Doing Greater Things

"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. John 14:12.  This promise really excites me! Jesus is telling me, and all who believe in him, that we are not only going to do the stuff he did, and he did amazing stuff, but even greater stuff!  How amazing is that!!

Enter the party-poopers, church folk who feel that this verse was meant only for the apostles, and earliest church members.  They will tell you that those believers needed to demonstrate the supernatural power of God, along with the proclamation of his word, and so they were empowered. That I can fully agree with, but there it ends for them.  Apparently, dispensationalists, as these believers are called, are convinced that these miraculous works are no longer available, or necessary for those in the present day church. Color me sad L.  Lucky for me, I’m not a dispensationalist! The church is like a boat, it needs to be sailing, going where God directs, not powerless, and stuck in the mud.

People back in Jesus’ day were surrounded by sorcerers, magicians, soothsayers etc., folks performing all kinds of “miraculous-looking” feats.  When Jesus, and his entourage appeared, doing amazing stuff, the “religious” Pharisees were skeptical, even when he healed a deaf mute. "So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. "Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!" they exclaimed. “But the Pharisees said, He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons." Matthew 9:33-34.   Jesus didn’t rely on the usual mumbo jumbo, or incantations the local wizards did, instead he operated in the authority that had been given to him, by God, to perform these supernatural acts.

As humans, then and now, we still may be dubious.  Things on earth  just don’t work that way; do they?  The answer to that is no they don’t, but yes they can!  Certainly not through anything I can do in my own strength, but when I work in the power of the Holy Spirit, now that’s a different story.  Do miracles still happen,  are people healed, and released from demonic control? I have seen it happen, and I, for one, am convinced!  How about you?  Are you still a bit skeptical?  There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s the point where God can begin to reveal his awesome power to you.  It’s not going to be like anything you’ve seen before, and that should be dandy with you.  So get busy asking God to start convincing you, and you’ll be doing even greater things than his son in no time!