Topical Bible: Power of God: Efficiency of Ministers is Through

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The concept of the power of God as the source of a minister's efficiency is deeply rooted in Scripture, emphasizing that human efforts alone are insufficient for the work of ministry. The effectiveness of ministers is attributed to the divine empowerment and guidance provided by God, ensuring that their labor bears spiritual fruit.

Divine Empowerment

The Apostle Paul, in his letters, frequently acknowledges that his ministry is effective not because of his own abilities, but through the power of God working in and through him. In 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 , Paul writes, "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God. And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." This passage highlights that the competence and qualification for ministry are divinely bestowed, not self-generated.

Reliance on the Holy Spirit

The role of the Holy Spirit is central to the efficiency of ministers. In Acts 1:8 , Jesus promises His disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This empowerment by the Holy Spirit is essential for the bold proclamation of the Gospel and the effective witness of Christ's resurrection.

God's Strength in Human Weakness

The paradox of strength in weakness is a recurring theme in the Bible, underscoring that God's power is made perfect in human frailty. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 , Paul recounts the Lord's words to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness." Paul then concludes, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me." This acknowledgment of human limitation serves to magnify the sufficiency and supremacy of God's power in ministry.

Prayer and Dependence on God

Prayer is a vital means through which ministers access the power of God. In Ephesians 6:18-19 , Paul exhorts believers to "pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, divine utterance may be given me, so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel." This passage illustrates the necessity of prayerful dependence on God for the bold and effective communication of the Gospel message.

Fruitfulness Through Abiding in Christ

The metaphor of the vine and branches in John 15:4-5 further elucidates the source of ministerial efficiency: "Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing." This imagery underscores the necessity of a close, abiding relationship with Christ for fruitful ministry.

Conclusion

The efficiency of ministers is ultimately through the power of God, as evidenced by the reliance on divine empowerment, the work of the Holy Spirit, the strength found in human weakness, the necessity of prayer, and the fruitfulness that comes from abiding in Christ. These biblical principles affirm that the success of ministry is not a result of human effort alone but is deeply rooted in the transformative power of God.

Nave's Topical Index

1 Corinthians 3:6-8
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
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Galatians 2:8
(For he that worked effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
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Ephesians 3:7
Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effectual working of his power.
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Library

Whether Christ as Man had the Power of Producing the Inward ...
... of Person, it has a certain headship and efficiency in regard ... Q[62], A[5]). And because
the power of the ... faith, according to Rom.3:25: "Whom God hath proposed ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether christ as man had 2.htm

A Consecrated Ministry
... Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God ... be with him until
the end, as his shield, his strength, his efficiency, he works for God. ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 34 a consecrated ministry.htm

Regeneration.
... the moral influence, and indispensable to its efficiency, in producing ... for regeneration
is not effected by physical power. God cannot do the sinner's duty, and ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xxviii regeneration.htm

Appendix. An Ordination Charge.
... These are the index of a revolution; for inside, in their management and in the
efficiency of the education ... It has proved itself the power of God, to the ...
/.../stalker/the preacher and his models/appendix an ordination charge.htm

The Christian Ministry, and Its Relation to the Christian ...
... or the power of the keys, the power to open ... God and man, by whose intervention alone
God is reconciled ... set places are indispensable to her efficiency, so also ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 59 the christian ministry.htm

Power --Its Source
... And if we want that power to quicken our friends who are dead in sin ... shall be
disappointed; but if we look to the Spirit of God and expect ... SECRET OF EFFICIENCY. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/secret power/chapter i powerits source.htm

A Memorial Sketch by W. Robertson Nicoll
... that he could not reconcile his own statements as to divine efficiency and human ...
was the belief that honest and true men might find power in God to alter ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/the ideal life/a memorial sketch by w.htm

Prayerlessness in the Pulpit
... prayer, and use it fully in all its exhaustless efficiency, the millennium ... the divine
presence, and the consciousness of the divine power of God's Spirit on ...
/.../bounds/the weapon of prayer/viii prayerlessness in the pulpit.htm

The Social Test of Religion
... accomplish if they intelligently directed the power of religion ... a rival or a feeder
of the Kingdom of God? ... the churches compare in social efficiency with other ...
/.../rauschenbusch/the social principles of jesus/chapter ix the social test.htm

How to Preach the Gospel.
... if he had not voluntarily taken it, or yielded his body to its power. ... a sinner, it
is true that God gives the truth efficiency to turn the sinner to God. ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture xii how to preach.htm