The Power of God In Us

(Ephesians 1:19)

People who are not Christians believe that Christians are weak. They think we are Christians because we are not strong people, able to stand up to the issues of this world.

They are wrong. We have a power in us that is far greater than anything in this world.

The source of tis power is not the arrogance and pride of this world, but it is the power of God the Father. And we see this is this verse today.

The Power of God

This verse tells us that the power of God is in us. And He gives us this power for a very specific reason: to become like Him.

”…and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might…” (Ephesians 1:19)

The power of God is often misunderstood, especially among the various Pentecostal and charismatic groups. They see the words in the beginning of Acts chapter 1 and believe this power is for the purpose of the spectacular gifts of the Holy Spirit, as was witnessed at Pentecost.

Note this verse:

”But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama’ria and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Shortly after Jesus spoke these words to the disciples, we see the receiving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost with the sounds of rushing winds, flames of spiritual fire, prophecies and the speaking in tongues. It was such a spectacle that the people in Jerusalem all ran together to see what this amazing thing was that was happening.

They perceived the power of God upon the disciples and many of the people turned to the Lord after the oration of Peter: three thousand people in one day.

No doubt this was an incredible outpouring of power.

But the giving of the power of God was not about spectacles. It was not about great drama, supernatural acts, miraculous healing, and so on, although these can, did and still do certainly take place.

No, the power of God in us is given for quite a different reason, which is vastly more important. But before we look at that, let me address the issue of the supposed weakness of Christians that the people of the world perceive, but is false.

Humility is NOT Weakness

When people come to the Lord, they generally give themselves to Him at the point where they realise they are in need of a Saviour. Strong people do not seek the Lord, but the weak, powerless, down-trodden, humiliated and helpless realise they need His help.

This possibly feeds the perception that Christians are weak. But it is a TRULY strong person who stops and says, “I need help.” Change or transformation does not begin to occur until there is a recognition that help is needed.

And in matters of the spirit, the help that is needed can come from only one place: God.

When a person in a weakened state seeks help, they don’t realise that doing so is a sign of strength. Recognising that you need help is the first step to changing your situation, whatever it may be.

Consider the first step of the Twelve Steps program followed by members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Step 1 is to recognise that you can’t come to recovery alone and that you need help. And this same first step is the starting point for all of the spin-off programs for people suffering from various addictions.

But what if your “addiction” is the failures of life in general? What if your addiction is sin?

The Bible tells us that:

”…since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23)

So if everyone has sinned, then everyone begins in the same place and comes to Step 1; they need help and they cannot do it alone.

In the matter of sin, all of mankind is weak. It’s not just Christians who are weak, it is every person on the planet, past, present and future who are in the same position.

The difference with Christians is that they have recognised they are weak in the matter of sin and they are seeking the One who can help them overcome the weakness of sin.

This is humility, not weakness.

To recognise your weaknesses and to turn and seek the only one who can help you overcome those weaknesses is not being weak, but is being humble. You recognise that Jesus Christ is stronger than we are and that He has the power to help us overcome.

This is the same as the beginning of the Twelve Steps program where those who have the “sin” of addiction recognise that they cannot be set free from their addiction without the intervention of someone stronger than themselves. (Note: technically substance addiction is not a sin, but the bible tells us that, “Whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:19) Jesus calls us to freedom so we should not be enslaved by anything. And besides, these addictions often lead to vile sins: abuse, theft, violence, murder, destruction of marriages, etc.)

And in the same way, all who come to Christ recognise that they cannot be set free from sin without the intervention of Jesus Christ who overcame sin for us. This requires humility to admit. It is not weakness, it is the greatest strength of all.

As we follow Christ learning to live like Him, we continue in humility, not to be weak, but to be strong enough to recognise that He is the source of our strength and that He sets us free from all things.

The proud and the arrogant do not recognise or admit to their own weaknesses and even if they do, they believe they can do it themselves. This is arrogance and pride and it is truly a weakness. No-one likes people who are arrogant. No-one likes people who are too proud to admit they are wrong or have failings. So how can they be perceived as being strong? Just another deception of the devil perhaps.

So humility is the true strength because in the act of humility we receive the power of God to overcome, which brings us back to this discussion of the power of God in us.

Purpose of God’s Power In Us

If the power of God in us is not about great spectacles, then what is it truly about? And if true strength is in humility rather than arrogance, then how is the power of God to be perceived? After all, isn’t it in the flashiness of pride and arrogance that great spectacles are typically seen, not in the quiet and humble?

We get the true insight of the power of God in us from the following verse in the writings of John.

”But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12)

The true purpose oft he power of God in us is to do the work of transformation so that we become the children of God.

God gives us His power through faith, by grace so that we can be transformed and become the children of God.

Jesus tells us that the people of this world who have not sought God in their lives are all children of the devil. They act and live in sin, following the lusts, desires and passions of their flesh to do all manner of sin, just as the devil first sinned and rejected God.

But God gives power to all who have faith and believe in Jesus Christ to be able to reject the sin of this world, to reject the ways of the devil that lead this world and so become like Christ.

Furthermore, God pours the power of His love into us by giving the Holy Spirit to all who ask Him for the spirit, so that we can be transformed. The work of the Holy Spirit is the work of transformation. Note these words that speak of the process of this transformation.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The work of transformation is a slow, ongoing work, just as our walk with Christ is a slow ongoing walk. As we walk with Christ, learning His ways, the power of God in us through the working of the Holy Spirit in us is doing the transformation from one degree of glory to the next. The outcome of this work of transformation is that we will be transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ who bears the very stamp of the nature of God the Father.

This is the truth of the power of God in us. It’s not about flash and dazzle, about miracles and supernatural feats, although those happen too. Instead, the truth of the power of God in us is transformation of our lives to become the children of God.

And finally, we should not forget the scripture that ties all of this discussion about power, weakness and strength.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

This is the truth about the power of God in us.

You might also like:

Power And Authority
My Yoke Is Easy And My Burden Is Light
Walking On Water With Jesus
Ask In Faith And It Will Be Done
Your Sins Are Forgiven
Jesus Came To Call The Sinners 2
The Centurions Slave
The Woman Who Was A Sinner
Power To Become The Children Of God
For God So Loved The World
The Word Of God
The Bible Billy Joel And Chocolate Cake
Satan Cast Out
Overcoming Fear
I Am In The Father
Why Jesus Died
The Spirit Of Truth
You Shall Receive Power
The Power Of Jesus Name
Taught By Jesus
Restored By Grace
The Power Of One
Unbreakable In Gods Power