I believe that the material you are about to read contains information about our Lord Jesus that will completely transform the way you look at our Creator.\u00a0\u00a0 These truths are among the most precious and sacred treasures I have ever come across.\u00a0 I hope this blesses you.<\/p>\n
Acts 10:38<\/strong> – God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This passage of Scripture is Peter\u2019s summary of the life of Jesus.\u00a0 He tells us what Jesus did, and how He did it.<\/p>\n
It is just one sentence, but I believe it is one of the most important sentences that a human being can ever spend time thinking about.\u00a0 I want to divide it into two parts, and examine each part individually.<\/p>\n
\u00a0PART 1: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power…”<\/h3>\n
Jesus is God.\u00a0 He was God throughout eternity past, He is God right now, and He is God throughout eternity in the future.\u00a0 Whatever it means to be God, that’s what Jesus is.<\/p>\n
He is…<\/p>\n
\n
- Omnipotent (all powerful, never gets tired, never gets hungry, etc)<\/li>\n
- Omnipresent (everywhere at once, doesn’t have to travel from place to place)<\/li>\n
- Omniscient (all wise and all knowing, never caught by surprise)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Those are three words we use to try describe some of God’s “attributes.”\u00a0 They all apply to Jesus, because Jesus is God.<\/p>\n
However, 2000 years ago Jesus “came to earth” on a mission.\u00a0 Contrary to popular belief, it was not a finger-pointing mission, but rather a rescue mission (John 3:17).\u00a0 Part of the rescue mission involves Him subjecting Himself to the limitations of a mere human being.\u00a0 He became a man<\/strong>.\u00a0 Or, another way of saying it…He came to earth as a man in a physical body with self-imposed limits on His abilities.\u00a0\u00a0 Here are some scriptures that bring out this point:<\/p>\n
Philippians 2:5-8<\/strong> – Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men<\/span>.\u00a0 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.<\/p>\n
Hebrews 2:17-18<\/strong> – Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren<\/span>, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.\u00a0 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Jesus chose to become a man, and to subject himself to the same limits you and I have.\u00a0 For example, while He was on the earth in a human body…<\/p>\n
\n
- He had to walk from place to place.\u00a0 He wasn’t everywhere at the same time.\u00a0 He was not exercising His omnipresence.<\/li>\n
- There were things He didn’t know (Mark 13:32). He was not exercising His omniscience.<\/li>\n
- He got tired and hungry (John 4:6). He was not exercising His omnipotence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
So, even though He is God, He put himself in our shoes and made Himself subject to our limitations.\u00a0 He was born as a human infant with a human brain and body, and grew up having to learn how to talk and how to walk like any other human.<\/p>\n
We don’t really know much of the first 30 years of His life, other than the fact that He worked as a carpenter, and He had a remarkable grasp of the Scriptures.\u00a0 But that is about it.\u00a0 He was not performing any miracles or healings or anything very far out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n
Then, something happened.\u00a0 He came to be baptized by John in the Jordan river.\u00a0 When He came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended on Him (Luke 3:21-22).\u00a0 At this point in His life, things changed dramatically.\u00a0 He began to do things that ordinary people can’t do.<\/p>\n
Before this day in His life, He had done zero miracles.\u00a0 In the three years that followed this day, He did so many miracles that one eyewitness made this statement:<\/p>\n
John 21:25<\/strong> – And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Something changed when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and it was noticeable immediately to people around him.\u00a0 Look at the way the people in His hometown reacted:<\/p>\n
\u00a0Mark 6:1-3<\/strong> – Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.\u00a0 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.\u00a0 “Where did this man get these things?<\/strong>” they asked.\u00a0 “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!<\/strong> Isn’t this the carpenter?\u00a0 Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,Judas and Simon?\u00a0 Aren’t his sisters here with us?”\u00a0 And they took offense at him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Their reaction shows that something was VERY different now.\u00a0 They were not used to Him teaching like this and doing miracles.<\/p>\n
We are told in Luke 4:14 and Luke 4:18 that Jesus is now walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 That is the reason for the sudden change.\u00a0 When the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, Jesus went from living within the limits of a “regular person” (and I say that reverently) to living as a “regular person” who has the Spirit of God working through Him to demonstrate miraculous power.<\/p>\n
The miracles and healings were a result of a human being (Jesus) cooperating with the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 The Holy Spirit provided the power and the ability for Jesus to do miracles, heal people, cast out demons, calm storms, raise the dead, multiply food, teach with authority, walk on water, know people’s thoughts, and so on.<\/p>\n
This is exciting news for us, because the same Holy Spirit that enabled Jesus to do miracles is the same Holy Spirit that lives in every single believer.\u00a0 Jesus explicitly tells us in John 14:12 that anyone that believes in Him will do the same things (and even greater things) that He was doing.\u00a0 More on this later….<\/p>\n
PART 2: “…who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”<\/h2>\n
Jesus went about doing good<\/em> and healing all<\/em> who were oppressed by the devil (and that’s what He wants us to do too).\u00a0 Healing is good.\u00a0 It is good to heal people.\u00a0 Oppression and sickness are bad.\u00a0 That should be obvious to anyone that has any kind of ability to read and comprehend simple statements.<\/p>\n
Jesus didn’t go around telling the sick people that God made them sick to teach them patience or to deepen their piety.\u00a0 That is not considered “doing good.”\u00a0 He didn’t tell them that their diseases were part of some mysterious plan, and that they needed to remain sick because it wasn’t God’s will to heal them right now.\u00a0 Jesus didn’t do that, and He doesn’t want us doing that either.\u00a0 That is the opposite of “doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil.”<\/p>\n
Jesus demonstrated the power of God with authority.\u00a0 He commanded sickness to leave.\u00a0 He commanded people’s bodies to be healed.\u00a0 He commanded demons to go.\u00a0 That is good.<\/p>\n
Jesus healed sick people, and he cast demons out of people that were under demonic influence.\u00a0 This is called “healing all who were oppressed by the devil.”\u00a0 Again, that is called “doing good.”<\/p>\n
Notice that sickness is not from God.\u00a0 Sickness is oppression from the devil.\u00a0 In the beginning, God made earth and mankind without sickness.\u00a0 There was no disease in the Garden of Eden.\u00a0 Sickness became a part of our life on earth when Adam sinned and gave his dominion away to the devil.\u00a0 Sickness is not part of God’s plan for your life.\u00a0 It is a part of the devil’s plan for your life.\u00a0 God’s plan is that we imitate Jesus and do what He would do…drive out sickness by the power of the same Holy Spirit that worked in Him….the same Holy Spirit that lives in each of us who believe.<\/p>\n
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, and He gave us the authority to do the same.\u00a0 He said that we would do the same works that he did, and even greater works because He was returning to His Father (John 14:12). When Jesus returned to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, He poured out the Holy Spirit on the church (Acts 2:33), and then they starting doing the same things Jesus had been doing.<\/p>\n
The great commission includes instructions to heal the sick and cast out demons (Mark 16). It also includes instructions to make disciples and teach them to do what Jesus taught the original disciples to do: heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the gospel.<\/p>\n
Somewhere through history, it seems like a lot of the church has forgotten about this.\u00a0 In the days of the early church, the news about Jesus spread because His followers were doing miracles, healing sick people, and and setting people free from demonic oppression.\u00a0 They were not relying on clever marketing gimmicks, good music, or attempts to be culturally relevant.\u00a0 They were demonstrating the Kingdom of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 This is the same Holy Spirit that lives in every Christian, and He is no less powerful today than He was 2000 years ago.<\/p>\n
Do you want to represent Jesus through miracles and healing the sick?\u00a0 Study the life of Jesus, take a leap of faith, and begin to imitate Him.\u00a0 Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you.\u00a0 Do not be afraid to make mistakes.\u00a0 Learn as you go.\u00a0 Do not be afraid to look stupid or be embarrassed.\u00a0 The Holy Spirit is not only your teacher, but He is also your comforter, your counselor, and your friend.\u00a0 He will help you.<\/p>\n
Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.\u00a0 He did this through the power of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
That same Holy Spirit (and that same power) lives inside of every Christian.\u00a0 And every Christian has been commissioned to do good and heal the sick.\u00a0\u00a0 We have been given the same mission that Jesus demonstrated, and we have been given the same supernatural equipment to accomplish the mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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