March 25

Are you Following Jesus or Watching from the Stands?

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Most assuredly, I say to you, he that 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. John 14:12

Where is the power in the church of the United States?  Remember faith comes by hearing the word of God.  Many in the USA go to church every week and hear the word of God but most of these believers walk around powerless.

Why?

Well, my opinion is, we Americans have too much going on all around us, we get so distracted by stuff.  For example, my current distractions are between my March Madness brackets and my trying to understand Twitter and Facebook.

So, I am not hear to tell you I have my Bible open all the time, but I do meditate on the word of God daily to grow my faith.  By doing this, my faith is growing and my relationship with Jesus is better today than it has ever been.

This is what I do, I read the Bible until a verse “jumps out at me” (some call this the Rhema Word) and instead of trying to finish the book I’m in or moving on to bigger and deeper truths, I stop and study that verse. (I am in no hurry, I have the rest of my life to understand all the different baptisms)

The verse I have been thinking about is John 14:12.  I have been here for a long time now and what I am finding out, the longer I study, meditate, pray and even fast about this scripture the more uncomfortable I get with my own walk with Jesus.

I have taught and have been taught that I am a follower of Jesus.  If I am to truly follow in my Lord and Savior’s footsteps doesn’t John 14:12 come into play?

Forget about greater works for a minute, and concentrate on the first part of the verse;

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also;

Wow… Jesus is talking to me (I say to you), he who believes in Me (That’s me again) here is were He is stretching my faith… the works that I do (Some of Jesus’ works are: healing the sick, opening blind eyes, calming the sea, raising the dead etc…) he will do also.

Jesus is speaking directly to me, a believer, and is telling me I can do all the things He did.  Why am I not doing the works that Jesus did? The short answer is because I don’t really believe it.

If I truly believed John 14:12 wouldn’t I start praying for more people, expecting the same results that Jesus got?  For those of you who know me, you know that I have started doing that very thing. 

Meditating on one scripture will get you enthusiastic, excited, expectant (I know I can find one more word that starts with “e”) and empowered.  You will get off of the pew and into the game of life where you belong.

Jesus lived His life and met people where they were.  He did not expect everyone to come to the synagogue (some did) but He came to them.  I recently read a post from Brad Abare of  Center for Church Communication  and he said:

I want to be a part of a growing church that measures its significance not by the size of its building, but by the size of its giving. I want to win the attention of people not by clever sermon series but by incarnate living. If the woman at the well had attempted to come to church (temple in her day), she would have been stoned. The closer someone wanted to get to the Holy of Holies, the more death was risked. So Jesus comes to tear down the temple and access to God is now incarnate. So what does God do? He goes TO the woman at the well. I don’t want to be at the temple when my neighbors are at the well.

That is what I have been doing, taking Jesus to the people, praying for the sick and hurting, teaching what Jesus taught… forgiveness, love, salvation.  I know the works will come if I just believe… I believe.


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