God’s Mighty Power (Ephesians 1:19-23)

Today we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This resurrection that gives us hope for eternal life. Last Sunday we looked how our Lord entered into Jerusalem with shouts of Joy. People were singing Hossana in the highest, and these admirers made Jesus what they wanted Him to be. They were looking for some one to take them out of the hands of the Roman leaders, they were looking at the great miracle maker who will chase out demons and multiply bread for them. The one who could heal their diseases. That was the Jesus they were shouting Hossana to. But the Problem is that they say Jesus the son of Joseph not the son of God. They saw a revolutionary leader not the redeemer.

Jesus went through the streets of Jerusalem as we saw through out the week. He was jeered and mocked at. This was the high way to the cross which he walked, and the disciples followed him. He embraced the cross on Friday but the disciples fled away. Jesus did not come to Jerusalem to hear the crowds shout “Hosanna.”  Jesus came to Jerusalem not for the first part of the week, not for Palm Sunday.  No, Jesus came to Jerusalem for Good Friday. Jesus said, “I lay down my life, and no one takes it from me.” He was raised from the death the third day.

Many Christians are defeated by different kinds of sin. Some are enslaved to pornography or sexual immorality, or to alcohol or drugs. Some have ruined their marriages and families because of anger and verbal abuse. They spend their money just as the world does, with no thought of laying up treasures in heaven. They spend their time living for themselves, with no thought of seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness. They feed their minds with godless TV shows and movies, but don’t read and study God’s Word. What is worse, is that some pastors and Christian leaders live like this! My question is, “Where is God’s mighty power in the lives of these people?”

Some will say that God’s mighty power should be seen by frequent miracles of healing or by speaking in tongues or by words of supernatural knowledge or prophecy. But, all too often, those making such claims are guilty of living just as the world lives. The world mocks at the gospel when they see their lifestyles.

From verse 18 we see that we will not be to know God’s mighty power unless He opens the eyes of our hearts. So we must continually ask Him for understanding.

God wants us to understand the magnitude of His mighty power that saved us and exalted Christ over all, so that we will properly represent Him on earth.

1. God’s mighty power that saved us is the same power that raised Christ from the dead (1:19-20a).

The mightiest power ever released on this earth was not the power of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. It was not the power of an earthquake, volcano, tornado, hurricane, or flood. The mightiest power ever unleashed on this earth was when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Satan and all of his evil forces were aligned in full battle force when Jesus lay in the tomb. If he could have kept Jesus from rising from the dead, Satan would have been triumphant. And so Paul piles up words to make the point that God’s power in raising Jesus from the dead was the mightiest display of power ever known. Read again 19,20!

Here the scripture is not just talking about the power of God who is omnipotent but it adds   “the surpassing greatness of His power.” The outstanding greatness of His power which is “in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” The words are short to explain what Paul had in mind. This power could only be in accordance with the working of God’s might. You cannot explain it apart from looking at God again.

 Paul is not praying that God would give us this mighty power, but rather that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened to know that this power has already been displayed in us if we believe in Jesus Christ.

When we were dead in our sins, God raised us up and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph 2:1-6). The same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at God’s right hand is the power that saved us. If you believe in Christ now, it is not from human will power or reasoning. It comes from God’s mighty power; the same that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. 

You might have made a decision during an evangelistic meeting. Are you born again? Are you following what Jesus teaches? Do you truly believe in Jesus Christ and His shed blood as your only hope for eternal life? But being born again requires an act of God that raises a person from death to life. No one decides to be born. No one decides, “I think I’ll be raised from the dead!” You can’t even help God out in the process. It requires God’s sovereign, mighty power. If you believe, know that God had to give you the faith to believe the gospel. If He had not done so, you would have thought that it is foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18-31).

2. God’s mighty power seated Christ at His right hand, far above all spiritual powers (1:20b-21).

God not only raised Christ from the dead. Also, He ascended bodily into heaven, where He now is (1:20b-21) “seated at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

Paul adds, “not only in this age but also in the one to come” to make it clear that Jesus Christ is exalted to the place of absolute, supreme power in the entire universe. His authority is not just for a period of time, but for all eternity. Although we do not yet see everything subject to Him (1 Cor. 15:23-28), that day is soon coming. As Psalm 110:1 states, “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’” God never gave that invitation to any of the angels or to any other created being. He only gives it to His eternal Son, who is of the same nature as the Father. Scripture promises that Jesus will come again to crush Satan and all that follow his evil ways. So, even though Satan and his evil forces still have frightening power, they are on God’s chain. They can only go as far as He permits.

