Today’s church definitely doesn’t come even close to the power we see in the Gospels and Acts, as it has no resemblance to the church Jesus started and is the head of. Jesus came to save us from our sins. Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 1 John 3:8 “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” The church was to continue in that work with the power and authority Jesus would give us. Jesus empowered the church to do as He did. Instead, the church decided to build the church with their own hands and in their own power, instead of God’s power. This fact that the church is powerless should cause anyone who goes to church to pause and ponder the reality of the church’s rebellion and then humble themselves before God and repent of wicked ways. This journey is about preparing to meet our God and meeting Him in a state of rebellion is not what you want to do. We need to pray as Daniel prayed. Daniel 9:4 “I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” I say fact because all you have to do is look around at all the churches and you will see powerlessness. Again, don’t be deceived by many churches that are powerful. They may be a CEO driven success story, but the anointing oil is missing, so they are not the well-oiled machine they think they are, as they do not have the presence of the Holy Spirit which also means that they do not have the power as described in scripture. That is easy to see. This lack of power reveals the truth about today’s church; it is not the church it is supposed to be. 

    Covid really exposed the church’s powerlessness and in the end, the church globally really was non-essential. You should be asking, where was the healing power of the church during this pandemic? I thought one of the most ironic stories was from Bethel Redding’s School of Supernatural Ministry. They became a covid hotspot in their county, with something like 137 cases. They had to go to online learning and their healing room, services were closed to in person gatherings. Then when their lack of power is exposed, they say “We believe that wisdom, modern medicine, and faith are meant to work together, and express the value for each in the pursuit of on-going health and healing.” I am sure you can see the irony here. What they should have said is forgive us for being frauds and turn from their wicked ways. This exposes their hypocrisy, yet people still believe that God is sprinkling fairy dust on them.

    Over the years many diseases and sicknesses have infiltrated the church, just as sickness have plagued those outside the church. The same goes for those who receive a positive diagnosis, and they have either been cured or in remission, have had a successful surgery or the medication is working. Outside the church people live through heart attacks and some are in remission from cancer just as has happened to people in the church but what we do not see is the power of Jesus where the words healed and immediately go together. This is the power and authority of Jesus. Mark 1:42 “Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.” Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” Since we are not seeing healing in the church, that must mean we don’t need it anymore as most churches seem to be content without people being healed and demons cast out. Most have accepted a pathetically powerless church as the norm. The reality is there are many, many sick people in the church and all around us, yet the church does not seek the healing power that is available to all who believe. 2 Chronicles 16:12 “Though his (king Asa) disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians.”

    I went to one site that listed illnesses from A-Z and there were too many to list here. Another site said there was between 7,000 and 10,000 rare diseases and growing. “Of the 7,000 known rare diseases, approximately 95 percent have no treatment.” Then you have potential outbreaks and there are many as seen on WHO’s website that keep epidemiologists up at night. The World Health Organization also said, “In 2019, the top 10 causes of death accounted for 55% of the 55.4 million deaths worldwide. The top global causes of death, in order of total number of lives lost, are associated with three broad topics: cardiovascular (ischaemic heart disease, stroke), respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections) and neonatal conditions.” You can also add to those, accidents and injuries of all types. Think about all the uncurable diseases and the ones that are being managed. On one list I saw was cancer and next to it was the common cold and influenza, and people say there is no God, yet the common cold is not curable. The position on the list of deadly disease changed depending on income of a country such as newborn mortality, but heart disease and stroke are always high on the list, as is cancer and diabetes. Then you have sexual diseases (many not curable), addictions and mental illness. 

    Another article said, “Canada and the world are in the grips of a mental health crisis that ruins health, threatens lives and hurts economies. While mental illness, including addictions, has become more top of mind for the media and Canadians in general over the past few years, it's fair to say that most people still don't have a true understanding of just how big, onerous, and potentially damaging the crisis really is—on both a societal and personal level. The numbers simply don't lie. According to the World Health Organization, around 450 million people currently struggle with mental illness, making it the leading cause of disability worldwide. Here at home, it affects more than 6.7 million of us. In fact, one in two Canadians have—or have had—a mental illness by the time they reach 40 years of age. The human cost is even greater as most people don't think of mental illness as something you can die from. At least not in the same way that people die from cancer, heart disease or diabetes. Yet the inter-relationship between addictions and other forms of mental illness, and their connection to physical health, is undeniable. Here again, the numbers are all too real. Opioid overdoses now account for more deaths in Canada than automobile accidents. The World Health Organization estimates one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. Over 4,000 Canadians die by suicide every year—an average of 11 per day. People with mood disorders are at much higher risk of developing a long-term medical condition. People with mental illness are two times more likely to have a substance use problem versus the general population. People with mental illness and addiction are more likely to die prematurely versus the general population. Tobacco addiction is the leading cause of premature mortality in Canada.” Take a survey of all the sickness there is, and the medication people are on in the church. Deuteronomy 28:27 “The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. 29 At midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you. 59 The Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. 60 He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. 61 The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. 66 You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. 67 In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!”—because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.” Leviticus 26:16 “I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength.” Romans 1:26 “God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

