A lot of people would like to think of Jesus as that helpless baby in the manger who has never grown up. But that's not what the Bible said. The Bible says that Jesus is at the right hand of God right now, which is a place of power. How is he coming back? He's coming back in power and great glory.
How will he reign and rule? He's going to reign and rule with a rod of iron. He's going to reign with power. All through the Bible, we watch God's desire for his people to have power. But sadly, Christians today are not always tapping into Jesus as the source of power.
but instead relying on self. Welcome to Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssep. Stand by for the concluding episode in Dr. Youssef's life-changing series, The Prayer That God Answers.
And I hope you can continue to listen and that you've had the opportunity to hear the entire series. No doubt your life has and will be changed. Listen with me now as Dr. Michael Youssef begins. Power is what many people want to have.
Some claim to have, and yet there are others who think they haven't. I am so glad I lived long enough to realize, and I've learned that early in my life, that power is like a bar of wet soap. The more you try to hold into it, The more it go And goes out of your hand. Power is elusive. And yet, it deceives a lot of people.
with its enticement. And you know, people get attracted to the Super Bowl because There they see real power in action. Namely, 22 of America's most powerful athletes dedicated to tearing each other's heads off. People travel Cross the country and spend big bucks to go to the Super Bowl. Why?
So that they can scream and holler.
Now, I have no problem with that. It's okay. And it's okay to do that for your team. Except sometimes those are the same people who will complain if they have to drive more than four miles to go to church. And then when they get to church, they sit like wooden Indians in the pews.
Very dignified. Very sanctified. Very petrified. You say, I'm not petrified, I am just dignified.
Well, I think most Christians in America do not know the difference between dignified and rigor mortars. In the New Testament church, people were attracted to the church of Jesus Christ by its power. In the New Testament church, you would either have a riot or a revival, and in most times, you have both at the same time. And the reason they had power was because they understood the power of praise. They were lighting their bodies like torches, and yet they were praising God in their last breath.
They were throwing their bodies into hungry lions, and they were praising the name of God in those very last moments on this earth. Please listen to me very carefully. I believe that in the early church, people were not bored. I don't think that God cares about church programs. Baptists do.
I don't think God cares about social actions. Methodists do. I don't think God care about order. dignity. Presbyterians do.
I don't think God cares about shouting and screaming, Pentecostals do. I don't think God cares at all about church rituals, but Catholics and Episcopalians and Lutherans do. Did I leave anybody out? Want to make sure I get a whole slew of them. But I believe with all my heart as I read the scripture that it is the will of God for His church and the church of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to have power.
Supernatural power, healing power, deliverance power, power. Power to pull down strongholds in people's lives. Power to break the chain of misery and the habits that enslave so many of God's people. Power to convert, power to conquer, power to convict of sin, power to uplift people to have a foretaste of heaven. That's what the will of God is for the church.
You know, lately I'm finding myself that I'm really praying that old song that says, Lord, send the old-time power, the Pentecostal power, that sinners be converted and thy name be glorified. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of power. Listen to what Paul does. He literally shouts as he comes to 1 Corinthians 4, verse 20. He says, For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
That's what the gospel is all about. God Is sick and tired of words, empty words. He wants to see his power manifested in the midst of his people. David said in Psalm 62, 11, power belongs to the Lord. Jesus said the last words before he was ascended to heaven.
In Matthew 28, 18, he said to his disciples, he said, All power is given to me. Therefore, I give you power over the power of your enemies. God wants his church to have that power. We sing, there is power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb. And you know what?
We go out of here and within thirty minutes, we forget all about his power and try to live by our own wimpy powers. That's the problem with the Church of Jesus Christ today. In fact, I think most Christians Unlike this lady who lived In the turn of a century, on the coast of Scotland. She was very wealthy, but you know, being Scottish. She was very frugal.
And you can imagine how her neighbors were absolutely shocked. when they heard that she's going to be among the very first people to have electricity in her home.
Well, several weeks have passed after electricity has been installed in her house, and then the meter reader came in. and uh knocked on the door. He asked her, he said, Is your electricity working okay? She said, Oh, it's working just fine. He said to her, He said, Well, can you explain something to me?
He said, The meter shows that you are scarcely using your power. She said, oh, I can explain that. Each evening when the sun sets, I turn on the lights just long enough to light my candle, then turn it off again. And I want to tell you that's what Christians are doing. Just like this lady, she is tapped into the power but does not use it.
Her house was connected, but not altered. Our souls might be saved, but our hearts are unchanged. We are spiritually connected, but our lifestyles is not affected. We trust the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, but we resist transformation. We occasionally flip on the switch only long enough so we can turn on our own power and spend most of our lives living in the shadows.
