Where do we get our power? We are coming up on the three-year anniversary of Winter Storm Yuri back in 2021. I had never heard of ERCOT before that event. ERCOT stands for the Electrical Reliability of Texas. The grid failed in Texas and we were left without power for a difficult cold spell. Were it not for the help of brothers and sisters in our church, I’m not sure what we would have done. Our recent cold snap reminded me that power comes not only from traditional sources like coal and natural gas, but also from solar and wind turbine sources. It turned out that some sources were more reliable than others.
Where do we find our spiritual power? The religious authorities asked Peter and John, “By what name or authority” did you heal the lame man.
No good deed goes unpunished. Remember, when Peter and John healed a lame man and preached the good news of Jesus, they were arrested. The next day they were brought to the religious authorities. If the names of the High Priest and his family look familiar, it is because they were the same ones who crucified Jesus. How would the apostles answer the question?
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter did not answer with a politically correct response. “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed,” he answered. Then he quoted from Psalm 118:22 reminding them that Jesus, the stone they rejected, had become the cornerstone. Jesus is the only name that saves.
Jesus gave the power to heal the lame man and the authority to preach powerfully. Who is our only source of spiritual life and power? Jesus. How much power does he offer us today? Enough. Think of it mathematically: Jesus>all other powers. All authority in heaven and earth belongs to him. Jesus never runs out of power to save. We need never be ashamed to speak his name. Today we will meet people who have no answer to their greatest spiritual needs. They are powerless to save themselves. We have Jesus. Will we share him with them?