    I think you get the point, so why in the world does the church want to be like the world and not want God to dwell in our midst with His healing power that He gives to His disciples? Mark 16:17 “And these signs will accompany those who believe.” Paul prayed Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead.” Why do so many continue to fight against what the bible states very clearly? The answer is rebellion and as we see in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26, there is a cost. Daniel 8:12 “Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.” The powerful word of God has been rejected for the empty ways, the pathetic and powerless words of man and now the church today is helpless / powerless to stand against our enemies. 

    Easter is coming up in about a week and the church will celebrate that Jesus is alive and will joyfully declare He is risen indeed but the question is, does the church really believe He is alive? Most will answer with a resounding yes, but most do not act like it. When you ask them should we be able to do as Jesus did, that is a different story. Is Jesus the Messiah, the risen Lord and Savior, the King of kings and does His dominion not endure forever? If He is, then believe and obey His word. King Nebuchadnezzar found this out and said, Daniel 4:1 “To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth: May you prosper greatly! 2 It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. 3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.” Why is the church not saying this? How does the church not believe that the kingdom of God can come near when the bible is so clear that it can? The answer to that is again rebellion that has brought deception and delusion against the church, all because of unbelief.  

    Jesus did not just come to save a few, heal a few and cast a few demons out here and there; His ministry was just the beginning of what the church was supposed to be empowered to do. Here we see the prophecy that Jesus would take up our infirmities and bear our diseases fulfilled. Matthew 8:4 “When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. 16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” It really is ludicrous to think that just those people at the time of Jesus would be the only ones to benefit from His presence. After Pentecost power flowed through the disciples. Isaiah prophesied, Isaiah 54:1 “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” So basically, for most in the church, the cross is meaningless to them. Jesus was crushed for our iniquities and by His wounds we are healed. You cannot say you believe in the resurrection and then not believe there is power available to His disciples for healing today.

    According to the church that means Jesus died only for those few who were sick and afflicted when He was alive and for no one else. The reality is that the ministry of Jesus was just the beginning of people being saved, healed and demons cast out around the world. As we saw earlier, people desperately need a healing touch from God. Do you really not want to see people healed or demons cast out like these poor ladies. Matthew 9:20 “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed. 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.” Luke 13:10 “On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 16 Should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” Are you like those who were walking with Jesus but did not reach out to touch Him? Are you like these in the synagogue who were opposed to healing? It is foolish to think that we do not need this power today and foolish not to be this power is available.  

    Pentecost was the start of the powerful church and not the end of the power for the church. Jesus was given all authority and power and then gave the church that same power at Pentecost. Daniel 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Acts 1:4 “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Peter said, Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” As we saw in 1 Corinthians 12:9 “to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers.” It is demonic teaching to say these gifts are no longer available. Mark 16:18 “they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Don’t listen to those who say this is not possible, rather humble yourself before God so that He turns His face back to the church and empowers the church once again. 

    So, it’s plain and simple, all disciples of Jesus were to be given the power and authority to heal and cast out demons to do as He did. We were supposed to do as Jesus did in the power of the Holy Spirit. John 14:11 “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Ask yourself how much of the bible do you have to redact to make it work for the church you attend and the doctrines and theology you believe?

    Every church will say they are a great commission church and are always looking for ways to evangelize. Most churches have chosen the manmade route where they try to become like those they are trying to reach instead of healing them. As Jesus said Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” Program after program, vision after vision, plan after plan (manmade), and gurus galore, but what is needed to turn the city upside down is the power to heal and cast out demons. That comes with the preaching and teaching of the true gospel according to God’s word not according to man. Most churches are not great commission churches because they do not grasp or have the power that is available to all who believe. Therefore there is a problem with belief. The ones that say they are a great commission church, do not look like this. Mark 16:5 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” The snake charming churches that you here people dying in is not what this is talking about. This is what it means. Acts 28:3 “Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.” Then we see the gospel. 7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.” Jesus said Matthew 28:18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This authority and power was not given to the church to fill up buildings and most can’t even do that without entertaining the masses and telling people what they want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

    The key is to preach the true gospel and that is followed by salvation, signs, wonders, miracles, healing and demons cast out. For this to happen we must preach what Jesus preached, meaning we preach His words, not our own. When you preach man’s gospel, you do not have the same results. Sure, some are really good at drawing the masses and but where is the power from on High? You then have to ask are people really be saved? Make sure you find out because eternity is eternal. Only when the good news of the kingdom of God is preached will the Kingdom of God come near. When that gospel is preached, God will confirm His word by signs just as He said He would. Here is what it looked like. Jesus said Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Here is what the kingdom coming near looks like. Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Matthew 9:35 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Here you saw the good news preached, people healed, and demons cast out.

