POWER FOR LAST DAY MINISTRIES
2 Timothy Chapter Three
(1) This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come.
(2) men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
(3) Without natural affection, truce breakers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
(4) Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God;
(5) Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
INTRODUCTION:
I believe what it's going to take to reach this type of generation that the Apostle Paul described here, is more than what we are seeing and experiencing in the churches of today.
Here is Paul who has suffered many, many things.
Stoned, beaten many times, left for dead, ship wrecked, bitten by the viper, thrown in prison after prison, and as a matter of fact he is in prison now as he writes to Timothy and he tells him that perilous times are coming.
The amplified New Testament says, "Times hard to deal with and hard to bear"
Jesus put it this way, he said, "There will be distress of nations with perplexity", and that word perplexity denotes that there is no way out, hopelessness,
And if you look around you today and you observe:
The world problems,
The economic problems,
The social problems,
The psychological problems,
You'll see a world in turmoil with seemingly no way out.
You see the distress of nations today, and as we are in this service today, the world waits to see what will befall us today.
You see, things develop rather quickly today. It's a hard time to be a reporter.
The reporters of today they don't know where to set up there cameras, they don't know where the next breaking story may happen.
We have unrest on almost every continent.
We live in a world of unrest, and perplexity.
Times hard to deal with and hard to bear.
Paul here gives 22 signs of the end time people, but I want to deal with just a few here today.
1). UNHOLY
We live in an atheistic society today. Our nation fails to recognize God, and my Bible says, "The nations that fail to recognize God, will be cast into Hell"
Our nation :
Is the biggest exporter of child pornography;
Is a drug crazed nation;
Kills more unborn babies in one year than the last three wars we've been in.
Has a suicide rate among teenagers that is the highest in the world;
I want to tell you we're an unholy nation, and God speaks of giving those who did not want to retain God in their thoughts, over to a reprobate mind.
Reprobate meaning "that which is void of conscience", and this is what is happening in our world today.
We live in a generation who has given themselves over to vile affections, and they dishonor their own bodies, this is the generation you and I have to minister to today.
How are we going to reach such a Godless and unholy generation of people?
I tell you it's not with:
Programs;
Mere eloquent words, and fancy little speeches;
Counseling, Trying to talk the devil out of people;
It's going to take more than stardust off tinker bells wings;
It's going to take more than Shazam, or the incredible Hulk;
God's not looking for:
Somebody changing clothes in a phone booth;
Somebody in a bat suit with a utility belt;
But he's looking for somebody who will allow Him to pour His Spirit in them and use them.
It's going to take operating in the power of God!
Secondly:
2) WITHOUT NATURAL AFFECTION
Perversion is raging in our society, homosexuality, sodomy, and lesbianism, the unnatural sins of the flesh are prevalent in our nation.
I believe that there are cities that are controlled by demons of homosexuality, and demons of lesbianism.
I believe the city of San Francisco is ruled by a prince of homosexuality, and that prince needs to be brought down, and cast out, and that city needs to be delivered from his rule.
Without natural affection!
We live in a time when the cry of women's lib is "I have a right to do with my body as I please", "If I want to kill my unborn baby, it's my choice",
But my Bible tells me that "the body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."
And we are to honour the Lord with our body: We're not our own, but we're bought with a price, therefore glorify God with your body and your Spirit, which are God's.
This body is a temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you.
This is the kind of society to which we have come. A society in which the disease of Aids is running rampant, un checked across the land.
A time of un restricted promiscuity, and sex changes.
I tell you, I feel for the children of today who are coming up in this society. My heart goes out to them.
I feel for those who are dating age, and looking for a spouse in this society.
You women who are looking to marry, you might ought to run a background check on the fellow. Johnny could have been Jane at one time!
You men, Martha could have been Marty. You never know in this society!
What is it preacher?, It's people clambering for their rights,
We've got:
A right to be who we want,
Our right to be what we want to be;
Our right to do what we want to do;
Dead people don't have any rights!
But, it's not so much what your rights are, but it's what is right.
The Bible says, "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach!"
We've come to a time when people are accepting homosexuality as an alternate life style, it's socially acceptable, or it's just a psychological mal adjustment.
Hear me, it might be all of that, but the Bible says, "It's an abomination unto God, It's sin!
You know when God put two people in the garden of Eden, it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!
