Purpose

 Power, as all things that come from the hand of God, is given for a purpose. The purpose is never you. The purpose is not your ego, self-esteem, or self-worth, nor is it some sort of validation that you are better than your fellow laborers. If God gives you power, it is so that you can carry out the high calling of furthering His Kingdom. It’s not to boast; it’s not to profit; it’s not to draw men to you; it’s to point men to Him.

Men build kingdoms for themselves while telling everyone within earshot it’s for God because to admit that they’ve been fleecing the sheep for the better part of fifty years might put some of them off of giving to the next building project. Even with all the lip service, nepotism, double-dealing, exposed sin, extramarital affairs, and hypocrisy, we find a way of justifying what we deem our spiritual betters. He’s so charismatic, polished, well-spoken, well-dressed, articulate, eloquent, and entertaining. Whom are we going to replace him with?

All those are traits the world likewise uses to judge those around them. It ought not to be so with the church. When it comes to the people of God, the only question we should ask is, do they have power from on high? It doesn’t matter how charismatic or articulate, eloquent or polished someone is; if there is no power behind their words, they will not serve to transform lives; they will just develop a fan base. Like any comedian, writer, singer, or actor, if the fan base is big enough, they can live like rock stars, and the pursuit becomes the size of the fan base and the inherent perks rather than the glory of God.

Paul tried to warn us that it was dangerous to fanboy over people, saying I am of Paul or I am of Apollos because if you’re not of Jesus, you’re not about anything eternal, permanent, or lasting. As with everything else we don’t like in the Bible, we just stopped reading those passages and meditating on them, and now you have tribes within tribes defending the words of men over the words of Jesus and wondering where the power is.

True men of God do their best not to stand out at every turn. They do their best not to take credit for what God is doing. They understand that they are just a vessel reflecting the light of Christ, and the power undergirding the messages they deliver is what pierces the hearts of men and not the words themselves.

I use my grandfather as an example a lot because I traveled with him for a decade and was his translator. It’s not to say he’s the only humble man I ever met, but he’s the one I knew best among the humble men I’ve met. He was never a man to use big words or deliver complicated sermons, but because the power of God endued him and because he spoke with the authority of the One who sent Him, you’d have people breaking down and repenting mid-sermon.

He never attended seminary, never got his doctorate, never owned a bespoke suit from Saville row, and spoke simply, yet there was power, and that made all the difference.

I don’t remember the sermons I preach. I know that sounds strange, but it is nevertheless true. I’ll have someone come up to me after a service and say that some point I made or something I said really touched their hearts, and I stand there blank-faced because I don’t know what they’re referencing. This is not a boast. On the contrary, whenever something like that happens, it reinforces the reality that if God speaks to someone through one of my sermons, whatever part of it affects them to the core of their heart did not originate from me. It doesn’t have to be revelation or prophecy, just the truth of Scripture plainly spoken, but if the power of God is present, it will cut men to the heart.

Stop taking credit for what God is doing through you lest one of these days He lets you stand on your own so you may discover your impotence. I am dependent on the power source, which is the Holy Spirit. So are you. Without Him, we can do nothing, but we sure do try. Usually, it’s things He would disapprove of, by means He would condemn, but if we all just waited until we were endued with power from on high, it may take too long and not fit neatly into our five-year plan.

We’re busy people in a fast-paced world, and we must keep churning, burning, chugging, and plodding along to reach our goals and achieve our vision. Head down, blinders on, gaze fixed upon some arbitrary number; we let nothing stand in the way of achieving our objective. By golly, we have ambitions, and nothing will deter us, no matter what and whom we must sacrifice along the way.

 Have you stopped to ask if your plans are His plans? Have you stopped to wonder if your vision is His vision? We’re so busy doing that we can’t stop even when we see that what we’re doing is counter-productive. If your ambitions are your own, everything will be a struggle. It would be far easier pushing a boulder up a hill than achieving something God never intended for you to achieve.

The power from on high is a promise of God, one worth waiting for and one worth desiring. It is a force multiplier. It makes difficult tasks easy to carry out. It is also necessary for the children of God if we hope to make headway.

Accept no substitutes. If you find yourself growing restless, waiting on the power from on high, just remember that men have tried to do without it and failed every time. Wait until you receive what Jesus promised, and you will accomplish more for the kingdom in a week than you would have in a year.

We got through the gift of power without once using the word dunamis; now that’s a feat.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.