The Power

STORY

My Laptop Story

I’ve had my laptop for about 8 years. For a long time, I thought the battery was dying. It took forever to charge, couldn’t hold power, constantly ran slow. But then I realized something... I was charging it with an iPad charger. It worked, but it was never the right power source. It wasn’t the laptop that was broken. It was what I was plugged into.

Spiritual Transition

So far in this series, we’ve talked about:

Encountering God

Being Called by God

But here’s the question: What’s the power source for living out what God has called us to do? What are you plugged into?

The Power of Our Own Strength – iPhone Charger

Lowest level of power. You’re trying to live life on your own. You’re doing good things, being a nice person, maybe even showing up to church. But you’re not going to get far with this power source. Just like an iPhone charger plugged into a MacBook—it connects, but it can’t carry the load.

The Power of Just Being a Christian – iPad Charger

You’ve said yes to Jesus. You believe in Him. You know He’s real. This gives more power than the last one. You’ll get by. But some things in life— bold things, hard things, world-changing things—won’t happen with this level of power. You’re saved, but not living fully empowered.

The Power of Being a Follower of Jesus – Regular MacBook Charger

Now we’re getting somewhere. This is someone who’s following Jesus day by day. You read your Bible. You pray. You’re growing. But even this charger—good as it is—isn’t the full power available. It’s reliable, but it’s not everything.

The Power of the Holy Spirit – The Big Boy Charger

This is the high-powered MacBook charger—the 85-watt beast. The one that charges your battery fast and holds strong under pressure. But… it doesn’t come in the box. You have to buy it separately. It’s optional… but once you’ve used it, there’s no going back.

That’s what it’s like to live empowered by the Holy Spirit. Encountering God isn’t just believing in God, it’s being filled with His power.

Final Connection

Just like that charger, the Holy Spirit’s empowerment is available to everyone—but you have to ask for it. It’s not required. BUT…

BIG IDEA - If you want to truly encounter God and walk in your calling, you should want everything He has for you. Why settle for less power than what God offers?

SCRIPTURE

Exodus 4:1-5

Example of God empowering.

This is just the beginning for Moses being empowered.

God would give the power of His Holy Spirit to empower SELECT people.

Acts 1:8

NT idea - ALL OF US have the ability to be empowered by Holy Spirit.

STEP

WEEKLY NEXT STEP - Do I really believe that God can empower me to do great things? If no, what is holding you back?

Let’s just get to the point where we believe.

Before we go into groups - let’s pray.