Jack W. Hayford - Acts: Kingdom Power

ACTS:
KINGDOM POWER

JACK W. HAYFORD
Executive Editor
WITH JOSEPH SNIDER

1993, 2012 Jack W. Hayford

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Scripture quotations are taken from The New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4185-4926-8

Printed in the United States of America

12 13 14 15 16 17 QG 6 5 4 3 2 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to The Acts of the Apostles

SESSION ONE
Gift from the Father

SESSION TWO
Kingdom Power Appears

SESSION THREE
Operate in Kingdom Power

SESSION FOUR
Power to Overcome

SESSION FIVE
Power Evangelism

SESSION SIX
Power to Serve

SESSION SEVEN
Power for Unity

SESSION EIGHT
Power for Reconciliation

SESSION NINE
Power to Destroy Strongholds

SESSION TEN
Power to Endure

SESSION ELEVEN
Power Commitment

SESSION TWELVE
Power for Victory

W hat is Kingdom Power?

Psalm 68:35 says, The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. And Jesus told His disciples, Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19). Countless times throughout Scripture, we are assured the people of God are a mighty peoplechannels of Gods power to an unbelieving world.

As you set off on your journey to discover true Kingdom Power, hold fast to these words, For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20). We have been empowered by Almighty God through His Holy Spirit to live lives of victory. We have been empowered to be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) over any scheme of our enemy. We need only hold fast to the truth of all Jesus has given us to overcome the trials and hardships of life. We need only remember that we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:79).

Kingdom Power is a walk of faith that leads us to a victorious life as ambassadors of our Savior and King.

K EYS CAN BE SYMBOLS of possession, of the right and ability to acquire, clarify, open or ignite. Keys can be concepts that unleash mind-boggling possibilities. Keys clear the way to a possibility otherwise obstructed!

Jesus spoke of keys: And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19).

While Jesus did not define the keys He has given, it is clear that He did confer specific tools upon His church which grant us access to a realm of spiritual partnership with Him. The keys are concepts or biblical themes, traceable throughout Scripture, which are verifiably dynamic when applied with solid faith under the lordship of Jesus Christ. The partnership is the essential feature of this enabling grace, allowing believers to receive Christs promise of kingdom keys, and to be assured of the Holy Spirits readiness to actuate their power in the life of the believer.

Faithful students of the Word of God and some of todays most respected Christian leaders have noted some of the primary themes which undergird this spiritual partnership. A concise presentation of many of these primary themes can be found in the Kingdom Dynamics feature of the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible. The new Spirit-Filled Life Study Guide Series, an outgrowth of this Kingdom Dynamics feature, provides a treasury of more in-depth insights on these central truths. This study series offers challenges and insights designed to enable you to more readily understand and appropriate certain dynamic Kingdom Keys.

Each study guide has twelve to fourteen lessons, and a number of helpful features have been developed to assist you in your study, each marked by a symbol and heading for easy identification.

Kingdom Key

KINGDOM KEY identifies the foundational Scripture passage for each study session and highlights a basic concept or principle presented in the text, often along with cross-referenced passages.

Kingdom Life

The KINGDOM LIFE feature is designed to give practical understanding and insight. This feature will assist you in comprehending the truths contained in Scripture and applying them to your day-to-day needs, hurts, relationships, concerns, or circumstances.

Word Wealth

The WORD WEALTH feature provides important definitions of key terms.

Behind the Scenes

BEHIND THE SCENES supplies information about cultural beliefs and practices, doctrinal disputes, and various types of background information that will illuminate Bible passages and teachings.

Kingdom Extra

The optional KINGDOM EXTRA feature will guide you to Bible dictionaries, Bible encyclopedias, and other resources that will enable you to gain further insight into a given topic.

Probing the Depths

Finally, PROBING THE DEPTHS will present any controversial issues raised by particular lessons and cite Bible passages and other sources which will assist you in arriving at your own conclusions.

This Spirit-Filled Life Study Guide is a comprehensive resource presenting study and life-application questions and exercises with spaces provided to record your answers. These study guides are designed to provide all you need to gain a good, basic understanding of the covered theme and apply biblical counsel to your life. You will need only a heart and mind open to the Holy Spirit, a prayerful attitude, a pencil and a Bible to complete the studies and apply the truths they contain. However, you may want to have a notebook handy if you plan to expand your study to include the optional Kingdom Extra feature.

The Bible study method used in this series employs four basic steps:

1. Observation: What does the text say?