Frustrating isn't it. Thus enter the question of faith. I think of Jesus
saying "How long must I be with you of little faith?" Well paraphrased
there but he appeared to be losing a bit of patience. I wonder how he is
rolling his eyes at us now? Imagine if we were actually doing the works he
did? Never mind even the possibility of greater in power, but even greater
in number of the same works? There wouldn't be a non-believer who wouldn't
be scared out of his wits seeing the thousands and millions of folks teamed
up ridding the world of ungoldly things and folks healthy and not suffering
in any sort, wowza. But he didn't promise that either.
Brad
At 03:18 PM 1/27/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>But the works the disciples did, we aren't doing... so what are we doing?
>Rhonda
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: The Electronic Church [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
>Behalf Of MV
>Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 3:12 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Something to think about
>
>Let me clarify my last note, darn it thought I could make one statement and
>get away with it. I don't think he referred the fact we would only do
>greater numbers of works, but at the same time I don't think we can top the
>Song of God either. The disciples did, and of course that in itself can
>open a can of theological worms.
>
>Brad
>
>
>
>At 02:53 PM 1/27/2006 -0500, you wrote:
> >So, maybe I am a little slow from reading sociology theory, what is it that
> >we are doing here? All together, the great mass of us, what are we doing?
> >Rhonda
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: The Electronic Church [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> >Behalf Of Kathy Du Bois
> >Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 2:48 PM
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Something to think about
> >
> >--=====================_21164562==.ALT
> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
> >
> >Okay, I'm not necessarily saying that I whole heartedly agree with
> >this line of thinking, but I thought I'd throw it in to the mix so
> >that we could chew on it together, especially considering our
> >conversation about healing and faith of late.
> >Kathy
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >January 27, 2006
> >
> >Greater Works
> >by John Fischer
> >
> >Ever wonder about that time when Jesus said that those who believe in
> >Him would do even greater works than He did? Well I don't know about
> >you, but I haven't
> >brought anyone back from the dead in the last few weeks. The last
> >time I stepped on water, I sank. I can't even cure the common cold,
> >and I can't make
> >the water in my glass into anything other than... water. What could
> >Jesus possibly mean by this statement? My only take on this up until
> >now has been to
> >assume I was falling way short of what I could be accomplishing with
> >my life. Well that's kind of depressing. Why did Jesus say this if He
> >was just going
> >to leave us all depressed by it?
> >
> >Dave Roper, in his writing on John, has helped me to finally make
> >some sense of this. The actual statement is found in John 14:12,
> >"Anyone who believes
> >in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works,
> >because I am going to be with my Father." The key, Dave points out,
> >is in the statement:
> >"because I am going to be with my Father." In other words, these
> >greater works will be possible as a result of His leaving. Couple
> >that with his statement
> >a few verses later about coming back in the form of the Holy Spirit
> >who would indwell all believers, and you begin to get the picture.
> >
> >Let me try and say it another way. It's as if Jesus were saying,
> >"Right now there is only one of me. Soon there will be many, because
> >I am going to my Father
> >in heaven from where I can direct my work through hundreds,
> >thousands, even millions of you all over the world."
> >
> >"Our efforts," Dave Roper writes, "insignificant on the face of it
> >and largely unobserved, are joined to innumerable streams of effort
> >that result in the
> >stupendous flow of God's love and goodness to men and women, boys and
> >girls throughout the world. Thus we are part of a greater thing than
> >we could ever
> >imagine!"
> >
> >Think of it. We are accomplishing greater works than Christ did when
> >He was here! It's what we can all do together as the singular "body
> >of Christ" that
> >is at work here. Talk about purpose! And your job is just as
> >important as anyone else's.
> >
> >We are a part of something great. Just as a tiny stream begins high
> >in the mountains and is joined by countless tributaries until it
> >becomes a wide, rushing
> >river, so our little work becomes part of a work greater than what
> >even Jesus accomplished when He was here.
> >
> >[Note: Saddleback Church, through it's network of purpose-driven
> >churches all over the world is currently organizing a global
> >initiative to bring healing,
> >literacy, mentoring and assistance to the poor through its P.E.A.C.E.
> >plan. It's a fulfillment of just what Jesus was talking about. For
> >more information
> >click here
> >http://www.purposedriven.com/en-US/PEACE/PEACE_Plan.htm.
> >
> >
> >--=====================_21164562==.ALT
> >Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> >Okay, I'm not necessarily saying that I whole heartedly agree with this
> >line of thinking, but I thought I'd throw it in to the mix so that we
> >could chew on it together, especially considering our conversation about
> >healing and faith of late.
> >Kathy
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >January 27, 2006
> >
> >Greater Works
> >by John Fischer
> >
> >Ever wonder about that time when Jesus said that those who believe in Him
> >would do even greater works than He did? Well I don't know about you, but
> >I haven't
> >brought anyone back from the dead in the last few weeks. The last time I
> >stepped on water, I sank. I can't even cure the common cold, and I can't
>make
> >the water in my glass into anything other than... water. What could Jesus
> >possibly mean by this statement? My only take on this up until now has been
>to
> >assume I was falling way short of what I could be accomplishing with my
> >life. Well that's kind of depressing. Why did Jesus say this if He was
> >just going
> >to leave us all depressed by it?
> >
> >Dave Roper, in his writing on John, has helped me to finally make some
> >sense of this. The actual statement is found in John 14:12, "Anyone who
> >believes
> >in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because
> >I am going to be with my Father." The key, Dave points out, is in the
> >statement:
> >"because I am going to be with my Father." In other words, these greater
> >works will be possible as a result of His leaving. Couple that with his
> >statement
> >a few verses later about coming back in the form of the Holy Spirit who
> >would indwell all believers, and you begin to get the picture.
> >
> >Let me try and say it another way. It's as if Jesus were saying, "Right
> >now there is only one of me. Soon there will be many, because I am going
> >to my Father
> >in heaven from where I can direct my work through hundreds, thousands,
> >even millions of you all over the world."
> >
> >"Our efforts," Dave Roper writes, "insignificant on the face of it and
> >largely unobserved, are joined to innumerable streams of effort that
> >result in the
> >stupendous flow of God's love and goodness to men and women, boys and
> >girls throughout the world. Thus we are part of a greater thing than we
> >could ever
> >imagine!"
> >
> >Think of it. We are accomplishing greater works than Christ did when He
> >was here! It's what we can all do together as the singular "body of
> >Christ" that
> >is at work here. Talk about purpose! And your job is just as important as
> >anyone else's.
> >
> >We are a part of something great. Just as a tiny stream begins high in the
> >mountains and is joined by countless tributaries until it becomes a wide,
> >rushing
> >river, so our little work becomes part of a work greater than what even
> >Jesus accomplished when He was here.
> >
> >[Note: Saddleback Church, through it's network of purpose-driven churches
> >all over the world is currently organizing a global initiative to bring
> >healing,
> >literacy, mentoring and assistance to the poor through its P.E.A.C.E.
> >plan. It's a fulfillment of just what Jesus was talking about. For more
> >information
> >click here
> >http://www.purposedriven.com/en-US/PEACE/PEACE_Plan.htm.
> >
> >
> >--=====================_21164562==.ALT--
>
>Brad
>
> You are the only one who can do anything about most things which bug you
Brad
He who kneels before God can stand before anyone
|
