by Brian Shilhavy

In the New Testament section of the Bible, there are two letters written by the ambassador (apostle) Paul to a city in Greece, Corinth.

As I wrote last week in regards to the first of these letters, the letter was written to believers in that city who were divided by factions, following their “heroes” who helped teach them about the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Paul found himself in the center of this controversy, and explained that the believers there were immature, because they did not understand the difference between “natural knowledge” and “Spiritual wisdom.” See:

Spiritual Wisdom vs. Natural Knowledge – Why There is so Much Deception Today

Another point that Paul made, and which is the topic of this article, is that:

[T]he kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. (1 Corinthians 4:20)

The context in which Paul wrote this in chapter 4 in his first letter to the Corinthians, was addressing some people among the believers who were taunting Paul and were arrogant. Paul basically said that talk is cheap, and that he would find out what kind of “power” they had when he came to visit them.

Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit? (1 Corinthians 4:18-21)

A man identified as “Apollos” and who was a preacher and teacher in the New Testament faith, had visited the believers in Corinth, and apparently he was very gifted in oratory skills as an accomplished public speaker.

But Paul made it very clear that when he had arrived in their city and began the work of teaching people about the Kingdom of God, that he did not rely on master oratory and debate skills, but on the power of God, usually demonstrated in healing people and the casting out of demons.

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

So what is this “power” that Paul was referring to?

The Greek word being used here is δύναμις (dunamis), from which certain English words developed, such as dynamite, dynamic, etc.

The most common English word used to translate dunamis from the original Greek texts, is “power.” But it is also often translated as “miracle” in the English Bible translations. Here are a few examples:

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?”

And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark 6:1-6)

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen. (Luke 19:37)

The red words in bold in these verses are all translations of the Greek word dunamis.

The English word “miracle” of course comes with a lot of cultural baggage attached to it today, here in the 21st Century.

Since the beginning of Darwin evolutionary biology in the 1800s, and the development of academic teaching that completely eliminates God and any teaching on the Spirit world all in favor of “science,” the concept of “miracles” is thought to be equivalent with “fantasy” or “myths,” and in religious teachings such as Christianity, since the time of Darwin, “miracles” are taught as something that happened in the past, but no longer happen today, because now we have “science.”

So even though the Bible has records of the power of God and “miracles” from the first pages of the Bible written by Moses, all the way to the last pages written by John in Revelation, the most common teaching in Christianity today is that the “miracles” have ceased in modern times.

The most common reason given is that they ceased with the canonization of the Bible, and that today, since we now have the written Word of God recorded in the Bible, miracles and the power of God are no longer needed.

This idea that miracles and the power of God have ceased (past tense), is of course, not found in the Bible itself anywhere.

Where then did this idea and teaching originate?

It originated during that same period of history in the 1800s that brought us the teaching of Darwin (biological evolution), Karl Marx (Socialism – Communism), and Karl Ritter (Aryan race Facism – Nazism), all who were Freemasons.

The two men who developed the concept of “cessationism”, that all the miracles and “sign gifts” of the Holy Spirit in the Bible have now “ceased,” came primarily from John Nelson Darby and Cyrus Scofield in that same period of time from the mid to late 1800s. It is most commonly referred to today as “Dispensationalism.”

They too were Freemasons, and this is also the same time period that “Zionism” became a standard teaching in Christianity.

The history of these two men and their teaching is beyond the scope of this article, but James Perloff has written an excellent account of their history that I mostly agree with and that you can read here:

The War on Christianity, Part II: The Abomination and Blasphemy of Christian Zionism

This perversion of the actual teachings of the Bible is but yet another reason why I have called upon all true disciples of Jesus Christ to leave the Corporate Christian Church today, because they are Synagogues of Satan, and if you want to experience the true “power of God,” rather than current debates about doctrine and fancy preaching that may sound nice but are simply words that are completely devoid of God’s power, you really need to get away from organized religion, including the Christian religion.

Synagogue of Satan: Why It’s Time to Leave the Corporate Christian Church

If, therefore, you believe in the power of God and believe that this power is available to you today as a disciple of Jesus Christ (How to Determine if you are a Disciple of Jesus Christ or Not), then here is a survey of verses in the Bible that use the word dunamis.

In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”

“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. (Luke 4:33-37)

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. (Luke 9:1-2)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” (Acts 3:12)

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. (Acts 4:33-34)

For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ worked through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God’s Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ. (Romans 15:18-19)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you. (2 Corinthians 13:4)

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16)

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death (Philippians 3:10)

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God–having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

As you can see in all of these verses, this “power” is to be a part of our every day life. In what appears to be a paradox, Paul actually taught and demonstrated that when he was weak, God’s power actually was stronger in him, because his weakness forced him to trust in God’s power even more.

In the last verse I quoted in Paul’s letter to his young associate, Timothy, he even says that we are to “have nothing to do” with those who have “a form of godliness but denying its power.”

That pretty much sums up today’s Corporate Christian Church, which worships the Satanic medical system and encourages all of its members to go out and get vaccinated, all because they deny God’s power.

Satan’s plan of death and destruction came out in full force during the COVID-19 scam, and it clearly demonstrated who belonged to God and trusted in his power, and those who did not trust in God’s power, but instead trusted in religion and the Christian talking head leaders and their favorite politicians.

If you have a belief system that excludes God’s power today, you have little to no hope to survive Satan’s next plans as they unfold in the days ahead. Satan does not fear politicians or religious leaders, because they are powerless and under his control.

But a true disciple of Jesus Christ who trusts in God’s power and not their own strength – those are the ones Satan fears, because his own power cannot match the power of God!

Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. (Luke 10:19)

Related:

When the World is Against You – God’s Power to Intervene for Those Who Resist