“DO WHAT JESUS DID”
(**NOTE: As I shared earlier, the framework of “Be With Jesus, Become Like Jesus, Do What Jesus Did” is taken from John Mark Comer’s teaching series “Practicing The Way“. I have learned so much from John Mark; North Star would not exist without his influence. But more than any other day, today’s layout is borrowed heavily from his teaching: “Do What Jesus Did“**).
Have you ever considered the number of good deeds that Jesus accomplished?
Mark 1 describes a day early in the ministry of Jesus. During those 24 hours, Jesus taught in a local synagogue, impressed his listeners more than any other teacher they ever heard, performed an exorcism, healed Peter’s mother-in-law (as well as every sick and demon-possessed person in the entire town), woke up before dawn the next morning, spent time in solitude with God, gained clarity and perspective on his calling, and led his disciples to a new town for ministry.
Not bad for one of his first days as a rabbi.
Have you ever considered the number of good deeds that Jesus accomplished?
John Mark Comer lists ten activities that filled the life of Jesus: “Preaching the gospel, teaching the way, healing, casting out demons, eating and drinking with people far from God, doing justice, peacemaking, praying, prophesying, and standing up against religious and political corruption.” (from the teaching “Practicing the Way“)
At the end of the gospel of John, after describing dozens of actions and teachings of Jesus, John says there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25 ESV)
Don’t ever say that Jesus was boring.
MORE THAN POSITIVE VIBES
Much of our 30-day journey has been focused upward and inward. We’ve learned who God is and his plan for all of creation (upward). We’ve discovered how he wants to transform our hearts, minds, and lives (inward).
Over the past few days, we learned that we bear fruit by being with Jesus and becoming like Jesus.
Don’t ever say that Jesus was boring.
Because of this focus, it is possible to fall into the trap that the primary goal of our relationship with God is for us to experience zen-like positive vibes.
But God has bigger plans. The goal of our upward focus (being with Jesus) and inward transformation (becoming like Jesus) is outward action. God wants us to bear fruit by doing what Jesus did.
APPRENTICES OF JESUS
A few years ago, my friend Jon began an apprenticeship with an electrician. I didn’t know it at the time, but becoming an electrician is intense.
The state of Florida requires a four year, eight-thousand-hour apprenticeship to become a journeyman electrician. After that, another two or four years is required to become a master electrician. Next time you need an outlet repaired, take heart. Your electrician has as much education as your doctor.
Next time you need an outlet repaired, take heart. Your electrician has as much education as your doctor.
Jon wanted more from his internship than quality time with his boss, memories driving around in the van, or head-knowledge about electricity.
He wanted to become an electrician.
DOING WHAT JESUS DID
As followers of Jesus, we are his apprentices. One of our objectives is to learn to do what he did while on earth.
In his final speech to his disciples before going to the cross, Jesus promised that whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:12-13)
As followers of Jesus, we are his apprentices. One of our objectives is to learn to do what he did while on earth.
In these two verses, Jesus makes three staggering promises. First, his followers will do the same works Jesus did. Second, they will do greater works. Third, he will do anything they ask in his name.
This scripture is at the core of Jesus’s plan to build his church and carry his light to the world.
I’M NO SUPERMAN
It is easy to read this passage the same way we watch superhero movies.
“Wow,” we think. “What a cool idea. Wouldn’t it be neat if that were actually true? Imagine having that much power to change the world.” Then, we move on with our lives as if nothing happened.
We secretly think we’re more likely to fly than experience the miraculous power of God.
If we’re honest, most of the time we believe that Jesus’s promises are more comic-book than reality. We secretly think we’re more likely to fly than experience the miraculous power of God.
My prayer is that we would have the audacity to believe what Jesus promised.
HOW TO DO WHAT JESUS DID
Here are four ways that we can bear fruit by doing what Jesus did.
First, be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus instructed his disciples to be filled with the Holy Spirit before doing one second of ministry (see Acts 1-2:4).
When the Spirit filled the disciples, Jesus’s promise came true. They did what he did: Preached with authority, cast out demons, healed the sick, and stood up against religious corruption.
The same Spirit is available to us. As we are filled, we will walk in God’s power to fulfill his mission. (For more on this, see “Presence / Transformation / Power”)
When the Spirit filled the disciples, Jesus’s promise came true. They did what he did.
Second, keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. In John 14, Jesus connects prayer (“whatever you ask in my name, I will do”) with his mission (“whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do”). When we learned about the practice of prayer, we learned to pray with persistence.
God values endurance. Dallas Willard writes that “Jesus is actually looking for people he can trust with His power.” (The Great Omission, chapter 2) If God answered every prayer immediately, we would view him as a genie, not a Father.
Persisting in prayer is about more than giving God our wish list. It’s about God filling our hearts with more of his light, and aligning us with his kingdom vision.
Jesus is actually looking for people he can trust with His power.
Third, believe big, start small. Throughout scripture, we see that those who are faithful with what they have in their hands are trusted with more.
Joseph was faithful in prison before he was trusted to lead an empire. Moses and David supervised sheep before leading their people. Peter served fish to crowds long before preaching to them.
Jesus once said whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10 NIV). We should always expect God to do great things in our lives. But greatness comes through being faithful in the small, everyday moments.
Throughout scripture, we see that those who are faithful with what they have in their hands are trusted with more.
What need can you meet right now in your apartment complex, office, school, or neighborhood? As the old saying goes, “No one made a bigger mistake than the one who did nothing because they could only do a litte.”
Finally, be interruptible. Many of Jesus’s miracle moments happened when he was interrupted. Let’s live in awareness and expectation that God could do something amazing today.
As we practice these principles, we’ll begin to see how the Holy Spirit works through us to do what Jesus did.
NEXT STEPS
1: Over the past few weeks, we have read the gospel of Mark. As we end the journey, we want you to continue the practice of reading scripture. Spend the next few minutes and prayerfully choose another book of the Bible to read. Start reading a section a day.
2: Remember to choose one day to fast lunch this week. Spend that time seeking God.
3 Continue to pray and plan to share your testimony with the 1-2 people in your life who don’t know Jesus over the next week.
4: Text one friend one thing that you learned
Tomorrow: Week 6 – Day 5 – “My Letter To You”