“Ministering in Power”
Luke 4:1-2, 14-19
• This temptation of Jesus in the wilderness took place prior to any of His earthly ministry.
• Jesus was full of the Spirit when He went into the wilderness.
• Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
• While in the wilderness, Jesus faced heavy temptation from the devil as he was trying desperately to stop the ministry of Jesus.
WHEN JESUS CAME OUT OF THE WILDERNESS TO BEGIN HIS MINISTRY, THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT HE WAS “IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT”, AND THAT NEWS ABOUT HIM SPREAD AND MANY PRAISED HIM.
To begin His ministry, Jesus quickly explains the purpose of the power.
• Far too many people want the power for selfish reasons.
• We have to understand that the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon us so that the Holy Spirit can work through us.
1. The power of the Spirit comes upon you to preach the good news.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon you it is to enable you to speak with His authority and anointing.
When Peter spoke on the Day of Pentecost, he spoke out with authority and with “Spirit-filled speech”.
2. The power of the Spirit comes upon you to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.
2 Corinthians 3:17 tells us that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. When the Spirit is in and upon you, freedom should be proclaimed and released to those who are bound.
In Acts 3, Peter and John brought freedom to the man at the gate. Those around you may be asking or looking for something else, but we have been given the Spirit of God to give them the one thing they really need.
3. The power of the Spirit comes upon you to bring healing.
At a Chi Alpha campus ministry in Stockton, California, the director had set up a prayer tent for the students to come for prayer and assistance. A female student who was blind came to ask for a Brail Bible. The Chi Alpha director told her that he would give her a Bible but that first he wanted to pray for her healing. She said she didn’t believe in healing, but he assured her that was alright, b/c he believed. When she agreed, he felt led of the Lord to pour water on her eyes. As he began to pour the water, she exclaimed, “I can see! I can see!” As a result of this young man’s willingness to trust the Lord and step out in faith, word spread around campus and many more students came to visit the prayer tent to receive from the Lord.
Just as we are told in Luke 4, the fame of Jesus spread throughout the region as a result of the power of the Spirit upon His life and being displayed through Him.
The Spirit of God is too big to stay bottled up inside of someone. His desire is to work through you.
4. The power of the Spirit comes upon you to bring release for the oppressed.
Look into the eyes of the people around you some time and notice how many are in an oppressive state.
Oppression speaks of being burdened or overwhelmed with life.
There are people around you who see no way out, and the Spirit of God within you wishes to bring hope to them. God wants to unlock the doors that others have in their lives, and He wants to do it through you.
5. The power of the Spirit comes upon you to proclaim and demonstrate the Lord’s favor.
The Bible tells us that the religious leaders and many others in the days of the disciples were able to notice that the disciples had been with Jesus. They were able to see that God’s hand was upon their lives.
The Spirit of God has been given to us to point people to Jesus. God wants people to see something different in you and me. He delights in showing Himself strong on the behalf of His children.
