16TH FEBRUARY, 2021
MINISTER: Pastor Emmanuel Dansu
Last week, we learnt that our knowledge of God is what will grant us access to enjoy all the benefits that have been made available for us. It is not enough that we have the knowledge in our heads, it is sweeter when people see it in our lives. As believers, we should be divine ‘power banks’ that carry the power of God. Today, we will look at how going the extra mile and conviction can help us express the power of the Kingdom.
In Acts 6:1ff, tribal issues between Jews and Greeks affected the church just like we still see in the church today. Unfortunately, this hinders our expression of the power of the Kingdom. Sometimes, we shut down certain things that we should enjoy due to cultural differences. As a way of providing solution to the problem in the church, Stephen and others were appointed for the work of serving tables (deacons).
Although Stephen was appointed to serve tables, he was not restricted by his job description (Acts 6-8). Stephen was exceptional as a church member because he was full of the Holy Ghost. He went the extra mile and became an evangelist and Christian apologist. Your words become capable of changing people when you are full of the Holy Spirit. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, paying the supreme price for the sake of the gospel (1 Peter 3:13-16).
When we do not know what we are looking for, that is, when we lack conviction, we will always run after the less important things. You do not need to announce yourself, what you carry will announce you. It does not matter what you do or where you serve, what matters is the extra mile you go. You do not have to struggle to be recognized, just be relevant. If you are full of the Holy Spirit and faith, no one will be able to gainsay your wisdom. You cannot press into kingdom power if you stay put in your cocoon. You have to do what is duly assigned to you and so much more.
Acts 9:1-19, Galatians 1:10-17
Paul being passionate as a Pharisee had an encounter that made him as passionate for the Gospel. He hit the ground running because of his unusual encounter. Many of us joke with kingdom power because we have no conviction; encounter brings conviction.
Acts 21:10-12
His mind was made up to dare the impossible for God no matter all the emotions flying around him. He went to Jerusalem when it was obvious he was going to get into trouble. Paul was persuaded to use all he had to promote the kingdom because he was convinced (Galatians 1:10). He leveraged his Jewish heritage (Philippians 3:5,6), his Roman citizenship (Acts 22:23-29), his training as a lawyer (Philippians 3:5) and his business as a tent maker (Acts 18:1-4) to propagate the Gospel. Conviction will always bring us to the place of doing God’s will with all we are and all we have. God needs us to be like that.
We will not be able to do much for the kingdom if we do not have conviction. Many times, we are not able to express the power of the kingdom because we do not have encounters. Encounters/conviction brings power. To a man of conviction, living or dying is not an issue, putting God’s power to work to do God’s will is all that matters (Philippians 1:21).
Having clearly understood his assignment, Paul knew when he had unfinished business and when it was all done. If we do not clearly know our assignments, we will not place premium on the power of God to get the job completed. Conviction will bring us to a place where we can yield our all to God. It will bring us to the place of knowing and doing God’s will with all that we have.