10/10/2011 - GIVING WITNESS WITH GREAT POWER

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And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

Acts 4:33

It is impossible to understand how someone can talk about Christ without using the power that is in His Name in order to deliver the oppressed, heal the sick and do wonders – the same wonders that led a crowd into following Jesus (John 6:2).

However, one cannot invent a way to fulfill God\’s work because the Lord Himself gave us the example of how it should be done by stating categorically that he who believed in Him would do the same works He did (John 14:12). Without the miracles of the Gospel what remains is a cold and dead religion.

Wonderful were the days of Jesus\’ ministry here on earth as well as the days that followed His ascension to Heaven because the disciples gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master. For them it was important that the resurrection of Jesus was confirmed by miracles because the truth is that only a living prophet is able to operate them.

We cannot make the same mistake as the 2nd century church which, during the Roman Empire, was criticized by the persecutors of the Gospel but did not understand the divine order according to which, in due time, they would have the right to speak and then the church would defend itself. But the church despised the power given by the Lord to all those who are accepted into his family and then, groups of apologists – skilled Christian thinkers and writers, – began to prepare themselves intellectually with solid arguments to try to confront those who had been raised by the devil in an attempt to ridicule the Christian faith. What a sad mistake! Those people feared Pliny, a relentless persecutor of Christians, among many others, and they moved away from God Almighty, the only One that could grant them wisdom to lead the masses to understand the divine plan.

In the passage we are studying, we see that the apostles led by Paul gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord with great power. That\’s how we will shake the world! We cannot feel ashamed of the true Gospel, for it is through it that God\’s justice is revealed. Only this message, preached by the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit, can lead idolaters, sorcerers, thieves, drug users, adulterers, liars, etc. to the feet of Christ.

What sets the Gospel apart from other religions are the miracles; and the difference between the Lord and the other prophets of other religions is that He alone was resurrected. With the victory of Christ over death countless blessings have been provided for us – just as it happened with those apostles who were living in abundant grace. On the other hand, the other prophets are buried in their tombs and remain there, awaiting the Day of Judgment.

Those who act according to the divine direction and obey His commandments shall receive the Reward, but if they only tell \”stories\” or make use of persuasive words, they will certainly give account to God for such attitudes on the Great Day!

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares