All revivals down through history have begun by people, even five or six gathering together, saying, "God, we're not satisfied with the status quo."

We live in a day where all the attention and emphasis is on the cleverness and skill of the speaker. Yet at the same time, all the statistics show that the average American Christian's spiritual health is going down in every category measured.

One of the reasons for this problem is that we're putting all of our eggs in the basket of oratory and worship songs. There's a precious time for all of that, but there's also a time to get alone with God and say, "God, I can't make it without You! God, You have to come and help!"

Paul, the greatest apostle—maybe the greatest Christian—ever known, reminded the believers in every letter he wrote, "I pray for you." Why? Paul knew that his preaching alone wasn't enough, but that teaching and prayer have to go together.

In particular, notice that Paul prayed for believers to be recipients of something called dunamis, or "power," as it is translated in our Bibles. This is the Greek word from which we get the word dynamite. It is the explosive power of God in our lives.

Jesus said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" (Acts 1:8). In other words, we will receive the ability and might to do things we can't do in our own strength.

Some people say, "But I'm a Christian. I'm a child of God; Christ lives inside of me. I already have all the power I need." But Paul prayed for these believers, that "by his power [God] may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith."

So even though Christ lives in us, we need to pray for God's power every single day. In fact, I'm feeling more and more as I walk with the Lord that I don't just need it day by day—I need it hour by hour. I need God to impart fresh power, fresh wind, fresh fire.

Caught, Not Taught

Here's the reality we have to come to grips with—power cannot be taught; it can only be received. This is the limitation of preaching. You can point people to Jesus. You can tell them about the Holy Spirit. But you cannot take the Holy Spirit and impart power to them. Only God can do that.

That's why the end of instruction is not to have people jump up and shout, "Amen, that was good!" or talk about how clever and funny the speaker was. The goal is to get people to God. He alone imparts power to His people, and power comes in answer to prayer.

We long to overcome, but we are being beaten by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Don't you think God would be pleased, brothers and sisters, if we would come to God and keep asking Him for dunamis—the dynamite power of the Holy Spirit?

Jim Cymbala is the pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle in Brooklyn, NY, and is the author of several books, including Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.

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