Luke 5:17-26
Jesus was preaching and teaching, and people gathered from all places, as he was preaching and teaching, the power of God was present to heal.
It is good to learn, but most importantly as we learn, we must be open to God’s demonstration of power. We must not explain away the possibility, tangibility and the demonstration of God’s power.
In the scripture we read, God’s healing power was there while Jesus was preaching and teaching. The power of God was not explained away. Jesus wasn’t preaching and teaching and was not conscious of the power of God.
We should not only come to learn, but we should also come with a heart that longs to see God’s power demonstrated.
The communication of the word of God is not complete without the communication of his power. The word of God is not void of God’s power. The word of God carries the power of God to transform light.
No situation that comes into the atmosphere of teaching and preaching that goes the same way. While Jesus was teaching and preaching, the power of God was present. In this atmosphere people won’t just hear God’s words or talk about the depth of God’s word, we won’t just have notes filled with revelation and the word won’t transform our lives. Don’t forget the fact that the power of God is available. You come prepared to learn, as well as with a heart open to receive God’s power.
The same atmosphere that communicates the truth of God’s word should communicate His power.
There’s also another set of people who didn’t come to learn or receive the word of God, but rather to witness God’s power in action. Such people can be healed but won’t be established. They can have the miracle but they lack what it takes to sustain the miracle.
3 things are paramount from that text:
- Teaching
- Preaching
- Demonstration of the power of God
We will be shortchanging ourselves if we do not want to completely explore all that is accessible to us in God at any given time and do not take advantage of all that God has made available through Jesus. Every opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet is an opportunity to learn and experience the power of God.
You don’t have to name a service “deliverance or breakthrough service” to experience deliverance or breakthrough. Because as He was teaching and preaching , the power of God was present.
If we do, it shows we haven’t fully realized that whenever you come to the Lord, you can experience God’s power while also learning His truth. As you come into the presence of God at any time and any place, it’s not just learning that will take place; likewise, you shouldn’t just only experience the power of God—learning must take place too.
A man was brought while Jesus was teaching, Jesus wasn’t having a healing service. The power of God was simply available.
Be conscious of all that is made available for us in God, through Christ at any given opportunity. There’s no casual service, if it is casual then it means it’s our mindset . The potency of the service should not in any way be less.
Is it the microphone that communicates the truth? Is it the light that communicates the power of God’s word? There were meetings that did not receive publicity. There were meetings without names. There are meetings that are held by our friends and we come together and minister to each other.
We organized a retreat, and the session was life-changing. There is no small thing. God is not playing. God is not joking. God meets businesses at any time. The power of God was present to hea.
The atmosphere carries power. Jesus instructed him to stand up, carry his bed, and go home. He said that and continued His teaching as if nothing had happened and not a big deal.
The only thing that might have prevented him from continuing His teaching was if there was a disruption nearby; however, He continued His teaching. He taught before the healing and kept teaching after the healing.
It was not just teaching that was going on; the power of God was present, and He told him to carry his bed and go home. The man jumped off from his bed and glorified God.
Encounter with Jesus is something you and I will be deliberate about. It is something that can occur with intentionality. It is not in conferences that the power of God can move. The fact that it is a special meeting comes with excitement.
If you limit the demonstration of the power of God to only special meetings you are obstructing yourself. You are not fully taking advantage of what the Father has in store for us. Every service shows that God has a plan for our lives.
We believe that God intends to do something for each service and special meeting. There is an addition. There is a change. God is eager to bless us. He is eager to transform us. He is eager to move us forward.
We would learn as we come and God’s word will be revealed. There will be insight and revelation. However, it will not be only these that can happen but the power of God will be seen and felt.
We must come to a place where we are fully alert and aware of God’s power. We must be aware that there is something in that meeting that is waiting for us.
How we ensure we crack that is that we are conscious that the service is not less. Being in a large crowd will fill us with excitement, making us feel special because of its publicity.
Numbers have a way of bringing expectation. The intentionality of such meetings with its numbers raise expectations.
We must come to a place where we will not restrict the power of God to special meetings. We must give them special attention and set clear expectations. Maturity is not limiting the demonstration and manifestation of the power of God to only special meetings. Neither should we be giving concentration on the power of God towards only special meetings. We should not only give preparation in fastings and prayer towards only special meetings.
You should come to a place of maturity that you don’t need to attend a special meeting before you receive an encounter and the manifestation of the power of God. This is calling us back to a place of intentionality. We need to be deliberate.
That intentionality was demonstrated when the sick man’s friends had to open the roof to allow him into the room with Jesus so he could be healed. This type of intentionality is what I desire for you all to have because sometimes it seems like we attend service without much expectations.
People’s expectations might be influenced by the setting of the service and how they dress for it. Hence, some churches attach a dress code to give people a feeling of an organized meeting and communicate a level of seriousness. It helps people to attach value to the meeting. However, we must reach a point when the value we place on a service is not determined by these factors. That’s part of the growth process.
We must not limit our experience and encounters to such things. It takes maturity for a child of God to have faith in God rather than the program, setup, or location. We should not treat any meeting as less important.