Chapter 2
Does the universe sometimes appear random, cold, impersonal, and threatening to you?
Years ago I used to think about what appeared to be random forces in the world, forces to which we are all subject, making us seem to be the victims of a capricious and sometimes cruel universe. If you don't know any better, the whole idea is scary, leading to deep feelings of insecurity.
But the world only appears that way. I later learned that there is a sovereign, unlimited, purposeful, and benevolent power behind the universe. If one is not tapped into this power, the forces and the things that happen to us do appear random and capricious, often cruel. But that is only the appearance and not reality. In fact, such people are the unwitting victims of a spiritual war going on, and they have chosen the wrong side, the diabolical side, even if unknowingly.
The truly diabolical aspect of the dark side of spiritual reality is that its victims do not even realize it is diabolical. Their sad plight seems logical, rational, right, and in concert with the prevailing cultural values at the time, no matter how evil. A 3,000-year-old proverb says, “ There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:2).
There is, indeed, a dark side, and a side of light. The side of light is the source of the power described in this book. The dark side has a degree of power also, such as the power of witchcraft, the occult and demons, all part of satanic power, and all of which can be formidable. However, that power is very limited and is easily vanquished by the power from the light described herein, which is omnipotent.
If one is tapped into the power this book describes, you learn that nothing is by accident, either in appearance or in reality. There is no such thing as luck, good fortune, or even coincidence. “According to the rabbis, coincidence is not a kosher word,” says author Chuck Missler. In fact, if you are plugged into this power system, everything that happens to you is ultimately for your good (Romans 8:28). The universe is no longer random. It is totally ordered for your benefit and the new spiritual kingdom in which you find yourself. The realization of this truth produces a transcendent peace beyond all understanding. That alone is worth the effort.
This power brings life. The alternative brings death. I urge you to tap into this life power today. When you do, you will experience a great peace, and an inner sense that you have finally come home to where you were created to be.
What is it? What is this great, benevolent power?
His power is total. It is absolute. It is without limit. It is beyond earthly comprehension. Nothing can resist it: no person, no devil, no physical law, no circumstance, or no disease.
It is the same power that created the universe and the same power that holds it together.
For by him (Christ) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17).
While really incomprehensible, try to grasp something of this absolute power of Christ:
• In one second, our sun emits more energy than man has done since he was created.
• Our sun is only an average-size star. One star, the Pistol Star, produces 1 million times the energy of the sun and has 100 times its mass.
• Our sun and entire solar system are just a pinpoint, or small speck, in our Milky Way galaxy.
• There are perhaps 200 billion stars just in our galaxy.
• If our galaxy was the size of the North American continent, our solar system would only be the size of a tea cup.
• Quasars, at the extreme edge of the known universe, some 1,000 times brighter than our Milky Way galaxy, emit as much energy every second as our sun does in 10 million years.
• While estimates continue to rise, our galaxy is just one of more than 100 billion galaxies in the universe, many of which are comprised of 200 billion or more stars.
• Astronomers say that the total number of stars in space could equal or surpass the total number of grains of sand on all the seashores of the world, and in most cases they are separated by trillions of miles.
(Some of the above information has only recently become known
because of the orbiting Hubble telescope.)
Through the ancient prophet Isaiah, God said, “ My own hands stretched out the heavens” (Isaiah 45:12).
The psalmist pondered the wonders of creation and asked God, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4).
God is not only mindful of us, but He has revealed Himself to us in a special way and amazingly, He wants to manifest His power through us, on the earth.
With His kind of unlimited power, God has absolutely no problem wielding it upon the earth and manifesting it through willing human vessels for His purposes.
There are two Greek words translated as power in the New Testament. One is dunamis , where we get the word for “dynamite.” According to the Strong's Enhanced Lexicon , the Greek word dunamis means “strength, power, ability, and the power to do miracles.”
The other is exousia , often translated as “authority.” The lexicon describes exousia as “ the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises; the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege).”
Power and authority go hand in hand. Without authority, there can be no power. Without power, authority has no enforcement. Authority is supreme because it controls and exercises the power.
For example, a policeman's authority is represented by his badge. Sometimes respect for the badge (authority) is all that is needed to get compliance and action. But the policeman sometimes may need to use his power, which is his gun. His gun backs up his badge. His power backs up his authority.
