Do Greater Things
This Sunday is Pentecost, often referred to as “the Birthday of the Church,” because it was on that first Pentecost that God poured out His Holy Spirit on all believers, and the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was empowered to bring all peoples to salvation. That day, through the proclamation of Peter and the others, more than 3,000 new converts began to follow Christ as Lord and Savior. This remarkable event not only fulfilled the writings of the prophet Joel but also fulfilled what Jesus promised in John 14:12: that those who believe in Him will do even greater things than He did during His time on earth.
Do you find it hard to believe that, if we believe in Jesus, we can do even greater works than He did? Perhaps you even find it offensive to say such a thing. But if you’re going to be offended, be offended by Jesus, not me. After all, He’s the one who said it. We may try to convince ourselves and others that suggesting such a thing is disrespectful to God, but in reality, we push back against it because it calls us to account. If Jesus has said, “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things,” yet we do not live with that kind of power, what is the implication?
Remember, our ultimate salvation is not rooted in our works. In fact, the works Jesus says we will do are not really even our own—they are the work of God the Holy Spirit through us. I would simply offer this encouragement: if you are justified to God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ yet do not live in the power of the Holy Spirit who is alive in you, then there is more that God has already given you than you are currently receiving. Furthermore, the enemy of our soul is perfectly happy to let you live in less than what you were meant for. This Pentecost, drop the chains that no longer bind you, and walk forward in the fullness of God alive in you.