Have you ever experienced a power outage?
Suddenly, things you normally take for granted become impossible. The lights don't work, the appliances stop running, and you quickly realize how much you depend on something you rarely think about.
Power makes a difference.
And sometimes, when we look at the world around us or the challenges within our own lives, we find ourselves asking a similar question:
Where is the power of God?
We see brokenness, division, fear, and uncertainty. We navigate our own struggles, trying to manage responsibilities, relationships, and the pressures of everyday life.
At times, simply surviving can feel like an accomplishment.
But Jesus has called us to more than survival.
As we continued our Heaven Touching Earth series, Pastor Craig Millar reminded us that Jesus has invited us to participate in a mission that cannot be accomplished through human strength alone.
The mission Jesus has given us requires the power that Jesus has promised us.
A Supernatural Mission
In Mark 16:17, Jesus speaks about supernatural signs accompanying those who believe.
These signs include deliverance and speaking in new tongues, revealing that the mission of Jesus involves more than human effort.
But Pastor Craig emphasized an important distinction:
We don't pursue signs. We pursue Jesus and His mission.
The signs follow.
The purpose of supernatural ministry isn't to impress people or draw attention to ourselves. It is to point people toward the living Jesus.
Our role is to be available and obedient.
The power belongs to Him.
The Source of Our Power
Before sending His disciples into the world, Jesus promised them something essential.
In Acts 1:8, He told them they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, enabling them to be His witnesses.
Jesus never intended His followers to accomplish His mission alone.
He promised the Holy Spirit.
And that promise matters for us today.
We need God's power to share the gospel, but we also need His power to navigate the challenges of ordinary life.
We need His help in our relationships, our struggles, our fears, and our decisions.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to live beyond what we could accomplish through our natural abilities.
The Spirit Within Us and Upon Us
Pastor Craig highlighted two dimensions of the Holy Spirit's work.
The Spirit within us.
When we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us.
He confirms that we belong to God and begins transforming our inner lives.
He works in our character, our desires, our attitudes, and the way we live.
The Spirit upon us.
As a Pentecostal church, we also believe in the baptism and empowering fullness of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 8, Peter and John prayed for believers in Samaria who had already received the gospel and been baptized. As they laid hands on them, the believers received the Holy Spirit.
This passage helps illustrate the empowering work of the Spirit for ministry and witness.
But this isn't meant to be something we experience once and never think about again.
Be Filled and Keep Being Filled
In Ephesians 5:18, Paul encourages believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The instruction carries the idea of continuing to be filled.
The Holy Spirit doesn't lose His power or grow weak.
But we can become weary, distracted, self-reliant, or disconnected from our relationship with God.
We can become so focused on doing things for Jesus that we neglect spending time with Him.
That's why we need to continually surrender ourselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit.
He wants to shape how we speak, how we make decisions, how we treat others, and how we respond to difficulty.
We don't just need the Holy Spirit to get started. We need Him every day of our lives.
Living in the Victory of Jesus
The supernatural mission of the Church also involves confronting spiritual darkness.
In Ephesians 6:12, Paul reminds believers that our struggle is not ultimately against flesh and blood.
Pastor Craig explained that spiritual opposition is real, but the power and authority of Jesus are greater.
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has already won the decisive victory.
Yet we live in a world where the full restoration of all things is still to come.
This means we continue to pray, believe for healing, seek freedom, and trust God to intervene.
Not every battle ends immediately. Not every prayer is answered in the way we expect.
And we must be careful not to assume that every illness, mental health struggle, difficult circumstance, or personal problem is caused by demonic activity.
We need wisdom and discernment.
But we can face the future with confidence because Jesus has overcome.
We do not fight for victory. We fight from victory.
Authority Comes From Relationship
In Acts 19, we read about the seven sons of Sceva, who attempted to use the name of Jesus without having a genuine relationship with Him.
They wanted the results of Jesus' power without surrendering to His lordship.
Their experience reminds us that spiritual authority isn't a formula.
It isn't simply about saying the right words.
True authority comes from Jesus and is exercised through relationship with Him and submission to His leadership.
Before becoming preoccupied with confronting darkness around us, we must allow Jesus to address the areas of our own lives that need surrender.
James 4:7 instructs us to submit ourselves to God and resist the devil.
Submission comes first.
The closer we walk with Jesus, the more our lives become available for His purposes.
The Gifts of the Spirit Are for His Mission
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul describes spiritual gifts such as healing, tongues, words of wisdom, and words of knowledge.
These gifts aren't trophies or personal achievements.
They are expressions of God's power, given through the Holy Spirit for the benefit of others and the building up of the Church.
And in 1 Corinthians 14:1, believers are encouraged to pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts.
Why?
Because people still need salvation.
People still need healing.
People still need wisdom and encouragement.
People still need what only Jesus can do.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to participate in the mission of Jesus wherever He sends us.
Not just in a church service, but in our workplaces, homes, neighbourhoods, and everyday conversations.
The Greatest Miracle
As the message drew toward its conclusion, Pastor Craig reminded us of something Jesus told His disciples.
When they returned from ministry excited that spiritual powers had submitted to them, Jesus directed their attention toward something even greater.
Their names were written in heaven.
The greatest reason for celebration wasn't their spiritual authority or the miracles they had witnessed.
It was their salvation.
The greatest miracle is that, through the grace and mercy of Jesus, we can be forgiven, restored, and brought into a relationship with God.
And that's ultimately why we need the power of the Holy Spirit.
Not to build our own reputation, but to help people encounter the living Jesus.
The mission is bigger than us.
The power comes from Him.
And His invitation remains the same.
Be filled with the Holy Spirit, and go wherever Jesus sends you.
Pastor Craig began by talking about how noticeable power becomes when we don't have it. Where in your own life have you recently felt the need for God's power?
What does it mean that the mission Jesus has given us requires the power He has promised us?
Why is it important that supernatural signs point people to Jesus rather than becoming the focus of our attention?
How would you explain the difference between the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit upon us?
Ephesians 5 encourages believers to keep being filled with the Holy Spirit. What can cause us to become spiritually distracted, weary, or self-reliant?
How can we develop a greater dependence on the Holy Spirit in our everyday relationships and responsibilities?
Pastor Craig explained that we live between the victory of Jesus' resurrection and the final restoration of all things. How does this help us approach prayer, suffering, and unanswered questions?
What can we learn from the seven sons of Sceva about the importance of relationship with Jesus rather than simply seeking spiritual power?
Why should spiritual gifts be understood as tools for serving others instead of personal achievements?
What would it look like for you to become more intentional about seeking the Holy Spirit's presence, power, and guidance this week?