Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
With a new look
Live Jesus
What if we where talking to each other and suddenly I was taken away, but you were left? You would be upset saying, ‘That’s not God because I’m a Christian too.’ Well, what makes you a Christian? Is it because you called Jesus Lord? You know, I hope, that making Jesus your Lord is just the beginning; now you must do what He did and grow in Him. You might have heard, or maybe even said, “I just want to be like Jesus.” Well, that’s what He wants, representatives. But, to correctly represent Him you must do what He did.
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Both of us are called Christians, so why would I be taken and you left? To you, that just doesn’t make sense. You might ask, “What is the difference, why was he taken and I was left? Did he do something that I didn’t?” Well, let’s see, what did Jesus say?
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father,” (John 14:12 New International Version).
I had to laugh at something that I heard one pastor say. He said that Jesus did the things he did because He was God. That would weaken the meaning of the whole reason for the New Testament. In fact, it would make it so those who confessed Jesus as Lord where still living in the Old Testament, and going to heaven would be a hopeful thought. In other words, that doesn’t make sense. No, Jesus was a man under the Abrahamic covenant (Phil. 2:7); He did those things because there was a need and He was there.
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So, anyway, He wants you to do like Him, and He said that we can and those who believe will do like Him. When I worked as a salesman at Aims department store my boss told me to put up some shelves, he even helped me to put them up. So, when He told us to do what He did, he fully intends to get right in there and help us. That is where the Holy Spirit, by way of His baptism, comes into the picture. Yes there are some things that Jesus did that we can do without this baptism—preach and teach and pray—but Jesus did a lot more than just preach, teach and pray. Jesus, when He was to enter into the ministry, was first baptized in water. Then He was baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38 called it being anointed) and then He went about doing good and healing.
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“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him,” (Acts 10:38 KJB).
Where it says that God was with Him, actually if He was anoint with the Spirit of God then God was on Him. But, anyway, Peter, the one who said this, was telling you that you cannot go about doing good if God is not on you, if you are not anoint (baptized) with the Holy Spirit; not until you are. Peter was a man who had become a disciple and then was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Do you know what Peter did next? He went about and did good and healed all those who he encountered who needed healing, he raised the dead (read about Tabitha) and drove out demons.
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So, are you baptized in the Holy Spirit of God? Do you speak in tongues? Do you heal the sick, raise the dead, drive out demons in Jesus’ name? Jesus wants you to. Again I say, if you make a move to start the process then He will get right in there with you and help you.
Most churches, if they preach Jesus’ commission to the church, don’t include Mark 16:20. They will tell us what we must do, then many say, “But He did that because He was God and we aren’t.” Jesus was and is the best manager of life that I know; He wouldn’t tell you to do something that you couldn’t do with His help. So, if you will make the move to start then He will be there to help, but if you don’t make the move He won’t do it for you.
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My cat likes to drink out of the kitchen faucet, so she needs me to turn it on for her. I tell her, “You make the move to drink and I’ll turn it on.” But if she doesn’t make the move I don‘t turn it on.
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well… Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it,” (Mark 16:17-18, 20 New International Version).