Mark sixteen preaching & kingdom building

The world needs both a church of power and doctrine. Sadly, the world suffers, not for a lack of sermonizing, but the world suffers from a church absent of power.

Power is inherent in the church but in large measure, the church has failed to operate in power. Where are the demonstrations, where have they gone and why are they not a visible presence of a living God in today’s world?

The same method God used to deliver Israel out of Egypt is the same method God is using to call men and women out of darkness into light.

First there was a man, a called and sent man, who became the voice of God saying to the Pharaoh of Egypt let me my people go. Second there was evidential proof that God was with Moses through signs and wonders.

When Pharaoh said no, I will not let them go, God, at the command of Moses, answered no with a yes in the form of signs and wonders.

Each step along the way when Pharaoh reneged and his heart hardened, God using the voice of Moses answered with power. Israel’s deliverance from Egypt wasn’t just by command but command backed up power.

Evidential testimony was essential to show God was with Moses and backing up Moses with mighty acts of power. It was both the command of faith and demonstrations of power that brought Israel out of Egypt.

The preached word attested to by signs and wonders is what is missing today, not from the universal, invisible church, but local assemblies everywhere.

The tendency is to ask God to restore the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom with attesting signs and wonders, but this is not the correct thing to do.

The church has the message, the word of God and power is inherent in the church. The church received power on the Day of Pentecost, and it has never been recalled or removed.

If the church received power on the Day of Pentecost, the church still has the same power the early church received.

A word about authority. The church on the Day of Pentecost did not receive authority. This is significant because of the need to understand authority and power and how they work in and through the church to carry out God’s will in the earth establishing his kingdom.

The church moves in authority in the earth because we preach and act in the name of Jesus. The church had no need to receive authority on the Day of Pentecost because Jesus had already received authority in heaven and in earth.

Authority remains in the head and power remains in the body. Just as the body gets its directions and the command of the head, so the body of Christ gets its direction and at the command of its head Jesus Christ.

The hands, the feet, moves and walks at the command of the head. They do not have independent authority to handle what they want to and the feet has no decision making power, except to obey the command of the head.

Mark sixteen contains both elements, preaching and signs and wonders following the preached word.