the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!": January 2009

What does Acts 1:8 say? "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." It says "you shall receive power", power to do what? Invite people to church? Some might argue against this but i don't even think we need power to invite people to church. Have great programs, great publicity and maybe some free food, people will come to church!

The Holy Spirit was upon Jesus when He was on earth. He had power. What did He do everywhere He went? Can you imagine Jesus going up to blind Bartimaeus and saying, "Bart, come with Me to our service this sunday, there is a great anointing for healing in our temple, you will receive your healing then."? Imagine Jesus saying to Zacchaeus, "Zach, come down from that tree, come to our cell meeting at Peter's house on saturday, your life will be changed, you will no longer love money." Jesus had power and He provided the breakthrough for these people right there and then. He broke the power of sin and infirmity, He broke the power of the devil over people's lives right there and then.

If we are baptised in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit has come upon us, according to His word in Acts 1:8, we have power. Acts 10:38 says, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." Jesus had power to undo the works of the devil upon people's lives. We have power, the same power to undo the works of the enemy in people's lives. We have power and we don't know it, we don't realise it. We have power to represent Jesus, bring heaven to earth, break the devil's hold upon people's lives wherever we go!

What do we do when we hear people falling into sexual immorality, addictions etc? What happens when we hear of people broken by diseases and infirmities? We have power to break the enemy's hold upon their lives! Are there people struggling with pornography, falling into sexual immorality in heaven? No! Are there sicknesses, diseases, cancer, blindness, mental illnesses in heaven? No! We are called to bring heaven to earth. That is our assignment. If there are things happening on earth that are not happening in heaven, they must stop.

Luke, you wrote the book of Luke and you wrote the book of Acts. Why didn't you mention Jesus saying "you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." in Luke 24? Why did you include this verse in Acts but not in Luke? Exactly, because Acts is the book of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 1:8 is the perfect introduction to the book of Acts, we shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us, the beginning of us taking action to break the power of darkness. Peter preached and 3000 got saved, "you shall receive power..." Peter and John healed the lame man at gate Beautiful, "you shall receive power..." The shadow of Peter healed the sick, "you shall receive power..." Stephen, Philip performing great miracles, "you shall receive power..." Dorcas rose from the dead, "you shall receive power..." Paul and Silas delivered from the dungeon, "you shall receive power..." Paul casting out the demon of divination from the girl, "you shall receive power..."

Bill Johnson said it this way, "You've probably heard a brother or sister in the Lord say, 'you should read this book. It's really good but you've got to be careful because the guy has a strange doctrine on such and such point.' But has anyone ever given you a book or tape and said, 'This guy's teaching is great, but be careful because he has never raised the dead. Cancer doesn't leave people's bodies when he prays.'?"

Be careful when you read this post, because i have not seen cancer healed, blind eyes open, the dead raise, the lame walk, demons fleeing from people's lives, sin, addictions, infirmities breaking off people's lives when i pray for them, yet...