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Power should be in a right perspective and used to serve the everlasting God, towards a higher purpose to be apart of the Kingdom of God. Power used incorrectly is useless.

Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. Nice to be here with all of you on the Feast of Pentecost. It is a pretty awesome day and as we've had expressed to us the day of Pentecost can mean many things to many people. There are many areas and many directions you can go in a sermon on this day, not only about the Church, about the firstfruits, about two loaves of bread, there are a lot of various sermons and of course about the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit itself — there are so many of them that we could certainly go through.

I'd like to share with you a sermon today that I think is really important and absolutely necessary for all of us. It is a topic that we all need if we are going to be in God's Kingdom. We've had some things alluded to already — you'll see that as we go through it.

"A hurricane lifts sixty million or more tons of water and generates more power every ten seconds than all the electrical power used in the United States in one year." I will read it again. "A hurricane lifts sixty million or more tons of water and generates more power every ten seconds than all the electrical power used in the United States in one year. The hurricane that struck Bangladesh in 1970 produced a tidal wave which killed at least 500,000 people. In 1900 in Galveston, Texas, a hurricane created storm tides that swept 6,000 people to their death." So that is talking about power. That is pretty awesome power and of course that is God's power because He controls what goes on in the atmosphere.

Here is another quote: "When Senator Kefauver," this was several years ago — "stated that H-bombs could blow the earth off its axis by sixteen degrees, scientists correctly say, not so. There is no known power in nature which could so upset the earth. A strong earthquake involves almost as much energy as would be supplied by a million atomic bombs or one thousand H-bombs set off simultaneously, says the Department of Defence" and earthquakes are under God's control." You talk about power — that is a lot of power.

Young people, as they grow up, what do they look for? Power. They want powerful bicycles; they want powerful scooters. We see them all over our neighbourhood — everybody has got to have a power one. Foot traction is not good, they have to have power. Upstairs is a gun show — a lot of power up there. I didn't go up but I see the weapons coming on and I — am I in the wrong place here, all these weapons up here, upstairs. When I had a chance to buy a pistol in California, what did I buy? 357 Magnum. When that goes off and you've got your ears covered with protective material, it still goes BOOM!! And when I was just practicing it, as I held it up like this, the guy said just practice. There weren't any bullets in it. I would just aim it and practice it. The police officer, when I was shooting at a police range, he said: Just pull the trigger. Having shot a few off already, when I held it and just when I pulled the trigger my hand jumped and there was nothing in it!

So we all look for power. Young people want powerful cars. You want cars that when you hit the gas in neutral then (makes car revving noises) you know, you want that real power. Power is something we all look at and see. Power is something people want and power is something that people can have in their lives.

I want to read a few quotes to you about power. If you haven't gotten the drift of my sermon, it is on Power. "Power may justly be compared to a great river. While kept within its bounds it is both beautiful and useful but when it overflows its banks it is then too impetuous to be stemmed. It bears down on all before it and brings destruction and desolation where ever it comes." That was Alexander Hamilton back in 1741. When power is kept in check, it is good but if it goes unchecked, it causes problems.

Another interesting one from way back in 569 BC, they think, Epidicus — I don't know who Epidicus is but I am sure he was somebody back in 569 BC — he said this: "The measure of man is what he does with power."

There is another quote by James Burns. He said: "Power intoxicates men. When a man is intoxicated by alcohol he can recover. When intoxicated by power he seldom recovers." Here is another quote by George Bernard Shaw. He said: "Power does not corrupt men but fools, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power." Here is one more: "Power undirected by a high purpose spells calamity," said Theodore Roosevelt, "and high purpose by itself is utterly useless if the power put into it is lacking." In other words, if you don't have directed power it is useless, but if you don't ____keep it in a right perspective and use that power to serve the everlasting God, a higher purpose, it is also useless.

Matthew 6:13 is a prayer that so many people pray all over the world and yet I wonder how many Christians that is, I wonder how many really realize what they pray for?

Matthew 6:13 — Jesus Christ said we should pray for this: "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

God's Kingdom is a Kingdom of power. If we are going to be in that kingdom we are going to need to have that power, tap into it, yes, and use it.