    When Jesus called His disciples, He gave them authority and power to do as He did. Luke 9:1 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Mark 6:7 “Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Don’t reject the message of God’s word, but many will. Luke 10:1 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.” Matthew said it this way, Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” Others, not just the twelve were supposed to go into the fields with power and authority and continue to do the same. Philip also Acts 8:12 “proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.” Acts 8:4 “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” As you can plainly see, proclaiming the good news means the kingdom will come near and that means not only will there be salvation, but there will also be the power to heal and the authority to cast out demons. The gospel message is not only the good news but the power that goes with it. What we are seeing and hearing today in the church must be questioned and tested as the church is in captivity and powerless for rebellion against God’s word. When you hear someone say this is the gospel, make sure you test the spirits. You do this by holding up the word of God against it but when you do this, be careful, as there are some really good counterfeits. Don’t just take peoples word for it, test the spirits. For example what I am saying here today, sit down and read the Gospels and Acts and ask yourself if that is taking place in your life or your church and if it is not are you seeking. Can you really call yourself a believer? 

    Rebellion is unbelief. The people of Israel chose not to believe and rebelled against God and paid the price. The church has done the same. Even though the Jews were waiting for the Messiah to come and take the throne of David, they refused to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Luke 22:66 “At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67 “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” 70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.” John 12:37 “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. (Matthew 9:32 “While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”) 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him. 42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

    Like the Jews, the church has rejected the power of Jesus, which means they have rejected their Savior just as the Jews did. To read scripture and say that the power that raised Jesus from the dead is not available today is from satan himself. It is obvious that satan knows what that power can do against him. The demons knew who the Son of God was. Mark 3:11“Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” satan also knows that he will continue to defeat church if the church does not have the power available to them. That means many will spend eternity with him. Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” This is why teaching like cessation is a doctrine of demons. 1 Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” Today the church is filled with teaching form hypocritical liars. You don’t just have to be a cessationist to miss the power. Many churches say they believe but do not actually seek God’s power because they don’t really believe that same power is available to the disciples of Jesus. Most are just paying lip service. Mark 7:6 “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain.” Instead, they believe that if God wanted to heal, he would. He does that is why He empowered His disciples. You also have the charismatics who have been deceived by power because they do not test the spirits.

    God tells us, Proverbs 8:17 “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”We also have this same promise given to the captives. Jeremiah 29:10 “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jesus said Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” David 1 Chronicles 29:10 “praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power    and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”

        Jesus taught us to pray that His kingdom would come. Jesus said Matthew 6:33 “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The kingdom that we are praying for is the same kingdom that King Nebuchadnezzar talked about, the one David talked about, and the one Jesus is the king of that will come near if we repent. We are not waiting for a millennial kingdom to come off in the future sometime as most believe is going to happen. That kingdom already came. Luke 11:20 “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” As we know, Jesus drove out demons. Luke 11:14 “Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.” Many are afraid to seek signs, wonders, miracles and healing because they think it is wicked. Many fear the charismatics more than they fear disobeying God. Many in the church misunderstand this verse. Matthew 12:39 “He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Their hearts were evil because they just wanted Jesus to prove Himself to them, signs and wonders from God are not evil. Jesus doesn’t have to prove Himself. satan wanted Jesus to prove Himself to him. Luke 4:3 “If you are the Son of God.” Jesus just quoted scripture in response. 

    This means the kingdom was present already and will come near again if the church repents and turns from their wicked ways and stops refusing to believe what the bible clearly states. When God turns His face back to the church, then authority and power will be given once again. Then the church will do as Jesus did. Luke 7:18 “John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” The church has stumbled because of rebellion. The miracles of Jesus are right before our eyes, as is the power He would give to the church. John told us John 20:30 “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 21:25 “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” 

    Jesus is the Messiah; He has risen and He gave authority and power to the church to do as He did. The bible gives us all we need, and you should believe even if you have not seen this kind of power yet. Trust God’s word. 1 John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.” Do you trust those who saw with their own eyes or do you trust those who are teaching other gospels and doctrines of demons? Remember if there is something counterfeit, there has to be something real to copy, so search out the truth. Many have rejected truth because of the falseness they have seen, but in the process are rejecting God’s word. There are false teachers and prophets everywhere, so that means there are teachers who teach truth, though at this time they may be hidden. But we are told Isaiah 30:9 “People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” There is hope but we must return to God’s word and say Hosea 14:3 “Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”