These people understood what Paul was saying. When the Ephesian believers got saved, they burned their magic books, which amounted to a small fortune (Acts 19:11-20). They knew and had been fearfully enslaved by the power of Satan. But now they had a new Master and Lord, who is seated far above not only all of the evil spirits, but even above the most powerful angels. Paul wants them to know that the power of the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ is available to them in their struggle against the forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (see Eph. 6:10-17). That same power is available to us if we are in Christ.

3. God’s mighty power put all things in subjection to Christ and gave Him as head over all things to the church (1:22).

His resurrection, ascension, and present enthronement at God’s right hand guarantees the outcome. All things, including the terrible forces of evil in the heavenly places, are under Christ’s feet, even now. As I said, Satan is on chains.

4. God’s mighty power is at work in us so that we will properly represent Christ on earth (1:23).

Paul adds that the church “is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” A saved Christian is an inseparable, organic (living) union with Christ. It comes from God’s resurrection power alone. You are the church. It also implies our submission to the Head. If God has saved you through His mighty power, you must make it your aim to obey Jesus Christ as Lord of every area of your life. A disobedient Christian is like a spastic leg (involuntary movement through the leg), jerking uncontrollably. He does not bring glory to the Savior!

But you are the church, which is the fullness of him who fills all in all. If you accept Jesus Christ then you have Christ and so you have His power in you. You are not aware of what you possess. Are you experiencing God’s mighty power to overcome temptation and live a holy life? If not, you should ask God to open the eyes of your heart so that you will know the surpassing greatness of His power toward you.

If you have no desire to overcome sin and to represent Christ on this earth, you may not have experienced the power of being raised from spiritual death to spiritual life. Ask God to give you new life in Him. Then live according to His mighty power. Jesus who died on the cross for you is still calling on you. It is not too late! Let’s pray!

“I gave my life for thee…”

Setting your dreams on fire

Genesis 37:9-11; “And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.”

Stars are always a representation of power or symbol of the anointed. It signals non natural phenomenon that is coming from the supernatural (God’s work). For example, the story of the Maggi when they saw the star in the east which signified the birth of the great one (Jesus Mt 2:2) and the Seven stars in the right hand of the lamp (Jesus Rev 1:20) which represents the Angels of the seven churches.

Joseph dreamed another dream about the stars and the sun and the moon who govern the day and the night (Gen 1:14-18). The King James version says in verse 14 that “Let them be for signs and for seasons and for days…”) They are also for signs that is why Jacob immediately understood the dream of his son. He asked if truly they (he, his wife and his children) will bow before Joseph. He was confused but the Bible says He kept this in mind.

Joseph also understood his dream. He knew God has a plan for him. He remained faithful to God and not to commit sin even when he was pressured by Potiphar’s wife. Potiphar’s wife wanted him to commit fornication and Joseph refused and remain faithful to his God to the point of going to prison. Many people today will justify their sin by the pressures they have in the society. But let me tell you that if you cannot overcome the peer pressure, the pressures of the people around you or the society, you will surely not have your dream come true. God used the circumstance in Joseph’s life; his prison condition to bring him to power in Egypt. Joseph remained faithful because he knew God will do it and His time is the best. He knew that “all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Ro 8:28).

No body in this world looks like you. No body in this world is like you. You are the only original of

what God made. You were born original. I don’t want to die a second hand person. Neither do I want

to live a second hand person. The bible said Joseph dreamed another dream. He worked for his

dreams even though his brothers plotted against him. If he did not then even in Egypt he would not

have had his position. Respect your dreams and dare for your dreams. No body is responsible for

your being what you are. You are responsible for your being what you are. If you want anything,

dare for it. You have to sacrifice something to keep your dreams. If you have to give away everything

to get what you want, do it; whether it is by fasting and praying; or by preparation in the word of

God. Jesus fasted to have his dreams come true why not me?

If you dream for a happy wife or husband or family you must dare for it. You have to work your

dreams to attain it. Oh you need a God fearing family where you want to live on glorifying God! Yes!

You must work for it even through your daily devotions in your family. We have to let go what we

are holding unto that is disturbing us from getting the original thing that God made us with.

