"The Evangelist"......Reinhard
Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth, THEREFORE go!”
What is that “therefore” there for? It means that we go “into all the world” because He has all authority. We go by His authority. He didn’t tell us He had all power just to enable us to collect facts or to write a theology thesis.
It was for the most practical purpose imaginable. His power is there for us. He told us about it so that we could draw on it.
Let me illustrate what I mean. My bank statement tells me what money is in my account. It tells me what my financial resources are, which shows me what I can do. The statement of Jesus tells me what my spiritual resources are. I can draw upon the Bank of Heaven. I know what I can do. I can go, with divine authority.
Now doctrine is important, but it should lead to action. Learning can never replace action. Of course we need to study and learn, but a Ph.D. is no substitute for God’s power. A university education does not qualify you to preach, unless you draw on the spiritual bank account.
It is the anointing, not the honors degree, that breaks the yoke. “‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6).
God can use anything we have, but unless He does use it, it is not of much use at all. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Moses was a shepherd. He only had a rod. It was all right for shepherding sheep. But God used that rod in an awesome way.
He used it to defeat the armed might of Egypt, and Moses became the shepherd of a whole nation. Can you grasp this truth?
Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth, THEREFORE go!”
What is that “therefore” there for? It means that we go “into all the world” because He has all authority. We go by His authority. He didn’t tell us He had all power just to enable us to collect facts or to write a theology thesis.
It was for the most practical purpose imaginable. His power is there for us. He told us about it so that we could draw on it.
Let me illustrate what I mean. My bank statement tells me what money is in my account. It tells me what my financial resources are, which shows me what I can do. The statement of Jesus tells me what my spiritual resources are. I can draw upon the Bank of Heaven. I know what I can do. I can go, with divine authority.
Now doctrine is important, but it should lead to action. Learning can never replace action. Of course we need to study and learn, but a Ph.D. is no substitute for God’s power. A university education does not qualify you to preach, unless you draw on the spiritual bank account.
It is the anointing, not the honors degree, that breaks the yoke. “‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6).
God can use anything we have, but unless He does use it, it is not of much use at all. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Moses was a shepherd. He only had a rod. It was all right for shepherding sheep. But God used that rod in an awesome way.
He used it to defeat the armed might of Egypt, and Moses became the shepherd of a whole nation. Can you grasp this truth?
