November 2012

You Can Change The World Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 One only has to watch the news or pick up a paper to see that the world we live in is in turmoil. The problems that we see – war, famine, natural disasters – seem so big that they dwarf us. Is it possible for you or I to really turn the tide of sorrow that we see around us? You may have found yourself asking, “What can I do? I’m only one person.” And this is true. By ourselves, you and I could never come close to solving the kind of problems that we see around us: both near and far. But thankfully, we are not by ourselves!  In John 14, Jesus speaks to His disciples. He assures them that He is going to the Father on their behalf, and because of this, they will have power to do great things. In fact they will have power to do greater things then He Himself was doing. We find record of some of these great things in the book of Acts: as Peter walked by, sick people were laid out in the streets in order that his shadow might fall on them and heal them (5:12); handkerchiefs that Paul had touched were sent to the sick, so that their diseases left them and evil spirits were cast out (19:11,12).  We have all read and heard about Jesus healing people, but this normally required a touch! But these apostles were healing with shadows and handkerchiefs! They weren’t able to do this because they were special – they are no more special than us. They were able to do these great things, because they were tapping into the power of God: this same power is available to us now! Can I change the world? No! Can I change the world with God’s power? The answer is an emphatic: YES!

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