How to Be Empowered As Jesus was in His Ministries (Luke 4:14-19)
Few people seem to be living fully empowered lives today. By living with the power of Christ we are assured that we can do everything God asks us to do with the help of Christ who gives us the strength and power. (Phil. 4:13)
Illustration: There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.
Billy Sunday in a sermon, "Wonderful," quoted in The Real Billy Sunday.
The following are nineteen guidelines for being empowered in your ministry as Jesus.
1. Only the Holy Spirit enables us to successfully do ministry. The Spirit of God is the one wh empowers, enlightenes and directs us to the kinds of tasks that are specially designed for our gifts and abilities. Let us trust the Spirit of God to empower us in the same kind of ministries that Jesus engaged in. Only through the Spirit of the living God can we be under full power and authority to accomplish what He calls us to do. Anything less would mean operating under the energy of the flesh and that is a recipe for disaster. Jesus once said,
" The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me (The Anointed One, the Messiah) to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed (who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed and broken down by calamity). To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord (the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound)." (Luke 4:18,19)
2. Only the Spirit of God can help us fulfill what God intends for each person. Only the omniscient Spirit of God knows what is best for every person in each moment for every situation. Only the Spirit of God has the omnipotence to be able to give the strength, courage and authority to overcome the opposition to God’s righteous ministries.
3. Only the Spirit of God be able to tread boldly ahead in areas that are yet to be navigated. The Lord Jesus knows the way when there seems to be no way. He sent His Holy Spirit to be our navigator through all of the troubles and stormy seas of life.
4. Only the Spirit of God is able to help us envision what kind of ministries are of greatest priority to God. He helps us avoid majoring on the minors. The Spirit of God gives us the confidence that we will be able to face the judgment seat of Christ with the confidence that we have accomplished the work He gave us to do with the help of Christ who gave us the strength and power.
5. Only the Spirit of God gives a full account of Christ’s undertaking, and the work he came into the world to do. The Spirit qualifies us to do what we could otherwise not have the credentials, abilities or faculties to handle difficult ministry assignments.
6. Only the Spirit of God is able to hand out the right gifts, abilities and talents to the people who are most fit for each particular ministry. Every gift and grace we have for the ministry is provided by the Spirit of God. He gives the Spirit without measure or limit. Praise God for the all sufficient grace that equips us to do the work He wants us to accomplish. We can be confident that the Spirit of God is able to keep evangelists still ministering amidst persecution, hardship or adversity.
7. Only the Spirit of God has the right to confer upon each individual the gifts that are most suited to their personality. The Spirit of God knows what gifts are needed for each temperament. The Holy Spirit has the wisdom to know the best gifts for every circumstance so as to not cause one to be overly tempted to be puffed up with pride.
8. Only the Spirit of God commissions us to do His ministries. The Holy Spirit of God equips, supplies and makes it official that we are in the ministries that God ordains for us. He anoints and sends us to where He wants us to be. When He anoints us He fits us for any undertaking that He believes we will be able to handle. He alone reserves the right to appoint people to the place and situation that is most strategic for the greater purposes of God’s kingdom and righteousness.
Application: I praise God that He knew best when to shut the door for my ministry in Africa and at the same time opened up a door for ministry in the USA. I honor and worship and thank God for His perfect timing, anointing and sending me to Trinity College where He is using me for His greater glory and purposes in ways that only He could orchestrate.
9. Only the Spirit of God signifies or gives meaning to our ministries. The Holy Spirit has a unique way of giving great significance to areas that were formely overlooked. This is one reason that people who have gone into formerly unreached tribes have seen God work great wonders. Out of the approximately 18,000 people groups in the world, there are still about 1000 ethnic groups that are still waiting to be reached with the gospel. Even today, the Spirit of God is saying, "Who shall I send and who will go for me?" Will you answer the call by saying, "Here am I Lord, send me!" (Isa 6)
10. Only the Spirit of God qualifies us to preach, teach and to declare His truth. Jesus said, "When He the Spirit of truth, He will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13) The Spirit of God only wants our availability. He is the one who gives us what we need to feel qualified to herald the truths of God with the power, conviction and passion that will penetrate the hearts of the most stubborn people.
11. Only the Spirit of God shows us the poor, downtrodden and broken-hearted to minister to. How I praise God for leading me through the years to hungry hearts who were ready for His message. All glory to God for His sovereign hand in directing me to the fields that we ripe for the harvest.
Illustration: During my nineteen years as a missionary in Nigeria, the Spirit of God directed me to more than 600 areas that needed a new church fellowship. Only the Spirit of God knew where people were hungry and open for the message of the gospel and church planting. Let the Spirit of God guide you to hearts that are hungering and thirsting for righteousness. For those are the ones who will yield a harvest of 30, 60 and 100 fold. (Mark 4:20-24)
12. Only the Spirit of God helps us overcome the opposition of many to preach to some of the most unlikely people on the planet. I remember when I first went as a missionary to Nigeria in 1981 that my parents vociferously urged me not to go. They screamed, "There are many people in the USA that need ministering too." Yet, it was the Spirit of God that compelled me to go to Nigeria where I met tens of thousands of hungry hearts that were ready and willing to receive the truth of Jesus Christ. To God be the glory for the ways that He helped overcome all the obstacles that tried to hinder His ministries through the years.
