Expect Miracles in the Name of Jesus

Interestingly enough, Jesus was sent to earth as an ordinary man. This ordinary man was then empowered by the Holy Spirit and entered into the ministry that His Father gave Him. As we have been discussing all along, Jesus left us His ministry to carry forward and He left us His life as an example of what we should become and what kinds of things we should do. Therefore, if Jesus is to be our model of the life that we should also live, then we also should expect to enter into our ministry empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the will of the Father. To explore this a bit further, let’s take a look at an example of how Jesus sent His disciples into ministry:

After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither He himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. Luke 10:1-9

Jesus sent the seventy to the places that He would also go. He empowered them to heal the sick and to communicate that the kingdom of God is near. He therefore gives them the mission of doing the will of the Father and personally empowers them with the Holy Spirit. We know that this is true because of His words in the following scripture:

Jesus did what He saw the Father do:

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:19-24)

In addition, Jesus prayed for our unity with God. He prayed that we be one with Him — We in Him, and He in us — the Father in Him and He in the Father. If we are to be one with Jesus then we will do the things that Jesus shows us. Therefore, the Life of Jesus is the perfect life that we should emulate. We should seek to do as He did, say the things that He said and have the same effect that He did when He walked the earth. Through out the course of our postings we have presented many examples that support the proposition that the life of Jesus was given to us to be used as the model of what we can become.

All that is required is to step out in faith in response to what Jesus places in your heart. Eliminate all doubt and concern about looking foolish as God rewards people who have perfect faith. He is looking for people who are willing to risk looking like fools in the eyes of nonbelievers because it is only when they see the impossible achieved by the hand of God that they will truly come to believe that God exists.

The Bible is filled with people who had this kind of faith in God. Moses had the faith to lift His staff in expectation that the waters of the Jordan River would part. Moses had perfect faith that God support His mission because he received it directly from God. He therefore was not concerned about the opinions of the people. When the waters parted the people knew that God had delivered them.

It was the same in the life of Jesus. He had to speak words of faith to cast out demons and to heal the sick. He could do this because the direction He was undertaking was one that the Father showed Him. He had to put his reputation on the line that the Father would honor and support His actions in support of His mission that the Father gave Him. He certainly was not concerned with what others might think about these actions. There certainly was no concern for the opinions of the Scribes, the Pharisees, the money changers or the demons.

We, in turn, have to take action that demonstrates our faith in God to support the initiatives that God gives us. We have to initiate the action and have faith to know beyond doubt that He will support what He initiates. If we do these things, then we will be like Jesus. Take the step, speak the word, and take the action necessary to get things moving. Once that is accomplished, then simply step back and watch the power of the Holy Spirit take action.