Jesus Christ had power. After He had been tempted by Satan the Devil, after He had been tried and tested, notice:

Luke 4:14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit — God's Spirit is a Spirit of power, as we have heard.

Let's focus on the word "power" and see why we need power in our lives and what that power can do for us in our lives and why we desperately need it in our lives.

V.14 — then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region

What were the disciples suppose to wait for on the day of Pentecost? What were they supposed to wait for?

Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.

His disciples were told: You wait. Don't go anywhere. Don't fail to show up. When we read the account in Acts 2, and by the way today is Pentecost service, not Pentecostal service. So we don't want any Pentecostal service here, alright? On the day of Pentecost there was a lot of noise in the room but it wasn't from tambourines and it wasn't from a rock band and it wasn't from people saying: Amen, amen, amen, or hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah — it was from God. It was a sound of a mighty rushing wind and upon each of those disciples sat like a flame of fire and they began to speak with languages who were known to all those people who had travelled from various parts of the world who came to Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost or the Feast of Firstfruits.

Those disciples spoke so convictingly and so powerfully that thousands were baptized, were converted, turned to God, that day. They said: these men aren't drunk. Do you think these men are drunk because they are up here speaking in these unknown languages, unknown to the different ones? Actually they were known by all of them. You talk about a miracle; you talk about power.

If I were speaking here in English and every one of you is hearing in your native language — if you come from France as Mr. Angeliou and others; German: Mr Petchel can speak German. If I'm speaking here in English and he is hearing me in French and he is hearing me in German, that is a pretty awesome miracle. Every one of them heard—not in the Jewish language; not in Hebrew; not in Aramaic—they heard in the language from which they were born, in which they were born—the countries they came from. It was a powerful miracle and not only that miracle but the power of the preaching was so compelling that thousands were baptized as a result. That is power. God gave that power because He knew that his disciples would need it to live life the way He asked of them.

You know what is interesting about all three of those verses? The word "power" comes from the Greek word "dunamis" from which "dynamite" comes. Dunamis. Most of the scriptures I am going to give you today come from the Greek word dunamis. It is used a hundred-and-twelve times in the Bible. It is translated various ways, such as: mighty works; mighty deeds; might; mightily, workers of miracles; virtue; strength; miracle; ability; abundance and power. The English word dynamite, dynamic, comes from the word dunamis.

God wants us to have dunamis. He doesn't want us to just say dynamite; He doesn't want us to just be called kid-dynamite; He wants us to have dynamite. But it is spiritual dynamite, not physical dynamite. You can't buy this. God will give it to us and it is a power that comes from Him and it is a power that generates in us that spiritual strength and help that we need to be able to win the battles of life. Power is a force that all Christians need. Yes, not only need but they must have in their lives.

Acts 1:8 As the disciples were waiting in Jerusalem—We read what Luke wrote. He said: But you shall receive power — did you receive power when the Spirit of God came upon you when you were baptized, had the laying on of hands—did you receive power? Yes, you did. What are we doing with that power that we received?

V.8 — But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Not just locally; not just for those disciples back then because they did not go to the uttermost parts of the earth; but who can go to the uttermost parts of the earth in____ the work of God today. He says: I will give you power to do it. That is the word dunamis.

Luke 9:1 Jesus Christ sent the disciples out. They had power. Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power — dunamis — and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

Power to cure the sick; power to heal. Pretty awesome. He said: I am going to give this to you as a special benefit. They weren't baptized yet but I am going to give you that power to go out and do My job.

Hebrews 6:5 — Just establishing that God has power to give and we have power available. He talks about those who turn away and He said in:

V.4 — For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,

V.5 — and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come...

They've actually tasted of the powers of God by having the Holy Spirit — same word: dunamis. They tasted of it; they had it.

2 Timothy 1:7 That word power — dunamis. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

As we will see that power is so vitally needed for us to be able to live this Christian life; to be able to battle and overcome any difficulties that we may face in life. I want to read to you a couple of quotes. I think you'll like these, just about the power that is available, even in nature.

