"Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12 KJV).
Regarding the ministry of Jesus, we see that everywhere He went, miracles seemed to follow. His ministry was indeed a ministry of the miraculous. It was one that was marked with power and demonstration. When Jesus showed up: dead things lived again; funeral processions came to a halt; blindness was wiped away; crippled limbs were made straight; leprosy vanished; and demon power fled from His presence.
It is here in this fourteenth chapter of John that we discover these profound words..."Greater works shall you do."
What a powerfully profound statement.
Could it even be possible? What was Jesus referring to?
Yet it seemed here that our Lord was giving a mandate to His disciples. It was in fact a mandate for the supernatural. A mandate for miracles! He was in fact telling His disciples that these very same works....
Miracles, Signs, Wonders
The very works you've seen - mothers receiving their dead sons back to life again; withered hands being instantly restored; deaf ears popping open; cripples being made to walk again; the demon-possessed being set free.
Let's understand one thing. Jesus was referring to greater, not in quality but in quantity.
In the books of 1 and 2 Kings, we find the narrative of the lives of the prophets Elijah and Elisha: Elijah, being an Old Testament type and shadow of Christ, and Elisha, a New Testament type and shadow of the church.
It was Elisha that sought the double portion of Elijah's spirit and earnestly sought the mantle of Elijah (2 Kings 2:9,10).
As Elijah was taken up into heaven, it was his protégé Elisha who took up his mantle and continued his prophetic ministry. Elisha did indeed receive a double portion of Elijah's anointing. In fact, Elisha performed exactly twice as many miracles as did Elijah.
In this, you are alluded to what Jesus was saying in John 14. Here, in this text of Scripture, we find our Lord preparing His disciples for His impending departure.
In just a few days, Jesus would soon be crucified, resurrected from the dead and then subsequently ascend up into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, clothed with power and glory.
Jesus tells His disciples that although He was about to leave them, He would not leave them comfortless.
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (John 14:16-18).
I Will Come to You
Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit in His place and this blessed Comforter would not only be with us but would be in us.
Jesus said "I will come to you."
It is through the infilling of the Holy Ghost that we are enabled and empowered to fulfill the mandate of God for greater works.
Greater because while Jesus was on the earth, it was only He who operated through this manifestation of Holy Ghost power. Now, He was giving a resounding tag team handoff to all who believe in His name and receive this infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Now, rather than one (Jesus) operating in this anointing, it would be a mighty army of Spirit-filled, fire-baptized believers operating through the authority of His (Jesus) name.
Jesus was giving His disciples a mandate for the miraculous.
In fact, God never intended for Spirit-filled living to be anything less than supernatural.
The true church is a supernatural church. And in this church, the Super ought to be natural!
This is the very reason that the Holy Spirit was sent!
It is time for the body of Christ to embrace miracle ministry.
This is why I expect miracles!
Wherever Jesus went, He made a business out of putting the devil out of business and everywhere He sent His followers, He expected them to do the same.
"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand... Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:7-8).
So why then have we become so content to settle for anything less than what God intended? I have become so tired of church as usual.
Scripted, 45-minute to 60-minute services. No anointing. No passion. No moving of the Holy Ghost. No salvation. No deliverance. No miracles.
This is not the kingdom of God.
And for that matter, I am tired of secret service Christians; folks who hide out in church on Sunday but don't ever share the glorious light of Christ with anyone Monday through Saturday.
The very reason Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit was not to fill a padded pew on Sunday but to walk in power throughout the week.
"And he said unto them, 'Go' ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).
You have not been anointed to "come" to church; you've been anointed to "go." Go into the world. Stop praying for a greater anointing and begin using the one you already have. Get up and go!
Chad MacDonald
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