Being Endued With Power
These are the last days and never has it been so evident that the church is in trouble. We have a lot of Christians trying to be the one to turn things around, trying to bring back
the revivals and power they have heard about in our not-so-distant past. And sadly some just want to have a bigger church, more numbers. Over and over again they look to past
programs, other churches, and study past Christian leaders. They research and research more. Then they put together another plan and launch a new program. In the end what they
have is more people living double lives, the church life and their life– mostly their life, a life that they are not willing to give up any sooner than they have to.
Did we lose something? YES! The way. Jesus is the Truth, the Life, and the Way. And we can’t have the Life if we aren’t following the Way. “What? You mean
churches and Christian leaders are not following the Way?” That is a hard question. I want to answer that question with what I see in God’s Word and what He has placed in my
heart.
Jesus is the way and we are to follow Him. He knows the path and there is only one way. John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
Me.” Since we know He is the way let’s look at Him and what He did and how He walked. Luke 6:12 says, “He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to
God.” Jesus would get away from everyone and get down before God and pray for strength and power. He taught the disciples that prayer was the key to being endued with the power of
God, prayer and self-sacrifice. And in Isaiah 56:7 it says, “For mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” Then I Peter 2:5 took that further by saying, “Ye also,
as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” – self-sacrifice and prayer. Are you with
me? Self-sacrifice and prayer and Jesus was endued with power. Then Jesus said in Luke 24:49, “Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of
Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” They were supposed to be gathered together praying and worshiping God until they were endued with power.
Prayer and sacrifice. Self-sacrifice and prayer until you are endued with power, before you move out and pour out that power upon all you come into contact with. An awesome power and
fulfillment of the promise of God. Down through time there have been others who have followed this path and they were endued with power.
This is in God’s Word and now I want to share what the Spirit placed in my heart. The first church followed the Way but over time men began to fail God because they did not have the
commitment. It was easier following a different path. But over time more and more Christians began to follow different paths; trying new plans and programs, new ways to get people to
God. Many have chosen a different path and when that doesn’t seem to work they choose a different path…always a different path. And the excuses are unbelievable and unending.
This is the one we hear today, “We are in a different culture and time then back in the beginning of the church. We have to do it differently now.” Nonsense! Get back to the
path that Jesus taught us. We are built up a spiritual house and need to be filled with prayer just as the Lord has taught. Only then will we be endued with power from on high.
Ken Wyatt