"Did you know that the Arctic Tern, a long winged swimming bird with a 15 inch body performs an incredible feat each year?" See if you remember and know what this is. I didn't. "The amazing bird migrates from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back every year. A flight of twenty thousand miles." Now as far as I know it has no cargo bay in its body to be able to carry a lot of supplies. As far as I know it carries no first aid equipment with it. "Those on the west coast simply fly down the coast of North- and South America. Those on the east coast perform a herculean hop across the Atlantic and then they proceed south along the west coast of Europe and Africa. Their flight south begins in September and then in the spring the direction is reversed. Apparently the arduous flight is good exercise. They live a long life. One banded Arctic Tern lived a documented twenty-seven years." The power that that bird must have to travel twenty-thousand miles.

Let me read you another one — God's power. "The biggest locust's swarm — the greatest swarm of desert locusts ever recorded was one covering an estimated two-thousand square miles observed crossing the Red Sea in 1889. Such a swarm of locusts must have contained about two hundred-and-fifty billion insects weighing five-hundred-thousand tons." I've been around a few plagues here and there — I know some people say I am a plague! — but I've been around a few plagues here and there and I remember one on our farm in Claysville, Pennsylvania, where for some reason these little black things, little tiny black things — they didn't hurt you or anything — as soon as you walk outside they were all over you. If you had any bare skin, they were all over you. It was pesty. It wasn't too bothersome.

Another one: We were driving across the country from Texas to California — my wife and I were driving along and we came through, I think it was New Mexico or Arizona, we pulled in for gasoline and there were grasshoppers or locusts or whatever all over the grass. They were flying around but nothing like two hundred-and-fifty billion.

The power of God is there, is shown, is known. God is called: El Shadai, God Almighty. Jesus Christ said: All power was given to Him — it is a different word by the way. I will cover that in Matthew 28. It means all authority. He has authority to give power. He has authority to give power. The word dunamis is the one that is most used. Dunamis is the one that is most used in the Bible.

Let's take a look then why we need God's power in our lives. Why we need it and why we must have it.

First of all, we need God's power to live life.

You and I can not live life the way we need to and the way we ought to without the power of God. As was brought out this morning very aptly by Mr. McCrady, without God, you can't do anything. Jesus Christ himself even said: Of my own self I can do nothing. Now if the Son of God, incarnate, in the flesh, would say: Of my own self I can do nothing — how much can we do of our own selves? Not only physically but how much can we do spiritually? We need the power of God. So we need the power of God for life.

I would like to share with you several areas of life in which we desperately need to use the power of God. We need to call on God: Please, give me that power. Please, give me that strength. Please, enliven me and strengthen me, enable me, empower me to be able to live your way of life.

2 Corinthians 13:4 For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. — Jesus Christ was able to live by the power of God — For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him — How? How do we walk with Him? How do we live with Him now, not only in the Kingdom of God — how do we live with Him now? — ..by the power of God toward you.

The dunamis. We need the dynamite of God in our lives to be able to just live life; to exert force, to live and to enjoy life. With all the negativity about us we have to be able to ward that off and fight it off with the power of God. To stay on the straight and narrow path when there are so many alternate paths to be able to go and there are so many routes out thereto be able to travel, and of course, they aren't the straight and narrow paths, are they? It takes power to walk down that straight and narrow path. It takes the strength from God; the power; the might that God will give just to live life.

We need that power to grow — second area — to grow in Godliness. We need that power.

You see plants need power to grow. So do humans. Plants, you put them in the ground and all of a sudden you see them growing, you see them coming up, you see them. There is a quote about how much some of these plants can actually grow and it is amazing how much they can grow. I am not going to give you that quote, but I have it. We need the power of God in order to grow.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. — That we can live life in a way that is joyful and we can have that peace and believing.

How can we live that type of a life? How can we walk in that way except we have the power of God, the power to bear Godly fruit? Notice:

V.19 — in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

To be able to grow, to be able to walk forward, to be able to move, to be able to bear the Godly fruit that we need, we need the power of God. We need that strength and of course Galatians 5:22 talks about the fruit that we bear and I am not going to turn there. How do you bear that fruit? How does your plant grow? Which fruits are lacking? Which fruits are thriving in our lives? I don't think we all produce all of them in the exact same amount. I think some produce more of one than the others. We all need to be producing them. How do you do that? With the power of God.

