Something Greater

Jesus: All Authority And All Power Mark 1:21-34 What has gone before... Mark 1:14-20 - Jesus began his preaching ministry, urging people to repent and believe in the gospel, the good news of God's kingdom. He called four fishermen as his disciples: Simon, Andrew, James and John. Moving on... "And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. "And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are...the Holy One of God. "But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him! "And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, What...

Acts 8: Christian or Churchian? Acts 8:18-19 What has gone before... Simon believed, and was baptized, and must have been among the crowd that received the Holy Spirit. He understood that Peter and John had a special relationship with God that gave them the authority, or the power, to confer the Holy Spirit upon others. Simon wanted the same authority, the same power, as Peter and John. Moving on... Acts 8:18-19 (ESV) "Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, - Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." POWER: exousia (privilege, force, capacity, competency, freedom, master, superhuman, potentate, token of control or influence); from exesti (it is right, as if being out in public); from ek (origin) and eimi (I exist) This is the same word used to describe the authority and power of Christ (Matthew 7:29; 9:6). This is the powe...

Big Enough to Save "Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people." Acts 6:8 (ESV) In our modern, commercialized minds, Stephen does not fit the image of "Table Server". Rather than function as a mild committee member, helping to make food distribution fair, he lives a life "full of grace and power", "doing great wonders and signs among the people." The apostles were right to view ministry leaders, leaders of any Christian ministry, as reflectors of Christ Himself, requiring hearts of honesty, full of God's Spirit and wisdom. GRACE: pistis (persuasion, credence, conviction, reliance, constancy and truth); from peitho (to convince, pacify, conciliate, assent or rely) The ESV translation uses "grace", but the original word is better translated as faith. Stephen was full of faith. Faith in Christ provided the motivation for all that Stephen wanted and all that he did. Stephen was comple...

Sovereignty of God The religious rulers in Jerusalem were between a Rock and a hard place: they feared the power of Jesus and they feared the power of the people. They squirmed out of the trap, temporarily, by threatening Peter and John , charging them to speak and teach of nothing concerning Jesus, and releasing them from custody. "When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, - Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, - "Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed - "For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, w...

The Holy and Righteous One The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. Acts 3:13-15 (ESV) To this point in Luke's book of Acts of the Apostles, Jesus has been named Lord and Christ. In his second great instance of preaching, Peter is speaking to Jews at the temple. They've all gathered in amazement, responding to the miraculous healing of a lame man. Peter is even more descriptive of the glory of Jesus . Peter begins by calling upon the Almighty God, using references that are most meaningful to devout Jews: " The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers ." Then, Peter describes Jesus as the Servant o...

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." (Colossians 1:11-12) From the day that Paul and Timothy heard of the new believers in Colossae, they began to pray regularly for them. Paul wrote this letter to them to encourage them to join with him in prayer, to cooperate in God's work in their lives. In his prayer, Paul describes two of God's purposes for the Colossian believers: Reflecting God's worth Strengthened with all power Let's focus on the idea of strength , especially as described here in Paul's prayer. The Greek word translated here as strengthened came from a word meaning force, especially miraculous power , from a word meaning to be able or possible. Immediately we see that Paul was praying that God would ...

Paul writes about thrones created in heaven and earth , visible and invisible. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (Colossians 1:16) The Greek word for thrones is "thronos", meaning a stately (royal) seat, implying power or ruler . But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: (Matthew 5:34) He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. (Luke 1:52) I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. (Revelation 2:13) "Thrones" could refer to heavenly or earthly kingdoms and power . Paul sought to encourage the Colossian...