True Power

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:17-18)

Your true power is in the preaching of the cross of Jesus. Not by speaking in tongues, being what some call slain in the spirit or casting out demons. No, the power of God is to preach boldly the cross of Christ.

Today we have so many preachers and ministers trying to get people hooked on this power trip. They tell you that all you need is power. Your not walking in the things of God so you need power. You've accepted Christ Jesus, you just need now to experience His power. They expect from you some craziness of falling over or babbling in a crazy tongue. To them, that makes you powerful and gives you the ability to subdue nations. Unfortunately, that is not going to get you anything.

The true power of God is the preaching of the cross. The Gospel, the Good News, that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is pwoerful. The glory of the cross is the real power. Let's look at Peter and what gave him power on the Day of Pentecost:


But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
(Acts 2:14-41)

As you can see God added 3,000 souls that day to the Church. But the power of God came from Peter preaching the cross. He didn't speak in no tongue, fall out or cast out a demon. He preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Amazing, how the Lord added 3,000 souls that day. There was no altar to come down and receive Jesus. Neither did he have to make a long speech of his former sinful lifestyle so the world could relate. No, just God's true power: the preaching of the cross of His Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Greek word for power used in 1 Corinthians 1:18 is dunamis. Dunamis is defined as:


force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work

The Scripture is very clear what dunamis is. The preaching of the cross is the power of God. So if the true power is in the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him cruficied, why all this focus on tongues? Why all the falling out, and the telling the devil he's a liar? Because then, the Gospel is not preached and God's truth is evil spoken of (2 Peter 2:1-2). Think about this one saints. Let us get back to the truth of the bible. The power is in the cross.