What about overcoming? What about strength to master our shortcomings; to make repentance complete; to be able to turn it around? How do people change? Sometimes we look back on our lives and we say: I used to be that way. I don't even like that way. That is where I used to be. How did you make that change? What miracle took place in your life? The power of God came in to it and gave you power to change, to turn from being one way, to turn to being God's way. That didn't just happen by accident. It didn't happen by force of your will. It happened by the power of God. You had to be willing but the power of God is the strength that we need to grow.

Philippians 2:12 There is no dunamis here. There was dunamis in the previous one — both power and might — but in this one, this one uses the example of the greatest power we could ever have and that is God Almighty Himself.

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, — you see one of the hallmarks of God's Church, one of the hallmarks of the people of God is that they obey — ...as you have always obeyed, — we just take it for granted. God's people follow orders. God's people follow what they are asked to do. It is just a hallmark. They obey God. God says: Do it. They do it. — ...as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, — so not just because somebody is around and might tell on you; whether somebody is around or not — but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

What do you do when nobody is around? How do you live life? How do you have strength? It is nice to be together with everyone, isn't it? You hear this powerful sound coming; you are able to share with each other; you are able to sit and talk and visit with people you haven't seen for a while; you are able to encourage each other and uplift each other; what do you do when you are all by yourself? Dunamis. You have the help of God, the power of God to be able to strengthen you and help you to stand.

V.13 — for it is God who works in you — now you talk about power: the power of hurricanes; the power of the Arctic Tern; the power of the locusts; that all comes from God and God with you — for it is God who works in you — you talk about power. That is Almighty Power, the power that works in you, Omnipotent Power, — for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. To lead us to do the things that please Him; to lead us to do the things that make us walk in the right paths.

So we need power to grow and overcome. The third one was: to overcome.

The fourth one is: we need power to resist; Power for resistance.

We need to resist the wrong thoughts; we need to resist the world; we need to resist Satan the Devil; we need to resist our own self urges; we need to resist. How do you do that? You know many Counsellors say: You don't have anything to resist. Just do it. Do what you want to do. Do what makes you feel good — just don't hurt anybody. How do you know if you don't follow the Ten Commandments? You hurt two people. Two people in the sense of two individuals: one is God and one is your fellow man. You are going to hurt them if you just do what comes natural; if you do what you want to do and as Mr. McCrady said, selfishness is always thinking about you. It is always thinking about you and everything is for you. Notice I didn't say some things are for you, I said everything is for you. It is about how you can get ahead and how you can take advantage of others. It is not about others and I thought it was interesting: we talked about perfect love casting out all fear — you know how perfect love casts out fear? Because when you have fear, who are you thinking about? You. Fear is incoming, love is outgoing and when you are thinking about you, you can be afraid. When you have an outgoing concern then you dispel those fears because love does cast out those fears.

Notice 2 Corinthians 10 verses 3 to 5. When the wrong thought comes in, how do you control it? What do you do with it? You know sometimes a crazy thought will come into my head — what! Where did that come from? Get out of here! I don't want to think that way. It is not a sin. Sin starts with lust. Sin starts when that comes into your ear, goes up to your brain and you say: Ooh! That is an interesting thought, and you start thinking it through and starting letting it work. What you do is when it comes into the ear and it goes up to the brain, you say: Hey, wait a minute now. That doesn't belong here. Get out! And you dynamite it out of your head. You don't blow yourself up but you dynamite it out. You use the power of God — you get rid of it.

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. How do you resist? How are you able to fight back?

V.4 — For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty — notice that word "mighty" is dunamis. Powerful, dynamite — in God — how do you do that? How do you resist? — ...dynamite (mighty) in God for pulling down strongholds,

V.5 — He says: casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

How do you do that? Most people don't! I gave a sermon once on why the world needs Pentecost. One of the greatest reasons is so that they can have a sound mind.

I mean some of the craziest things I hear happening on the news — I say: What! You can't believe some of the things; decisions by judges on people. What! This person, child molester, you let them go free. This person has a parking ticket and you throw him in prison. What is going on? It is not sound.

