Jesus expressed His power in many ways — to forgive, encourage, heal, love, among others. Jesus knew that all believers needed this power, and so He taught His disciples what it was and how they were to receive it.
Just before He ascended to heaven He promised that they would be “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). One translation uses the word “invested”, and that is what Jesus did for us; He invested His potential power in men and women, so that they could be expressors of Himself. We are to “bloom where we are planted” with the positive power of Jesus Christ — for-giving, encouraging, healing, loving. And according to Acts 1:8 that power is the Holy Spirit.
Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus taught that this was a power with infinite measure. In John 3:34 we read these words: “For He gives the Spirit without measure.” (The words “unto him” in the King James Version are not in the Greek text.) God gives the Spirit without measure, that is, He gives the same full measure to everyone. God is not a respecter of persons — if He gave this unlimited power to one, He gives it in its unlimited form to all. Wrapped up in His spiritual gift is everything necessary to handle every situation that the believer will ever run across. That’s power without measure!
Jesus also taught that this was a power with infinite supply. He said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit” (John 7:37b-39a). This is not just a beautiful picture but a reality. The Spirit within the believer produces a constant flow of spiritual vitality. It is impossible for a believer to become spiritually thirsty! The flow of the Spirit through the believer not only meets the needs of humanity around that person, but also keeps them totally and vitally alive as a spiritual being.
When Jesus was talking to the woman of Samaria, He described it as “a spring of water welling up to eternal life”, or “a perpetual spring” as in the Living Bible. So whether I get up tired and grumpy or excited and noisy, the “living water”, the “perpetual spring” is always flowing and available. That’s power with an infinite supply!
Later, when teaching on the night before He was to die, Jesus mentioned again this positive power that would be in the disciples. In John 14:16-17 He taught: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
To “bear witness” of Christ (“testify” KJV, John 15:26) is to make the Christ within real to me, and enable me to make Him real to others (v.27). I start by knowing the Christ that died for me. As I read the Bible for further truth, I discover the Christ that is in me. And then the truth of Galatians 2:20 becomes a reality, and I see that the life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Christ as me. That’s power with infinite help!
An evidence of the power within me is the experience of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4, Mark 16:17). This is not the goal, the be all and end all of the power, but merely an evidence in the material world that this Positive Power of Jesus Christ, this powerful Helper, the Spirit, is resident within. So the Positive Power is yours — apply it and enjoy it for God’s glory!
Leave A Comment