We live in a spandex society. You don't have to wonder anymore, all you have to do is look!
I'm telling you this generation is unholy, and lacking in natural affection.
This is the kind of day to which we have come. A time when men and women everywhere you look are in difficulty, and they not only have problems, but with perplexity.
In the realm of religion we have come to a time when men use the pulpit for self advantage.
A time when religionist corrupt the ways of the Lord.
They have a form of Godliness, but deny the power thereof.
They preach against the supernatural power of God, the miracle working power of God, but I want you to know this book says, "I am the Lord and I change not.
James 1:17 tells me, "In Him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever!
And the people who say they wish they were living in Bible days, we're living in Bible days.
Acts chapter 29 is being written today.
And I tell you it's time we got back to preaching the Word of God, and asking God to confirm his word with signs following the believers.
My God, I'm sick and tired of those who would say, "I want to share something with you today"
You don't share the word, you declare the word!
Can you imagine old John the Baptist standing in the Jordan saying, "Please sit down, I have a few words I would like to share with you today;
Some things that might be relevant, oh I know nobody here's in this condition"
He thundered, "You generation of vipers, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, now is the axe laid to the root"
And my prayer is God, raise up individuals who will:
Declare what thus saith the Lord!
Preach the Word;
Not fear man;
Let them be like Peter and John who said, "We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard";
Can I tell you, "Preach the Word, and let the chips fall where they may.
But preacher, "It may offend somebody!" Jesus said, blessed are they who are not offended.
An unholy people;
This is the type of generation that we have to minister to today.
Ephesians chapter one beginning at verse 19 says, "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe?
According to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every named that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth, all in all.
I want you to realize that to minister to the generation of today, you're going to need power.
I want to talk about three things:
(1) Our definition of power;
(2) Perception of power;
(3) Purpose for power
1) DEFINITION OF POWER
The first word power there is dunamis, which means ability to do, ability to accomplish mighty deeds, wonderful and mighty works.
It's like a dynamo, it's keeps on keeping on, it has the ability to keep producing power.
The power is resident in the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost is in you, and if you allow him to be president of your life, and rule in the affairs of your life, then the Holy Ghost can work mighty works through you.
The next word there for power is kratos, which means dominion and strength.
And the third word for power used there is Exousia, which means mastery or authority.
That's the same word that is used when Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
And he said, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;"
And you can do it because of the power that's behind you;
He said in Luke 10:19, "Behold I give unto you power "Exousia", to tread over serpents, and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy"
This is the power we have been given, mastery, and authority, and ability to do mighty works, in the name of Jesus.
And I want to tell you that unless you have this power in operation in your life, you need not expect to make an impact in the world. Church as usual is over!
It's going to take an extraordinary power of God to make an impact upon our generation.
This is the power we need in operation today.
You see, that New Testament Church had power as it's only credential.
It wasn't depending on it's ties with Rome, or the Sanhedrin, it wasn't because it had "Affiliated with the Assemblies of God" on it's sign out front.
It wasn't depending on it's favor with society, but it gained it's favor through the power of God, and through God only.
They were asked the question, "In whose name, and by what power have you done this?"
And that would give them the opportunity to say, "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, and whom God raised from the dead, In his name are these miracles wrought."
This is the power that we need today to reach this generation.
2) A PROPER PERCEPTION
What is a proper perception of this power? In Matthew 22:29, says "Ye do err not knowing the scripture, nor the power of God."
How many of us are not aware of God's power?
There is a perception today that the power is ours, that it belongs to us.
Can I just tell you, "You don't have anything that you didn't receive from God."
The power is not your's to use as you see fit. It's God's power for God's work, and it's God that relegates his power.
The Bible says in Psalm 62:11, "Power belongeth unto God"
The Spirit of God is sovereign, and you don't command the Spirit, but the Spirit commands you.
You do as he wills, not as you will.
It's according to the will of the Spirit, "it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure."
We live in a day where self esteem is the rage of the age.
There are a lot of book being written about self esteem, and we should be in control, and we should think highly of ourselves;
And I believe that we should have self esteem, but I believe there's a time when we should abase ourselves, and abhor ourselves, and repent in sackcloth and ashes.
The Bible says, "Brothers, we ought not think more highly of ourselves than we ought."
Hear me, God knows how to abase those who are exalted.