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:21).
This power referred to is manifested in the world by no less than the Holy Spirit Himself.
The source of the power we need
People may say, “Okay, we all know that God has great power. That's obvious. But what's that got to do with people? We are like less than ants on this earth and in the universe.”
But amazingly, God wants to delegate His power to people!
To conquer life's circumstances and to do God's will, we need God's power. We cannot do it in our own power. We cannot do it in the power of our own strength, minds, or emotions.
We can only do it in His power -- the power of the Holy Spirit.
Without it, we are weak and impotent, like a feather in the wind, blown about, hither and yon. With it, mountains, not just feathers, are blown away at our command (Mark 11:23)!
There is good news! The power of the Holy Spirit is available to you, whomever you are, young, old, rich, poor, male, female, of any race or nationality, and regardless of education or I.Q.
Anyone can get the power. Are you anyone? The Bible says that God is no respecter of persons and does not show favoritism.
That power is available to every believer to do everything commanded or provided for in the written Word of God, the Bible ¾ without exception. Unfortunately, God has provided many wonderful gifts and promises that often go unclaimed because the channel was not available due to unbelief or lack of knowledge. God says:
M y people are destroyed (perish) from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 1:20).
All of God's promises are “Yes” in Christ, but we have to apply the power by speaking the “Amen,” or saying “so be it,” and by faith acting upon it in specific situations.
To open up the channel, you have to know how to get the power and appropriate it. That is the purpose of this book -- to tell you how you can be the channel God desires, a channel through which He can release His power to fulfill His purposes and promises. He wants you to be a vessel and channel of His power, and to bless you at the same time.
In a sense, obtaining God's power is really easy. It does not come by performing religious rituals. It cannot be obtained by doing good deeds. It is free and cannot be purchased. You do not have to be a pastor or seminary graduate to get the power; in fact, intellectual studies under apostate and unbelieving professors can hinder your quest. It cannot be earned by being a preacher or an evangelist for 50 years. It cannot be earned by doing anything. It is totally free!
This power is obtained by a simple step represented by a small five-letter word, F-A-I-T-H , to be discussed later.
There is only one problem. To get this power from God you have to give up all your own power and selfish desires. It can only be given and used for God's purposes, according to His Word.
Therefore, to be a consistent vessel for this power, it will cost you everything. You must put aside your selfish ambitions and desires. You must submit to the King's desires. You must die to self. Yet that is not as difficult as it may sound. It is really easier and better than not doing it.
Total power and authority
In a most incredible statement, after His resurrection and just before His ascension to heaven, Jesus Christ said:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18).
Note the word all . He did not say some authority, or most authority. He said all authority. The Greek word for authority here is exousia , and the King James Version translates it as, “All power…”
In other words, there is no authority or power in the entire universe that the Father has not given over to His only begotten Son! The Son has it all.
The Father did not give some of it to Buddha, some to Mohammed, some to a few Hindu gurus, or maybe a little to other religious founders. He did not give it to government leaders. He did not give it to professors or academic leaders. He did not give it to Hollywood stars. He did not give it to network news anchors. Oh, yes, all these people have a degree of human influence, but that is nothing compared with the power we are talking about.
God gave it all to His Son. If the world only understood all the authority and power in the hands of the resurrected Son of God, it would no longer mock or be flippant towards Him or his followers, but would instead fall at His feet in reverent fear and adoration.
Where did Jesus get the power? Of course, He was the Son of God. But He had humbled Himself to become a man, laying aside His deity.
Being in very nature God, (Christ) did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11).
And in this earthly state, He had to get the power the same way we have to get it -- from the Holy Spirit.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased (Matthew 1:16-17).
In this one verse, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are mentioned. This is the mystery of the Trinity, the triune nature of God. The word “trinity” itself is not mentioned in the Bible, but there are many references to it, such as the above. They are one but three, and three but one. There are not three Gods but three expressions of the one God. For example, Jesus said, “The Father and I are one,” and “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” It is a great mystery, but truth.
Remember, we humans are finite and God is infinite. Our finite minds cannot understand everything about infinity, only what is revealed to us, or else we would be God, and I don't think our resumes qualify. Typically, cults deny the triune nature of God mainly because cults typically deny the deity of Jesus Christ, a principal revelation of the Bible and a basic doctrine of the church since the first century, both Catholic and Protestant.
