There Should Be Power
Scripture: Mark 16:15-18Devotional Series: Preparing for Persecution
Teaching: Preparing For Persecution pt. 4 (WED 2021-04-21) by Pastor Star R Scott
Too many Christians think that when they find Jesus as their Lord and Savior, then everything is going to go smoothly, and God will protect them from all adversities. But, that’s not what the Bible teaches. If we’re going to identify with Jesus, we see in the book of Acts that first the initial hatred will be from religious people. And the people, the religious people that are going to dislike you most, are the ones who know the most about the Bible and the Word of God. Why? Because they have all of that knowledge convicting them because they’re not living it like you are. Jesus said it about Himself, “The reason they hate Me is because I’m revealing their sins. My life of obedience is condemning them and convicting them, and that’s why they hate Me—because they want to justify why you can’t live free from the world. They want to justify why they have no faith.”
The Lord said, “And I will go with you, and I will confirm your words with signs following.” Amen? He said, “Do you know what I want you to do? I want you to go into all the world, and I want you to cast out devils, and I want you to heal the sick, and I want you to raise the dead, and you’ll speak in new tongues when you’re filled with the Holy Ghost.” Who is it that’s opposing that today? The people that aren’t doing it; amen? And why do they not like those who are? Because they can’t put themselves off as the teachers of the rest of us, the instructors, the holy, because you’ve got this little fringe group over here who’s representing God in the fullness of His power, who are living lives very similar to what Jesus lived and what He taught and told His disciples was available to them. As Jesus ascended into the heavens, what’s the thing that He said? “Go to Jerusalem and wait, tarry for the Holy Ghost. You’ll receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you to be witnesses. And these signs shall follow them that believe, they shall…” Amen? Persecution is going to start from the religious people, many who are compromising with the secular system. Why? They don’t want to pay any consequences. This big segment of religious people, they’re going to do whatever the government tells them to do, they’re not going to pay consequences, they’re not going to become martyrs for Jesus. Read the book of Acts; the same thing took place then.
In Acts, Chapter 2, the church was birthed. There was no church until the second chapter of Acts, until they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. In Acts, Chapter 3, all these new Christians, the disciples, trained by Jesus, went on His commission and saw signs and wonders. He had gifted them to move in the supernatural; He’s now ascending back to the throne of God and tells them, go and finish the establishing of the kingdom of God on earth. So here they are, baby, baby Christians, had seen great things done at the hands of Jesus, now left on their own; but let’s not forget what Jesus had spoken to them. If I go, I’ll send the Spirit, and He’ll live in you, and He’ll remind you of all the teachings that I spoke forth, and He will become, now, the mouthpiece of God to you, to your spirit man.” So, they experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit. If we’re full of the Holy Ghost we ought to be different than we were before. There should be some power in our lives, there should be the grasping of the promises of God in a way that we never have before, there should be a compassion for lost souls like we’ve never had before, there should be a loving of our brothers and sisters like we’ve never had before, amen?
The Lord said, “And I will go with you, and I will confirm your words with signs following.” Amen? He said, “Do you know what I want you to do? I want you to go into all the world, and I want you to cast out devils, and I want you to heal the sick, and I want you to raise the dead, and you’ll speak in new tongues when you’re filled with the Holy Ghost.” Who is it that’s opposing that today? The people that aren’t doing it; amen? And why do they not like those who are? Because they can’t put themselves off as the teachers of the rest of us, the instructors, the holy, because you’ve got this little fringe group over here who’s representing God in the fullness of His power, who are living lives very similar to what Jesus lived and what He taught and told His disciples was available to them. As Jesus ascended into the heavens, what’s the thing that He said? “Go to Jerusalem and wait, tarry for the Holy Ghost. You’ll receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you to be witnesses. And these signs shall follow them that believe, they shall…” Amen? Persecution is going to start from the religious people, many who are compromising with the secular system. Why? They don’t want to pay any consequences. This big segment of religious people, they’re going to do whatever the government tells them to do, they’re not going to pay consequences, they’re not going to become martyrs for Jesus. Read the book of Acts; the same thing took place then.
In Acts, Chapter 2, the church was birthed. There was no church until the second chapter of Acts, until they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. In Acts, Chapter 3, all these new Christians, the disciples, trained by Jesus, went on His commission and saw signs and wonders. He had gifted them to move in the supernatural; He’s now ascending back to the throne of God and tells them, go and finish the establishing of the kingdom of God on earth. So here they are, baby, baby Christians, had seen great things done at the hands of Jesus, now left on their own; but let’s not forget what Jesus had spoken to them. If I go, I’ll send the Spirit, and He’ll live in you, and He’ll remind you of all the teachings that I spoke forth, and He will become, now, the mouthpiece of God to you, to your spirit man.” So, they experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit. If we’re full of the Holy Ghost we ought to be different than we were before. There should be some power in our lives, there should be the grasping of the promises of God in a way that we never have before, there should be a compassion for lost souls like we’ve never had before, there should be a loving of our brothers and sisters like we’ve never had before, amen?