And the reason so many have fallen recently is they have exalted themselves, and did not remember who's power they were operating in.
The Bible says in 2 Cor 4:7, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power might be of God, and not of us."
You see, the New Age philosophy tries to make little Gods out of everybody.
They deify man and humanize God, and they put God and man on equal level.
Let me tell you, without God we are nothing.
Leave us alone, and when you've left us alone, the flesh profiteth us nothing, it's the Spirit that quickens, it's the Spirit that gives life.
Eph 3:20, "Now unto him..."
It's not us working, but the power that works in us. That's the proper perspective of power.
That's what the New Testament Church had working in and through them.
So what is the purpose of this power?
3) THE PURPOSE
In John 14:12 it says, "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do he shall do also. And greater works than these shall he do because I go to my Father."
Why did he go to the Father?, so you and I could receive that power that fills us, and works in us, and we can dress out for warfare and win!
Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." Even for the ministry of the gospel.
Paul said in I Cor 2:4, "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of mans wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
"That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
Our faith is not to be in wisdom: Eloquence: Enticing Words: Our Ability:
Our Faith should stand in the power of the living God.
The Apostle Paul said in Eph 3:7, "Whereof I am made a minister according to the gift of grace that is given me by the effectual working of his power."
Here was a man of great learning, a man who was a tri-linguist, a man above many of his equals;
A man who boasted and said, "if any man have confidence in the flesh, I the more."
But the Apostle Paul didn't lean on that, but he leaned upon the Spirit and power of God.
The Bible says that God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.(Acts 19:11)
Who wrought it? God!
Paul's ministry was a ministry of miracles.
Not a ministry without the Word, because the Word will not be supplanted by any miracle or sign, or wonder.
The Word is the final authority for the church. Nothing super-ceeds the word.
No prophecy,
No tongues and interpretation,
No word of knowledge,
No miracle,
If it doesn't line up with the word, throw it out!
I've heard people say, "Well, I don't know what the word says about it, but I know what the Holy Ghost told me."
He's the author of the book, he is not going to contradict himself!
One of the greatest things in all the world is the preaching of the word of God.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but his word shall never pass away.
God chose the foolishness of preaching to save the world.
He said in I Cor 1:18, "The preaching of the cross is foolishness to them that perish, but to them that are saved it is the power of God."
Hear me today, "This world and all that's in it, is going to turn white hot and cool to a cinder, but the word of God standeth forever"
It's forever settled in the heavens.
I hear people say, "God's word said it, and I believe it, and that settles it.
That's not it brother, If God's word says it, that settles it whether you believe it or not."
God confirms his word with signs following. When the word is preached, signs will follow.
When I preach the word, I start looking for something to happen, maybe it will be over here, or over there, but Mark 16:20 says, "And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following."
I'm expecting miracles to take place in this service today.
In Acts 4:29, after the church was persecuted, they said, "And now, Lord, behold their threatening: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
(30) By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus."
In other words they said, "Lord, now we've preached the word, confirm the word by signs and wonders being done",
and when they prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness"
With great power gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection.
This was the ministry of that New Testament Church.
In reality the book of Acts really says, "This is how the Apostles acted when moved upon by the Holy Ghost."
It wasn't:
Paper evangelization,
Program evangelization,
Counseling;
Seminars;
but it was power evangelization.
And it wasn't just relegated to the Apostles, but laymen as well.
PHILIP
Philip left the serving of tables and went down to Samaria, and in Acts 8:6 it say, "And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did."
And I've got to tell you, "We've got pastors today who try to run their church just like you run a business, without the power of the Holy Ghost."
But that New Testament Church had Holy Ghost filled deacons.
They were full of the Holy Ghost and faith.
And just because you can operate a business out in the world, don't mean you can operate God's church.
It takes Spiritual men to operate a Spiritual church! The body of Christ is a Spiritual operation.
The Bible says when Philip went down there many unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them; and many taken with palsies, and the lame, were healed.
God help us to have these kind of laymen in the church today.
There was another layman by the name of Stephen.
STEPHEN
Stephen went forth full of faith and power and wisdom, and ministered to the people.
And the Bible says, "They could not resist the Spirit and wisdom by which he spake."
I'm telling you when you speak in the power of the Holy Ghost, men cannot withstand you because you're speaking in another power that's greater than any power on earth.