You don't have to be a theologian to realize that that does not honor God at all. Because God wants us to have this power all the time. He wants us to use that power and exercise that power in all occasions. God wants us to live by the light of His power and out of the darkness and the shadows. And that is why the Lord's Prayer begins with praise and ends with praise.
That's why Jesus taught his disciples: begin by saying, Hallowed be thy name, and end by saying, Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. You begin with the power of praise, and you end with the power of praise. That is why the Lord's Prayer has been bookend by those words of praise. Listen, a lot of people would like to think of Jesus as that helpless baby in the manger who has never grown up. They really do.
They like to focus. That's all they do. That's all they want to know. But that's not what the Bible said. The Bible says that Jesus is at the right hand of God right now, which is a place of paradise.
Yeah. How is he coming back? He's coming back in power and great glory. Read about him in the scripture. How will he reign and rule?
He's going to reign and rule with a rod of iron. He's going to reign with power. When Jesus reigns, let me tell you, it will not be a democracy. I know that gives some of you twitch. And you're going to feel so disappointed that your opinion is not going to be asked for.
I know that.
Some of you are going to have a hard time, but I want to tell you, it beats hell. When Jesus reigns. He's not going to assemble a panel of scholars and experts to ask for their opinion. When Jesus reigns... He's not going to take a Gallapole, see what people want and then give it to them.
He is not going to negotiate with the militant feminists and try to make them happy. When Jesus reigns, he's not going to dialogue with the World Council of Churches. When Jesus comes and reigns in power and glory, He is coming back. He's going to come back with might and the manifestation of all of His glory, and I can't wait. But here's the problem.
With the bride of Christ. Here's the problem with the Church of Jesus Christ today as I see it. From my vantage point. The problem And the reason why the Church of Jesus Christ is so insipid Why it has become so irrelevant to the world. Why it has become so powerless in the world.
is because God is looking for the unity of the Spirit, but each is in love with their opinion. The reason the church is so insipid and powerless is because God is looking. For people Who are willing to put him first and foremost. But most Christians are very happy to put him first and foremost when only it is convenient for them. The reason the church is so insipid and powerless is because God is looking for people who are united to bring the glory and glory to His name and the power of His name on earth.
But most are happy to do that only. Only if it fits their busy schedule, and only if it fits their lifestyle. And thus By our very lives. We are obstructing We are hindering God from working in the church of His dear Son, Jesus. You know, in the late seventies.
We lived in Pasadena, California. Literally, we were a block and a half away. from Colorado Boulevard. where the Tournament of Roses have always uh passed on the first day of the new year. Every New Year we walker, just walk around literally around the corner.
But all the other people have already come and obstructed our views, but uh It was interesting experience anyway while it lasted. One New Year during the parade, There was one beautiful float. gorgeous, probably one of the most beautiful floats. All of a sudden, Spotted and then quit. Stopped.
And you can imagine, of course. It stopped the whole parade. What was the problem? It was out of gas.
Now, here's the irony. The irony is that this particular float belonged to the Standard Oil Company. Its tank was empty of gas, and it had to wait for somebody to go and fill a tank with gas and bring it to the float. I want you to hear me right, please. Those Christians who refuse to live in and by the power of God, often delaying the whole church.
Those who live for themselves hinder the church's march toward power and glory, which Jesus wanted to have. Those who are always wanting to get and get and then get some more and give very little back. They are causing the church to sputter and causing the work of God to quit. Those who are not delighting themselves in the Lord and are keeping the Lord from revealing Himself in power and great glory, let me tell you something, we are going to be held accountable for this. They might be saved.
But they are derailing and delaying God's power from working in His church. And I believe with all my heart. That the reason we are in the mess that we're in as a nation, where evil is called good, and Christians are called evil, what is up is down, and what is right is wrong, and the reason we live in this upside society is because the people of God have ceased to trust in the power of God. And we're resorting to the world's techniques instead of letting the world stand in awe at the people of God who are walking in the power of God. And my exhortation to you is this: emptying yourself of yourself if you want to get on to receive power from God.
My exhortation is this: get in on God's program that you may receive power from Him. Get rid of self-seeking and seek His glory and His kingdom first and foremost. Get rid of your sensitivity toward yourself and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness so you might receive the power that God wants you to have. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Listen, brethren and sisters, I heard with my own ears and I watched with my own eyes, a professor of Harvard.
calling the Christians evil.
Now I want to tell you something. It's okay. It's all right. We should be expecting this, but instead of us sitting there and willowing in our own sorrow, we need to get on our knees and start seeking God. We need to stop the world's tactic and go on our knees and cry to God.
Listen, Jesus is not going to come back to a harlot. He's going to come to a bride that is pure, a bride that is crying out for him to come back. He's not going to come back to a bride who's reluctant of him coming back. He's going to come back to a bride that is longing for his return. And I have not seen the church of Jesus Christ longing for his return.
