“Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.” (Acts 2:22)
Jesus did all of His miracles as a man, not as God. Let that sink in. This is a profound truth that has major implications for you and me. It changes everything.
Pastor Bill Johnson writes: “Jesus could not heal the sick. Neither could He deliver the tormented from demons or raise the dead. To believe otherwise is to ignore what Jesus said about Himself, and more importantly, to miss the purpose of His self-imposed restriction to live as a man.
Jesus said of Himself: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does (John 5:19-20).” In the Greek language the word ‘nothing’ has a unique meaning — it means NOTHING. Just like it does in English! He had NO supernatural capabilities whatsoever!
While He is 100 percent God, He chose to live with the same limitations that man would face once He was redeemed. He made that point over and over again. Jesus became the model for all who would embrace the invitation to invade the impossible in His name. He performed miracles, wonders, and signs, as a man in right relationship to God… not as God.
If He performed miracles because He was God, then they would be unattainable for us. But if He did them as a man, I am responsible to pursue His lifestyle. Recapturing this simple truth changes everything… and makes possible a full restoration of the ministry of Jesus in His Church. “[1]
Jesus said you and I will do even greater works than He did. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12-13)
The question for each of us is, “How dependent and obedient to the Holy Spirit are we so we can experience this same power?”
[1]Bill Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth, Destiny Image, p. 29, Shippensburg, PA 02003