The authority of the believer. One of the most important but least understood truths in the Bible is the authority that has been delegated to believers in Christ, available if they believe it and act upon it. Jesus told His disciples (and us):
I have given you authority (Greek: exousia ) to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power (Greek: dunamis ) of the enemy; nothing will harm you (Luke 10:19).
With serpents, scorpions, and the enemy, Jesus is referring to Satan and his demons. Believers have been granted authority over all of them. The world and individual lives would be totally different if believers understood and exercised that authority, defeating them, instead of being their victims. Satan and his demons, acting through the wrong choices of people, are responsible for all sickness, violence, wars, and all other evils in the world. The exercise of this authority needed to defeat them begins when one receives the delegated power of the Holy Spirit, to be described.
Power delegated. Jesus also said:
You will receive power ( dunamis ) when the Holy Spirit comes on you… (Acts 1:8, emphasis supplied).
Remember, He said, “ You will receive…” That's us!
He was speaking to His followers, then, since, and now. He said that this same power He had would be given to His followers! Jesus was given all authority and power by the Father, and now by this authority He is delegating power to His followers.
Jesus referred to this as “the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about” (Acts 1:4). Note that this divine power being transmitted to humans is both a gift and a promise, and that the agent of transmission is the Holy Spirit: “When the Holy Spirit comes on you…”
Was this just a one-time manifestation in the first century? No, we know that this gift was not just a one-time thing because after the initial giving and manifestation of the gift just a few days later on the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter explained to a crowd:
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off ¾ for all whom the Lord our God will call (Acts 2:39)
Further, the same thing happened other times as described in the book of Acts. After one occasion, at the house of a Gentile Roman soldier, Cornelius, Peter explained:
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?” (Acts 11:15-17).
Those in every generation who have dared to believe this incredible promise have actually seen this power manifested in their lives. As Peter said, who are we to think “that we can oppose God?”
The main purpose of the power
Chapter 5 describes in detail the two main purposes of the power. Jesus made clear His primary purpose:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem , and in all Judea and Samaria , and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
We must always remember that the power is not for our own selfish purposes. However, it does serve our purposes if our purposes are aligned with Christ's purposes, which are always good.
And what are Christ's purposes? He said it:
The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:10).
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).
With the thief, Jesus was referring to Satan, to whom man's sin gave rights in the earth, the reason for sickness, death, wars, crime, immorality, and other evils, all operating through man's fallen, selfish nature and wrong choices. God, of course, is not the author of these things. But Jesus came to save that which was lost through Satan's activities, and He came to give life, not death. His message is the message of life.
“You will be my witnesses…” The Greek word for witnesses here is martus , where we get the word for martyr. All but one of the original disciples in the first century were killed as martyrs for their testimony about Christ. This is proof that they had witnessed the resurrection and had not been involved with some cooked-up, self-serving conspiracy. Millions have been martyred since, including many in our day.
But whether or not we are physically killed, we are called to put to death our old selfish natures and let His life be witnessed in ours. Our old nature must be martyred.
The television miniseries, Band of Brothers , was a dramatic and vivid account of the combat actions of the famed 101 st Airborne Division during World War II in Europe . At the height of one bloody battle, an older American soldier counseled a young private who was petrified with fear as he witnessed the carnage of dead and mangled Germans and fellow Americans strewn all around him. The young man feared an almost certain, similar fate for himself in the days ahead of sometimes building-to-building fighting, bullets flying and grenades and artillery shells exploding everywhere.
The older soldier's counsel was chilling but poignant: "Accept the fact that you are already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function... All war depends upon it."
Oh, what a biblical truism in the life and spiritual war in which we find ourselves as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ! Truth in the natural often portrays truth in the spiritual. The apostle Paul used similar words:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20, NIV)—“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3)—“If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness" (Romans 8:10).
What is “being a witness”? Essentially, it is allowing the life and reality of Christ to be seen in us. The operative word is “being,” not necessarily speaking. St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach often, and if necessary, use words.”
Do you want the power?
Are you ready for your life to become one exciting adventure for God, an adventure unimagined by others?
First, I will describe how the power first exploded on the earth to large numbers of people close to 2,000 years ago, a pattern for us today.