Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Ephesians 3:20
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”
Who is a believer? A believer is someone who has received Jesus Christ by believing in His Name (John 1:12). Therefore a believer practically has Christ in him. The implication is that, whoever claims to be a believer must have the life of Christ expressed through him and also have Christ work through him since Christ dwells in him. Concerning expressing the life of Christ, the apostle says in 1 John 2:6: “Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did” (TLB). Jesus says in Mark 16:17-18, “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Jesus actually made this statement after He resurrected and was about to leave the earth to go into heaven. And He clearly said that one of the ways to know a believer, that is, one in whom He dwells, is that such a person will be able to do the works people have always seen Him do while He was on earth because He would be in him working through him. That is, although He would no longer be physically present on earth, He would be present in the believer to continue His work through Him. That as a matter of fact, whoever believes in Him will not only do the works He was doing but “greater works than these he will do; because He goes to the Father.” (John 14:12).
Without the believers, Jesus Christ will not be able to do anything on earth. Knowing this, before He died, Jesus prepared some people who would receive His Spirit to continue His work on earth. For without them, His work will end with His ascension into the heavens. Regarding this the prophet prophesied about the continuation of His work after He would have died. Isaiah 53:12 says:
“Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.”
Because He was pouring out His life for mankind, His work would be discontinued, but the Bible says a portion of people will be given to Him to continue what He could not because of His life that He offered.
Another reason why He needed to work through men was because of the magnitude of His work. In Matthew 9:37, He said to His disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. But when He saw the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. He therefore thought of having more labourers. And the Bible says in Matthew 10:1 that Jesus then called unto Him His twelve disciples, and gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. The Lord gave unto them His authority so they could do exactly what He was doing – preaching the gospel, casting out demons and healing sicknesses and diseases. Also, after He died, resurrected and ascended to heaven, He descended again as the Holy Spirit to indwell and rest upon His disciples so that by His Spirit in all of them, He could reach out to the whole world through them. So instead of Jesus doing the whole work alone, He is now doing it through many people for a greater harvest.
The Bible also says in 2 Corinthians 5 that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. It further says since Christ is no more on earth, the believers have become His ambassadors and through them will the world be reconciled to God. Therefore the ministry of reconciliation is presently with the believers, and through them can the world be saved and reconciled to God.
Jesus wants to cast out demons and deliver the oppressed through you the believer. Through your hands He wants to heal the sick that they may recover from any form of sickness or disease. Through you, He wants to preach the gospel to the poor and have them reconciled to God. There has been no time when God did anything on earth without man. At a time, He even had to become a man, for He became flesh and dwelt among men that He might carry out His purpose on earth. Psalms 115:16 declares:
“The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, But the earth He has given to the sons of men.”
Since man has been destined to be in charge of the earth, God’s ability can only be displayed on earth through him. So He wants to display His full power through you. Beyond your imagination, He wants to work many wonders. The possibility of all these does not depend on you but is based on the fact that He now dwells in you because you believe in Him. Jesus has not stopped working. After raising the man who was sick for thirty-eight years, Jesus was asked why He was working, He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” (John 5:17). You also should be able to heal the sick and do miracles because Jesus is still working and this Jesus is in you.
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