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Acts 1:8:
“But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.”
This past week, the Lord said, “As important as it is for you to get the book of Acts in you, it’s also important to get the book of Acts out of you.”
Jesus told Nicodemus that to inherit the Kingdom of God, you must be born again. Why must one be born again? Because you were born dead to the Spirit of God.
Ephesians 2 (NKJV):
1 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
When God said He will not hear your prayers, He meant it exactly as He said. Why? Because you are dead to Him.
It’s a scary thought that, right now at this very moment, if you died while you are dead to Him, you would open your eyes in hell.
1 Corinthians 15:45:
“And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”
When we were born, the only nature we had was the natural man; our spirit was dead. Satan dealt an extreme mortal wound to the souls of man—we were separated from God, our spirit died.
Christ is “a quickening,” life-giving, “Spirit.” If His Spirit dwells in us, it is our true life force.
Romans 5:19:
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Why don’t you repent of your sins, ask Jesus into your heart, ask Him to forgive you of every sin, and ask Him to create a new heart in you?
Don’t depend on the life force you have to get you to heaven because it will fail you. You may be good, yes, but that’s not the point. The problem is you’re dead. Sin didn’t just affect the soul; it has affected your mind, it has affected your will, it has affected your emotions.
Satan saw to it that he stole all that God had given you.
When a person gets saved, a violent thing happens—the power of God is involved. God is going to bring you to life; there is resurrection power. He wants to resurrect you from the dead.
Acts 1:8:
“But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you!”
Why is baptism so important? Because it shows that we, by faith, have been buried with Him. Just as Christ was raised by the Holy Spirit from the dead, the Spirit of God will raise you from the dead.
Revelation 3:20:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Let Jesus in! When Jesus comes in, He will kick the devil out. The Holy Spirit comes in. You will have a power-assisted life.
Tell your testimony, Pastor! The night the Lord saved me, I cried to Jesus.
