THE POWER PLANT
Acts 1:8
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. Thank goodness for our brilliant scientists!
2. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300°C.
3. The Russians -- used a pencil.
B. THESIS
1. Why is the great city of Houston all lit up with brilliant light at night? Because somewhere on the outskirts of the town is a large plant devoted to generating power. It’s called a “power plant.”
2. Similarly, the Church of Jesus is supposed to be a City set on a Hill for all to see. The Book of Revelation pictures it as a city which is glowing with light (21:23-24) and power.
3. Tonight we want to look at the Church’s problems with inconsistent power, the wonderful effect when power comes, and how to stay full of the power of the Lord.
4. The title to tonight’s message is “The Power Plant.”
I. EXAMPLES OF INCONSISTENT POWER
A. MANY COUNTRIES HAVE SPORADIC POWER
1. Many countries have irregular power provided.
Top five countries with number of days with power outage:
1 Bangladesh 248.96 days 2002
2 Albania 194.23 days 2005
3 Lebanon 188.58 days 2006
4 Democratic Rep. of Congo 184.04 days 2006
5 Burundi 135.57 days
2. One man from Africa told me one of the things he liked most about America is that the lights stay on all night. In his country they go off at night, all night. Whole cities are pitch dark, unless individuals/hotels have their own generators!
3. Any country which has inconsistent power supplies has trouble keeping its factories open. Businesses don’t even want to set up operations in countries with sporadic power.
4. Therefore the GDP of such countries is lower and the unemployment is greater. So the importance of having dependable power can’t be overestimated.
B. INCONSISTENT POWER IN THE CHURCH
1. The Church of Jesus also struggles with problems of insufficient power. Believers have always had struggles staying full of God’s Spirit.
2. Samson routinely shook himself to reestablish connection with the power of God (Judg. 16:19 KJV), Elisha had to have a minstrel play to bring himself into the presence of the Lord (2 Kgs. 3:15). Other prophets had to “wait” on the Lord – meditate, draw near, etc. before they could discern the Word of the Lord.
3. In the N.T. we have the 9 apostles who had insufficient power to cast the demons out (Matt. 17:19-21) of the boy. And the writer of Hebrews exhorts the church to go higher in God, “that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed” (12:13). Without that power, they would remain lame!
II. THE EFFECT OF POWER COMING
A. THE DIFFERENCE WHEN POWER SUPPLIED
1. Our country has had widespread electric power for 100 years, but there are some countries which only got electricity recently.
2. In those countries, the building of a power plant revolutionized that area. Suddenly they had lights, could power companies for jobs, they could have stop lights and modern communications, etc.
3. Electricity is central to the ability of most modern societies to function. Hospitals, air-traffic control systems, street lights, modern sewage systems, most forms of communication, and the U.S. financial services industry are all dependent upon electricity.
4. Electricity is considered so essential to the well-being of our country that it’s labeled “critical infrastructure.” Our way of life can no longer exist without electricity! Oh! If only the church of Jesus developed such a dependency on the Holy Spirit!
B. THE EARLY CHURCH: WITHOUT & WITH POWER
1. Before the Day of Pentecost, we see the church which was fearful, weak, would deny Christ, was afraid to stand up for Christ in public, and even went back to their old occupation of fishing.
2. The Lord knew such a powerless church could never overthrow the deep-seated strongholds of demonic power which existed all over the world.
3. So Jesus told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about….in a few days you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit” Acts 1:4-5.
4. He said, “BUT YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth" Acts 1:8.
5. After the Holy Spirit baptism in Acts 2:1-4, we see a stark change in the apostles. They are unafraid, confident, bold, unwavering, and even eloquent (anointed). All but John marched resolutely to die as martyrs. The Holy Spirit’s inner presence gave them the backbone they needed to face death with joy.
6. The same power is available to us today. We need the power of the Spirit just as much as that first generation because we still need power to witness, just as they did.
7. Some teaching has tried to limit the Spirit’s miracles to when the Gospel entered a new culture. This is false teaching. The Holy Spirit performed miracles throughout the O.T. before the same nation – Israel – over and over again.
