Such As I Have

I have been thinking about this very familiar passage of Scripture from the Book of Acts:

“Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. ² And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; ³ who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. ⁴ And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. ⁵ And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. ⁶ Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. ⁷ And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. ⁸ And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. ⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God: ¹⁰ and they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.” Acts 3:1-10 KJV

The phrase that stands out to me is: “Such as I have give I thee.” You can only give what you have. If you don’t have it you can’t give it. I think many times today unfortunately we have too many folks who don’t have anything to give. I remember when I was in Rhema Bible Training Center back in the 80’s, sometimes Dad Hagin, (Rev. Kenneth E Hagin) used to say that it would be like laying empty hands on empty heads.

How sad for any of us to have empty hands. We have been given the Authority of the Name of Jesus to use…the Name that is above every other name…that everything that can be named has to bow to. We have been given the written Word of God that is forever settled in heaven. And lastly we have been given the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Himself said that we would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon us (Acts 1:8). If we have been baptized in or filled with the Holy Spirit we have been given power. I think sometimes we fail to realize the Power of the Spirit that we received.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Rome tells us:

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11 KJV

It was the Power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. That is the same Holy Spirit that you have been baptized in or filled with. What that means when you got filled with the Holy Spirit you got anointed with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!

Remember what Peter preached at Cornelius’ house in Acts 10:

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: ³⁵ but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. ³⁶ The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) ³⁷ that word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. ³⁹ And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: ⁴⁰ him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly.” Acts 10:34-40 KJV

Notice Peter said that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with Power. Which Holy Spirit was He anointed with? Jesus was anointed with the same Holy Spirit that we get anointed with when we are baptized in or filled with the Holy Spirit. If Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil because God was with him, so should we, we have access to the same power of the same Holy Spirit.

Some folks think oh we couldn’t do that Jesus was the Son of God. Well so are you according to John 1:12. But as many as received Him to them He gave the right or authority to be called Sons of God. The truth is Jesus did not do what He did because He was the Son of God; he did what He did because He was anointed by the Power of the Spirit. Remember Philippians tells us (Chapter 2 verse 7) that he emptied Himself of all of His divine attributes and came as a man tempted in all points like we are yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

So you may ask when was Jesus anointed with the Holy Spirit and why did He need to be. He needed to be because He Emptied Himself. Ask yourself was Jesus still omnipresent when he was here in His earthly ministry or was He limited to time and space like we are. Obviously you know the answer to that question that is why He needed to be anointed with the Holy Spirit and with Power. As far as when, you most likely know the answer but just haven’t paid attention to it. At the Baptism of John when the Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove and the Father spoke from the excellent glory and said: “This is my Beloved Son.”

In fact if you study the four Gospel accounts of the events leading up to John’s Baptism and just after you will find no mention of the fact that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit anywhere in His life until you come to the beginning of Luke Chapter 4, where it records that Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit was lead of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. But nowhere in any of the Gospel accounts does it record that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit before this time. And Luke Chapter 4 is right after the Baptism of John which occurs toward the end of Chapter 3. And then at the end of His temptation Luke also records for us that returned to Galilee in the Power of the Spirit, which is when He went into the temple, picked up the scroll and read from Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me.”

The amazing thing is that if you compare Acts 1:8 which Jesus spoke about us and Acts 10:38 which Peter spoke about Jesus; you will find that they are the same. “But you shall receive Power (Greek word Dunamis – self energizing explosive miracle working power) after the Holy Spirit has come on you.” “How God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and Power (Greek word Dunamis – self energizing explosive miracle working power) who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil for God was with Him.” Notice it is the same Greek word talking about what we receive and what Jesus received.

This is why Jesus said: “The works that I do you shall do also…” Why? Because we have the same Power of the same Holy Spirit that Jesus was anointed with. Thank God we don’t have to be laying empty hands on empty heads…we have something in our hands…what Jesus had in His…if we will just believe it! Such as I have…I give to you. What do you have? You have what Jesus Had!