The Power of God

[B-A-C]

The Bible is literally full of great miracles and wonder done by God/Jesus.

He created the universe, the galaxies, the planets, Earth itself. He created you.
He made all the animals, the insects, the birds and the fish.
He parted the Red Sea. He made fire come down from Heaven. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
He stopped the sun in the sky. He healed people. He protected three men in a furnace from fire.
He protected a man from hungry lions. He calmed the storm. He walked on water.
He cast out demons, healed the sick and even raised the dead.
...and those are just a small part of what the Bible says God did.

But the greatest miracle of all.. greater than all the wonders and miracles above....
Was that Jesus died to save us. Save me. Change me.

How many testimonies have I heard in my life of people who used to be drug addicts,
alcoholics, sex addicts, womanizers, adulterers, fornicators, addicted to gambling, liars
thieves, manipulators, ... the list goes on. Even my own testimony is similar.

...and God changed these people. He changed me. Thank God I'm not who I used to be.

You know.... the God that has the power to create galaxies, and create you has the power
to change you. God hasn't lost any of His power. He is still omnipresent, omnipotent,
all knowing and all-powerful. He can steal heal broken people.
He still does miracles... He still heals broken hearts, broken spirits, broken bodies,
broken relationships, and broken minds,

...but ....

 

[B-A-C]

So many say they believe.... they say they believe God can do miracles... but..
He does it for other people, but He can't do it for me. He did it in olden times, but He doesn't do it anymore.

But you always had to believe and obey for these things to happen. Many people don't fully believe,
and even more people don't fully obey.

Matt 13:58; And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Even the disciples themselves didn't always believe...

Mark 16:14; Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.

Several people had already told the disciples that they had seen Jesus alive again but they didn't believe them.

Hebrews warns about this...

Heb 3:12; Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

Some people depart from God because of unbelief. Two of the disciples were walking on the road to Emmaus.

Luke 24:13; And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.
Luke 24:14; And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.
Luke 24:15; While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.
Luke 24:16; But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

Jesus Himself came to walk with them... and they didn't even know it. They didn't even recognize Him.
The God who created the Earth and the heavens was walking right beside them, and they didn't even know it.

Luke 24:22; "But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning,
Luke 24:23; and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive.

They had already been told Jesus is alive, but they didn't really believe it in their hearts.

Luke 24:24; "Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see."
Luke 24:25; And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
Luke 24:26; "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?"
Luke 24:27; Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

So what does Jesus say to them? Foolish men!!! Slow to believe!!

How many of us today are exactly the same way??

God is with you. God knows what you are going through. He is walking right beside some of us, and we don't even recognize it.
We don't believe it. ..or even if He is... my problem, my situation, my sin, is too big for Him to handle. So why bother talking to Him about it.

Oh you foolish men,(and women) slow to believe. The same God of the Bible that parted the red sea, walked on water and calmed the storm,
has all the same power He ever had. He's walking right beside you right now, and some of us don't even recognize Him.

 

[B-A-C]

If only I could see Him. If only I could touch Him. Then I would believe.

I am willing to bet, that any of us who have been saved for very long have seen Jesus.
People in my church say things like this every week....
He fixed my marriage. He healed my cancer. He caused me to quit living in sexual relationship.
He got me a job. He found me a cheap apartment to live in. My wife got saved.

What would you ask Jesus to do for you if you see Him right now. If He was in the very room you are reading this right now.
Well I have good news for you. He is in that room with you right now. Tell Him your heart. Tell Him your troubles, all you who heavy ladened... come to Him and He will give you rest.
He who the Son sets free, is free indeed.

Do you really believe your situation, your sin, your problems are too big for God? Oh you foolish men, slow to believe. He did not do many miracles because of their unbelief.

 

[B-A-C]

The other thing that usually accompanied these miracles, was obedience....

You have to do your part if God asks you to do something.

Exod 14:15; Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.
Exod 14:16; "As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.

God parted the Red Sea, but not until Moses lifted up his staff and stretched out hand over the water.

Josh 3:13; "It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap."
Josh 3:14; So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people,
Josh 3:15; and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest),
Josh 3:16; the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho.
Josh 3:17; And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

God stopped the Jordan river so people could cross into Canaan, but He didn't stop the water until the priests actually stepped into the water.

2Kin 5:12; "Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.
2Kin 5:13; Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?"
2Kin 5:14; So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.

God didn't heal Namaan of leprosy until he went and washed in the Jordan river seven times.

Jesus didn't feed the thousands of people until a little boy brought a basket with some loaves of bread and fish in it.

The woman with the issue of blood didn't get healed until she touched the hem of Jesus's robe.

Jesus didn't turn the water into wine until the servants filled the six waterpots with water.

Sometimes God wants us to do something, He wants us to be obedient to Him in some way before the miracle will happen.

I know many Christians who pray for something to happen, but it never does. Almost always they will say something like..
"I feel like God is telling to give up this thing in my life" (smoking, drugs, a relationship, etc..) but I haven't gotten around to it yet.
How many of may never have another chance to obey God? How many of us never see miracles because we didn't do what God asked us?
How many miracles never happen because of our own unbelief.

Right here on TalkJesus I hear people say.. well I never be able to stop that sin. I'll never be able to give up that things in my life.

Oh you foolish (people) slow to believe.

 

[Dave M]

You know I think sometime we can over look the miracles of God.

But just being born again is a miracle.

then once you discover your gifting and use that to participate in the kingdom, and you realize it is all God, it is the most amazing thing and will fill you Joy and bring tears to your eyes, like nothing in the world.

Praise Jesus

 

[Downunder]

Much of this power of transformation - becoming a new creation - very much depends on what gospel you end up believing and living.
Mainstream Christianity is not about the power of God to wrought wonderful miracles and healings in people's lives, but rather it is traditional doctrines and rituals - where churchgoers still smoke and drink and curse.
Confirmation classes before empty ceremonies where clerics declare over children "receive the Holy Spirit" and splash some holy water on them.
No gifts of the Spirit, no power of God in believers' lives, no laying on of hands on the sick for healing, hardly any prayer life > once a week Christianity.

But then there is Pentecostal Christianity > the full gospel of salvation where believers have amazing testimonies to being transformed from their former sinful lives to living righteously by the power of God.
Churches where these signs do indeed follow baptism in water and the Spirit and believers speak in tongues, lay hands on the sick, cast out demons, enjoy numerous miracles, healings and blessings.
Wherein young and old have personal testimonies to the power of God in their lives and becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus.

17 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. - 2Corinthians 5:

God is calling the saints to come out of the world and to be separate from worldly lusts, desires, riches, and living as such. To be distinct and a peculiar peoples that the world does not understand nor like.

 

[Downunder]

When Believers are filled with the Holy Spirit - the power of God - wonderful miracles do happen as promised by Jesus

1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms of those who entered the temple.
3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms.
4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, with John, and said, “Look at us.”
5 And he fixed his attention upon them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
8 And leaping up he stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
10 and recognized him as the one who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

I have seen a video taken at a large Pentecostal rally (witnessing and preaching the gospel) in Papua New Guinea and a woman blind from birth comes up out of the waters of baptism and she can see.
God restore her sight, and she is gaping and gawking in astonishment as she looks around and can see the world of colour and movement for the first time.
Truly amazing. Still happening folks.

 

[Sue D.]

Even conservative , born again Baptists see and believe in the power of God.