8. The real catalyst of Holy Spirit miracles is not a new culture, but a NEED. Wherever there is a need and faith, there can be a miracle.
9. Jesus’ plan for reaching the world hasn’t changed: it’s still His people endued with the power of the Holy Spirit going and telling the Good News.
10. We are commanded to “Be filled with the Spirit” Eph. 5:18. We also are to “be clothed with power from on high” Luke 24:49. We need to “receive power.” Have you done that?
III. HOW TO STAY FULL OF GOD’S POWER
A. SEEK & RECEIVE THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. There are 2 works of the Holy Spirit: one to regenerate & the other to empower (Baptism in the Holy Spirit).
2. You don’t get all the Holy Spirit there is when you get saved: there’s more. The Samarians Acts 8) heard the Gospel Vs. 6), they believed (Vs. 12), they were baptized in water (Vs. 12). Then Peter and John came to pray for them that the Spirit might “fall” on them.
3. The Apostles were saved before the Day of Pentecost (Lk. 10:20) and then they received the empowering of the Spirit (2:1-4). We need both to be all that Christ is calling us to be!
4. The key to receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit is HUNGER. “They that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled” Mt. 5:6. It’s when we hunger after it that we are filled. So pray for hunger for the Spirit. Then ask to be filled.
B. ABIDE IN JESUS DAILY
1. You must spend time with Jesus every day. He must be your top priority. The first command is “You shall love the Lord…” above all else!
2. That means you spend time reading the Bible every day to know Him better and you spend time in worship and in prayer, talking to Jesus. We must remain “IN” Him; connected in Spirit.
C. ASK/SEEK TO STAY FULL (EPH. 5:18)
1. Elisha got a double anointing because he wanted MORE. If you’re content with LESS, you’ll have LESS. You must keep the desire to have MORE of God’s Spirit – all the time!
2. ILLUS. A poor farmer had a cow who kept giving less and less milk until it completely quit giving milk. He took it to the veterinarian for an assessment.
3. "Have you been milking it every day?" "Yes – a glass or two." The veterinarian sat up and frowned; "If you don't get ALL the milk available every day, it will dry up."
4. It's the same with the Holy Spirit; you can't pick and choose when He’ll flow. You have to stay full of him at all times if you want to have sufficient resources to meet the need of the moment!
D. USE IT OR LOSE IT
1. Elton Trueblood, the Quaker scholar, once compared evangelism to fire. “Evangelism occurs”, he said, “when Christians are so ignited by their contact with Christ that they in turn set other fires. It is easy to determine when something is aflame. It ignites other material. Any fire that does not spread will eventually go out.”
2. How true! We’ve been given power to witness, but if we do not turn that power “On” and witness, it will not flow. Do you want the fire of God in your life? You cannot keep a fire going unless you give it new material to consume; that means you must share the fire with others: only then will it continue to burn in you!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: BILLY GRAHAM SPEAKS TO ERRING DEACON PROBLEM
1. One time Billy Graham was holding revival services in a large church. The revival was not going too well; even the leadership of the church seemed sluggish and carnal, spiritually.
2. Toward the end of the week, after Billy had arrived at the church early before a service, the Pastor and Deacon Board called him to come in and counsel an erring Board member, who had evidently been caught with wine in his possession.
3. After the board members and pastor had grilled the erring member, they invited Billy Graham's comments. He said that he didn't think that Board member was any worse than the rest of them. They all looked to him with shock.
4. But he continued, "the same Scripture that says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess” also says, “but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). "You men are just as guilty in not being filled with the Spirit as that man is for drinking wine. All of you need to be down at the altar tonight and cry out to God to save you from empty and corrupted hearts!"
B. THE CALL
1. How many of us need to come down to the altar cry out to God to save us from empty and corrupted hearts?
2. How many of you would like to be filled with the Holy Spirit? How many of you need a refilling? Come join me at the front.
3. If you wish we will lay hands on you. Words will come to your mind or well up within you. Speak them out in faith.
3. If the enemy says, "You’re just making this up," remember Luke 11:13 which says, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Act in faith.
