The Pathway to Power

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Acts 1:1-9The Book of Acts is the success story of a small group of uncultured people—with no seminaries, radio, television, internet, newspapers, and very little resources—who told the world about Jesus. They went out against great obstacles and turned that world inside out and upside down for Jesus Christ. They did so much with so little! And we need to understand today what they did and how they did it, so that we can walk on the pathway to power, making much use of the resources God has given us.First, we must recognize the presence of Jesus in our lives.In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was here in His physical body. In the Book of Acts (also written by Luke), He is here in His mystical body. Jesus is still alive and active through us. Adrian Rogers says, “Jesus doesn’t want us to do anything for Him. He wants to do something through us.” The reason this early church did what they did with such power is because it really wasn’t them doing it. It was Jesus doing it through them.Second, we must receive His promise of power.God made a promise, and that promise to us is the spiritual power through the Holy Spirit to accomplish far more than we believe could be done. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we’re filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enlightens us toward the path we should take. He enables us to take it because we can’t do it on our own. And the Spirit encourages us in our moments of hardship.Finally, we must respond to His program through us.We are to be witnesses. Adrian Rogers tells us, “We must get our heads out of the clouds of prophecy and got our feet on the sidewalks of soul winning to tell others.” When we make ourselves available to His program through us, we become witnesses of the Gospel.And seeing what He accomplished through His early witnesses, there is no estimation of how powerful our witness to Jesus’ transformational love can be.Apply it to your lifeYou don’t know what you may do when you bring a soul to Jesus Christ. Recognize His presence in you. Receive His promise to you. And respond to His program through you.