Empowerment for Ministry (notes)

These are the notes I used for a bible study I gave in my local church (Christian Tabernacle – Santa Ana CA)
Note.
These are just notes, the writing is not in an article form, or very explainable, since there just notes I use to remember what I have to say. This does not follows a certain pattern of terminologies or writing rules, but this is what I use and what helps me to give my bible studies. I pray that it may be a blessing for someone. All glory goes to my Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior and God.

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Empowerment:

The empowerment is the Holy Spirit, Acts 1:8 "you shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost comes upon you"

Empowerment is always related with power, in other words, "empowerment" always has to do with "Power"
So when Acts 1:8 says "you shall receive power" is actually talking about empowering the people of God.

So the question now is; empowered with what? With power, the power of God, the power of the most high.

It only takes the Holy Ghost to be empowered. But that is not it!


Thesis:

Don’t seek ministry, seek the empowerment, and let God give you the ministry by Himself.

Empowerment comes first, and then ministry. That's how it goes; empowerment first, then ministry. (Jesus' baptism, reason of getting baptized was for Him to start His ministry, when the Holy Ghost descended upon Him like a dove and illuminating Jesus)

Empowerment first, then ministry.

The reason I say this is because, often times we want to right away jump into the field without being yet empowered (not just receive the empowerment, but walking in the empowerment). Example for this is what happened to timothy, 2 Timothy 1:6-8



2 Timothy 1:6-8

When we read the letters to timothy, we right away see that there's some type of empowerment, and most of all ministry.

Verse 6 says; "wherefore I put thee in remembrance"
We all have to be reminded of who we really are! Often times we forget who we really are! We go through so many troubles and tribulations and ups and downs and afflictions, that sometimes we forget of who we really are, of the power that is in us!
Note. This is important to remember for later on in this lesson. (be partaker of the afflictions)

"That thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee"
Paul commands timothy to stir up the gift of God that is in thee. We see this gift of God to be the ministerial gift of timothy given to him by God (1 Timothy 4:14) in 1 timothy it shows that the gift of God is his ministerial gift, and then it says that it was given to him by the putting of the hands of the presbytery (altar) (ordained ministers) which leads us to what 2 timothy says

"By the putting on of my hands"
This goes back to 1 timothy 4:14 where we see when timothy was really empowered, probably receiving there the Holy Ghost.

This also shows us that we have to be under authority

Verse 7 says; "for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power"
The word here "power" indicates and is the same "power of what Jesus spoke in (Luke 24:49) which is the power from on high. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Power (Acts 1:8)
The difference here is that many of us just receive the Holy Ghost and that's it! But that's not the only purpose of the Holy Spirit, it's not just to speak in tongues and jump and run on around the isles. But the bible says that we have to "walk in the Spirit"
It is different to receive the Spirit than to walk in the Spirit.
To walk under the influence of the Spirit, be guided by the Spirit. When was the last time you asked God to guide you with His Spirit?
Walking in the Spirit is walking in Power! You can do great things!

"And of love"
Really important! Better explained later in this lesson.
The spirit of love is important, is key in empowerment for ministry

Verse 8 says; "be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.
We see the same thing in (Romans 1:16) and we see the same word "power" in this scripture again.
Some people believe that it is the "dynamite of God" because the Greek translation of power in all these scriptures is "duvnamis" from where we get the word dynamite in our English language. But this is not true since dynamite was not invented until the year 1866, Paul did not had any knowledge of dynamite at all.
The best translation of this power is to be said "dynamic" the "dynamic power of God" working for salvation! Dynamically working to save
If you have this power, if you are empower with this, don’t get surprise if you witness someone getting saved through your message! Or through your walk in the Spirit.

"But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God"
Afflictions = love (that's how Paul puts it)

And this verse keeps on going by saying "according to the power of God".
Love through the power of God
Be empower with the power of God

This is where we see the difference. Paul was talking about being partaker of the afflictions (which is love) according to the power of God (by walking in the Spirit)

Love:

Something is going on in the life of Timothy. The whole context here is that Paul was writing to young Timothy to come back to him, and not to be discourage. Why? Because it was hard. Timothy was having so much trouble, that Paul had to tell him not to be discourage.

Did we ever see this happening to the Paul, Peter, John, or the other apostles? Not really! Why?

The only thing I see, the only conclusion I have for why this did not happened to the apostles was Because of love, the love they had for the Lord.
Not to say that they never had afflictions, or persecutions, or ups and downs, but that they could stand up, with the power of God, through the love they had for the Lord. Or not to say that Timothy did not loved the Lord, but that he probably wasn’t as much in love with God as the apostle Paul.


Someone put love into four stages:

1. Physical love
2. Mental love
3. Emotional love
4. Spiritual love



Let's look at the fruits of the Spirit (the fruits of empowerment) (the fruits of when you are empowered)


(Gal 5:22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

(Gal 5:23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

(Gal 5:24) And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

(Gal 5:25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.


The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25) the first one here is "Love"
This same chapter of Galatians keeps on telling us in verse 25 to walk in the Spirit.

In other words, the fruit of empowerment (Spirit) is Love, joy, peace, etc.
Love being the first fruit mention gives us an understanding that love if not the most, is one of the most important fruits.
But it doesn’t stop there, it doesn’t stops in just by knowing this or receiving the Spirit and knowing that Love is the fruit of it, and that we live in it, but the bible tells us that we have to walk in the Spirit. In other words, be in love with God, fell in love with Him.

Allow the Holy Ghost, (which is the empowerment) to move you to guide you to make you fell in love with God, so that you can grow roots.



Don’t seek ministry, seek the empowerment, and let God give you the ministry by Himself. Empowerment comes first, and then ministry.
The reason I say this is because, often times we want to right away jump into the field without being yet empowered (not just receive the empowerment, but walking in the empowerment).



Do you want ministry? Do you want to be empowered?
Fell in love with God first and you right away will start the process of walking in the Spirit

Many of us think we love Him, when we really don’t.


Do you want to be empowered for ministry?
Fell in love with God first

Don’t seek ministry, seek the empowerment first, and let God give you the ministry.