Greater Things by Stewart Perry

We live in a world that loves competition. A world where success means winning & if someone wins that mean someone has to lose. (Let’s not mention the State of Origin on Wednesday please!)

Every 4 years the Olympic Games reminds us that peak human performance is going Faster, Higher, & being Stronger. The goal is to break records, push the limits, bringing pride to our nation by not just doing your best but being better at it than anyone else.

I wonder if you have heard that they’re even running something called the “Enhanced Games” next year where athletes are allowed to take banned supplements & substances, just to prove a point, that human potential has no limit in this relentless pursuit to be better. Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen is the Australian “poster child” for this upcoming event trying to break the 50 meters freestyle world record.

Greater, in our world, means better

But the Kingdom of God is different to the kingdoms of this world. Jesus most discussed topic in his teaching was the Kingdom of God. His idea on “greatness” is one of the many differences he highlights. Jesus said to his disciples:

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)

When Jesus uses the word “greater” in this verse he doesn’t mean better. He didn’t want his disciples to be faster, higher or stronger.

In the original Greek, it means quantitatively greater not qualitatively greater. He wanted them to do more, but more in quantity, not quality.

Jesus’ promise to the disciples, is the same promise to us today, that we will do a greater number of the same sort of things that he did.

And the only enhancement we need is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit releases the believer & empowers the church to do more of what Jesus did. God is not finished with us or our world, God has so much more to do & God’s chosen us, the Church to be the main method for these greater things to happen.

We are called to do more of what Jesus did. We are called to serve the way Jesus served & who he served, but more of it. We are called to love the way Jesus loved & love the ones he loved, but more of it. We are called to share Jesus’ priorities for the vulnerable & to live out his teachings.

This is nothing new, this is actually what the Church has always done & if we do what the Church has always done, Jesus promises that we will do even greater things. Jesus promises that we will be more like Jesus more often.

So can we pray that God would open our eyes to see greater things & can would we also pray that God would open our hearts that we might be more like Jesus more often.

Greater things is what is normal in the Kingdom of God.