Isn’t it great to flip a switch on the wall and the room becomes flooded with light? Doesn’t it make for a comfortable existence to have a furnace automatically fill the house with heat when it’s cold outside and the room reaches a pre-set temperature? And then the same thing happens in the summer when it’s ninety degrees outside and seventyfive inside? It all comes about by electricity provided (at a price of course) from our power company. We have grown to take it for granted, that is, until an outage happens. Then we are scrambling to keep the food in the fridge from ruining, and the expensive meat in the freezer from thawing out. Because we have come to depend on it, when it isn’t there, it becomes a major inconvenience.
Yet there is another power company that, despite our finite thinking, is much more important and extremely more powerful than that which sends the electrical “juice” down the line and through the wires in our homes. It is the power of God provided to us by way of the Holy Spirit. But I’m getting ahead of myself a bit. In Acts 1:7-8, we read the words of Jesus in response to the question posed by His disciples, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Verses 7-8 records His answer. He said, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Those disciples, like most people in Israel during that time, were expecting a Savior, the Messiah, to come from Heaven and free them from their Roman oppressors, once again restoring the kingdom of David. This had been promised over and over in Old Testament scripture. And folks, frankly that promise is yet to be fulfilled, and will be fulfilled when Christ returns to Earth. It is coming and perhaps sooner than most think. But at that time, Jesus basically told them that it wasn’t time for that information to be revealed. God knew when, and only then, would it happen.
However, He gave them information that was just as good, if not better, of coming power that would sustain them, and us, until the day when Christ finally and forever would return. He told them that they would be given power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. He then defined the purpose of this power when He told them that they would be witnesses of Him – all that He had done and said – first in Jerusalem, then in all of Judea, in Samaria and finally to the ends of the Earth.
That power did fall on them, as we read in Acts 2 when, on the holiday of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down like a mighty wind and what looked like split-tongues of fire rested upon them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They immediately began talking in unlearned languages, as they spilled out of that upper room into the streets speaking the Gospel message in all the different dialects and languages represented in the city that day from all over the then known world. People had come to celebrate Pentecost and they all heard the message in their own tongue. That was indeed a powerful miracle!
We still have that dynamic power available today. Nowhere in the Bible can you find where it has stopped. There are some who would argue that based on 1 Corinthians 13:10, which says, “But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” Their reasoning is that the Bible is the “that which is perfect.” I do agree that the word of God, in its truest original form, is infallible and perfect. Even though the Bible today is a miracle in that it has been translated over the centuries, and copied many times by hand, that it is amazingly accurate despite human error. However, in some instances, there is minor human error. In reality, “that which is perfect” can be no other than Jesus Christ Himself. As we have already said, He is coming back. When He does then we will indeed have among us that which is perfect and there will no longer be need of miracles because the miracle-maker will be with us.
Yes, we still have the power with us, but in many cases, it has been abused. There are charlatans among us who claim that they have miraculous power to heal the human body. “Jesus did it, so we can too” they claim. I believe that God still heals today. I believe that God still does miracles today. But when we examine the miracles of the Bible, the healings of Jesus and the wonders that He did, they always testified of Who He was. The miracles were a demonstration proving Him as Divine and that His claim, to be the Son of God, was absolutely true.
In most cases today, the evangelist, or self-proclaimed prophet does these things to his own glory. He isn’t glorifying God but getting mass sums of money because he can supposedly work miracles. All I can say is that they better be careful. Remember what happened to Elisha’s servant, Gehazi in 2 Kings 5 – After Naaman had been healed of his leprosy, this servant ran after Naaman desiring the gifts that had been refused by Elisha. Because of his greed he was struck with the leprosy Naaman had been freed from. Or, how about Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8 who witnessed the miraculous power of God through Peter. He wanted that power too and offered money to get it. Peter told him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.” (Acts 8:20-21). I fear that many today who claim to have the power of God which they can use on us for thirty easy payments of only $19.95 are in peril of the same words Peter spoke to Simon. Just sayin’.
The real and lasting power from God’s power company lies in the results. The miracles were great and wonderful to witness, but the long-lasting effect of eternal life by believing on the Gospel message they preached was the greatest. It may not have been so dramatic. But the physical miracles done in the demonstration of the reality of the Gospel message were only temporary. People who were healed eventually died. Miracles of food eventually disappeared. Money and provision was spent and gone. But the salvation of the soul was forever. That was the true result of God’s Power Company.
Jesus demonstrated this truth when he healed the man let down through the roof by his friends. He was paralyzed. A very large crowd was there and miracles were taking place. But when Jesus looked at this man He said, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” That wasn’t what the people wanted. How could this man forgive sin? Only God could do that. Then Jesus, knowing what they were thinking, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins: - then He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’” (Matthew 9:2-6). He demonstrated His Godgiven power by healing the man, but the greater miracle was that He forgave his sins! That’s the real dynamic power of God!
We will still see miracles that demonstrate the power of God. But the true, long-lasting results of that Power Company is in the eternal – that light never goes out.
— Jerry D. Ousley is the author of “Soul Challenge”, “Soul Journey”, “Ordeal”, “The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional” and his first novel “The Shoe Tree.” Newer books include “Finality” and “Dividing God’s Church.” Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.