“Jesus called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and GAVE THEM POWER over unclean spirits…So they went out and PREACHED that people should repent. And THEY CAST OUT MANY DEMONS, and ANOINTED WITH OIL MANY who were sick, AND HEALED THEM.” (Mark 6:7, 12-13)
As Jesus was leaving to go and be with the Father He said, “…YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER (dunamis: an inherent force. It flows from a person to give them the ability to do supernatural things) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Four different Greek words are used in the Bible to represent the English word power. Of those words, dunamis is the most prevalent. Dunamis is used 117 times in the New Testament and has a DISTINCT MEANING apart from the other three power words.
Crowds of people gathered around Jesus, a woman with a debilitating illness was among those in the crowd. For 12 long years, she’d suffered from a disease that had caused constant bleeding. Although she’d spent her life savings seeking a cure, nothing had helped. Her condition worsened day after day. The woman was desperate. She believed with all her heart that this man possessed the power to heal her—even if she could but TOUCH HIS CLOTHING. So, she fought her way through the mob and reached out to grab hold of Jesus’s cloak. IMMEDIATELY upon touching Jesus, the woman’s bleeding stopped, and she was freed from her suffering.
And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that POWER (dunamis) had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes? And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and BE HEALED of your affliction.” (Mark 5:30, 32-34) This is the kind of power Jesus pronounced upon us, “…YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”
“…my brethren, BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12) Remember, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of POWER (dunamis) and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham