I thought to myself, how did they enjoy an entertaining and productive life in the olden days? Yet, I couldn’t help but think of all that Jesus accomplished without having electricity, a car, an iPhone, or mass media to help promote His message. Ironically, this is because Jesus had all the power in the world and more. We see in John 13:3 as Jesus began the Last Supper with His disciples, He reflected on His love for them,
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.
Jesus had a power that allowed Him to operate with authority and this power exists today in the form of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, thanks to Thomas Edison, there is another kind of power that allows us the luxury of continuing our lives at ease. I have come to find that we desperately need to have both types of power. However, while we all notice immediately when the electricity goes out, we often miss when we stop living in the empowerment we have as Christians. In case you think this sounds judgmental, let me tell you, I am preaching to the choir. You see, I was the first to discover when we lost power in our home and it affected me greatly. However, it took hours of quiet reflection to come to this conclusion….am I living in the power that comes only from Christ? As we reflect on Easter, we must be reminded that there is power in the blood that saved us on the cross and arose King we must be reminded that there is power in the blood that saved us on the cross and arose King, may we also be reminded of a verse that gets to me every time I read it:
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
Why does this verse leave my eyes wide and my head titled? Because Jesus gives His power to us! After creation and our ultimate fall through Adam and Eve, Jesus still honored us and I can’t help but wonder, are we living without this power? Are we living in a dark house with a small flashlight hoping to lighten every corner of every room without any true means? I read this verse and I am left with so many questions, which all can be summarized by a unwanted yet doubtful thought…greater things…really…me?
I, personally, would be the first to embrace changing the world and enthusiastically listing all the ways, as Christians, that we could bring about a wonderful Jesus-centered movement. However, when I start talking in this manner there is a feeling that nips at my heels. Whether it be from past failures, or a lack of sustained enthusiasm, I give up and become powerless. I know that the enemy must be elated with this state because it is like we are standing at the gate of an international flight without a passport. You see, with the passport we would have no problem claiming our spot and showing our identity to all who need to see it. Yet, without it, we aren’t going anywhere. I think sometimes I am that person, knowing my rights as a child of God to do greater things, but forgetting to show my passport in order to gracefully continue on. Hopefully someone, somewhere, is reading this and nodding their head saying… that’s me too! The good news is that we have permission from God to live in power. He wants us to operate in this way, all the time.
We can read the four Gospels and see a common theme in Jesus’ life and those who followed His footsteps. They all owned the power that they knew was their’s to claim. Generations later, we still want power, yet we are looking in all the wrong places. We live in a world where power is needed in a physical sense and craved in a spiritual sense. In fact, it doesn’t take long to even see these themes in the movies be it power through success, money, or even witchcraft and vampires. Power is something always sought after. Therefore, it is time we turn on the lights. It is time that we remember the power we have through Jesus. The empty tomb that churches recreate across America on Easter Sunday should perhaps have the words written:
“I’m no longer here…your turn to demonstrate some power!” Love, Your Father
What if we embraced this? Could we show the world that all the false methods of gaining power pale in comparison to what we have? Wouldn’t that be amazing? Wouldn’t that bring joy to our Father? I believe it is as simple as waking up, recognizing our need for it, claiming it and actively calling on Jesus’ name to operate in it. The truth is, it requires some faith to proclaim, “I want to do these greater things you spoke about Jesus.” However, someone’s got to step up, passport in hand, ready to board with the entitlement rightfully given to us.
