Monday we looked at salvation and the milk of the Word. Yesterday we discovered that selfishness keeps us from living our lives for Jesus, who died and was raised for us. We found that we became members of the Body of Christ. Today we will look to the future, not the “pie in the sky” future, but our earthly future.
Some people may be discouraged when they hear that as a result of our salvation God desires that we become servants (Philippians 2:3-8). But thanks be to God, there is more to it!
When we became Christians we became the hands and feet of Jesus. We became the vessels through which the Holy Spirit reaches a lost and hurting world. We may not have experienced all of the same pain that they have experienced, but we do know what it’s like to be lost. We can identify with that emptiness.
In John 14 Jesus was preparing the disciples for His death and resurrection. He told them “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (v.6). In a not so brilliant moment, “Phillip said to him, ‘Lord show us the Father, and it is enough for us” (v.8). Jesus tells them that they’ve seen the Father in Him (v.9); and that if they don’t get it from that, they should believe because of the works that He has done (vv. 10-11).
Now here’s where it gets exciting. “Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (v.12 emphasis mine). He proceeds, over the next four chapters, to tell them about some of the difficulties that they will face as a result of their following Him, and to teach them about the Holy Spirit. He never really expounded on that statement, “greater works”. I’m sure that the gears were really spinning in the disciple’s heads! So what did Jesus mean?
From the book of Acts we observe many great signs and wonders accompanied not just the disciples, but other believers as well. We see the sick healed and the demon-possessed set free. Phillip performed sign as he went about proclaiming Jesus as Messiah. And after leading the Ethiopian eunuch to faith, the Holy Spirit transported Phillip from there to Azotus, 15 or 20 miles away!
While I believe that the Holy Spirit still works miracles through believers today, I don’t think that is what Jesus meant. Jesus reached the disciples and a number of other followers in His time on earth. The disciples and other believers spread the Gospel to many more places. And, even now we are continuing to take the Gospel to all of the World.
Jesus told us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe and do all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Greater works!
All Scriptures from the ESV
**Image from https://alpha.org/
Skipping Stones 
Leave a Reply