Acts of Grace 5
POWER TO EMPOWER COMPLETELY- Part 5
By Pastor Henry

In the last few weeks, I was basically trying to give you a telescopic view of what’s going to happen in 2010 but let me conclude with this - you have the power to empower others. Beloved, look around you and you will see needs. God has empowered you to go and meet those needs. Your gift may not be needed by everybody but it is definitely needed by someone. Someone has been waiting for you all their life. Someone needs you because God has so determined in his plan to touch someone through you. What is your gift? All of us have gifts. Don’t bury your gifts, attend a cell group, serve someone, use every opportunity given to you to minister to others. Look out for the poor and the needy, seek them, go to your neighborhood, show you care. When you add value to other people’s lives, you add value to yourself.

We see that out of the body of Jesus Christ, out of the lifestyle of Jesus Christ, power came out from him. The people only had to touch the garment he wore and they were healed. Jesus had something others wanted. They came to him.

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with power from on high and he went about casting out demons and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, went about doing good. Remember the bible didn’t say Reverend Jesus, it didn’t say Dr. Jesus, it didn’t say Pastor Jesus, no, it says Jesus the Carpenter. What are you? A cook? A seamstress? A hairdresser? Jesus never graduated from the seminary but God anointed him with power. Jesus was a carpenter and he went about doing good and God was with him. Can you do that? Let the world see your good works and they will glorify the Father in heaven.

Ministry is like what Ruth did, she forgot all about herself, she looked at her poor old mother-in-law, a refugee, and she said, “I will leave everything and look after you. I will be faithful to you.” Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship, it’s the most difficult relationship on planet earth, but it can also be the best relationship. In the case of Ruth and Naomi, it was the best. And she said, “I will not leave you, I will not forsake you.” She obeyed and submitted to her mother-in-law. Because she loved her mother-in-law and served her, her mother-in-law said, “Go to the field,” and Ruth went to the field. Naomi did not say go to the church, she said go to the field, I hope you understand what ‘the field’ means.

And Ruth went to glean from the field, she picked up what other people dropped and finally she ended up at the master’s feet. She married Boaz, the lord of the harvest, and became one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ! Why? Ruth put aside her own needs and went to pick somebody else up. You may be a young widow, but you can help the old widow. You can be poor, but there is somebody poorer than you. You may only have one pair of shoes and there may be somebody with no shoes. You may have no shoes but somebody may have no legs. There is always somebody worse off than you, somebody with a greater need. Can you touch that person? Don’t tell me you don’t have a ministry. God has empowered you to empower somebody. You have the ability.

So we want to see more of you released this year, more of you released with God’s power upon you. You have received power from on high and you are his witnesses. What you have received, share with others. Let us empower somebody else. Let us pick somebody up. Let us encourage someone. Somebody needs something that you possess. It may be your warmth. It may be your smile. You want friends, be friendly. You want people to smile at you, you smile first. You are important in the kingdom of God.

Every alcoholic hates his bondage, every smoker and tobacco addict longs to quit, every drug addict wonders how he can break the chain of bondage. Jesus looks for people who are in need. He saw this woman who had five husbands already and was living with the sixth man, he went and he ministered to her. He did not condemn her. He talked and she listened. She talked and he listened - and it changed her life permanently. She went back to the village and brought about a revival because of what Jesus did for her! Jesus saw a need. He went and met that need.

He says, all power have been given unto me, therefore, go - go and make disciples, go and heal, go and cast out devils, go and heal the sick, go and preach the gospel, disciple the nations, teach the nations. Don’t let your light be hidden. Jesus says, take your light, put it on the hill and let it shine so that all those in darkness will see and glorify the Father in heaven. Whose life can you touch?

Let us pray: Lord, at this moment we just lift ourselves to you. We bring the year 2010 to you, and we place it at your feet. We cast ourselves at your feet and we say, O God cause your blessed holy will to be done in our lives. Lord, wherever I go, whoever I meet, may I recognize that I am the church of Jesus Christ and you have empowered me to empower others. This year belongs to you, this year of completeness, this year of fulfillment. Lord, complete what you have started, let there be a perfect partnership between God and man. Let your blessings fall in the midst of chaos and uncertainty so that your people shall flourish. Lord, in the name of Jesus, this gospel shall be preached to all the world as a witness and then the end will come. We are for this promise to be fulfilled in Malaysia, and everyone in Malaysia shall hear the gospel. Amen.