This morning I want to take a few minutes to just talk about the power of God. Jesus said in Luke 24 and in Acts 1 that when the Holy Spirit came upon the first believers that they would receive or be endued which means clothed, with power and would become witnesses. In the coming weeks we will discuss the reality of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that it is a specific promise with a specific purpose that is not just an outcome of salvation but is a secondary gift of God that flows from salvation. Before we get to a detailed discussion of the baptism of the Holy Spirit however, I want us to discuss the promises attributed to the baptism, specifically power and witness. Notice that Jesus did not say, as we often infer, that the disciples would be endued with power to be witnesses, He said that they would be endued with power and would become witnesses, the power and the witness are separate gifts, given by the same person and leading to the same outcome but separate nonetheless. What does it mean to be endued with power? What is the power of God? How do we express, exert or operate in this power? There are many questions and probably many more answers but three points that I want us to see today are:
The Power of God does not accomplish our expectations it fulfills His plans
The Power of God flows from intimacy
The Power of God always works toward redemption