Kingdom Confirmations (Part 1): Greater Heights
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greater heights
There are things that don’t make sense to our “natural mind”, but in order to move forward, we have to leave them behind.
Think back to when you first learned to ride a bike without training wheels. You’d seen other people ride their bikes without them so you knew it could be done. And yet, when it came time for you to try, you had trouble wrapping your mind around it.
Those training wheels brought security, stability…they were “safe”. But you knew that in order to fully experience what it meant to ride a bike, you were going to have to let go of the very thing that kept you grounded.
That’s the dynamic that Jesus’ disciples experienced.
His disciples were constantly hit with truths that challenged their way of thinking. Jesus taught them that “greatness wasn’t found in a life of self-achievement, but in a life of serving others” (Matthew 23:11).
He said that “in order to find your life, you’d have to lose it” (Matthew 10:39). One claim after another, Jesus taught us —
God’s Kingdom operates in unexpected ways.
One of the most unexpected things Jesus shared is found in John 14:12 (NIV), where Jesus said:
“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.”
Here’s what we have to understand…
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are the completed & perfect work of God. In Christ, we’ve been given “the foundation of our salvation”. A rock-solid foundation that cannot be undone & cannot be shaken. However—
there is a greater work.
The “greater work” is Jesus’ invitation to have God remove our training wheels. It’s our opportunity to listen to the reassuring voice of the Father as He pushes us into the full experience of the ride of faith.
With Jesus as our Blueprint & the Holy Spirit as our Guide, we have all the help we need to do all that God the Father has Approved. We have been entrusted, equipped, and empowered to go further than ever before. To take the mission of Jesus—
To greater heights.
no limits
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock [Jesus]
…the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”
Jesus makes it clear that building a life in the Kingdom is a two-fold process. It’s about hearing & doing. We have to continually grow in our ability to listen & respond to God’s leading.
God speaks in a number of ways. Through His Living Word (the Bible), through powerful thought impressions, through other people, and so on. Sometimes He brings us simple truths, other times they’re more difficult to accept.
true power comes in embracing both.
Learn to embrace the full measure of what God has to offer. Don’t ignore anything but explore everything. When you lean into all the Lord has to say to you—
there’s no limit to what he can do.
simple truth
One of the more frustrating things in life is to witness somebody who wastes their God-given talent. It’s such a common occurrence, there’s hardly a day that passes in which we don’t see or read about it. We see it all the time in others and yet—
rarely see it in ourselves.
“…Now teach these truths to other trustworthy [faithful] people who will be able to pass them on to others.”
2 Timothy 2:2 | NLT
“God is not looking for people of ability; He is looking for people of availability.
The reason God doesn’t need people of ability is because He has all ability. All He needs is someone who’s available so He can make them able for ministry. That’s it.”
-Pastor Robert Morris | The Assignment
Look at the original disciples Jesus called into His ministry. These people became the foundation of the Church, the Body of Christ. They weren’t chosen for their wealth of talent; they were chosen for their wealth of willingness.
they were deep wells for Jesus to draw from.
God has never wasted a single moment worrying about your capabilities, and neither should you. God does not need, nor is He asking for your ability.
He’s simply asking for your availability.
The simple truth is, God isn’t calling you to try out for a part “you think” He wants you to play. He’s calling you to be a part of a life He called—
“The Way”.
Difficult truth
Seeing a baby drink out of a bottle is one of those simple & sweet pictures in life.
But imagine how “unpleasant” it would be to watch an adult imitate the very same thing. At least spiritually speaking, that was what the author of Hebrews witnessed. Hebrews 5:12-14 (NLT) says:
“You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word.
You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.
Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
God wants to give you something more to “chew on”. Something that’s going to take time to digest. When we refuse to shy away from what God is revealing to us, His Word produces something powerful in & through us.
“So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding…
God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”
If we’re going to press into all God has for us, we’re going to need “our circuit box” repaired by His Hands. Ask God to rewire anything in you that’s spiritually short-circuited. Let Him rearrange the dynamic of your relationship according to His Will.
Remember, that which comes easy also tends to leave easy. Easy come, easy go. Recognize that God is drawing you into a deeper level of understanding & experience in your faith-journey.
This path was never intended to be one in which we “play it safe”. Journeying with Jesus can seem like an impossibly difficult & dangerous adventure. But—
it’s the only adventure worth taking.
confirm your calling
“Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
When Jesus told His disciples they would do “greater things”, He told them it was “because He was going to the Father.” The disciples, at that time, could not understand how “Jesus leaving them” could possibly be a good thing.
But now we know why.
Jesus going to the Father meant the Spirit of Truth would come. And when His Spirit came to dwell in His disciples, the Church of Christ was born. The ministry of Jesus was made mobile.
Through His People, this power has just kept going. And as it’s kept going, the Church has kept growing. The greater works were extended to the original disciples & now they’ve been entrusted to our care.
“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Continue in good works of faith to create a “rich welcome” for the day the Lord brings you to your heavenly home. You have been taught so that you can teach others. You’ve been blessed so that you can be a blessing.
Be the living sacrifice you’ve been called to be.
We serve an Eternal God. Meaning, the work may “be finished”, but it has also just begun. The Lord has given you His Affirmation.
let your life be the confirmation.
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today’s Takeaways
God’s Kingdom operates in unexpected ways.
Be a deep well for Jesus to draw from.
Live a life that confirms your calling.