Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (John 14:12).
It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that the disciples of Christ were to do, and are to do, greater works than Christ did. This is because He went unto the Father. What had that to do with it? Everything, because we read in John 16:7: "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."
It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that the mighty apostolic deeds were done. "But when the Comforter is come," Jesus said, "whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:26, 27). These words were gloriously fulfilled after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The disciples were filled with power and went forth, testifying of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and bearing witness to their faith. They spoke in the power of the Spirit, so that thousands were converted in a day. Our Savior did not mean that the disciples would put forth greater effort than He had, nor that they would perform more miraculous deeds, but that their work would have greater magnitude.
And so it was, and so it is today. The Savior's ministry was limited to a small country 150 miles long and 50 miles wide, yet thousands heard Him. But when the apostles went forth, millions heard, and hundreds of thousands accepted the gospel as the Holy Spirit bore witness to their hearts. It is our privilege to work for Christ in the same way today.
MEDITATION PRAYER: "O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people" (Ps. 68:35).
It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that the disciples of Christ were to do, and are to do, greater works than Christ did. This is because He went unto the Father. What had that to do with it? Everything, because we read in John 16:7: "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."
It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that the mighty apostolic deeds were done. "But when the Comforter is come," Jesus said, "whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:26, 27). These words were gloriously fulfilled after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The disciples were filled with power and went forth, testifying of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and bearing witness to their faith. They spoke in the power of the Spirit, so that thousands were converted in a day. Our Savior did not mean that the disciples would put forth greater effort than He had, nor that they would perform more miraculous deeds, but that their work would have greater magnitude.
And so it was, and so it is today. The Savior's ministry was limited to a small country 150 miles long and 50 miles wide, yet thousands heard Him. But when the apostles went forth, millions heard, and hundreds of thousands accepted the gospel as the Holy Spirit bore witness to their hearts. It is our privilege to work for Christ in the same way today.
MEDITATION PRAYER: "O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people" (Ps. 68:35).
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