Central Thought: God has empowered His children to do exploits.
Hymn: I’ve a message from the Lord
Text: Matthew 5:13-16, Mark 16:17, Acts 1:8, John 8:12, 15:16, Luke 10:19-20
Introduction:
It is God’s will that as children of God we should be shining examples in every place and at all times. For that to be made possible, we as children need to be empowered by God. To be empowered means to be given authority or enabled. God has empowered every God fearing and born again child who comes to Him to shine for Him.
Lesson Objectives:
- To state the prerequisites for empowerment and how one can be empowered.
- To describe the scope of this empowerment as recorded in the Scriptures.
- To explain how the empowered one can shine for Jesus.
- To examine how some individuals in the Scriptures shined for Jesus Christ in their days.
- To identify the rewards when the empowered shines for Jesus Christ.
Question 1.A.) What is the prerequisite for empowerment?
John 1:9-13, 3:3, 16, 8:12
The first prerequisite for empowerment is for one to receive Jesus as one’s Lord, Savior and Master. “But as many as received Him; to them gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12); the implication of this is that such a person must be born again. As soon as he or she has received Christ and is genuinely born again, and is ready to follow Jesus, who is the light of the world, he/she will no longer walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.
Question 1.B.) How can one be empowered?
Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:130, John 8:12, Acts 1:8
One of the ways one can get empowered is by studying, meditating and acting on the Word of God. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shall have good success” (Joshua 1:8). In addition to this, one needs the Holy Spirit to be empowered “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witness unto me both in Jerusalem, and all in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the world” (Acts 1:8). One must also endeavor to follow Christ who is the light of the world.
Question 2.) From the following scriptures describe the scope of empowerment.
Mark 16:17, 18, Luke 10:19, Acts 1:8
We observe from the scriptures that the scope of empowerment is wide and muti-dimensional. Christ said in Mark 16:17-18 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover”. The Holy Ghost was given for enablement to be a true witness to all and sundry in our immediate environment and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Question 3.) How can the empowered believer shine for Jesus Christ?
Matthew 5:13-16, John 15:16, 1 Timothy 4:12
To shine for Jesus Christ means living a life that is pleasing to Him and drawing others to Christ by the way we live, what we do or say. Therefore the empowered can shine for Christ by influencing the world by his good works which in turn will draw people to Christ. They must be vessels unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work (2 Timothy 2:21b). They have been empowered to go and bear fruit and their fruits must remain. They should not let anyone despise their youth, but they must live as examples of the believers in the word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12).
The empowered believer can shine in all places and at all times. We will briefly discuss how the empowered can shine for Jesus specifically in the following places:
Home: Ephesians 6:1-5 highlights obedience, mutual respect, diligence and service, as unto the LORD. Parents should ensure that their children become part of whatever legacy will be left for them, such as value system and faith.
Society: Psalm 1:1-3 states the standard and empowered believer must keep to shine for the LORD. (1 Corinthians 15:33).
School/Academics/Vocation: Diligence is a virtue that must not be lacking in the life of the empowered believer. “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men” (Proverbs 22:29).
Church: The empowered believer should be actively involved in the church by rendering services acceptable unto God in righteousness and holiness. Each of the empowered believers should identify his/her area of calling/gifting, and serve god therein acceptably.
Question 4.) To examine how some individuals from the scriptures shined for Jesus Christ in their days.
The Scripture instructs parents “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). A few examples of such empowered individuals who contended for the faith in their days are mentioned below:
- Four daughters of Deacon Philip the Evangelist: Philip was one of the seven appointed as deacons in the early church, to take care of the welfare of the people especially the widows. However, these men had qualities that made them stand out in the crowd. They were “men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom…” (Acts 6:3b). Philip brought up these his four daughters in the knowledge and fear of God. They kept themselves pure without any defilement. “And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which prophesy” (Acts 21:9). Parents should endeavor to bring up their children in the fear of the LORD like Philip did. Children should endeavor to keep themselves pure (1 Timothy 5:22), like Philip’s daughter did.
- Timothy: Timothy had a good Christian heritage his grandmother Lois was a Christian who brought up her daughter Eunice in the fear and nurture of the Lord. Eunice in turn brought up her son Timothy also in the fear of God. How many of our families today are rightly passing on this unfeigned faith that is expected to be in us down to our children for onward transmission to the upcoming generation? We must not fail God in this.
Question 5.) What are the rewards when empowered believers shine for the Lord Jesus Christ?
1 Timothy 4:16, John 15:16, Luke 10:21
Many rewards abound when empowered believers live in consonance with God’s word. These rewards include among others the following.
Their names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). The empowered believers are fruitful in all they do and their fruits are evident to all and sundry as these fruits abide. In addition to this, they receive answers to whatever they ask the Father in the name of Jesus (John 15:16). God’s name is glorified through their lives and they have peace with God. They enjoy divine presence and safety and whatsoever they do shall prosper. As they continue in doing and obeying the teachings of the Word of God, they will save themselves and also those they minister the Word to. Another reward is that the empowered believer will receive divine commendation from Christ, saying “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). The ultimate reward is that they will spend their eternity with God.
Daily Living Application
Every child of God is empowered to shine for the Lord Jesus Christ. If we can shine in our various little corners then the darkness around us will be dispelled by the light we radiate in our various areas. We should decide as from today to begin to shine for the Lord Jesus Christ right where we are, in order to give him praise on the earth. Therefore, arise and shine for your light is come and glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Memory Verse:
Matthew 5:16
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”.
Daily Devotional Guide
Monday: Prerequisite for empowerment.
John 1:9-13; 3:16
Tuesday: How to be empowered.
Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:130, John 8:12, Acts 1:8
Wednesday: Empowerment in practical life.
Acts 1:8, make 16:17, Luke 10:19
Thursday: Believer shines for the Lord Jesus.
Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Timothy 4:12
Friday: Shine for the Lord Jesus in the home.
Ephesians 6:1-5
Saturday: Shine for the Lord Jesus in the society.
Psalm 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:33