We always feel that God needs us for his purpose. Thinking we are righteous or rich or perhaps

princes just like Moses. Oh it’s His business and he needs me. NO! God does not need you to do His purpose but he has chosen you for your sake. He can do without us. Look at Exodus chapter 4.

We only find out that we need a good relationship with God when we have lost everything we hold

unto. What is it that we are holding unto? Moses was a Prince but when he killed (thinking he was

helping God) he ran to the desert where he realized he’d lost all he had. He got hold to a rough crude rod to support him through.

We always find reason to run away from the orders of God into our lives. Oh No! I’m not that

righteous, find someone else; just like Moses in Exodus 4: 1; “And Moses answered and said, But,

behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not

appeared unto thee”.

Oh No! if I accept Christ what will people say? What will happen in school or at work with

colleagues?

At times we sit back and say; God this is all about you. I’m a poor Christian, I can’t do it. This is false humility. We have to work by God’s grace. Yes, we have Christ in us, why can’t we understand that we

can do it? Must somebody pray for us? Can we not do what God is asking now that we have Christ?

We have to let go the things we are holding unto. God asked Moses in the burning bush what he had

in his hand Ex:4:2a: “And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? ”. I just imagine that

the Guy said Nothing but just a rough rod which has no use for you. God said through it down.

Ex:4:2b-3: “And he said, A rod. And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and

it became a serpent; and Moses fled away from it”.What are we holding unto? Is it our family? Our job? Our wealth? Our home? Our money? Or our children? We have to let it go to work for God.

Moses threw his rough rod on the ground as God requested and the rod changed into a snake.

The Guy ran off the snake. “ooooh! I don’t want to be hurt by a poisonous snake”. At times God takes

what we hold unto, in order to enhance it for our use. At times he takes it for good if he finds that it’s not useful for us. God wants us to remain original as He created us. He created us for glory and He wants us to come back to that.

Moses was asked to take the snake and it changed into his rod. It was an enhancement to his useless rough rod. Oh Glory! When God closes one door he opens several windows for his children. Can we let go what we are holding unto; in order to dare for our dreams? God is about to open your windows and let your  dreams come true. But you must remain faithful in Christ Jesus in order to receive it.

Christian Fruitfulness

John 15 :14-17

In the book of John chapter 15 Jesus starts by telling His disciples that He is the true vine through whom all will receive spiritual sustenance by Faith. If you abide in Him you will produce fruits but if you do not take Him as your source of spiritual life then you’ll be removed from Him just as Judas was taken away. He did not produce any fruit. Matthew 13: 12 says “For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have more abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him”.

Christ also reminded His disciples that they were clean because of the words He had spoken to them. They accepted Jesus in the first place and submitted to His word. Then they accepted the words of Jesus as coming from God. Eph 5:26 says that “He might sanctify and cleanse it [church] with the washing of water by the word”. And John 17:17 says “sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth”. They were not clean because they heard the word, but because after hearing, they submitted to these words of Christ. They did their all to obey the word.

So Jesus is making them understand that they are sanctified; set apart; made Holy before God because they were made separate from the ways of the world. How?

By the truth that Jesus gave them and they obeyed. If you keep God’s commandments, you will abide in His love. He commands us to love one another as He has loved us. Will you obey His word?

You can only say you are His friend if you obey His commands. Some of us say we are Christians, we are friends of Jesus Christ but we do not obey His commands. Many say, they are Christians but they say He is just a prophet, He is not God or that He is not the judge of the living and the dead. A few weeks ago one taxi driver told me when I boarded his taxi that Jesus is just a god just as we are gods. I tried to explain to Him that He is God but he was determined not to understand. In fact his target was one lady in the taxi and I could not keep my mouth when I heard that. He diminished the deity of Jesus. When I continued with him I realized from his pre-suppositions that he was a Jehovah witness. He said Jesus is totally different from God and cannot be God in any Trinity. If we obey the commands of Jesus we see that He said He is  “The Alpha and the omega” Just as God the Father said “I am the alpha and the omega” in Rev 1:8,11,18. Jesus taught that He and the Father are one and He commands in Acts 10:42 to preach and testify that He was ordained by God to be the judge. We are commanded to preach this gospel. That is the great commission and if you are not doing it then you are not a friend of Jesus.

