Chapter 4 - The Power in the Word.

2 MAJOR KEYS TO THE GOSPEL are:
(1) The proclamation of the Gospel causes the power of God to be present. 
(2) This proclamaton is that God's power is present through Christ to save and heal all.

This is the Jubilee blast (the Gospel message): 
'The power of the Lord is present to heal you' (Luke 5:17). 
'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Christ. He is anointed with God's power to save you today' (Luke 4:14-21). 
'NOW is the time for your salvation-God's power is here for you. You can go free today' (2Corinthians 6:2). 
'God anointed Jesus and He is with him now to heal all who are oppressed of the devil' (Acts 10:38).

THIS is the proclamation of the Kingdom: 'The Kingdom of God (which is righteousness, peace, joy, healing... in the Holy-Spirit) has come to you. It is near, it is here, it is at hand, its power is available for you. It is open so that you can press in and lay hold of it'. In presenting the gospel we're to bring people to the point of believing that the anointing is here through Jesus Christ. When they believe this, they will rise up, take hold of God's power and press into the Kingdom.

We preach the GOSPEL of CHRIST declaring: 'JESUS is the CHRIST - the One anointed for your salvation.' 

The message is centred in the Person of Jesus Christ. We talk about Christ, which means-'the Anointed One and his Anointing', declaring that the power to liberate and restore is available in and through the Person of Jesus Christ. Thus we preach CHRIST - that He is anointed for your salvation and his anointing is here for you now.(Luke 4:18-21; Acts 8:5; 9:20-22, 10:38). We exalt Jesus as the Anointed One -proclaiming the One: 'Who Is, Who Was and Who Is to come.' (Revelation 1:8; Hebrews 13:8). 

We declare his work in the past, present and future. We tell how He WAS anointed as a prophet with healing power and as priest to offer himself as a sacrifice, how he rose from the dead and is alive NOW, anointed as LORD over all, who offers us eternal life and salvation. Finally, we preach that He will come as Judge, when it will be too late. We 'preach the unsearchable riches of Christ' (Ephesians 3:8). We tell them Christ died for our sins, rose again, ascended to God's right-hand, received the Holy-Spirit (anoinfing) and poured Him out upon us, so that the power is available now to produce in you the salvation for which Jesus died. The same anointing by which Jesus healed is here now, for He is alive and is Lord of all, He is still the Christ and is even more anointed now.

GOD PUTS HIS POWER IN HIS WORDS - They contain the power to fulfil themselves. This is HOW God communicates his blessings to us. 

At CREATION: 'God SAID..and IT WAS SO'. The Kingdom comes to us in: 'the WORD of the Kingdom'(Matthew 13:17).  Jesus taught this in his parables(Matthew 13) especially the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4). THE WORD IS SEED containing the power to produce the fruit (the manifestation) The Word is so important, for when we receive the Word we receive the power. The Power of the Kingdom comes in Words. If we value and treasure them in our heart, they will produce the Kingdom in us. The Parable explains how we can bear fruit and how failure happens.

STEPS TO FRUIT (from the Parable of the Sower. 
1) Understand the Word we must listen toit, understand and accept it. (Mark 4:15)

2) Fortify our faith in the Word, so there is depth to our faith-so that when BAD things happen, when the Word is attacked and challenged we don't let go of our faith in the Word (Mark 4:16,17; John 8:31,32). We must strengthen our beliefs (e.g in healing) by hearing and meditating more on the Word of healing. Repetition is important. We must confinue to put the Word first to develop depth to our faith.

3) Keep our focus on the Word, so that the GOOD things of this life (its pleasures and responsibilities) do not so absorb and distract us (Mark 4:18,19) that they cut off our supply of the Word (choking it) so that it does not produce for us. You can't live on the Word you heard months ago (Matthew 4:4). If you put the Word aside you won't get results. Do you love (value, give 1st attention to) Word or the world?

Only by the Word do we grow, and the blessing of the Kngdom grows in us. It's the Word in us that produces fruit and our attitude to the Word determines how much is produced. If we stop putting the Word first, we stop growing. The world, like an escalator will carry us backwards. If we stay on the path to fruit and don't turn to the left (BAD things) or to the right (GOOD things) (Joshua 1:7) but keep the Word first in good and bad times, we'll bring forth much fruit. (Mark 4:20). To bear fruit (results) the key is to put the Word first. 'He that has ears let him hear. The measure of value and attention we give to hearing the Word is the measure of fruit we will get from the Word' (Mark 4:23-25). TREASURE the WORD. (Proverbs 4:20-23).

How is Salvation (Jesus) manifested? (Luke 1:34). By the Spirit (anointing)(v35) through the spoken word for: 'No word of God is without the power within to bring itself to pass (manifestation)'(v37). Like a seed- it has Divine power within to manifest what it contains and it will, if welcomed in the soil of our heart and nourished. 

The power is in the Word (Seed) to cause our rebirth: 'Being BORN AGAIN, not of corruptible SEED, but of incorruptible, by the WORD OF GOD, which lives and abides for ever. (For all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and it's flower falls away) But the WORD of the Lord endures for ever and this is the WORD which BY THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED TO YOU.' (1 Peter 1:23-25).  See also James 1:18.

