Dynamis

Where is the Dynamis? When was the last time you felt the abundant, mighty, miraculous, wonderful presence of the God of all creation or witnessed His miraculous, miracle-working power? This is dynamis: one of the Greek words for our word power. This is not the only Greek word used for power in the New Testament; however, when this word is used, it can easily be overlooked and interpreted without the attention it deserves. The word dynamis is one that every believer (in my humble opinion) should pay close attention to, if for no other reason than its placement in key places in Scripture. For example, in 2 Timothy 3:5–9, Paul describes the conditions and circumstances that will occur in the last days. He speaks of perilous times or chalepos times: harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, and painfully fierce. He describes in these first four verses what is truly taking place in our world today more than ever. In verse five, he tells us why there are perilous times; why the end is near, so to speak. First, he speaks of men “having a form of godliness” or eusebeia, the Greek word for piety, holiness without humility, head knowledge without spiritual understanding. Now, let’s look at this verse a little deeper: “having a form of godliness but denying its power” or dynamis, the miracle-working power of God! As we reread this passage with the understanding of the proper meaning in the context in which it was written, the true power of this passage becomes, for some, life changing and transforming. Paul is saying our world is in perilous times, and the condition of man is largely due to two very distinct issues, the first being piety among believers due to increased knowledge. We would know these as the Pharisees and scribes (those who had the most knowledge of the Word and the law at the time of Christ), and yes, the same ones who conspired and crucified Him, and the second, the denying of the miraculous power of God, the manifestation of the power of God in men as directed by the Holy Spirit: the dynamis. Paul’s next instruction to the church is, “And from such people turn away!” As we read on through verses six through nine, Paul goes on to describe whom these people are and what our response to them is to be. It is also crucial to note that this letter is written to the church; therefore, we know this activity was taking place among the believers. As a young man in the church of the Sixties, I would witness, on a regular basis, the manifestation of the power of God in people of all ages and walks of life. The manifestation of the Spirit in my life was nothing new; it was expected, accepted, and encouraged. We loved seeing the Lord do miraculous things. I have seen deformities healed, teeth filled, diseases destroyed, deliverances and more, much more. And yes, I have seen people fake the power, falsely prophesy, act as if they had power when they did not, and again, much more abuse of this freedom than I care to remember. It is, in my opinion, this abuse of power and the hypocrisy that often accompanied it that began to turn many away from the church. Most importantly, it began to turn leaders away from allowing the manifestation of the Spirit. In an effort to become more acceptable, the church began denying the manifestation of the power of God. We turned to many different forms of worship, be it traditional religion to becoming more learned, or, in many cases, using the Word as a launching point for our own agenda. Whatever the case or cause, the church has become greatly segregated, either by opinion, tradition, fear, or some other cause. As a result, our power as believers to influence the world has truly been greatly diminished, particularly in this nation of ours. In many cases, church has become more of a social gathering where we hear the message, sing songs or listen to them, and leave talking more about family, sports, hobbies, or problems than we speak of the miraculous power of our God, of His provision, peace, grace, and mercy. As believers, we often cannot be differentiated in a crowd from unbelievers; we accept sin as a choice and fear man more than we fear God. The fear of man may truly be what started our downfall. Rather than confront and discipline those who were abusing the gifts of God, rather than instructing in love, we turned away from the power. We denied it because of man’s abuse of God’s gift. We seem to have no problem basking in God’s grace. We have no issue with encouraging the lost and the believers alike to realize how much God loves them even in their sin, accepting their sin, again, as their choice. Yet we rarely offer the same love, direction, passion, and discipleship when it comes to the gifts of the Spirit and the need for one to be filled with the power of God in order to overcome the temptations of the world. We accept into the church those who Paul warned us of—those whom he instructed us to turn away from. In closing, I know my writing can be interpreted in many ways, so let me summarize with this. Whatever has caused the church and believers to become less and less significant in our world, the answer, in my opinion, is clear. We must overcome our fear of man and begin walking in the dynamis (power) of God. People who have truly experienced the miracle-working power of God, the reality of salvation, freedom from sin, provision in time of need, physical and emotional healing, and people who have tasted the power of God will never be the same. As Paul says in Hebrews 6:4–6: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers (dynamis) of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” Pastor Gene Burroughs, Missio Dei Ministries, Navarre, Florida