We're having it too good. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Listen to what I'm gonna tell you. And I say that.
With awe, every respect. But it is the truth from the Word of God. I was fasting and praying this last week. And I was crying to the Lord. as an interceding on behalf of this great country that has seemed to be heading straight for disaster.
There is so much blindness going on that is so hard. heartbreaking to any discerning Christian. Wondering why the people of God, who even understand it intellectually, that there's power in the praise of the name of God. That they're not really into that and they're kind of getting away from that and rather not do that. Of course, I know the devil is working hard.
But as I was praying and I was seeking the Lord, the Lord kind of led my attention to Luke chapter 19. There, in the triumphant entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, here were they were shouting and they were praising Jesus, they were waving their palms. They were lifting his name up. But you know who didn't like that? The Pharisees.
The Pharisees. The Pharisees do not like the praise of the name of God. Because they tried to silence these people because it was not very dignified. Listen to what Jesus said to them. He said, If you silence them, the very stones are going to shout praises to His name.
And the modern-day Pharisees, they tell you that, oh, my religion is very private. I pray silently. After all, We are very dignified. Very dignified. You know what I have found out from my personal experience, and I don't know about yours, but from my personal experience, when somebody says to me, oh, my religion is very private, I automatically assume that it is so private they can't find it.
I want to tell you this. When I think of the splendor of the mercy of God toward me, when I think of the grace of God that is freely given to me, when I think of the greatness of His mercy, when I think of His love and generosity toward me, when I think of His justice and His grace, when I think of His patience with me, I cannot help but praise the name of God. And I'm not very dignified. Yours, O God, is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Yours, O God, is the majesty, dominion, and authority.
To you, O Lord, belongs all the thrones and the crowns and the splendor. To you, O Lord, belongs the earth. To you, O Lord, belongs the heaven. To you, O Lord, belongs everything is in between. I'm going to tell you this, and I'm going to conclude.
Sometimes I try to use my imagination and I I was trying to imagine the Lord looking down. upon this world for whom he died on the cross. The world that he left the splendor of heaven to be a baby in a manger. And grow up and live as the poorest of the poor and then die a death of a criminal. Then on the third day he rose again and soon is coming back.
And I wonder when he looks at this condition of the world, he sees all the deception, when he sees all the lying, all the twisting, all of the calling good evil and evil good. And I think how much that grieves his heart. And then I'd imagine when he looks down and he sees all that wickedness and the dishonesty. and I wonder how much that grieves his heart. But then I think of how when he looks upon his bride The Church of Jesus And then he looks down and he sees people who have half-hearted commitment.
People who have love that has grown cold. People are so busy with the affairs of this world. And he looks down and he sees the stubbornness and the self-serving attitude. And he looks down and he sees their arrogance and their pride. And he looks down and he sees the rationalization of sin.
Oh, how I think that must break his heart. But then I've tried to end on a positive note and I try to Imagine the Lord looking down upon his faithful people. The ones who love him. And he looks upon those faithful people praising him with their hearts, thanking him with all of their life. adoring him with all of their strength.
honoring him with all of their resources. And then I think how much joy that brings to his heart. The Bible said. that God rejoices over us with singing. The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people.
You want to know where God is? Start praising him, and he's going to show up. You want to please God? Stop bragging on his son. He loves that.
Nehemiah said, The joy of the Lord. is my strength. What is Nehemiah saying? Listen, I'm going to tell you. Here's what Nehemiah is saying: he's saying, for me, To know that the Lord is rejoicing over my obedience to him gives me strength.
He is saying that my power, my strength come from knowing that my life is pleasing to the Lord. He is saying that my spiritual energy comes from knowing that my life is bringing joy to the heart of God. Here's what he's saying: he's saying my motivation for life, my motivation for service comes from knowing that I have the Lord's favor. Can you say that? Can you say The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Oh Lord, for thine is the kingdom, the power. And the glory forever and ever. Dr. Michael Yusa, concluding his series, The Prayer That God Answers. Did you miss any of these messages?
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And I would love to summarize for you here. His life change. As a Moslem he began to question Islam because of his contact with Christians who had good business and personal practices, and these Christians also directed him to watch The Kingdom Sat. That's a satellite channel that Dr Youssef Spearheaded several years ago. targeting reaching Arabic-speaking populations all around the world.
Well, this man began to watch and consume the content from several programs, leading the way, being one of them, where he heard the gospel. and after a short time of watching, he prayed to accept Jesus as his Savior. This man is now going through discipleship training with Leading the Way staff, and it is because of your faithful giving and your faithful prayers. If you haven't already, won't you consider partnering with leading the way? There are multiple ways that you can stand with Dr.
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