Unleash the Power
By Grant Gaines
In 1970 a dead 45 foot sperm whale washed up on the coast of Florence, Oregon. As you could imagine, when the Oregon Highway Division who was responsible for keeping the coast clean learned of this, they realized they had quite a massive problem on their hands.
Weighing in at a whopping 8 tons, the whale was way too big to drag away from the shore. It would have taken way too long for the rotting corpse to decay or be eaten by scavengers. And finally, if they were to bury the whale it would only be uncovered by the persistent tide a mere week later. So after kicking around some ideas in a brainstorming session, the Oregon Highway Division decided to remove the whale using the same method they used to remove giant boulders—with explosives.
So that’s what they did—they grabbed 20 cases of dynamite (half of a ton) and strategically placed them all around the whale’s body. Their idea was that through the explosion, the whale would be broken up into such small pieces that the scavengers would be able to carry the whale pieces away in a matter of days.
And while this all seemed like a good idea there was one small problem—they didn’t know how much dynamite they needed to use. In fact, George Thornton, who was in charge of the entire operation, said this much on a television interview right before the explosion happened. And instead of using 20 cases of dynamite, it was later determined that only 20 sticks of dynamite were needed.
The result of this massive miscalculation? Giant pieces of whale blubber were launched over 800 feet in the air and destroyed many cars and nearly took the lives of innocent bystanders. (If you want to see the explosion for yourself, click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vmnq5dBF7Y)
Now that’s powerful! But do you want to know something that is even more powerful? The Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is so powerful in fact, that Romans 1:16 (NIV, bold mine) say, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes….”
What’s cool about this phrase “the power of God” is that in its original language the word “power” is translated “dynamis” which is where we get our English word “dynamite”.
So to restate Romans 1:16 again with more descriptive, vivid words—the Gospel is the explosive, incredible, dynamic, life altering power of God for those who believe. In other words, if you want to see God flex His muscles, preach the Gospel and watch God’s power flood the atmosphere!
And with that power in mind, the Gospel should affect our daily lives in two ways. First off, for those of us who are Christians and have believed in the Gospel—that Jesus Christ is the only Savior who can save us from our sins—should be radically different from the world. Dynamite doesn’t just barely budge something from its place. It launches its target violently, explosively, and powerfully from its original location. The Gospel should have the same impact on us—we shouldn’t be toeing the line between what is right and what is wrong. Because the power of the Gospel is alive and active in us, we should be staying as far away from sin as we possibly can. It is the only logical outcome when you encounter something so powerful.
The second result of the powerful nature of the Gospel is that we, like Paul in Romans 1:16, should be completely unashamed to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord at all times. Many times we will shy away from sharing the Gospel because we are afraid that we won’t know what to say, that it won’t be accepted, or that in some way its message is not as relevant in today’s culture. But in light of our new perspective of the power of the Gospel, that mindset must be radically changed. We are not rushing into a raging forest fire with a small, puny squirt gun; we are unleashing a powerful hurricane on a tiny candle—we have all the power of God!
When the Gospel is preached, the power of God is unleashed—not only in our lives but also in the lives of those who hear it. All we are commanded to do throughout the Bible is to proclaim the Gospel—God will take care of the rest. Don’t worry about how the people will respond to the Lord’s message, you just deliver it.
How are you going to unleash God’s power today?
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
