30 Prayer Points to Command the Day

This is the Pattern for You

The power of the Holy Spirit in the early Christians made their lives clean and good in a civilization noted for its crime and corruption. An inner joy and peace made them sing and praise God when they were beaten and thrown into jail for Christ’s sake. Full of God’s love, they forgave and prayed for those who tortured them. This is power used rightly!

They had a powerful message and gave it with powerful personal conviction. They knew what they were talking about. Anyone without Christ was lost, but Jesus would save those who believed on him. They spoke with wisdom, logic, and courage beyond their own abilities — power that convicted their hearers of the truth and convicted them of sin.

They had a powerful faith. They knew that God was with them and would work through them as He had promised. So in Jesus’ name they commanded paralytics to walk and they did. They prayed and things happened. Sick people were healed. Prison doors opened. Multitudes of sinners turned to God.

This power in the early Christians made them witnesses, just as Jesus had said. They had the boldness and urgent desire to tell all their neighbors about Jesus. They had a mission to fulfill. Courage, love, a great vision, and total commitment to Christ drove them on from town to town and country to country. They were determined to give the good news of salvation to every man, woman, and child in their world.

This is the pattern of power in the early Church. Their power then was the power of the Holy Spirit who filled them and worked through them. What they did was the natural outflow of Spirit-filled lives. The Bible tells you their experience in detail because it is the pattern for Christians today.