Well, kiddos, we have reached the fourth and final part of this amazing series on evangelism. You may want to refresh your memory by reading the recaps for the first three parts:
And now, the much anticipated part 4 of this series:
Power Evangelism
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.
Jesus did two main things in his ministry on earth. If you read that verse closely, you can find them.
He preached and He healed.
He spoke the good news all over his region – pretty much all the time.
He demonstrated the good news by healing the sick, raising the dead and feeding the hungry.
Jesus lived a life in the power of God – naturally.
It was just who He was; He didn't have to do anything special or try to be someone he wasn't.
The disciples were there for all of it; they saw the amazing things He did. Then, Jesus sent them out to do the same:
Luke 9:1-6: When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
He gave them simple instructions. They had watched Him for around two years, it was now time for them to step out and do it!
So they went out and followed His example. They preached and they healed.
Now, obviously they weren't Jesus
.
.
They weren't God himself incarnate, they were just regular guys, probably really ignorant. They weren't even literate! They knew how to fish, and that's about it.
They were nothing special, but they were with Jesus, and they followed His example. His priorities became their priorities.
So, what do you think should be our priorities?
If Jesus did it, and He sent His disciples to do it, then it stands to reason that we should do it too, right?
It's easy to think, “Oh, that was back in Bible times. Now it's modern times, we don't need to follow that.”
It wasn't that Jesus' disciples were given special treatment – they didn't have special decoder rings or a magic wand.
They were just normal guys.
And because of that, we know that we are called to do the same things.
Changing a tire for someone is not too embarrassing or uncomfortable. Neither is being a friend to someone.
But stopping and praying for someone – that's weird. It can be uncomfortable, even humiliating! It takes courage to take that step.
But Jesus gave you His power so that you can walk in it and help people in need.
It's not religious hocus-pocus; it's simply walking in the power of God, naturally. Not with someone else's words, style or mannerisms. Just as yourself.
Here are some examples of this from the Bible:
In John 2:1-11 Jesus turns water into wine.
He didn't make a big show, He just quietly instructed people what to do
In John 4:1-26 Jesus tells the woman at the well her past.
This is an example of a word of knowledge. He didn't act like a TV psychic, he just conversationally spoke into her life.
In Acts 3:1-10 two of the disciples, Peter and John, heal a crippled man.
They quite simply told the guy to get up and walk. They didn't have to be weird or religious or put on a false front. They didn't even lay hands on him!
The formula is simple: It just takes you + the power of God.
Just be ready and willing to do what God wants you to do and allow the Holy Spirit to work through you.
There are lots of other religions and philosophies out there.
So what's different about ours? Our God heals the sick, raises the dead and changes lives. There's no other religion out there that even comes close! But people won't know that unless you show them.
So what's different about ours? Our God heals the sick, raises the dead and changes lives. There's no other religion out there that even comes close! But people won't know that unless you show them.
Be like Jesus: share the good news and heal the sick. Walk in the power of God.
Take those steps – be natural, be who you are – but step out. Ask someone if you can pray for them.
When you come representing the power of God to someone's life and you step out & pray for them, God will back you up. He will show up and act in their life. You will be amazed at the things that will happen in their life when you pray for them!
If we're gonna change the world and not be just more ineffective Christians, we need to walk in the power of God.
Take the initiative and pray for people. Believe for miracles! Pray for people who are sick, mentally ill, emotionally wounded, worried, facing trouble at work or home.
Clint Rogers says, “The greatest miracle is salvation.”
Believe God for people to get saved when they see the power of God at work. It will not be an argument or discussion that will bring them to God, it's by His power.
Salvation is the greatest display of God's love and power, because it accesses the Cross and His love for us... it really is the greatest miracle!
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
Jesus isn't talking just to the disciples here, He is talking to all Christians.
This is our commission, this is our call.
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