That's the purpose of this power. You can get folks to listen to you, if you've got the anointing.
If you don't have the anointing, they get annoyed!
We need Holy Ghost filled preachers and laymen in the church today who will not be intimidated, but will speak forth this gospel with boldness!
Power for ministry:
Power for World Evangelizing;
You're not going to make an impact in the community without this power!
You can institute every program you want too, every community outreach aid, you can give dinners away until you're broke, but brother, if you don't have power evangelizing, you might as well close the doors and whistle dixie, because all you'll have is a religious social club!
Paul, went through Paphos, and there was a man by the name of Sergius Paulus who was a deputy of that country, and he had called Paul to talk with him.
The Bible says a sorcerer by the name of Elymas Bar Jesus withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
But Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost set his eyes on him, and said, "O full of all sublimity and mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of the faith, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
And he said, now, the hand of the Lord is upon you, go blind for a season, and IMMEDIATELY a darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
That's power evangelism! That's what we need today because it says, when the deputy saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
This is power evangelism, because he saw the power that accompanied the testimony and the word.
And I just want to tell you that it's going to take this kind of power and demonstration to reach the people of today.
It's not enough to:
Sing;
Worship;
Preach;
Teach;
Be organized;
It's going to take the demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God to reach men and women today.
PETER AND ENNIAS
Peter went down through Lydia preaching the word.
And he came across a man by the name of Ennias.
Ennias was sick of palsy, for eight years, and lying on a mat.
And one day as he walked by him he said, "Ennias, Christ Jesus maketh you whole.", Arise and make your bed.
And I can see him as he rolled over and stood up, rolled up his bed and put it on his back, and started walking down the street.
Somebody said, "Isn't that the man that had his back on the bed, and now he's got his bed on his back, isn't that the fellow?"
If the power that Peter's got caused this man to walk, I want what he's got!
The Bible says that all of Lydia and Sharon that saw him turned to the Lord!
How many times have you seen a church, or city that was dead and dry, and it seemed like there was nothing that would be able to break through?
I want to tell you it's only by the miracle working power of God that will change a situation like that!
God, let it happen here today.
I'm trying to instill in you that to reach this generation of hardened, calloused, unthankful, unholy, perverted people, it's going to take more than talk!
Mark it down, we have churches today who try to talk the devil out of people.
Instead of healing the sick, they try to psychoanalyze the maladjustments of the disinclined and unproductive society.
What we need to get back to is the great commission of the church, "Go ye into the world and preach the gospel, Cast out devils, Heal the Sick;
and when you do that, God said I'll work with you, and I'll confirm the word, with signs and wonders.
CONCLUSION:
We need a perception of the power, and we need to realize the purpose of that power.
I don't know whether you realize it or not, but our children, our generation, is being confronted with Satanist, and the powers of darkness like never before.
The things that are happening in the world today are shaking the faith of many, many people.
And you and I are going to have to be the ones who will stand in the gap, and make up the hedge for this generation. We're going to have to do battle like never before.
And it's going to take all the power you can muster up in the Spirit to combat these forces.
Just like when Daniel prayed for three weeks and the Prince of Persia, who was a demon force, withstood the angel Michael, who was bringing the answer, there are demon forces that are controlling whole cities, and churches, and we're going to have to make a stand against them.
But, if you could just have your spiritual eyes opened here right now, you could see the angels of God here in this place.
The Bible says, the angels encamp around about them that fear him, and love him.
Before you got here today the angels were sitting up camp. They are in this place! They're here to do their work.
But listen, they can only do what is spoken in faith.
Elisha was in the land of Dothan and the Syrians compassed the city where they were.
His servant went out and he saw the multitude and he said, "Master, how shall we do?"
Elisha said, "Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them"
The power of God is more than any power the devil can exhibit. We need to break the back of Satan's forces today, and realize that "Greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world."
I don't know how you feel about it, but I'm tired of coming to church and just getting through the service, nothing supernatural happens, no joy, everything on a down hill swing, it's time we took this place for the kingdom of God.
It's time that those who:
Are sick can come and be healed;
Need salvation, to be saved;
Are bound to take authority over the devil!
Do you believe it?
Do you believe it?
Stand to your feet today, I want you to pray with me, "God we need that power"
God, would you send that Holy Ghost power in our midst once again.
