminding them:
“And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ ” (2 Corinthians 11:12-13).
If your minister or self-proclaimed “apostle” makes great claims and takes your money for doing so, you need to demand that he or she deliver. I don’t mean lengthened legs, huge and expensive facilities or a little pain relief: look for serious results. If he can’t do the real thing, he’s a false teacher or false apostle masquerading as a servant of Christ. He may be telling you to do it: require his genuine example.
GREATER THINGS THAN THESE
One promise Jesus gave his inner circle in the upper room was that they would do even greater things than he had been doing (John 14:12). This promise is often used in charismatic fellowships as an encouragement to do amazing miracles, or at least to believe without question that such things are happening. Alright then, let’s see you at work! If you have such great faith and power, and you’re certain we should be raising the dead and giving sight to the blind just like Jesus did, and if you wish to belittle those who aren’t trying to do it, you should be doing these things yourself for all the world to see. That boy who’s been in a wheelchair for fifteen years: get him out and running around!
THE BLAME GAME
At this point the blame is usually placed upon the sick. He doesn’t have enough faith; he hasn’t parted with enough cash; he has an evil spirit. Take a look at some of the miracles in the gospels where you will find answers to such poor excuses. The man lowered through a roof on a stretcher and then healed was healed because of the faith of those who took him to Jesus, not by his own faith
When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:19-20).
RESULTS
What miracle could possibly be greater than raising the dead, or giving sight to the blind? How can we beat that? We can’t. Clearly, then, what Jesus was talking about was the power to witness and change lives. His disciples, and over the centuries the Church, went to the far reaches of the earth and helped to draw countless millions to faith in Jesus and eternal life. The Church, in its better moments, has helped to make that commitment a lifelong service. People who had no faith have come to faith. People with broken lives have found new life. Atheists have discovered that there is a God who loves them. Adherents to false religions have come to the one true God through Jesus Christ.
NO CONTEST
The “New Apostolic Reformation” is operating on the principle that Jesus did his miracles as a man, and therefore we should be able to do those same miracles and even greater ones. In contrast, Jesus made clear by word and action that He was and is a totally unique person:
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die“ (John 11:25).
We will be raised by believing in Jesus, not by believing in our favorite minister. Jesus is above all, and we are by no means and in no way His equal. Jesus on the earth was indeed a man, but a unique man because he was also the Son of God. In other words, he was God and man in one. Anyone claiming equality with that status today is arrogant to the extreme.
I for one know I cannot do the miracles Jesus did. I can certainly pray for healing, for mercy and for the intervention of God, but I have no power of my own. Neither do you, and neither does that NAR pastor. He needs to repent of his lust for power, and to submit in humility to the only One who has power over life and death.
PAUL’S EXAMPLE
False teachers are becoming more arrogant in our time. Along with great claims they issue demands to the Father to do miracles, almost as though He is obliged to perform. He is not. He is God and we are not. This is one of the most important lessons a believer can learn and will eventually learn willingly or unwillingly. The apostle Paul, a true apostle, had some sort of ongoing health problem, for which he begged healing from the Lord. God’s answer demonstrated that we are in no position to make demands, and that God sometimes has plans for our lives which are different to our own:
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:8).
Paul followed the words of God to him with a conclusion:
“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (verse 10).
POWER IN WEAKNESS
Power in weakness is not something the average miracle worker seeks today, but is it not the example Jesus gave us? His plan for us is to have power through weakness, to witness to others, to turn away from sin and to love.
Fuel for Faith, Food for Thought 