Power and Authority

 Power and Authority

May 15, 2026

Luke 9:1-2 (NKJV) 

1Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given toMe in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Ephesians 1:19-21

19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

1 Peter 3:21-22

21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from theflesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

Revelation 12:10-11

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Yesterday, we were talking about becoming courageous. And the reason that we need to be courageous is so that we can carry out the great commission. And to preach the gospel and make disciples we need to have the courage to exercise the power and authority that He has given us. Through this power we can preach the Word with authority, heal the sick, raise the dead and  se the captives free. So, go therefore, and make disciples…

Becoming Courageous

 Becoming Courageous 

May 14, 2026

Acts 4:13

13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that theywere uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

Acts 4:31

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together wasshaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

The lesson on “Becoming Courageous” at our mid-week Bible study was very interesting. The Bible is full of stories of courageous people who performed mighty deeds for the Lord, but the basic point of this lesson was that there was something that happened to these people to make them courageous. In the gospels, the apostles were often uncertain and fearful, but in the book of Acts, they are confident and spoke boldly even in the face of much opposition. What happened to them in the meantime? What transformed uneducated and untrained men into mighty men that performed great signs and wonders and who could speak the word of God with boldness?

The difference is Acts 2, the day of Pentecost. It was an encounter with the Holy Spirit that transformed them and filled them with courage. This gives hope to all of us who may think of ourselves as ordinary and not particularly courageous. It gives us hope that we also can be filled with the Holy. Spirit and be emboldened to do whatever the Lord calls us to do. It is the authority of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit who enables us to go forth and make disciples. Jesus gave the command in Matthew 28 to go forth, but it wasn’t until Acts 2 that the apostles were able to respond and preach the gospel to the nations. So take heart. You too can become courageous if you seek the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with confidence and boldness.