Jn 15:15 says the apostles are no longer slaves with Jesus Christ but are friends because He has revealed to them what God had desired for them to know. He has revealed all that God has for the church. There is no more revelation of God for the church. He had already revealed all the truth from God to His saints. Today we hear of false teachings in the name of new revelations for the church of God. But Christ says He has made known all things as God has desired for His church. Gal 1:6-9 says if anyone brings any other teachings different from that of Jesus, which is the gospel, then let him be accursed. Jude 3 also says we should be happy for the faith or claim the faith that was once for all delivered to the Saints. Once for all delivered! No other one is coming!

The problem with must of us today is that we are seeking for more than what God promised concerning revelation of truth to man. All has been revealed in the New Testament. That is what Jesus was saying which is confirmed in Deut; 29:29 that “The secret things belong to the Lord our God. But those things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever so that we may do all the words of the law”

If you seek further revelation from God, then what you are saying is that the Bible is not sufficient for direction into eternal life.

Jn:15:16 says” I have chosen you.” Jesus was saying this to the apostles and today it applies also to us disciples of Jesus Christ. We did not choose ourselves. Christianity is not self-appointment of men but an appointment from Jesus.

This should encourage us today to bear fruits because He says “So that you should go and bring forth fruit”. That is why Jesus appointed you as a Christian. Not for you to go and sleep but to bear fruits. The fruits belongs to God not to you. And you are to bear fruit through the preaching of the gospel. If you want to bear fruit though out the world, then you must love one another. That is a command and John 13:35 says “By this will all men know that you are my disciples…”

The unity of disciples based on love is a shining light to the world for the same light which they received from the Son of God. God’s leaders who work together show that they love one another.

Do you love one another?

The Power of God

John 1:1-3

God’s power is manifested in the creation of the universe. Every single thing that exist; visible and invisible were created by God. The scriptures tell us that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and that He is the word of God. He existed before the foundation of the world. Jn 1:1-3 says “in the beginning was the word”. When nothing existed, the word existed and the word was with God and the word was God. The beginning here refers to eternity past. That time when nothing existed. He was not part of creation. He is Deity and Deity did not co-exit with the material world in eternity past.

Jesus Christ is the creator of the universe for col 1:16 says “By Him were all things created, in the heavens and on earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for Him”. He is God for “In Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily” Col 2:9

1. So Jesus and the Father always existed as one with the Holy Spirit and they created all things. John says that there is nothing that exists which God did not create through the Son.
2. God has the power to forgive your sins, heal all your diseases, redeem your life from destruction, crown you with loving kindness and mercy, provide your food, give justice for the oppressed, …. Ps 103:1-6.
3. God in the Trinity can raise the dead as we see in the life of Lazarus whom Jesus Christ raised from the dead (Jn 11:43). He can also empower those who trust in Him to do same. God through Jesus Christ will give you power to do miracles if you truly are delivered. We are delivered in order to bring salvation to others and so God will empower His disciples with the same power to deliver through gospel so that God may be glorified through the Son.
4. God has shown His power in the past by that which He did in the life of Moses in parting the water. Just as He separates water He can also separate you from sin delivering you from that burden and giving your heart peace (Phil 4:7). But you can only receive this peace of God which surpasses all understanding in Christ Jesus. Nowhere else!
5. The power of God can present you faultless and keep you from falling. Jude 1:24 says Jesus Christ, The Father and the Holy Spirit as one are able to keep you from falling, sustaining you so that they can present you before His (God head) glory in great joy. You can therefore keep yourself from sinning only in the Lord. Only by the grace of God because in your strength, you cannot do anything righteous before  the righteous God.
6. God is able by His power, immeasurable, unsearchable, which man cannot imagine or explain in human language give you eternal life that no one can take away.  Jesus tells us in Jn 10:28-30 that no one can snatch those to whom He has given eternal life because the Father has given them to Him and no one is greater than the Father. Moreover He says “I and the Father are one.”

Jesus said this so that the Jews will know and understand that He is God in essence. They did not understand this great truth about the Deity of Jesus and His power and oneness with the Father. You must accept that Jesus is who He claims to be in order to experience this power of God in your life because He will manifest it in people He wants to authenticate. It does not end with accepting the teachings but to preach it and also bring deliverance to others because it is the word of God that delivers in the name of Jesus. Jesus is God, He is our Lord and savior, He was there before the creation of the universe, the universe was created through Him and for Him, His incarnation in the virgin birth is true, He died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected so that we may be saved. He gives this salvation to those who accepted all these about  Him and commands all who have received this salvation do same to others.