Practice Preaching to Produce Power (Hebrews 2:1-4)

SCIENTIFICALLY

Contrary to evolutionary theory; scientifically, everything goes from order to disorder. Case in point, the average neglected cleanliness of a teenage boy's bedroom. It doesn't get better, it gets worse. Anything neglected, whether house maintenance; changing oil in a vehicle; or the regular training and discipline of children; if there is not constant input and energy exerted, everything breaks down.

POWER:

HEBREWS 2:1-4, using a couple of nautical terms, speaks of giving "earnest heed", or keeping our steering steady, in our boat or ship, toward our destination, and not allowing ourselves, or the truth given to us, to drift away from us, or us to drift away from it, like a boat that we thought was anchored, but wasn't, and now has slowly drifted away from it's proper position. If what angels said, was true and solid; how much more the salvation given to us, which was declared by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and then by His followers.

HEBREWS 2:3 refers to what has been given to us as "so great salvation", or, "a salvation so great" (Wms); which we don't want to neglect, or allow it to drift away from us, or us to drift away from it.

HEBREWS 2:4

The sureness and solidity of this great salvation is anchored in the supernatural; God, our Father attesting to it's veracity with "...miracles and miracles of a startling, imposing, amazement waking character, and with variegated miracles and with distributions of spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit, according to His will" ( Wuest)

MIRACULOUS MANIFESTATIONS

This great salvation "...was confirmed...and proved to be real and genuine by those who personally heard Him speak. Besides this evidence, it was endorsed by God, who showed His approval of it by signs and wonders and various miraculous manifestations of His power and by imparting the gifts of the Holy Spirit...according to His own will" (Heb.2:4, Amp)

SIGNS & MARVELS

This great salvation, "...had it's truth made sure to us by those who heard Him, while God corroborated their testimony by signs and marvels and various mighty works and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed in accordance with His own will" (Heb.2:4, Wey)

MIRACULOUS POWERS

This great salvation, "...was established unto us on firm foundations (Con); proved to us to be valid (Wms); was made certain (Bas); by those who heard Him. God continued to confirm their testimony (Wms); plainly endorsed their witness (Phi); by signs and marvels, and many different miracles (TCNT); by supernatural proofs; wonders; different kinds of miracles; and a great variety of miraculous powers (Bas); with gifts of the Holy Spirit (Con) [Heb.2:4]

PREACHING:

DEMONSTRATION of the HOLY SPIRIT

Paul, by the Spirit of God, stated the same reality in 2 Corinthians 2:4-5:

"...my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive, enticing and plausible, words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power, a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, or human philosophy, but in the power of God" (Amp)

DEMONSTRATION of the SPIRIT

"...my message and my preaching were not couched in specious words of philosophy, but were dependent for their efficacy upon a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, in order that your faith should not be resting in human philosophy but in God's power" (Wuest)

POWER of GOD

"The word I spoke, the gospel I proclaimed, did not sway you with subtle arguments (NEB); my language and my preaching were not armed with persuasive words of wisdom (Wey); I didn't use clever talk to persuade you (Ber); but with the convincing power of the Spirit (Wey); they were attended with proof and power given by the Spirit (Wms); proof supplied by the Spirit and it's power (Mof); that your faith might have it's foundation not in the wisdom of men (Con); but in the power of God (KJV)"

SPIRIT & POWER

"...my word, and my proclaiming (was) not in persuasive human words of wisdom, but in a demonstration of spirit and power..." (Apostolic Bible)

ONE with the HOLY SPIRIT

[Though the majority of the translations capitalize the word "spirit" in verse 4, the Greek text does not give that designation, indicating that though these manifestations come by the Holy Spirit, they flow through our recreated human spirit, that is one with the Holy Spirit.]

HOLY SPIRIT MANISFESTATIONS

The irrefutable point, is that our "great salvation" comes equipped with supernatural Holy Spirit manifestations attested to in Hebrews 2:4 as:

- "...miracles and miracles of a startling, imposing, amazement waking character, and with variegated miracles and with distributions of spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit..." (Wuest)

- "...signs and marvels and various mighty works and by gifts of the Holy Spirit..." (Wey)

- "...by supernatural proofs; wonders; different kinds of miracles; and a great variety of miraculous powers (Bas); with gifts of the Holy Spirit..." (Con)

SUPERNATURAL OCCURENCES

The scripture does not specifically state what the signs and marvels or supernatural proofs may be, and so beyond miraculous healings, they may be visitations of angels; prophetic visions of seeing into the supernatural realm; gold fillings in teeth; calming storms; water turned to wine; dead raised to life; or any number of innumerable supernatural occurrences that offend our natural thinking.

ALL AUTHORITY

Jesus said that all authority is given to Him in heaven and earth, and that we are to go in that authority (Matt.28:18-19)

"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Just as my Father has sent me I am also sending you." (Lamsa)

"Full authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth; go and make disciples of all nations..." (Moffat)

SIGNS FOLLOW

Mark 16:17 and 20, says that signs will follow those who believe and that Jesus will confirm the announcement or proclamation of His word with signs following.

"...they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied..." (Amp)

"...they went out and preached in every place; and our Lord helped them and strengthened their words by the miracles which they performed." (Lamsa)

"...confirming the word by the miracles that endorsed it." (Moffat)

"...those having gone forth proclaimed everywhere of the Lord, and (were) working together firming the word by the signs following after." (Apostolic Bible)

PRACTICE:

POSITIVE CHANGE

Anyone who has ever begun the long journey of changing eating and exercise habits, from no exercise, and poor quality food consumption, to eating healthy, and regular exercise, knows that it is an uphill battle, and results do not happen overnight, or sometimes, seemingly, even after several weeks of effort. However, if you persist, positive change will eventually be evident.

OBEDIENCE+

The Lord told a well known apostolic founder, to begin to teach on healing in the church and to begin to lay hands on people for healing, after the messages. He said he began to preach and practice, to the point of frustration. Months went by, and no one got healed; in fact, even the people praying for the sick were getting sick themselves. In obedience, he continued, with no apparent results. Suddenly, after months and months of sticking with it, like emerging from a dark tunnel, into the light of day, everyone, almost without exception, began to receive healing, from the mundane cases to the extreme.

FAILURE

1) Jesus Himself experienced "failure", by some standards. He announced the same message everywhere He went. The first time in His hometown of Nazareth, He told them the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to heal; bring deliverance; recovery; liberty; and acceptance, and they tried to murder him (Lk.4:18-19,29).

DIDN'T BELIEVE

2) The next time He was back, again, He taught in the synagogue, and preached the same message, so that "...many hearing Him were astonished, saying, 'from where has this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that even such mighty works are wrought by His hands?' " (Mk.6:2). They didn't believe Him, but they didn't try to kill Him!

 " ...and He was not able to do even one work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sickly people and cured them" (Mk.6:5, Amp)

"...He was not able to do there not even one powerful work, except to a few ill ones having placed the hands upon He cured." (Mk.6:5, Apostolic Bible)

IMPROVED RESULTS

3) The last recorded return of Jesus to Nazareth, there was still overwhelming doubt, but they didn't try to kill Him, and this time, the results were improved.

"...He did not do there many works of power because of their unbelief" (Matt.13:58, Apostolic Bible)

"...He performed but few mighty deeds there because of their want of faith." (Matt.13:58, Wey)

FIRST, SECOND, THIRD TIME

The first time He preached in Nazareth they tried to murder Him; the second time He was able to heal a few sickly people that didn't have much wrong with them, but not even one work of power; and finally, the third time, He was able to do a few works of power, though not many.

PRACTICE PREACHING to PRODUCE POWER

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours