Real Power

“They overcame the Dragon by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and because they loved not their lives unto death.”

Popular preaching claims the Church’s victory will be accomplished by the coming massive outpouring of mighty “signs and wonders” as predicted by today’s prophetic voices. This has become the “Holy Grail” of charismatic churches. Only a super revival characterized by wave after wave of miraculous deeds will equip the church to fulfill its Great Commission.

I am not disputing that God performs miracles, or that the gifts of His Spirit are real. Most certainly miracles often win hearts and minds. However, the emphasis on “signs and wonders” is misplaced and could lead many believers to apostatize when their expectations prove void or false prophets perform “lying signs and wonders.”

[Photo by Jonas Allert on Unsplash]

Based on the track record of today’s self-appointed “prophets,” my comfort level does not extend beyond what I find in Scripture. The “Word of Faith” movement has been predicting this supernatural scenario for fifty years with little to show for all their promises. The great end-time harvest is always “just around the corner,” and has been for an entire generation.

This final great revival will not only produce great displays of undeniable miracles, but it will also sweep billions of men and women into the Kingdom, transform the culture, and even overturn the existing world order, all in reaction to overwhelming supernatural displays. Or that is the theory.

It is natural for humans to assume that visually stunning displays of power will produce great results, and the Bible does not deny the power of God. However, its understanding of power differs radically from ours. The “power of God” is found in the “proclamation of Christ Crucified,” in the “Word of the Cross.”

Despite his many miracles, Jesus died alone on the Cross. Yet, his Death and Resurrection overcame Sin, Satan, and Death. Our salvation was accomplished on Calvary. The foundation of our faith is that Jesus died for us and was buried, yet God raised him from the dead on the third day - (1 Corinthians 15:1-6).

Jesus and the Apostles healed the sick, raised the dead, and exorcised demons. Christ even calmed a terrifying storm on the Sea of Galilee, though that miraculous act left his disciples confused, not converted,

However, Jesus also complained when the crowds sought him for his miracle-working powers. “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.” “Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” Jesus also warned that deceivers and false prophets would employ “great signs and wonders” to deceive the “Elect.” Faith generated in reaction to miraculous displays is not saving faith.

I have not found any New Testament passage that promises a final super revival featuring mega miracles the likes of which even Jesus never performed. Instead, I read warnings about deceivers who use “signs and wonders” to hoodwink believers, the very “Elect.”

The Apostle Paul, for example, warned of the coming “Man of Lawlessness.” He linked this figure to the future “Apostasy.” This “Son of Destruction” will be empowered by Satan to deceive many saints with “all power and signs and lying wonders.”

Likewise, the “False Prophet,” will use “signs,” including the ability to call fire down from Heaven to mislead the “Inhabitants of the Earth,” causing them to swear allegiance to the “Little Beast from the Sea.” True prophets are not distinguished from false ones by their ability to perform supernatural feats, but by lives conformed to his Cross.

In his epistles, John warned of the coming “Antichrist.” When he wrote this, the “Spirit of Antichrist” was already in the world spreading false teachings. This was evidenced by the activities of false teachers in John’s congregations. He labeled these men “antichrists.” Moreover, Paul warned that the “ministers of Satan disguise themselves as angels of light,” indicating they are not easy to spot.

The New Testament warns that in the “last days” deceit and apostasy will become rampant in the Church, and that is certainly the case today in the Charismatic World:

• Deceivers will deceive many.”

• “Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.”

• “For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but having itching ears, they will heap to themselves teachers after their lusts.”

• “They will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside to fables.”

• “Liars and charlatans will wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” “When the Son of Man comes, will he find the faith on the earth?”

This satanic strategy is simple and effective. First, raise our expectations with promises of super “signs and wonders,” then send false prophets to deliver them along with false doctrines and lies. It is an old but tried-and-true trick. Just as effective is to promise an unstoppable wave of the supernatural that never materializes, leaving millions of believers disappointed, discouraged, and devastated.

However, what the world needs is a cruciform church committed to the Word of God no matter what else might occur, disciples who daily “take up the cross” and “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” regardless of consequences, men and women characterized by their love for one another, the unsaved, and their self-sacrificial service for the Gospel. And leaders who will teach the “whole counsel of God” from the Scriptures.

When Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, his dumbfounded disciples could only ask, “Who is that man that even the winds and the seas obey him?” When he died on the Cross, the pagan Roman centurion declared, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” That was the real power of the Cross. The Messiah of Israel can only be understood in the light of Calvary.

We will overcome the “Dragon” by the “blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and because we love not our lives unto death.” As Calvary demonstrated, a single martyrdom for the sake of the Gospel will do far more for humanity than any supernatural display. To win the world we must first go to the Cross and dedicate our lives to his service and Kingdom. Becoming the “servant of all” is how we become “great in his Kingdom.”

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RELATED POSTS:

• Apostasy and Misdirection - (Believers who are watching for apostasy outside the Church will be among the first who are overtaken by it as it operates in the Assembly)

• Serpents in the Assembly - (The Spirit of Antichrist works to destroy the Body of Christ from within, especially through deceivers and false teachers)

• Indisputable Evidence - (“The Spirit expressly says that in later seasons some will revolt from the faith, giving heed unto seducing spirits and teachings of demons” – 1 Timothy 4:1)