What you focus on is the SEED that will bear fruit in your life- if it's the things of this life, it is corruptible like a flower and it's fruit (benefit) will be temporary. If you focus on the Word, it is seed that will produce eternal fruit (resufts) for you. Receiving the Word of the gospel caused eternal life to be birthed in us! The power is in the Word to bring healing: 'IT CAME TO PASS AS HE WAS TEACHING (the Word), that.. THE POWER OF THE LORD WAS PRESENT TO HEAL THEM (the hearers)' (Luke 5:17). Teaching the Word causes the power to be present for the hearers (only). It brings the power online.

God's Power is in His Word and speaking it releases its power. 
If God's Power is in His Word and if the Word of the Gospel is: 'His power is present', then preaching the Gospel will cause God's power to be present. Preaching healing will cause healing power to be present e.t.c. Preaching the gospel: 'God's power is present through Jesus Christ' causes the power to be present. We make the power present by preaching it. Preaching 'the KINGDOM is at hand' causes the Kingdom to be at hand. So, we bring the Kingdom on the scene by declaring it to be here. 

The meaning of Jubilee is 'Trumpet Blast' - it was named as such for it is the Blast (proclamation) that brings Jubilee into being. Before the trumpet sounds, the power and grace is not available -the liberating power is in the proclamation itself and the proclamation is: 'God's grace is here NOW for your freedom'.The gospel is God's word of salvation and contains the power to produce salvation. 'The Gospel IS THE POWER OF GOD unto salvation, healing ..' (Romans 1:16) and preaching it makes that power available to the hearers. The gospel words are entrusted to us and contain the power to fulfil themselves. They are God's words not ours. Since we are authorized to speak them, they are as powerful in our mouth as if God Himself speaks them. Since the power is in the words of the gospel; as we share the gospel we can tell them that God's power is present for them.

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL IS IN THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL and when we preach it we cause that power to be present - what a privilege, what a power and what a responsibilty! 'As much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel.... For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.' (Romans 1:15,16). 

Since the gospel of Christ (the Anointed One and his anointing) is the power of God (contains the anointing) Paul will not be silent (ashamed) for only by preaching it, will the power be released and made present to produce salvation in those who hear and believe. The ANOINTED WORDS of the GOSPEL are the KEYS of the KINGDOM. (Matthew 16:19). Peter used them to open the doors of the Kingdom to Jews and Gentiles (Acts 2 and 10). AlI citizens of heaven have a set of the keys! We have the authority to unlock the door and release salvation, forgiveness, healing... by preaching the gospel. 

Jesus opened the door for heaven's power to flow by speaking WORDS. He was not anointed with manifestations - but to SPEAK WORDS that caused power to be present that would bring the answer if received by faith. 'The SPIRIT..is upon me..He has ANOINTED me TO PREACH the gospel' (Luke 4:18). Jesus said that it is 'FULFILLED IN YOUR EARS (by the words He spoke)' (v21). So the anointing (power) to heal must have been present in his WORDS, and it was communicated to them through their ears.

So, 2 things happen when you preach the Gospel: 
1) You make saving power present and available to the hearer (Romans1:16) 
2) You bring faith to the hearer for: 'faith comes by hearing... the Word of CHRIST' (Romans 10:17).

Paul's greatest teaching on the Gospel is in Romans and Corinthians. 
The Gospel speaks like this: "Say not: 'Who shall ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ (the anointing) down from above) or, 'who shall descend into the deep?' (that is to bring up Christ (the anointing) again from the dead) (You can't work for or earn your salvation or go through some mystical experience for the answer) But what says it? - 'THE WORD IS NIGH THEE!' (THE ANOINTING IS PRESENT IN THE WORD) even in thy mouth and heart - THE WORD OF FAITH, which we preach'' (Romans 10:6-8).

We say: 'Jesus has died, has risen and is Lord and He (the Anointed and his anointing) is present now to save. It's free, Jesus paid the price. It is here, to be received by FAITH'. If you receive the Word, you receive the power and if you speak the Word: 'the power is present in me - Jesus has risen and IS MY LORD' then you release that power and you're saved (v9,10)

The Gospel is about the glory (light) of Christ (the anointing) and when spoken releases LIGHT (the SHINING of the anointing): 'The LIGHT of the GOSPEL of the GLORY of CHRIST..should SHINE ON THEM.. For WE PREACH... CHRIST Jesus as Lord..' (2Corinthians 4:4,5). 

In the 1st Creation God spoke WORDS of LIGHT(transforming power); so He causes the New Creation by WORDS OF LIGHT (the gospel) which will transform the hearer's heart and life from darkness to light: 'For(the same) God, Who PROCLAIMED: 'LIGHT SHINE out of darkness has SHINED in our (dark) hearts(by the gospel)' (v6). As God extended His Kingdom by proclaiming: 'LIGHT be!', so also He does now by the gospel. We preach that the light (anointing) is shining out of Christ. 

We proclaim His Words: 'LIGHT, POWER, ANOINTING is here!' and by so doing we cause the LIGHT (power) of the Gospel to SHINE (to be present). We preach that the glory of God (the anointing) is shining out from Christ and our words cause the LIGHT(faith and power) to be present for them. (v6). Our words are carriers of that power (wonderworking, life-transforming, saving abilty of God)

Note: The Gospel (GOOD-NEWS) of Christ (the ANOINTING) is that it is here and freely available now to save and restore you. It's freely available (GRACE) because Jesus paid the full price for it on the cross for you to have the full benefit. Therefore it is received through faith alone. We are justified by faith not works (Romans 1:16-17 and then also Romans 3 where the argument is continued).