The world needs Pentecost. The world needs soundness of mind and you have that opportunity. You have that availability. I do too, through the power of the Holy Spirit that can transform our minds; that can change us and you see the greatest part of baptism is not what sins did you commit, it is what is your attitude toward sin and what is your attitude toward God now. I am sorry, forgive me — baptism — and now I am going to be like you, my Father in heaven. I can't do it by myself. I need the power of God and of Jesus Christ who walked this earth couldn't do it on His own power. How much can you and I do on our own power? We need the power of God. We need the dynamite; we need the dunamis, the power and strength that comes from Him. That's how we can resist and overcome and change and grow. To fight our enemies we need dynamite.

Another reason we need power in our life, is for endurance. To be able to endure to the end; to be able to handle trials; power to endure trials that come, health difficulties, struggles.

You know what I marvel at? A lady in Houston who lost her arms and her legs and Jim Servidio said she is in good spirits. You know to think of going into a hospital with my arms and legs and coming out with them missing — it is something my mind won't even let me go to. I try to imagine it and I stop and to say she has a good attitude and she has a good spirit — how does that happen? Dunamis — the power of God to give her strength to be able to endure. What a horrible trial. Whatever our trials we have power to be able to deal with it. When you feel like giving up, don't. When you need to reach out, when you need to have strength and help, God will be there to help us and strengthen us through.

Philippians 4:13 — it is a beautiful scripture. I am glad this was dunamis because I really like it. Paul said: I can do all things through Christ who gives me dynamite.

The word strengthens come from the word dunamis. It is actually is endunamoo and it means to empower. I can do all things through Christ who gives me the power.

Do you notice the emphasis? We have power in our lives but it is not our own power. It is not some V8; not juice or a car. V8 gives you power too. I remember the man in California where we lived who had a Chevrolet Impala. It was a 454 engine in it — 454 cubic-inch engine. You know the ones that had the flags on the side, the 454 on it — you know what he did? He took them off because everybody would want to steal his car because it was so hot. He was an older fellow — he just happened to have the car for a while. It had those flags on it with the V8-454 — they knew it was a 454 with that on it. You could not tell if you didn't have that on there. It looks like an ordinary Chevrolet. This Chevrolet was a 454-cubic-inch engine — not talking about that power.

We are talking about the power that comes from God, the power that God has to deliver.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You know what I like about that? It is an I-can-do attitude. I can do it through Christ. I can do it, through Jesus Christ who strengthens me. He is the one who gives us the power and the might to do it.

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

V.4 — to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

Wow! Wonderful goal that God has for us all. How can we make it?

V.5 — who are kept — how are we going to make it? How are we going to endure to receive that wonderful reward? — who are kept by the power of God — dunamis — kept by the power of God.

How can you make it? How can you last the trials and difficulties that come our way? How can we make it through? Dunamis. Dynamite. It is available but just like dynamite it must be set off, right? That is where the stirring up comes in. That is where the asking God for help and strength, to help us through situations and when you look back on — how did I ever make it through that? I don't know how I made it through? Now you look back and you say: that wasn't so hard because your spiritual muscles are bigger than they once were.

So we need it for endurance. We need it for life, growth, overcome, resistance, endurance — we also need it for unity.

The power of God can unify. Not blow apart — blow together. It can blow together God's people instead of blow them apart by resisting that which would pull you away and separate and by helping us be together. It takes God's spirit and the power of that spirit to remain unified. It's real easy to break off. It is more difficult to see good and stay together. Lots of people break off.

I teach my class: The only way you'll ever be really, really, really happy is to have a church by yourself. You are the preacher and you are the congregation. Even your wife won't agree with you, so she won't be with you.

She will say, "I don't think we should do it that way." "Yes, I am doing it this way. I am leaving and starting my own church."

The only way you ultimate will be happiest is to be by yourself and that is not going to be much fun, is it? Preach to yourself; fellowship with yourself; you won't like it. Me, myself and I — that three, they are all the same person. They can alternate giving sermons and being in the congregation. Somebody gives special music; we don't have a song-leader; now the pianist — so, what are you going to do? You stay unified.

Ephesians 4: The sense of power is here but it does not use the word "power" but it does use the word "Holy Spirit" which we know makes available the power of God.

