John 14:12 New King James Version (NKJV)
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
This is a beautiful description of the normal Christian life! If you want to live like a believer then you need to start living like Jesus. People should look at your life and wonder how you do it; your life should not make sense to the average person out there. They should look at you and be confused because they have no idea how you do it. And that is when you can point to Jesus and say that it’s all Him – it’s His power!
Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him will do the works that He did and even greater works than He did. This is amazing: Jesus is saying that the way to do the same works that He did, like heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons, live a life of love etc., is through faith. All we need to do is believe in Him! This is an important point because the majority of the church (the body of Christ) has got this completely wrong. A lot of us think that we’re going to do the same works – the miracles and healings and signs and wonders – after we have fasted enough or when we’re living holy enough. And then some parts of the church believe that the same works that Jesus did will only happen if and when He wants them to happen, and so they’re waiting and waiting for something to happen. This is noteworthy: Jesus said that if we believe in Him we will do the same works and greater works – He has provided the power for us and when we operate in faith it releases His power, but there is a doing on our part to release the supernatural. The doing isn’t difficult, it’s simply faith! All we need to do is believe. Jesus said that the work of God is to believe in Him (John 6:29). It is God’s will for us to do the same work that Jesus did and even greater works! God wants you to operate in His miracle-working power. The normal Christian life should be supernatural – if it’s not supernatural, it’s superficial!
Unbelievers (and unbelieving believers) should look at your life and see the gospel in demonstration! They should see the good news of the finished work of Christ in demonstration in your life through healings of every kind of sickness and every disease. We should be able to help the world’s challenging situations by giving them a word of knowledge, or a word of prophecy. We are Christ’s ambassadors and as His representatives, we should live, and act like Him. God’s desire for us is that we move in His supernatural power because it will help others and it will ultimately bring Him glory, but the flow of His power doesn’t happen because we are trying really hard to be good people and it doesn’t happen just because God wants it to happen. The supernatural power of God flows because we believe in Him – it’s a matter of living by faith.
As a Christian, you are living by faith to some degree or another but there is more! If you want to step into greater demonstrations of living like Jesus and live the normal Christian life, then it’s going to take you strengthening yourself in faith and learning to release your faith. Faith is the key to seeing the supernatural power of God in your life. Faith is really just belief with appropriate corresponding action.
We don’t live by sight, we don’t live by our efforts, we don’t live by our holiness – we live by faith! We live by trusting in God and relying on His goodness, not on ours. Religion tells you that you have to rely on your goodness and if you’re a good enough person then maybe God will use you if you’re a good enough person then maybe you’ll see a miracle. Some people have this mentality that only “holy people” can perform miracles and that’s true but what a lot of people don’t know is that a “holy person” isn’t just someone who is declared a Saint by the Pope, no! This verse is going to bless you:
Hebrews 10:10 New King James Version (NKJV) – brackets mine
“By that will we have been sanctified (made holy) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
We have been made (past tense) holy through what Jesus has done for us, not what we do for Him. We have been made holy “once and for all” time – because of your faith in Jesus, God has declared you innocent and holy (Romans 5:1) and you are now perfect in His sight for all time! There is never a time when a Christian isn’t holy. You may not be acting holy or thinking holy but your spirit is perfectly and consistently holy for all time. Many of Paul’s letters in the New Testament address Christians as “Saints” because that’s what we are! We are holy ones; set apart for God. You are a “holy one”; you are a “saint” – that’s your new identity as a Christian. As a saint, you are qualified to operate in the miraculous supernatural power of God – not because of your personal holiness (in actions or thoughts) but because of who you are in the spirit! Many Christians feel disqualified from experiencing and operating in God’s power because their actions and thoughts disqualify them but the good news is that because of what Jesus has done for you, you are qualified to do the same works that Jesus did and even greater works!