The Christians’ Power

Jesus told his disciples that he would not leave them comfortless, that they were to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high.  They weren't really sure what was going to happen to them so they asked if he was going to restore the kingdom, which seems like something one could do with a new power, but that is not what was to happen.  Jesus told them that they wouldn’t know when the kingdom would be restored but that they would be clothed with the Holy Spirit, receiving power.  In the Greek, we may wonder why there are so many words for the same thing, speaking specifically of the word power.  The Greek is a very specific language; therefore we have to look at the Greek words to better understand what God wants communicated.  To us, power can mean a lot of things, and is usually defined by an adjective or adverb, but the word power in the Greek many not need defining as there are several words used for power, each with specific meanings.

I touched on exousia and dunamis , two Greek words for power but since we are told we have been given power we should explore what we actually have.  Let’s start with exousia.  Exousia can be translated power, authority, liberty or right.

Power NT:1849 exousia (ex-oo-see'-ah); from NT:1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence: KJV - authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Jesus had authority to teach.

Matt 7:29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.KJV

Jesus had power on earth to forgive sins and to heal.

Matt 9:6-8 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.7 And he arose, and departed to his house.8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.KJV

Jesus gave his disciples power against unclean spirits and to baptize and heal sickness.

Matt 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.KJV

Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.KJV

Mark 3:14-15 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:KJV

Mark 6:77 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;KJV

Jesus has the power to give eternal life and the Father has this kind of power as well.

John 17:1-2 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.KJV

Acts 1:7-8 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.KJV

Simon wanted what the disciples had but Peter said he could not because his heart was not right.

Acts 8:18-21 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.KJV

Interestingly the devil has this kind of power, authority. Paul was told by Jesus to turn people from the power of satan.

Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.KJV

Acts 26:14-18 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.KJV

We are told that our liberty or power or authority could be a stumblingblock to the weak.

1 Cor 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.KJV

Jesus will give power, or authority, over the nations to those who overcome and keep his works.

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:KJV

Here we are told that those who do his commandments would have the right, authority or power to the tree of life.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.KJV

The next kind of power we should look at is dunamis.  This is miraculous power. It is something we have from within when the Holy Ghost clothes us. 

Power NT:1411 dunamis (doo'-nam-is); from NT:1410; force (literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself):KJV - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

The people did not understand the power of God.

Matt 22:28-30 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.KJV

Matt 24:29-30 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.KJV

Mark 9:19 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.KJV

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.KJV

Luke 4:13-14 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.KJV

Jesus tells the Disciples that he would send the promise of the Father and that they should be clothed with dunamis.  He also said they would receive dunamis when the Holy Ghost would come upon them. Peter tells them their healing the lame man was not due to their own dunamis but because of the Holy Ghost. They now witnessed with great power.  Stephen did great wonders and miracles with dunamis. But Simon who was a sorcerer was thought to have this power by the people when in fact he did not.

Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.KJV

Acts 1:7-8 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.KJV

Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?KJV

Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.KJV

Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.KJV

Acts 8:9-10 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.KJV

The gospel is the dunamis of God for salvation.  Paul says we can abound in hope through the dunamis of the Holy Ghost. Mighty signs and wonders are done by the power of the Spirit of God. The preaching of the cross is the dunamis of God. And Paul demonstrated the dunamis .

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.KJV

Rom 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.KJV

Rom 15:17-19 I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.KJV

1 Cor 1:17-18 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.KJV

1 Cor 1:23-24 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.KJV

1 Cor 2:2-5 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.KJV

Paul wants us to know that God put this power, miraculous power, into clay jars, so that people know that the miracle working power is of God not us. And this power is a gift of grace. Instead of fear he gave us power.

2 Cor 4:5-7 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.KJV

Eph 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.KJV

Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power [dunimas] that worketh in us, KJV

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.KJV

2 Tim 1:7-8 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;KJV

The wicked one who works for satan will have this kind of power and will deceive people at the start of the tribulation. That means there will be an indwelling power in the wicked one who will do signs and lying wonders.

2 Thess 2:8-9 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, KJV

There are some verses that use both exousia and dunimas, this tells us that the one communicating wanted us to be sure we knew that we had both of these kinds of power.

Luke 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power [dunimas] and authority [exousia] over all devils, and to cure diseases.KJV

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power [exousia] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power [dunimas]of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.KJV

Rom 9:21-24 Hath not the potter power[exousia] over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power [dunamis]known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?KJV

Another word we see used as power is kratos, used as dominion, might or great vigor.

NT:2904 kratos (krat'-os); perhaps a primary word; vigor ["great"] (literally or figuratively):KJV - dominion, might [-ily], power, strength.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Col 1:10-14 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power[kratos], unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:13 Who hath delivered us from the power [exousia]of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins :KJV

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power [kratos] of death, that is, the devil; KJV

Ischus is a word we translate as power which means force.