Ephesians 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the vocation with which you were called,

You know it is interesting that God doesn't call it a hobby. He doesn't say: You know what? That little side thing that you do — religious once a week Sunday morning; once a week Saturday afternoon; once a week Saturday morning — whatever we do, for the world Sunday and for us Sabbath, that little thing you do once a week, don't worry about that too much. He didn't call it that. He calls it a vocation. Our job is being a Christian. Our job is living God's way of life. Our job is showing the world all around us and everybody we come in contact with, that we are Christian, that we know the right way to live and we have the power to be able to do it.

So he says: walk worthy of the vocation with which you were called,

V.2 — with all lowliness and gentleness, — see, we recognize who the power comes from — from God — with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

V.3 — endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

How do you struggle to keep the unity in the bond of peace? Only through the power of God. Without that power we won't achieve it. Let's be able to see beyond our own needs, beyond our own desires, our own wants and our own views, to say I want to do things for the betterment of every one. That is what it is about.

V.4 — There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

V.14 — that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

V.15 — but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ —

How do you do that? How do you become like Christ? How do you grow up to Christ? The Holy Spirit, the power of God. The power of God unifies, not blows apart. The power of God strengthens us to live right. So unity — we need the Spirit of God; we need the power of God.

You know why else we need the power of God? To do greater works.

Jesus Christ said, "You will do greater works than I do. When I leave you are going to do greater works." Now you say, "How can you do greater works?" Anybody raised the dead recently? Anybody walk on water? Anybody feed four thousand with a few loaves of bread and a few fish? No. How about thousands converted? How about thousands of people converted? How about preaching the gospel with power to a world through the written word, through internet? You talk about power that is available to do it now and I am not talking about God's power, that is just power.

Talk about greater works: How can you do greater works than Jesus Christ ever did?

Acts 6:8 Stephen knew how. Stephen was willing to put his life on the line because he knew that. I love reading the book of Acts because you get to see how real Christians did things in the early days; you see how they react and acted.

Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, — dunamis. Stephen had dynamite. He was a dynamite man. Stephen, full of faith and dynamite, power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

How can we do greater works? Power, available through the Holy Spirit; stirring it up. You can't just have it. You can have lots of dynamite sitting around but if you don't know how to use it, it is not going to work. You have to know how to use it. We need to know how to use the power of God and we need the power of God. We must have the power of God.

Notice in Acts 4:33 Think about the disciples back at that time. Here is dunamis again. And with great power — dunamis — the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

There was great power in the church. There is great power in the church today. Power available — it comes from God to His people. Power for each of us to tap in to; power for us to do greater works; to set an example in a world that is going the wrong direction, Preaching the gospel; preaching God to the world that has not heard the true gospel; helping turn people to God; telling them the right way to go instead of the wrong way to go — it takes power. It takes power to do it and the miracles that God will do.

We have people sitting in here who've had miracles in their lives — Miracles that have happened to them. We have someone whois even called: the Miracle man. I was sitting there visiting Shirley and Bob Davis when the nurse came in, the visiting nurse in the nursing home, and she said: Where is the miracle man? After reading all of his medical records she called him the miracle man because he survived serious heart trouble and frankly his heart was stopped, but God brought him back. God can perform miracles. He still does. One after another people are healed. It doesn't mean every single one but God has the power and we know that and we know that God has the strength to do it. We must tap into that power and might and believe.

Finally, we need the power of God if we are going to be in the resurrection. We need the power of God to change us from physical to spiritual.

Anybody seen anybody change lately? Nobody has. What will that be like? We all imagine it. I hear people saying: Well, I don't know a foreign language. I guess when I am in the Kingdom I am going to have to learn foreign languages. I will have to go to school and learn it.

You know what? When you are a spirit being you are not going to have the limitations of the human mind. You are going to have God mind. God is going to change us. What is that going to be like? I have no idea. I only try to picture it when I am flying in an aeroplane. If I am up there five miles high by myself, no other people sitting there, but I am up there by myself where you will be able to see through everything. Superman is the greatest one I like — in the cape — what will it be like, except he can't see through lead and kryptonite and certain things will render him weak. Otherwise, hey, he is a superman. You're going to be a super man and —woman in the awesome world tomorrow. You won't be limited. What is it going to be like? It takes the power of God to change us.

Philippians 3:10 This is dunamis. Notice what the apostle Paul said. What did he look forward too? What did he long for? — that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,

It is going to take the dynamite of God to change us from physical to spiritual; from a physical human being to divine; to being a child in the very family of God.

