The Spirit of Power

1 Cor 2:4-5
“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.”

When it comes down to it there is nothing that we can say that is going to convince anyone of their need for Jesus Christ. No amount of logic or persuasion will make someone want a relationship with Jesus. In fact, most people just want to get into a debate with you and convince you that this religion stuff is a load of nonsense. They will quote Bible verses out of context; they will question how God can be real when awful things happen to good people. Others don’t believe that there is an afterlife and that this existence is all we have so you might as well enjoy this life while you can. Those that do believe in God think they have their own arrangement with the man upstairs. Still others believe in the popular fiction of St Peter at the gate with a set of scales and if the good things in your life outweigh the bad things then you get a pass into Heaven. Most people believe that they are already pretty good; good enough to make it into the Pearly Gates.

Paul was one of the most educated men of his time. He was well verse in logic and Greek philosophy. He knew the Law and the Prophets better than most men of his generation. If anyone could have made a convincing logical argument it was him. Thing is, Paul did not come to his faith in Christ through the Apostles’ nor anyone else’s preaching. He came to Jesus through a power encounter with the risen Christ Himself.  So powerful was his encounter that he was knocked off his horse and was blinded by the brightness of the light.

Nothing has changed since then. Our job is to lead people to Christ, to let them see Him in your life. It is then the job of the Holy Spirit to transform them by His power. It is only the power of the Holy Spirit that is the catalyst. Whether they see the evidence of that power in your life or it is brought to bear directly on their lives it is that power that makes the difference.

There is a war going on between the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God. It is only through a power encounter that souls are translated from one kingdom to the next.

Fortunately for us and those that we are discipling the end result was already decided and His hand has not been shortened. Miracles take place everyday as the Spirit of God moves about the earth doing the Father’s bidding. Every time that transformational power is released there is party in heaven and all the angels rejoice.

Let’s not forget that the power of the Spirit is available to us. We are not weaponless, we have more power and authority than we realize. That power was commissioned by Christ and enabled through His Spirit. Therefore our faith does not rest on logic or clever arguments but in knowing that God is real because of the demonstration of His Power.

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