"Amazed, the people exclaimed, 'What authority and power this man's words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!' The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire regions.' "
Luke 4:36
When Jesus preached, amazing things happened. His words released God's authority and power into the lives of people. His enemies tried to undermine and restrain His authority and His power.
They were powerless.
When Jesus spoke, He started a fire. This was no gentle flame provided to warm the hands of a holy huddle. It was wild-fire sent to sweep the land. The people who embraced His message were left with burning hearts.
“And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”
Luke 24:32 KJV
Every Easter Season, the Church pulls out all the stops to declare the message of The Risen Christ: "He's Alive!" The message must be delivered by messengers with burning hearts. Feel the burn! When Jesus preached, He amazed people. When most churches meet, they glaze people. When churches lose the authority and power of The Founder, they turn amazing places, into glazing places.
NOTE TO SELF: Hungry people may try to survive, but they won't thrive on Krispy Kreme. Offer them The Bread of Life.
"As He is, so are we in this world."
I John 4:17
The authority and power of Jesus has become replaced by precision and process. Too many church services are conducted with clock-work precision, without seeing His amazing results. Authority and power are two sides of the coin of the realm in the Kingdom of Christ. Prophetic preachers spend the currency of Heaven, refusing to pass out counterfeit sermons posing as messages from God's Word.
Preaching with the authority and the power of Jesus is sealed by the Holy Spirit. This coin is not a mixture of alloys, combining a little bit of Heaven with a whole lot of the world. It is purified by the prayers of the saints, the blood of the martyrs and The Spirit of Christ.
There is nothing like the authority and power of Jesus. Preachers who have been gripped by it may never become wealthy, but they are in no danger of being spiritually bankrupt. There is simply no substitute for God's authority and power. Prophetic preachers refuse to settle for a profession. They never lose their passion for preaching. The mission of Jesus was to make disciples. He does it best by setting preachers on fire. John the Baptist said it would be so.
"He will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Spirit."
Luke 3:16
"Preaching is not a profession. It is a passion."
Leonard Ravenhill
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!