Apostolic Days

Have you ever thought to yourself, I wish we were living in the days of the apostles?

And then you think to yourself. You know in the days of the apostles there were miracles, and signs, and wonders. The power of the Holy Spirit was falling. People were being baptized in power.

The lame were walking, and the deaf were hearing, and the blind were seeing. Those must have been glorious days.

I have thought that way. I've had those very same thoughts... Lord what it must have been like to have lived during the days of the apostles, and to have seen the miraculous supernatural power of God working and manifesting through the lives of the apostles and the disciples.

I thought about the very introduction of the Holy Spirit as the baptizer in Acts chapter 2 when he comes and he baptizes his people with fire. Tongues of fire sitting upon their heads.

And they go forth with tongues of fire witnessing to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ with great power and authority.

It must have been glorious. It must have been amazing. And I have to admit, I have thought to myself ... I sure would have loved to have lived in the days of the apostles.

But to be honest about it I did not really fully and completely and accurately process the information that I had.

You say Pastor Terry what do you mean by that? Well what I mean is, all the information is right there in the book of acts, but I only saw what was comfortable, and what was exciting.

I didn't see the persecution, and the hostility that was raging against the church. I didn't see the intensity of the anger and hatred for the message of the gospel and toward those who carried it.

Now when I look in the book of acts I see things differently.

Now I understand that the apostles, as much as they were highly anointed and used by God, they were equally hated and persecuted because of their faith.

But they were bold and they were aggressive, and they were faithful to the calling and to the ministry.

Now I said all that to say this... I believe that we are living now in apostolic days. Or I should say, in days such as the apostles lived in.

But here is my concern. My concern is, that though we are living in days of apostolic persecution, we are not living in apostolic power.

This is my genuine concern today.

The apostles lived under the continual threat of persecution, but the apostles also lived in the power of the Holy Spirit!

My concern is that we are in days of apostolic persecution against the church, but the church is not moving in apostolic power.

I'm going to say something that I believe with all my heart.

I believe that in as much as the church is beginning to experience persecution and hostility against it, it is also going to be used by God as a catalyst for good, to ignite the church, and to get us back to apostolic power.

But here is the question, how is the church going to get back to apostolic power?

The answer is very simple, although the path is not. We have to go the same route as the early apostles.

It all starts in the upper room, where 120 men and women who recognized the immensity of the work before them, and understood their inability to accomplish it in human strength or ability, set themselves to praying and seeking God, and crying out in faith, for the promise of power from on high.

Before Jesus left he told them that they would receive power from on high after the Holy Ghost came upon them. (See Acts chapter 1:8)

And he told them, "Tarry in Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)

Jesus knew the work before them would require supernatural power, because Jesus knew that their battle was spiritual, against demons, principalities and powers of darkness.

Jesus also knew that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire would equip them for this battle and this spiritual warfare.

As they came together in one place and one accord to contend in prayer for the promised power from on high, bible scholars say they were there for ten days pleading for “power.”

That’s what Jesus said they would receive and that’s what they were contending for. “Power from on high.”

Then suddenly the answer came. Suddenly heaven responded to earth, and the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead came rushing in like a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

The might of heaven, the strength of God, the mighty Holy Ghost, came suddenly upon them, and set upon them as cloven tongues of fire, and filled everyone of them until they began to speak with other tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance.