Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. —EPHESIANS 3:20
This chapter has been written to blow your mind and whet your spiritual appetite like never before. God is summoning His people to get radical. The Holy Spirit is inviting the body of Christ to start pressing in to experience realities that we have only read or heard about, but have not personally experienced…yet. Just because we have not yet experienced something does not mean the reality of it is unavailable or inaccessible to us. We may have never gone to Paris, but that does not mean Paris is off-limits. Just because we have not been to Paris does not mean we cannot go to Paris. In the same way, just because we have not experienced some of the supernatural activity we read about in Scripture does not mean that such realities are off-limits. If anything, the lifestyle that Jesus modeled should become our normal, and what Jesus invited us into should become our great pursuit.
God lives inside of you. That is incredible in and of itself! Such a truth is so awe-inspiring that we could literally pack up and go home on that revelation alone. But isn’t it just like our abundantly generous Father to offer us even more. In these final chapters together, I pray that the Holy Spirit comes and absolutely ruins us for any form of Christianity that is moderate or mundane. I pray that the Holy Spirit deposits an insatiable craving in our spirits that never leaves.
Yes, we have talked about the supernatural, miracle-working ability of breakthrough faith. But we must remember, breakthrough faith comes from God alone. It is His gift. If this faith comes from God, then there are absolutely no limits to what it can accomplish. It is His faith. He spoke into nothingness and creation happened. We carry and steward the faith of that God—the Genesis 1:1 God. Is anything impossible or off-limits to those who possess this supernatural, breakthrough faith?
Jesus modeled a “normal” supernatural lifestyle that we can all walk in. He healed the sick, cast out demons, set captives free, raised the dead, and turned impossible situations around. He is the author and finisher of our faith (see Heb. 12:2). If the same Jesus who performed the miraculous works that we read about in the Gospels is indeed the One who authored our faith, then our faith should be able to do everything He did. It contains His very DNA. What we received at salvation was a supernatural faith capable of accessing every reality that we read about in Scripture and see modeled in the life of Jesus Christ.
I pray that by this point in the book you recognize the availability and accessibility of supernatural Christianity. Now it is time to take it a step further and discover what should become the next frontier of our pursuit—the greater works.
The lifestyle that Jesus modeled should become our normal, and what Jesus invited us into should become our great pursuit.
Too many believers are coasting on yesterday (how they have always known and done Christianity), when in fact Jesus made realities available to us that are more than our mortal minds can possibly comprehend. One of the mind-blowing realities that Jesus presented to us is the often misunderstood or watered-down concept of “greater works.” If breakthrough faith is really the faith of God living inside of us, then it goes without saying that this faith is more than sufficient to equip us to do everything that Jesus said we would be able to do.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father (John 14:12).
This is one of those scary and intimidating statements in Scripture that we either ignore or reduce to the conceivable. We either ignore it all together or we redefine what “greater works” are in a way that our natural minds can process more comfortably. I just performed an Internet search on “greater works quotes” and was amazed at how many articles were dedicated to explaining away what greater works really mean. Lazy theology takes a supernatural concept and endeavors to rationalize it down to a level that the unrenewed, carnal mind can easily process and the natural man can comfortably implement. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that. I do not want to bring God’s standard of living down to my level. Quite the opposite, in fact. I want to raise my standard to come into agreement with His.
So what are we to do with John 14:12? One approach, as mentioned above, is to redefine what sounds impossible and reduce it to what is accomplishable with our human efforts. In this perspective, “greater works” simply refers to the “scope” of ministry impact, because the Holy Spirit now lives inside of every believer and is no longer restricted to Jesus alone. This is pretty impressive in and of itself, if we think about it. Because of the Holy Spirit, millions of people across the earth are invited into a supernatural lifestyle where it becomes biblically legal for them to desire miracles in greater size and scope to what Jesus did.
Unfortunately, this is not usually what people who embrace this perspective mean. They simply maintain that “greater works” refers to more philanthropic, humanitarian exploits that are performed in Jesus’ name. We must always celebrate those who meet practical needs, as this is an essential component of the Christian life. At the same time, it is a travesty to our spiritual inheritance to redefine greater works as that which can be accomplished by any human being apart from the power of God, be it an entrepreneur or Hollywood actor.
I would almost buy into the whole “greater works” redefinition thing if it were not for a man named Paul. While there are other noteworthy figures throughout church history who stepped into the realm of greater works, we are all on safe, level ground by briefly examining the apostle Paul’s journey into this demonstration. We reviewed his pursuit of closeness with God earlier on as we were studying the importance of the knowledge of God in laying our faith foundation. It is now time for us to revisit this topic and consider the fruit of building on such a foundation.
What happens when God becomes our great quest and our mind is consistently stretched by His greatness and vastness? Do we know what positions us to step into the realm of “greater works”? It is when we recognize that the God living inside of us is bigger than our theology can contain or express. When we live awestruck before God’s grandeur, then and only then are we standing on the edge of the extraordinary miracles that we see in Acts 19: “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out” (Acts 19:11-12 NASB).
Earlier in our journey, we started to look at the correlation between breakthrough faith and the pursuit of the knowledge of God. Acts 19:11-12 is the result of Paul’s great quest that is so beautifully expressed in Philippians 3:8: “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul did not pursue greater levels of faith. Paul was not on the hunt for more spectacular demonstrations of supernatural power. He was not seeking principles, precepts, or practical things to do. He was not looking for the Ten Steps to Get Your Miracle or the Twenty Keys to Access Your Breakthrough. Paul’s great quest was to know God the Father through intimacy.
Because of Jesus’ blood and because of the Holy Spirit living within us, it is now possible for us to know the Father intimately. Jesus stated clearly in John 14:12 that greater works were possible “because I go to My Father.” By Jesus going to the Father, it became possible for the mighty Presence dwelling inside the Son of God to take up residence in the sons of men. This opened the door to a reality where anointed men and women throughout the ages would become filled with God and do the works of Jesus on earth.
When we live awestruck before God’s grandeur, then and only then are we standing on the edge of the extraordinary miracles.
Even though Jesus performed many signs and wonders, it almost seemed like there were some He was reserving for us, the redeemed bride of Christ, to release through fellowship and intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Extraordinary miracles. Greater works. That was the great quest Jesus made available through His death on the cross—intimately knowing God, and then representing God by having God live inside of and move through mortal vessels. For centuries that temple veil prevented humanity from engaging this pursuit, the very quest that consumed the apostle Paul. Even Jesus’ disciples who walked the planet alongside Him, as amazing as that sounds, were inaccessible to what Paul had, and by extension, to what you and I have—the indwelling Spirit of God. This is absolutely astonishing.
Paul’s great prayer continues to stir us to press in for the greater glory, the greater works, the greater miracles, and above all, the greater knowledge of the Glorious One. Reflect on these words from Paul’s prayer:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Paul recognized that there was an inheritance inside of us, which in order to understand and access, we would require supernatural wisdom and revelation. This inheritance is none other than the powerful Presence of the Holy Spirit. He is the One who makes breakthrough faith a reality in our lives.
Paul also wrote, “For you are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16). This passage tells us exactly where the glorious inheritance is—inside of every believer. As Paul pursued the knowledge of God, he also simultaneously sought understanding of how to steward the Presence of the Eternal One that dwelt inside of him. Do we really get this? If we did, I am convinced that every single believer would refuse to settle for average Christianity. Even the “normative” miracles, signs, and wonders would not be the finish line.
Jesus introduced the concept of “greater works” in John 14, while Paul demonstrated it in action in Acts 19. There were miracles, and then we see extraordinary miracles. This is not license for discontentment and spiritual greed. Remember, we are always satisfied but hungry. Why are we always hungry? It is because there is always more of God to be experienced and released. It is time for us to model Paul, pursue the knowledge of God, and recognize that as we grow in knowledge of who God is, then we will increase in revelation of the One who lives inside of us. This is the key to walking in greater works—how we interact with the One dwelling within, for it is His Presence that we are called to release to the world around us.
This quest is what caused Paul’s very garments to carry the Presence and anointing of God. There was such faith in the Presence upon Paul that according to Acts 19 pieces of clothing that were on him were placed on those who were diseased and demonized, and they were healed. Sadly, certain people have run with this verse and, in some ways, perverted it: “Call this number right now, make your donation and receive a prayer cloth that God’s ‘Man of Power for the Hour’ prayed over. The bigger the donation, the better the anointing.”
Before Acts 19, and then after Acts 19, we do not read anywhere of anyone teaching about anointed clothing. Does that deny the Presence of God that saturated Paul’s clothes? No. What it shows us is that there is a higher pursuit than miracle-working garments. This is the pursuit of God’s presence. When His Presence is our paramount desire, we become saturated. We walk in a lifelong splash zone. It is unavoidable. Paul was a passionate man and, in turn, became a saturated man. He pursued the One who dwelt within, and as a result of that communion with the Holy Spirit, Paul experienced a true from-the-inside-out transformation. He enjoyed such deep fellowship with the Spirit of God that the man’s soul was not only transformed but his physical body was impacted.
How is this evidence of greater works? Remember the woman with the blood flow who pressed through the crowd and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment (see Mark 5:25-34)? She had to go to where Jesus was. With Paul, the man was so drenched in the Presence of God that people were able to take pieces of cloth and handkerchiefs that were worn on his presence-saturated body and bring these articles to those who needed healing and deliverance. This is a perfect example of a “greater work” that Jesus spoke about.
For some reading this, it may sound offensive to talk about a flesh-and-blood person performing a “greater work” than Jesus. The example is very offensive if we think that the mortal human vessel was the one performing the greater work. Controversy is silenced when we quickly refocus on the author of all greater works, Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus is still doing the works. Luke introduces the Book of Acts and describes his Gospel account in this manner: “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). Note the phrase “of all that Jesus began to do.” Though He is seated at the Father’s right hand, His earthly ministry continues through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of believers. This is what makes it possible for people like you and me to step into the reality of greater works.
When we look at Paul, we catch a glimpse of a man who embraced Jesus’ bold invitation and stepped into the “greater works” reality. Paul was not some spiritual superman. Sometimes we inappropriately elevate the apostles to divine status. They were not. If Elijah, who called down fire from Heaven, is described as a person with “like passions” as us (see James 5:17-18), Paul (a former persecutor of the church), Peter (the one who denied Jesus three times), and the rest of the crew were not spiritual supermen with a 2.0, upgraded faith. What they all received, we now possess.
Controversy is silenced when we quickly refocus on the author of all greater works, Jesus Christ.
Paul said to the Corinthians, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18). And A.W. Tozer said, “Everything Jesus Christ did for us we can have in this age. Victorious living, joyous living, holy living, fruitful living, wondrous, ravishing knowledge of the Triune God—all of this is ours.”72 Scriptures like Second Corinthians 3:18 and quotes like Tozer’s make it spiritually legal for us to press in for more of God. How can we receive more of Someone we received in fullness because of Pentecost? Is there some type of Holy Ghost 2.0 or faith upgrade that we are unaware of?
As with all things in the Christian life, there is a delicate balance to be maintained here. Our pursuit of more is very specific and scriptural. In Second Corinthians 3 Paul reveals that more is the key to more. In other words, the more we behold the Lord, the more we are transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to the next. There is more glory available to us! There are deeper places in God’s Presence that we can explore! There are clearer whispers of His voice! There is greater insight into His Word! There are more dynamic demonstrations of His power! It is not about wanting more of God, as if we need to receive more of Him to come out of Heaven. Pentecost was sufficient.
The God of all glory lives inside of us and Heaven is wide open over our lives. We don’t have to beg God for anything, as if there is more of Him that we actually need to receive. Instead, we are pursuing greater agreement between our theology and experience, alignment between what we have already received and what Scripture says is available for us to experience and release. There is so much more, and I pray that after reading this chapter, your hunger is stirred up to experience and release more of what you have already received by exercising your faith.
If there is a modern example of one who walked with God and demonstrated both His love and power, it was Kathryn Kuhlman. This woman who experienced tremendous breakthrough in the realm of healing and miracles was still hungry for more. As she was bearing her soul in a revealing sermon to the students at Oral Roberts University, she opened her message by praying, “No one in the whole world is as hungry for more than the one who is speaking this morning…every atom of my being is crying out for more. There is so much more.”73 Greater works are available and accessible on the other side of a lifestyle that presses in for more. Get ready!
The Holy Spirit living inside of us empowers us to continue the supernatural ministry of Jesus on earth. This is our license to experience greater intimacy with God, press deeper into His Presence, and believe for the extraordinary works of John 14:12 to be released through our lives.
Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians by the apostle Paul
Hosting the Presence by Bill Johnson
There is More by Randy Clark
The Glory Within by Corey Russell
Even Greater by Reinhard Bonnke
Greater Works by Smith Wigglesworth