The Apostle Paul declared, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Cor. 4:20)! How many Christians in America and Europe experience power in their faith? They may experience God’s goodness, God’s peace, and even his provision. But if you asked them about the power to heal, the power to deliver, the power to set people free from bondage, most would not know there is such a thing.
And yet, at the core of Christ’s ministry and at the core of Paul’s ministry, a demonstration of power was always present. If you examine the gospels, a pattern of evangelism immerges – preach the kingdom of God and then demonstrate its present reality. Jesus would preach, then heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse lepers, and raise the dead. Preach it, then demonstrate it. Sometimes, he demonstrated the kingdom before he preached it. But they were always inextricably linked. When he sent out the twelve and then the seventy, they did the same. Paul did it and the church did it through the supernatural gifts of the Spirit.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus made a declaration that should trouble all those who are content with a gospel that demonstrates no power. He said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (Jn. 14:12-13).
“Those who believe in me will do the works I have been doing.” Jesus is clear throughout the gospels that the works he had been doing were the miracles that demonstrated the reality of the kingdom on earth. He made it a mark of faith in him. He put no shelf life on that promise. I would also say that anyone who reads the New Testament without any previous preconceptions, would not put it down thinking that God would not continue to do miracles for and through his people until Jesus returns. The Book of Acts describes what should be normative behavior for believers and the church as a whole. We should expect miracles, the powerful working of spiritual gifts, dreams and visions, and powerful moves of the Holy Spirit. To do less and expect less is not what scripture calls for. To do the works Jesus did brings glory to the Father.
Yet, the largest part of the contemporary church in America is content to ask God to work in natural and ordinary ways, live a moral life, and depend on secular science, secular medicine and secular therapy to meet their needs. But haven’t you felt the yearning for “more” in your faith? Haven’t you felt the yearning to see people healed and set free just as you read about in the New Testament?
My first twenty years as a pastor was in churches who did not believe that the supernatural power of God operates today. I felt the yearning for “more,” but believed the patriarchs and Bible scholars in my circle of churches, who told me God no longer operated in those ways, He no longer healed the sick through gifts of healing, he no longer spoke to his people except through the written word, he gave no prophetic messages, and we didn’t consider the present day activity of demons…even though the pages of the New Testament were filled with these realities.
In my own ministry, I felt very inadequate to help people with serious issues in their life. We offered the best counsel we could using secular approaches to counseling and prayed the best prayers we could. We did not have remarkable results. But we were blinded by our own preconceptions about the spiritual realm that was impacting our churches and our people.
Despite the fact that Paul clearly warned, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” (Eph. 6:12-13), we really did not take that seriously.
Every church talks about the armor of God. But if you are not having to actively stand against demonic attacks, then why do you need it? If you do need it, you are under attack and natural approaches to problems will be woefully inadequate. If a demon is manifesting as disease in your body, medicine won’t help. If depression or suicidal thoughts are being generated by demonic influence, therapy will not set you free. If a spirit of pornography is constantly stirring your mind, a twelve-step program is inadequate. We could go on, but some things in this modern world are still beyond the reach of secular solutions. The “divine weapons” of 2 Corinthians 10 and the power of God is still needed.
Some churches will say that the idea of deliverance from demons, divine healing, and prophetic words are deceptions by the enemy. I think the theology that God no longer works through these means is the deception…and what a deception! A few years ago, I ministered to a young woman who had been involved in witchcraft but had left the coven. I asked her what had drawn her into witchcraft in the first place. She told me her life had been in chaos and she had sought help in churches. When none of them could help her, she looked for another source of help…some power that could overcome her challenges. She found some in witchcraft until the demons turned on her. The powerless church made her fall prey to Satan.
The gospel Paul preached was a gospel of power, not just words. He wrote, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Cor. 2:2-5).
If you sense a yearning for “more” in your faith. If you sense something in missing in your faith as you read the gospels and the book of Acts. If you know in your heart that you need a powerful intervention by the Spirit of God in your life…don’t give up. Go find it. Find a church that balances Word and Spirit, a church that is not dead but is also not weird. They exist. Read some books that will open those doors and point you in the right direction. Satan still has power. But Jesus has more and he wants that power expressed through his people. Don’t settle. Don’t give in. Seek, ask and knock. Ask the Lord to lead you to a place where you can find all he has for you – everything Jesus died to provide.
One place to start might be my book Transformed that was released yesterday. It is not the only book out there on God’s transforming power, but if you are in a church full of good but powerless people like I was for years, this book might be helpful. It’s available on Amazon, Books-A-Million, and other major providers.
If you yearn for more, God always has more for you. Pursue it. A gospel without power, is no gospel at all.
