Thank goodness for clothing!!

Luke 24:49 (KJV)
⁴⁹  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.


The word "endued" means to "clothe." Why do we wear clothes? To cover our nakedness which if left uncovered will produce shame. We put clothes on before we leave the house so we are not embarrassed. Spiritually, the same principle is applicable. If I am not clothed in God righteousness then my nakedness of sin will bring shame to my life. If I am not clothed with God's power then I will be embarrassed by not being able to produce what I profess to have. This is why Jesus emphatically told the disciples to not leave Jerusalem  before being dressed in power.  Because if they left with out their clothing of power, they would be embarrassed by their naked powerlessness.

What would have happened if...?

 Acts 3:1-7 (KJV)
¹  Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
²  And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
³  Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
⁴  And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
⁵  And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
⁶  Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
⁷  And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 


What would have happened if Peter and John did not wait until they were clothed with God's power? They would have said the same things but the results would have been different. Peter would have been embarrassed and brought to shame because of leading people to believe he possessed something he didn't actually have.  Probably, they would have then changed their theological approach by saying "well, it may not have been God's will to heal you."

Unfortunately, I am afraid this is what is happening today. We have changed God's Word, and are doing what Adam and Eve did in the natural - covering our own nakedness without using God's clothing. We are clothing our powerlessness with a warped belief system that states if God wants to deliver a person - well, he may or may not - we have no way of knowing. All we do is throw up a prayer and hope for the best so-to-speak. Yet, these biblical men who were clothed in the power of God did not throw up a prayer and hope for the best but they gave a command in the name or authority of Jesus Christ and something happened. Wow!

Let us not remain as a nudist colony of believers huddled in shame and being the laughing stock of the world. Once more, rise up and go to the altar and wait till the garment of power wraps around us again.