NT:2479 ischus (is-khoos'); from a derivative of is (force; compare eschon, a form of NT:2192); forcefulness (literally or figuratively):KJV - ability, might ([-ily]), power, strength.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.KJV

Eph 1:19-2:2 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power[dunimas] to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty[ischus] power [Kratos],20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,21 Far above all principality, and power [exousia], and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power[exousia] of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:KJV

1 Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.KJV

2 Peter 2:11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.KJV

One more word to look at is didomi which we see used as give.

NT:1325 didomi (did'-o-mee); a prolonged form of a primary verb (which is used as an altern. in most of the tenses); to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection):KJV - adventure, bestow, bring forth, commit, deliver (up), give, grant, hinder, make, minister, number, offer, have power, put, receive, set, shew, smite (+with the hand), strike (+with the palm of the hand), suffer, take, utter, yield.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Matt 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.KJV

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.KJV

What exactly do we have and what does all this mean?  We have seen many distortions about power and Christian authority, and while I did not list every verse, I have listed many to give us the general idea of what is being communicated.  Firstly, the disciples were given exousia, authority like a police officer so that they could announce that the kingdom of God was near.  They could preach the messiah has come, and heal the sick and cast out demons.  Their power was given by permission to declare the name of Jesus as Messiah.  This power is something the devil had as well, he offered it to Jesus but Jesus had the power or authority to give eternal life.  The devil can only give eternal death, even though he has the right or authority to run the world for now.  Jesus told the disciples just before he ascended to go out and baptize and make disciples in all nations.  Therefore we have a heavenly authority or power to preach, no matter what earthly governing rulers say, our permission to preach the gospel was given to us. 

We also have dunamis, a miracle working power within us given to us when we believe but this power has been misunderstood.  Clearly if we have a great power we should see some great things, how come we don’t.  Let’s think about this, it’s a fair question which we need to understand.  We have seen many distortions regarding the power of the Holy Spirit haven’t we? From within the church walls, to televangelists and the like we have not seen a clear picture regarding power. What are we to learn about dunamis?

Dunamis was given for the glory of God not the glory of men.  Dunamis was not to exalt men to an upper class status, nor to be given for wealth.  If you see people who are exalted by men and wealthy, it is not because the power of the Holy Spirit made them that way, it is because the devil made them that way to distort  what dunamis was for. It is not for personal gain. Dunamis was given to preach the gospel and make disciples.  If that included healing the sick, raising the dead, or casting out demons, then that is what dunamis was to be used for.  The intent and purpose of dunamis is to be a witness of the Messiah’s accomplishments.  It was not for healing the saved, although the saved can be healed, it was not the main purpose of dunamis. We can cast out demons, not to gain personal glory for all the power we ourselves have, but to help others be set free so they can receive Jesus as Lord.  Once we receive Jesus as Lord we still may need deliverance from demonization or sickness, but why doesn’t everyone receive it?  There can be issues with a believers’ faith, as in not believing they can be healed.  There can be issues with sin, where believers continue in a sin, maybe not even realizing they are sinning.  There are issues with living in a fallen world; our genetic structure is not pure or whole.  Then there are repentance issues.  Not every believer in the New Testament was healed, healthy, and whole.  But like with Peter and John at the temple gate, the lame man became a great witness to all in Jerusalem. How many people came to the Lord? About five thousand men, that is not including women and children.  

Sometimes Christians get so obsessed with healing they get distracted to the point of becoming angry with God for not healing them.  The problem is if we are not utilizing dunamis for its intended purpose, to evangelize the lost, we are in fact the problem, not God.  Dunamis is not given only for the purpose of our benefit, but for the benefit of others. 

We have been only given a token of that promise to come.  We have to remember that if we only have a token of the dunamis of the Holy Spirit, we do not have more than the down payment, the earnest money, or the security.  We do have miraculous power which is more than any unsaved humans, but again it is not necessarily meant for our well being only.

2 Cor 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. KJV

Earnest NT:728 arrhabon (ar-hrab-ohn'); of Hebrew origin [OT:6162]; a pledge, i.e. part of the purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest: KJV - earnest.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

2 Cor 5:4-8 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.KJV

Eph 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.KJV

If we have only been given a security and this inherent miraculous power is manifest when we evangelize, then how has this gotten so distorted in Christian circles?  Why do we think we have this inherent power to be miracle workers for something other than evangelizing eternal life through the confession of Jesus as Lord and Savior? We’ve not understood the gifts of the Spirit either, but in keeping with this power that has been given to us, we should understand that the Holy Spirit will use that miraculous power in us for the miracle of salvation for others. 

What is interesting to take note of, that the exousia was given before the day of Pentecost to the disciples but Mark 9:19 says that some would not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come in power, dunimas. When dunimas came, a small token of the same power that God has was given to men, and they saw that the kingdom of God had come. That is the same power that can indwell us today, the dunamis of the Holy Ghost.  It indwells us for the purpose of making disciples.