1st Dec 2012, Saturday
On Saturday, Geenu and I, attended the Malayalam fellowship at the Emmanuel Assemblies of God, Upper East Coast Road. We were late for the service and missed the Praise and Worship session. When we entered the hall, the atmosphere was electric, Power of God was awesome. People were deep in the Presence of God.
After Praise and Worship, Pastor Finny Stephen took charge of the service. Straight away, he led the people into prayer and prayed for healing from knee and joint problems. After prayers, he shared the sermon on Resurrection Power by quoting John 5:25 – 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
There is power in the voice of God to raise the dead. Jesus has the power to resurrect people.
He quoted 3 examples where God demonstrated the resurrection power. The first one was the example of Lazarus who was buried for 3 days. Jesus raised him from death after 3 days. The second one was the widow, from the city of Nain, whose son Jesus raised from the death. The final one was our Lord Jesus who died on the cross and after 3 days Jesus rose from the death.
Pastor Finny Stephen mentioned we are on the last days before the second coming of Christ. Christ means the anointed one but there are also anti-christs on this earth who deny Jesus as God.
John 11:25
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
“If Christ is in you, you’re the light of the world” quoted Pastor Finny Stephen. Jesus is the only one who can give you overflowing joy and peace in your life. Jesus said, I am the door, I am the good shepherd, I give eternal life. Quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, Pastor Finny Stephen, described the ministry of Jesus on the earth.
Isaiah 61:1-2
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
He mentioned only Jesus can free you from the captivity of sin and bondage. Only Jesus can give you the power over sin and make you free. He cautioned don’t play with sin since it can catch you easily. Sin can give you temporary pleasure but it will lead to eternal death. We are to resist the devil. Every believer has the greatest treasure of peace and joy through Jesus Christ, which cannot be bought by money. If God can resurrect Lazarus, He can resurrect the dead situations in your life.
Pastor Finny Stephen then quoted example of the widow’s son who died and Jesus raised him. In Luke 7:11-16, we read,
11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
Matthew 9:35
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
He mentioned, God wants to raise up laborers for the Kingdom of God. We must enlarge our vision. The world will limit you by confining you in a box, but God will raise you up from that box. God will transform your sorrows into joy. God will put you in the right destiny.
Finally, he quoted example of Jesus who rose from the death through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 16:6
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
The Holy Spirit has the power to resurrect your life even without the help of people around you. Jesus was not resurrected due to prayers of his disciples, but it was the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus. Apostle Paul, when he was imprisoned and had threat of death, relied on God. He exhorted people to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit. Even if the devil attacks you, God will resurrect you.
After the sermon, he led the people into the Presence of God. The Anointing was powerful. He prayed for people with the need for healing and a special breakthrough in their lives. It was 10 pm when the service ended. Praise God for a wonderful time 🙂
