Jesus, apart from his works, became sin so that we, apart from our works, would be righteous in Him.
Jesus took all authority and dominion the devil had gained from the fall and returned it to us in Him.
All sin, sickness, transgression, infirmity, iniquity, hell, death, and the grave have been overcome through Him.
He demonstrated what one man filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit could do. Remember, Jesus left all divinity and equality with God behind, making Himself nothing (Phillipians 2:6-8).
We have been given access to the Kingdom of God- on earth as it is in heaven- through His Holy Spirit to do the works He did (miracles, signs, wonders, etc.) and greater.
In Mark 16:15-20, Jesus commissioned His disciples (this includes all believers) to go into all the world... and everywhere they went, they preached the Kingdom of God with signs and wonders confirming the Word preached. Those who believe will cast out demons, speak with new tongues, and heal the sick. Did you realize that Jesus never commissioned anyone to preach without healing the sick? Good sermons are a dime a dozen and eloquent speakers can be trained. An eloquent, convincing, and confident speaker does not make everything spoken true. Truth is a person. Look at His life and you'll see that He demonstrated the Kingdom and will of God for us to re-present to the world.
Is this hard to believe? Most churches think so. It's too good to really be true. So what happens? The Gospel is dumbed down and replaced with good sermons, games, contests, light shows, and a bunch of hype that leaves people powerless. If Jesus died to send His Holy Spirit for our empowerment, then maybe we should consider the cost of what Christ did and embrace it rather than dumbing down the Gospel. Replacing the power of God removes the power of grace and robs lives of an opportunity to live a life overflowing with the Spirit of God. It isn't selfish because the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for serving others.
The church (Body of Christ/Bride of Christ) should be a launching pad, not a clique. Church is a training ground to practice what is to be applied in a natural world supernaturally. Cliques create containment and offer a normal, comfortable life. The church creates grounds for expanding vision and equips believers to be sent to the nations. When the church becomes a clique, we have allowed selfishness to win over our call by means of neglecting to love the world.
The Holy Spirit isn't the Comforter to make us comfortable. Many will say that speaking in tongues makes them uncomfortable. Try going on the streets to minister. You may get very uncomfortable. But as you go, principalities over entire regions fall. If we limit ourselves to our comfort level, nothing will get done.
What grows the church (in numbers) will be what keeps people coming. Is the foundation built on Truth, or has the Truth been forsaken for unity. If you're a pastor or church leader and are held back, restricted, forbidden or forbid others from talking about the power of God, the gifts of the Spirit, healing the sick, casting out demons, speaking in tongues and dare not equip believers to eagerly seek the gifts that are freely given, then you may want to rethink your motives.
If your definition of "love" includes tolerance, it's time to recalibrate what love is. Jesus was not tolerant. It's because of His intolerance for anything less than the Kingdom of God that He did what He saw the Father do. Anything done without faith is sin and doesn't please God. What risks are you taking? Where are you putting your faith? Is your faith in what you can do? Or is it in what He has already done? The Kingdom isn't about striving and can't come with prayer alone. Prayer is necessary but obedience can never be replaced by prayer.
Jesus had a church of 12. Making disciples takes time and isn't a quantitative process. Numbers can never replace fruit. What do I mean by fruit? Fruit is a good return for what is sown. When people were strung out on drugs and addictions for years and, in an instant, the power of God frees them. When despair and depression reigns in someone's life and they are filled with joy from the Holy Spirit. When cancer or tumors disappear supernaturally because of the power of Christ. We have seen it happen. It isn't a formula we've created or a process that takes careful planning. It is simply removing our attention from the games that keep students returning to creating an expectancy for God to move powerfully and tangibly. That is when the hungry return to be fed more.
