LEADERS, MAKES, LEADERS

GOD CHOSEN, GOD ORDAINED LEADERS ALWAYS MAKES MORE LEADERS, NOT MORE FOLLOWERS:

Works and Greater Works!/ God's Voice To His Churches And Believing Nations Biblical Transformational Apostle:

( Most Ministers, Religions, Christians, Will Holy You Back From Becoming All That God Created And Chosen You To Be!!! )

Jesus made the following promise as He prepared his disciples for His departure: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father” ( John 14:12 ). Before we discuss the meaning of “works” and “greater works” in this verse, we should consider the significance of works in the Gospel of John. The previous verse tells us the key purpose of works: “Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves” (John 14:11). The works that Jesus performed were to lead us to faith in Him as being God incarnate. We are to believe that He is one in essence with the Father. Jesus states this elsewhere in John: “But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me” ( John 5:36 ). The works bear witness to the person and mission of Christ. This must be kept in mind as we contemplate the “works and greater works” of John 14:12. Amen God's sons and His daughters in Christ.

The ones who do the works are born again Spirit-filled, baptized in Jesus's Name Believers: “he who believes in Me.” This promise is not restricted to a special class of elite Ministers or latter-day Apostles and Prophets. This is an important consideration. The purpose of the works is to lead people to faith in Christ. Many mistakenly think that their purpose is to validate the person doing them. We are called to go to a special meeting to hear a great “miracle worker” and find relief from various afflictions. Testimonies of those who have been healed are used to promote the healer. This is not at all the purpose of signs and works of God in the Bible. The contention being made by Christ and His Apostles was that He was God Incarnate, the promised Jewish Messiah and that only He could bring us to the Father ( John 14:6 ). John was called the greatest prophet ( Matthew 11:9-11 ) yet he did no miraculous works ( John 10:41 ). Apostle John bore witness to Christ through his preaching and fulfilled God’s purposes. It was John the Baptist who said: “He must increase, but I must decrease” ( John 3:30 ). The purpose of the works was not to make great the fame and fortune of the Prophet but to bear witness to the person and work of Christ.

The “works” mentioned in the first half of John 14:12 are supernatural works such as healings. The disciples had already been sent out to heal the sick ( Matthew 10:1 ). So the promise is that following Christ’s ascension these works would continue, not only through the disciples but through believers in general. The book of Acts shows that this happened. The purpose of such works is to lead people to save faith in Christ. For example, on the occasion of the healing of the man at the gate Beautiful ( Acts 3 ), Elder Peter preached the death and resurrection of Christ ( Acts 3:15 ). When persecution came because of this incident the Jewish authorities forbade preaching Christ, not doing healing! ( Acts 4:18 ). They realized that the message of the cross was the real threat. The healing merely created an opportunity for preaching it. Any valid works that are done through believers must point to the truth of the gospel, or they are not the type of works which Christ promised in John 14:12.

It should also be kept in mind that the purposes of God, not the will of man, determine when and if such works happen. For example, earlier in Teacher John we read this: “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’ They said therefore to Him, ‘What then do You do for a sign, that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?’” ( John 6:29,30 ). Jesus had already multiplied the bread and walked on water in John 6. He called for faith in Himself, but now the people ask for another work. Jesus went on to tell them of His flesh and blood for the life of the world. They rejected Him. God will not do signs on demand. In Matthew 12:38,39 some Jewish leaders demanded a sign and Jesus refused, saying only the sign of Jonah (signifying Christ’s death and resurrection) would be given them. Therefore God is always the one who determines when and in what context to do His mighty works. He would continue to do them through believers, even after Christ’s ascension, is the meaning of John 14:12.

If the “works” were supernatural signs such as had already been performed, what are the “greater works” of John 14:12? The religious ones claim is that they are greater miracles than Christ ever performed and that they will be done by Apostles and Prophets at the end of the Church age. One problem with this interpretation is that it fails to consider the fact that the promise was given to all believers, not just supposed latter-day Apostles. Another problem is that not even the Biblical Apostles, Prophets ( the ones chosen by Christ ) did greater miracles than He performed. Those who witnessed Christ’s miracles said that they were greater than ever had been. For example in John 9 the healing of the blind man was considered a unique miracle: “Since the beginning of time, it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind” (John 9:32). After this, Jesus told the healed man to come to faith in Himself which he did. According to the prophet Isaiah, when God would come, the blind would see: “Say to those with anxious heart, ‘Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped’” ( Isaiah 35:4,5 ). The point of John 9 is that God did come in the Person of Christ and opened the eyes of the blind, and more importantly brought Messianic salvation. If latter-day apostles were to do even greater miracles (if it can even be imagined what they might be) then they could claim to be messiahs (anointed ones). So the idea of “greater works” being “greater miracles” has little Biblical merit. If Messiah is not the greatest, then He is not Messiah. Period

