I am constantly being challenged by the thought that Jesus ministered not as God but as a man empowered by God and that everything we see in the Gospels is Jesus modelling for us what our ministry should look like.
He did say, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” He also said, “These things [the works Jesus did] you will do and even greater you will do because I go to the father. I don’t see Jesus as someone who would say something knowing it is an impossibility.
I have to believe that when Jesus said I will do what He did, and even greater, that I will do what He did and even greater.
It all started at His baptism. When Jesus came out of the Jordan River we read:
(John 1:32 NKJV) And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and it remained on Him. This is a significant departure from what we read in the Old Testament, in the Old Testament the Spirit would rest upon a prophet or a judge only for an assigned task. When the Spirit came upon Jesus He remained on Him.
There is a picture of this in the Old Testament which is fascinating.
Noah and his family were saved by the ark and Noah’s story is described by Peter as a picture of baptism.
1 Peter 3:20-21 NLT …those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. (21) And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So what happened when the rain stopped and the flood subsided? And is there a picture for us of what happened after Jesus came out of the Jordan?
Genesis 8:6 NKJV So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made.
The rain stopped and Noah opened the window in the ark. Jesus came out of the water and heaven was opened, never to be shut again! It is the same word used when the curtain in the temple was torn, heaven was torn open by God.
Out of the open window Noah released the dove.
Genesis 8:9 NKJV But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself.
Finding no place to rest, the dove returned to the ark. Seven days later the dove was released again.
Genesis 8:11 NKJV Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.
This time the dove rested a while, found an olive leaf and returned to Noah. The olive leaf is representation of Israel, and is a great picture of how the Spirit operated in the Old Testament. Finally:
Genesis 8:12 NKJV …he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.
This time the Dove found a place to rest and remained, exactly what we see happening at Jesus’ baptism.
Like the dove in Noah’s day looking for a place to rest and remain, the Holy Spirit is seeking believers on whom He may descend and remain. He is looking for a people desperately wanting to ‘host His presence’.
It is those on whom the Spirit descends and remains who have the anointing and authority to do what Jesus did. We have to be those people!
One last thought, if a bird sat on your shoulder and you wanted Him to stay, how would you walk around a room? I trust that every step you take is a step taken with the bird in mind. If we want to Host His Presence, every step we take in life has to be a step with Him in mind!
Just a Thought
See you in Church