V.10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

But it is going to take that power of the resurrection.

Notice 1 Corinthians 15:43. Another dynamite for us to be in His Kingdom. Talking about various bodies; he talks about the resurrection of the dead, sown in corruption, raised in incorruption, verse 42,

V.43 It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, — how many of us have strength of and by ourselves? Not many mighty, not many noble are called but God has chosen the weak of the world, the base things, to confound the mighty. It is sown in weakness but what is it raised in? Power. God, with the power that His has, with the dynamite that He has, is going to rocket us from the dead to an instantaneous change to eternal life.

What a tremendous blessing. What an honour. What a privilege. To affect the change from human to divine. The power of God — Dynamite.

So in conclusion: we've seen the power that is available to us. Absolutely necessary for us to have; for us to be able to live life, to grow, to overcome, to resist, to endure, to be unified, to greater works and to be resurrected. We need the power of God.

Revelation 3: 8 describes the Church. Just a couple more scriptures as I close this out today. Jesus Christ said to the Church:

Rev. 3:8 I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little dynamite, — you have a little dynamite, but guess who can give you more? God. You have a little dynamite, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

Jesus Christ called the church a little flock. They were not great in number but they were full of power and might because they can have that power from God. Their strength can come from God.

I want to read you a quote from Peters quotations. I like this one written in 1729 to 1805, somewhere in that range, and some of this Frederic Schuler said: Even weak men, when unified, are powerful.

You have a little strength; you have not denied My name; you have kept My word. God will make sure we do the job. I will keep those doors open for you and I will let you do the job of preaching that gospel, sending it out as a witness to this world.

Micah 3:8 — I have stayed in the New Testament for most of the time because I wanted to emphasize the word dunamis, but it is interesting, you could do a study and you can find the word koach in the Hebrew and it also is in the Septuagint translated, dunamis.

Micah was able to say this amidst a lot of difficulties that he was preaching about. He was able to say this right in the midst of all these pronouncements that he was making. He knew the source of his strength; why he could stand up and tell a nation that they needed to repent and change. He said:

Micah 3:8 But truly I am full of power — koach, equal to dunamis in the New Testament — truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.

How can we do the job? How can we have the strength that we need? We can be full of power, not just have it — not just have our dynamite lying around. I've got dynamite over here. Look at my shed. I've got lots of dynamite over here, but if you don't set it off and use it for good, what good is it? We have dynamite in our lives; we have dynamite available to us but if we don't use it, what good is it?

Ephesians 3:20 — The second to last scripture. You thought I was going to end earlier, but I will be ending before four-thirty.

When you draw the afternoon sermon, first of all you have to make sure you stay awake when you are giving it, so I had two cups of coffee. So I am wired; ready to go. I didn't eat too much so my stomach isn't saying: go to sleep, but I know I have sat in your place before and I know in the afternoon I am really happy when the minister ends early because it gives me a chance to get up and visit with people. I've been sitting in the morning, sitting in the afternoon, so I like to finish earlier if I can.

Ephesians 3: 20 — Beautiful scripture — Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, — how is He able to do that? — according to the dynamite that works in us,

How is He able to do all that? By the power we have too. If we used that power in our lives we can see God doing exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask, so it is powerful and it is so necessary.

Now finally, Colossians 1. This was Paul's prayer — my strong hope for us all is that we may be able to have and use the power of God in our lives.

Colossians 1:9 Paul writes and he says: For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

V.10 — that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

V.11 — Notice: strengthened with all might — the word "strengthened" and "might" both come from the word dunamis. One is dunamis and the other one comes from 1412 which is akin to dunamis. That we might be strengthened with all might; that we might have dynamite upon dynamite; that we might be empowered to use that dynamite according to His glorious power. Now this word "His glorious power" is a different word from dunamis but there are several different words used. This is a different word. ...according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

Paul's prayer for us, and my prayer for you, is that you might have the dynamite that God offers but not only have it, but use it; that we use it. We will be people of power and if we use to be together to do a work, to endure, to grow, we will have it and we will be in God's Kingdom because that power will finally change us from physical to spiritual.

May you all have dynamite in your life.