Revival | Power of God | Christ Victory

The "power of God" is a central theme in charismatic revival. In their writings and reports, Pentecostals often refer to themselves as "People of Power." Pastor E. W. Kenyon gives us a glimpse of what this means:

To know that that defeat was administered to him by our Substitute, and set to our credit, so that in the records of the supreme court of the universe we are the masters of Satan, and that Satan recognizes that in the name of Jesus we are his rulers - when the heart knows this as the body knows heat and cold, then faith is unnecessary...We know that God Himself put Satan and all his ability beneath our feet, and we are looked upon by the Father, and by Satan, as masters of the dominion of darkness. We are taking Jesus' place. He came to destroy the works of the adversary. We are completing the work that He began. You are a victor; He made you one; get used to it, so you can play the part (emphasis added).ⁱ

This statement is a half-truth, since only Christ can obtain victory. The power belongs only to Him and only through Him is it made manifest in His people. The Scriptures state that Christ will be this victor and that the crushing of Satan will take place only after Christ has obtained this victory:

So the LORD God said to the serpent...I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel (Genesis 3:14-15 NIV).

For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25 NKJV).

What is man, that thou art mindful of him...Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet...but now we see not yet all things put under him...but we see Jesus (Hebrews 2:6-9).

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly (Romans 16:20 NKJV).

In the above verse, "shortly” refers to the time when the controversy is ended at the Second Coming of Christ. Kenyon continues his analysis: 

He made us to sit with Him in the heavenlies; so representatively, we are seated on the throne with God. So if the head is exalted, the body is exalted with it. If He conquered all the forces of darkness and left them paralyzed and broken before He arose from the dead, it is as though we had accomplished that mighty work. That authority and that ability belongs to the believer. The recreated man is supernatural. He is superman.ⁱⁱ

We must remember that we do not hold any power, but only through Christ can we succeed. Before we can sit on the throne, there is a work of overcoming to done:

To him who overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am sat down with my Father in his throne (Revelation 3:21).

i. E. W. Kenyon, In His Presence (Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society, 1981).

ii Ibid.