April 22 Message: Power of the resurrection of Christ

The message is taken from the passage in Mark 16:1-8 and Acts 1:6-11.

In the first half of the message, the resurrection account is preached.  The resurrection of Jesus was testified by the empty tomb, the angels, and eye witnesses.

There are people who challenges the validity of the resurrection of Christ.  Some may say that the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb!  Seriously?  would you go to the wrong grave of someone you loved?  Some people say because women were the eyewitnesses, their testimonies were invalid because they were women.  Well, I leave it for those people to defend themselves.  Some people say the disciples stole the body of Jesus and claimed that he resurrected.  What did the disciples gain for proclaiming this news? Wealth? Power? Popularity?  Well, some of them got to be crucified and then burned.  Jesus Christ is a real person, not a legend, and he was raised from the dead.

Before Jesus was taken up back to heaven, He told us that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us; and we will be His witness in our local setting and then to the rest of the world.

What is this power through the Holy Spirit?


This power opened the eyes of the blind and the hearts of unbelievers. This is the power that is promised to those who wait on God and to follow Him.  The power of the Holy Spirit lives in you and can abide upon you.  God’s power is totally different than the power of this world.

What do we do with the power? Seeing sin and repenting of it, Understanding and speaking the Word of God, Experiencing God in intimate ways, Hearing God’s voice, Living out the good news of Christ.

How do you get this power?

Prayer: In Acts 4:31, after prayer, the Holy Spirit filled the room that the apostles were praying in.

Obedience: "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him," (Acts 5:32)

When do you receive this power? 

You must first be cleansed by Jesus before you can be indwelt by the Spirit.  Before you fill a cup you clean it, otherwise it is not suitable for use.

I use the analogy of avid COD players as an illustration to applying this verse.

 

Conclusion:

We are using God's power through the Holy Spirit only when we are an active witness for him.  The application is directly related to the theme of Crossroad.

Being filled with God's power = Grow deeper in the love for God

Actions and words guided by the Holy Spirit = Love by shepherding one another

Witness Jesus Christ to friends = Proclaim Christ to friends.