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  THE ENDOWMENT OF POWER
  by Zac Poonen
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Summary: The baptism in the Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to
live the Christian life and fulfill our God-ordained ministry.

Topics: "Holy Spirit", "Spiritual Power"
Scripture References: Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1, Acts 10:38

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DESCRIPTION
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Zac Poonen emphasizes the importance of being baptized in the Holy
Spirit to fulfill God's ordained ministry. He highlights how even Jesus
needed to be anointed with the Holy Spirit and power before starting His
public ministry, showing the necessity of this anointing for believers.
By waiting for the Holy Spirit and being clothed with power, the
apostles were transformed into bold witnesses for the Lord,
demonstrating the power that comes from the Holy Spirit. Poonen stresses
that what is needed to live the Christian life is not just doctrine but
the power of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, providing power
for godliness and service.

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CONTENT
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The first apostles had forsaken everything to follow Jesus. But they
still had to wait until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit before
they could go out and fulfil their God-ordained ministry.

Jesus Himself needed to be anointed with the Holy Spirit and power
before He could begin His public ministry (Acts 10:38). If even He
needed this anointing, how much more we need it.

Jesus told His apostles to wait in Jerusalem until they were `clothed
with power' (Lk. 24:49). And just before He ascended up to heaven, He
told them again that when the Holy Spirit came upon them they would
`receive power' (Acts 1:8). On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was
poured out on them. And those cowardly men were immediately transformed
into bold, fiery witnesses for the Lord (Acts 2:1-4). What they received
was exactly what Jesus had told them that they would receive - power.

What we need in order to live the Christian life is not just a doctrine
but the power of God in our life. The baptism in the Holy Spirit gives
us power for godliness as well as power for service.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/the-endowment-of-power/
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