The Works Of Jesus

 In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament 

The works of Jesus during His ministry are often referred to as miracles, and for good reason.  For these were the divine works of the Father through Him {Johns Account 5:19}.  The sick were healed, the hungry were fed and the dead rose from the grave.  These are the works of Jesus.  A good friend reminded me the other day that Jesus is a loving person Who loves to give.  But are these works of Jesus simply something of the past?  Not at all.  Of course, in order to understand this one needs to understand the union we share with Christ Jesus and the Father.  We know that the Father is in the Son, but the Son is also in us as well.  The apostle Paul referred to this truth in his letter to the Galatians {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  If we understand that Jesus is indeed a loving person (Present tense), it is not that far of a stretch to assume that Jesus, being in us, can accomplish His works through us.  Of course, many in the mainstream church might think this impossible, they do not understand the union we share with the Father and the Son.  Indeed, it is not beyond the Fathers reach to work His desires through His children Whom He has always been an intimate part of.  God is not just an overseer sitting on His golden throne in heaven with Jesus by His side.  From the beginning, He has been a part of us.  It is the Lord who created us in His own image {Genesis 1:27}.  It is the Father who then breathed into His creation the breath of life, giving life to our flesh formed from the dust of the earth {Genesis 2:7}.  God has been in union with us from the beginning.  Knowing this, it is easy to see that the Father will indeed work His desire through us.  And not only we who believe, but also in someone we might never think would follow the Lord.  

"I am the Grapevine.  You are the branches.  He who is remaining in Me, and I in him, this one is bringing forth much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" 

Johns Account 15: 5, Concordant New Testament 

The sticking point which many people run into is the fact that God can indeed work even in those who outwardly give no indication that they even know the Lord.  My friend was spot on, Jesus IS a loving person Who loves to give.  The reason we fail to see Christ in others is because we judge others by an outward appearance.  Your neighbor might not act like he knows the Lord, but does that disqualify him from being used by the Father?  Of course not!  We believers do not hold a monopoly on being Gods chosen, we're simply a few of the countless children of the Lord.  When I mentioned that God has been in union with us from the beginning, I was referring to all of humanity.  God did not create two types of humans, believers and non believers.  We are all created in the Fathers image.  I am reminded of the story of an American aviator taken prisoner after being shot down over North Vietnam.  This man eventually would come to be in the presence of one of the most brutal Vietnamese army commanders of the war.  Many prisoners lost their lives to his tactics.  Yet when the young aviator came to be in this brutal commanders camp something changed.  Whether out of mutual respect or a sense of morality, the young aviator was not mistreated by his Vietnamese hosts.  Indeed, he survived to return home once again.  Years later, the mans family came across a letter his wife had written during his time in Vietnam.  She prayed for her husbands safe return.  Now, I have no doubt that the Father is capable of working through what we see as the worst of humanity in order to accomplish His works.  By seeing the Father in us it is easier to see the works of the Father.  

~Scott~