Tag Archives: might

Power, as in “dunamis” or miraculous power, might, or strength in the original Greek, is unnassailably critical for the present day church to minister to its capacity. It was just as critical too when Paul roamed from region to region proclaiming the good news of the Gospel 2,000 years ago. Paul’s demonstration of power as outlined in his letter to the Corinthian church was the essence of his ministry and correspondence with them, as opposed to persuasive words and cunning speech. (1st Corinthians 2:4)

What type of power are we talking about?

Don’t be confused by the modern equivalent (at least in name) of “power” that’s often discouraged by the church for good enough reason. Paul isn’t referring to power in the sense of greed, dominion, conquest, or political gain, he is talking about the real, tangible manifestation of the Holy Spirit among His people. The notion of this ‘power’ is actually quite overwhelming scripturally since the day of Pentecost straight through to John’s Revelation. It’s used by New Testament writers a total of 117 times, which means at least that it’s significant in some way and at most something that’s absolutely required to effectively represent Jesus. Besides, Paul could have reverted exclusively to skillful speech and thoughtful arguments, but as his writing implies, his ministry would not be near as effective. He had learned his lesson in Rome, that well constructed rhetoric paled in comparison to the power of the Holy Spirit in bringing people to the knowledge of Christ and Him crucified. And let’s be clear, Paul was probably more concerned with obedience than merely having an effective ministry, it just so happens that demonstrating the Spirit sparked the first revival in church history. Speaking of true apostleship in 1st Corinthians 4, Paul proclaims that…
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