13. Only the Spirit of God helps us overcome the misunderstanding that is heaped upon those who do His work.
Illustration: Matthew Henry in his commentary writes, "The Jewish doctors disdained to undertake the teaching of and spoke of with contempt; to those that were poor in spirit, to the meek and humble, and to those that were truly sorrowful for sin: to them the gospel and the grace of it will be welcome, and they shall have it, Matt. 11:5.
14. Only the Spirit of God keeps us preaching the gospel. There are many other subjects that people tend to preach, but Paul wrote, "Woe to me if I preach not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." The Spirit of God has a way of keeping us on target when we often drift on to things that are of less importance.
15. Only the Spirit of God allows us the privilege and power to preach deliverance to the captives. So many people are imprisoned by their self-destructive ways of thinking, selfish habits and faulty assumptions about life. The ministry that is led by the Spirit of God brings liberation to those who are bound up in their bad habits.
Illustration: Matthew Henry, in his commentary writes, "The gospel is a proclamation of liberty, like that to Israel in Egypt and in Babylon. By the merit of Christ sinners may be loosed from the bonds of guilt, and by his Spirit and grace from the bondage of corruption. It is a deliverance from the worst of thraldoms, which all those shall have the benefit of that are willing to make Christ their Head, and are willing to be ruled by him
15. Only the Spirit of God gives restore perception to those who are limited in their vision.
Quote: "He came not only by the word of his gospel to bring light to them that sat in the dark, but by the power of his grace to give sight to them that were blind; not only the Gentile world, but every unregenerate soul, that is not only in bondage, but in blindness, like Samson and Zedekiah. Christ came to tell us that he has eye-salve for us, which we may have for the asking; that, if our prayer be, Lord, that our eyes may be opened, his answer shall be, receive your sight."
Matthew Henry Commentary
16. Only the Spirit of God helps us preach the acceptable year of the Lord’s release, relief and rescue.
Quote: "It alludes to the year of release, or that of jubilee, which was an acceptable year to servants, who were then set at liberty; to debtors, against whom all actions then dropped; and to those who had mortgaged their lands, for then they returned to them again. Christ came to sound the jubilee -trumpet; and blessed were they that heard the joyful sound, Ps. 89:15. It was an acceptable time, for it was a day of salvation.
Matthew Henry
17. Only the Spirit of God engages us in a ministry of healing broken hearts. The Spirit of God has way of using the word of God and His love to cure afflicted hearts and minds. The Spirit, is the one who gives peace to troubled hearts. The Holy Spirit relieves the weariest of people with His energizing, renewing and reinvigorating. He eases the conscience of those who are guilty, sorrowful or feeling shame.
18. Only the Spirit of God allows us to make use of the liberty for His greater ministry purposes. Paul wrote, "Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Gal. 5:1) Praise God that the Spirit of God wants us to maximize the use of our liberties for His kingdom’s expansion in both qualitative and quantitative ways.
19. Only the Spirit of God is able to bring the credibility needed to make our ministries effective.
Quote: They all bore him witness that he spoke admirably well, and to the purpose. They all commended him, and wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth; and yet, as appears by what follows, they did not believe in him. Note, It is possible that those who are admirers of good ministers and good preaching may yet be themselves not true Christians. Observe, First, What it was they admired: The gracious words which proceedeth out of his mouth. The words of grace; good words, and spoken in a winning melting way. Note, Christ’s words are words of grace, for, grace being poured into his lips (Ps. 45:2), words of grace poured from them. And these words of grace are to be wondered at; Christ’s name was Wonderful, and in nothing was he more so than in his grace, in the words of his grace, and the power that went along with those words. We may well wonder that he should speak such words of grace to such graceless wretches as we are.
Matthew Henry
Praise God for His Attributes in Psalm 103 to be More Empowered by His Spirit:
God’s Attributes in Psalm 103
1. Praise-worthy Lord
2. Holiness in Name & Reputation
3. One who Reads Hearts, Minds and Souls
4. Reminder of Our Benefits
5. Forgiver of All Our Sins
6. Healer of All Our Emotional, Physical, Social, Mental, and Spiritual Diseases
7. Miracle Working God
8. Redeems Our Life From the Pit
9. Crowns Us With Love & Compassion
10. Satisfier of Our Desires with Good Things
11. Renewer of Our Youth Like the Eagle
12. Worker of Righteousness
13. Worker of Justice for All Oppressed
14. Made Known Your Ways to Moses
15. Made Known His Deeds to Israelites
16. Does Not Harbor His Anger Forever Against Us or Not Always Accuse Us
17. Does Not Treat Us As Our Sins Deserve
18. Great Love for Those Who Fear Him
19. Incomprehensible Love
20. Removes Our Transgression From As Far as the East is from the West
21. Compassionate as a Father
22. Knows that We are Formed
23. Remembers We Are But Dust
24. Knows the Futility of Man and the Length of His Days
25. Knows the Limitations of People
26. Everlasting is His Love
27. Giver of Righteousness Throughout Generations
28. Keeper of His Covenants to Obedient
29. Establisher of His Throne in Heaven
30. Ruler Of His Kingdom Over All
31. Everything, Everyone and in Every Occasion We Should Praise God
32. Worthy of Worship
33. Controller of the Angels
34. One Who Deserves Obedience
35. One Who Is Worshiped By Our Service
36. One Who Is Worshiped Everywhere
37. Reigns Over All at All Times
38. Higher Than The Heavens
39. Greater Than All
40. Knower of Human, Earthly and Physical Limitations
41. Everlasting
42. Precepts Author, Setter and Monitor
43. Over All Mighty Ones
44. Worthy of Our Wholehearted Praise, Adoration & Obedience
