THE POWER OF THE LORD
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
THESE WERE some of the final words of Jesus before He returned to Heaven. He declared categorically to His disciples that all power that exists in Heaven and in Earth belongs to Him, and there is no exertion of power, of any category, that is not discharged and authorised by Him. All forces, be it good or evil, natural or supernatural, are subjected to His authority. He instructed His disciples that with this ownership of power, He possesses the right to send them out into all the world to carry on His work because He will be with them, empowering them to be effective witnesses, which involves being a consistent demonstration of His power. He created the heavens and the Earth and all their inhabitants. He is God. He is the source of all creation and the provider of all raw material used for any invention of man. He is the one who inspires the mind of any human to creative brilliance, to invent, and to advance the human race with any technological or other inventions. By Him all things consist. He is the fullness of all things. He upholds all things by the power of His word. He is the provider of all resources needed for man’s sustenance and man’s inventions.
POWER OVER SATAN
“For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus Christ defeated Satan in His birth. He was born of a virgin without any earthly input in His conception, thus defying the laws of contamination by not inheriting the sinful nature of Adam. Jesus Christ defeated Satan in His life here on Earth – after He fasted 40 days and 40 nights He overcame Satan’s temptation, then He healed many from sicknesses and diseases, even raising some from the dead. He lived a sinless life.
Jesus defeated Satan on the cross by the shedding of His blood, becoming the ransom for sin and meeting the righteous demand of God for the sins of humanity. He defeated Satan in His death. While in death, He took the keys of death, hell, and the grave away from Satan. He defeated Satan in His resurrection, indicating that death is not final, but now, has become a transport to eternal life. He defeated Satan after His resurrection by His impartation of power and authority to His disciples to carry on His work. He defeated Satan in His ascension to Heaven and sits in the seat of authority, at the right hand of God. He lives now in victory eternally, set far above all principalities and powers, with Satan totally and forever defeated and under His feet.
THE EMPOWERMENT OF HIS PEOPLE
“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” Jesus being the source and the owner of all power has sent the Holy Spirit with power to His disciples, not just them of old, but to us that are His in this present time. It is our responsibility, as much as it was theirs, to be effective witnesses of Him and exert His power and authority over every work of the devil in all the world today. We, through the Holy Spirit, have unlimited access to His power to preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, tread upon serpents and scorpions, and continue the path of destruction of Satan’s Kingdom so that the souls of men can be saved. If we are disciples of Jesus and are powerless, we should seek, like the disciples of old, to wait on Him until we are endued with the power of the Holy Spirit. Those who have received His power and fail to use it to the advancement of God’s Kingdom will be categorised as those who are lukewarm and their action will be distasteful to the Lord.