In this regard, the text of John 14:12 gives us an important clue to the meaning. It says “greater works than these shall he do: because I go to the Father.” The word “because” is causal in the Greek. This means that the cross and the ascension is the reason that believers would do greater works. The fact of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ would make the greater works possible. So what exactly happened because of the entire event of the cross that would precipitate greater works than those performed by Christ Himself? I believe that it is the conversion of peoples, Jews first and also Gentiles, through the preaching of the Gospel. However, if this interpretation is correct, there should be evidence in the Gospel of John that supports it. Let us examine the evidence.

The connection between works and coming to faith is strong in John. Consider John 5:19-21: “Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and greater works than these will He show Him, that you may marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so, the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.” This saying was a response to criticism about Jesus healing on the Sabbath. Jesus claimed the right to work on the Sabbath (the Jews recognized that God did His work of sustaining all things, even on Sabbath) because of Jesus’ unique relationship to God ( John 5:17,18 ). Because of this, they wanted to kill Him. Notice that the work of healing a lame man (see Isaiah 35:6, this too is a predicted Messianic sign), serves as a background for “greater works.” The greater works are spelled out for us: “the Son also gives life to whom He wishes” ( verse 18 ).

The “greater works” of John 5 concern the giving of life. The context shows that this does not mean raising the physical dead, like Lazarus, but rather giving spiritual life to the spiritually dead. Here is what Jesus went on to say: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live” ( John 5:24,25 ). This is the meaning of the phrase “greater works” in John 5:18.

There is more evidence in John that believing upon Christ for salvation is a greater work. In John 6, as I previously mentioned, Jesus had done mighty miracles. In that context He was asked about the work of God: “They said therefore to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent’” ( John 6:28,29 ). If the miracles (which did not cause these people to come to faith, they would soon leave Him -

Some might object and say that conversions are the work of God and that therefore they cannot be the “greater works” that believers would do because Jesus went to the Father. In that regard, it is just as true that miracles are the work of God, so the objection weighs just as heavily against their own position. Also, there is further evidence that Jesus was thinking of people coming to faith after His ascension. It is found in Jesus’ high priestly prayer: “I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word” ( John 17:20 ). They would testify about Christ and many would believe. Interestingly, in John 6 after Jesus did the miracles, all but the 12 left Him. Compare that to the Day of Pentecost when Apostle Peter preached and 3,000 were saved on that day alone. Jesus did greater miracles, but fewer people came to saving faith during His public ministry than did in the first days of the early Church when Jesus went to the Father.

“What Jesus means we may see in the narratives of the Acts. There there are a few miracles of healing, but the emphasis is on the mighty works of conversion. On the day of Pentecost alone more believers were added to the little band of believers than throughout Christ’s entire earthly life. There we see a literal fulfillment of ‘greater works than these shall he do.’”4 Likewise, Lenski writes: “Can there be greater? Indeed, far greater: convert sinners by God’s grace, carry the gospel to the ends of the earth, save souls for life eternal . . . These are great because in miracles only omnipotence and goodness are revealed but in saving souls all the grace of God in Christ Jesus. The great works deal with the material, the greater with the spiritual ( 5:20,21).”The heavenly Father says that the greater works are “the conversion of the Gentiles in saving grace and Not the Old Testament Laws, Old Covenants, Old Testament Tithing And, Old Covenant Commandments.

The context in the Book of John and the larger Biblical context shows that “greater works” are works of conversion by God’s grace. I submit that since the purpose of Christ was to die a substitutionary death to bring about God’s gracious purposes of salvation, the fulfillment of that purpose through the ministry of the Church after Christ’s ascension is the greatest work that could possibly be done. Since miracles and signs point to Christ as the true Messiah, they stand in a lesser relationship to the actual bringing of sinners to the Christ to whom they point AND, All of God's sons and His daughters is to be just like Jesus Christ and become His Free loving and living Church is supported by the blessings, finances, and wealth of the ministry. ( Not only Pastors, Bishops, Founders ) Got It, Yet?

In Jesus Name. Amen.

Written And, Shared, And Unleased By, Apostle James R, Winfree, Sr.

apostlejrwinfree@gmail.com

( " AWE " )