YOU WILL SEE GREATER THINGS THAN THESE

Jesus said, “You will see greater things than these.” Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending…” (John 1:50, 51)

As City Revival AG Church is entering into third year of ministry, God has given three promises found in John 1:50, 51. Greater Things-Open Heaven-Ministry of Angels. This is the Jesus’ first personal word of promise. It is no insignificant promise, but full of the largest conceivable meaning. There is room for boundless expectation in the words.

THREE PROMISES
1. GREATER THINGS THAN THESE
Nathaniel found out that Jesus was omniscient when Jesus said, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree even before Philip had called you.” Jesus also read his mind and heart and said, “You are a true Israelite in whom is no guile”. Jesus knows everything. He is omniscient. Now Jesus seems to be saying to him, “You have seen my omniscience and from now on you will see my omnipotence.” You will see my power over nature, diseases, demons, death etc. You will see me turning water into wine, feeding the 5000, walking on the water, healing the lame and raising the dead.
Dearly beloved, you would have seen and experienced God in certain dimensions in the past years. From now on, you would see “greater things,” because you would see more of the Godhead. Did you see his omniscience? You shall see his omnipotence. Did you discover that he could read your heart? You shall learn that he can change your heart. Did you find that his eye could glance into the secrets of your soul? You shall find his word casting out demons, and healing the sick, and hushing the tempests.

2. OPEN HEAVEN

An “Open Heaven” is where there’s a nearness of Heaven to earth. There’s a sense of God’s manifest presence (Isaiah 64:1-3). When the heavens are open, we will receive heavenly power. Jesus saw heavens open and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove (Mark 1:10). With the power of the Holy Spirit, he overcame the temptations, cast out demons, healed the sick and preached the gospel (Acts 10:38: Luke 4:18). The Lord will full us also with that power and use us for His glory!

When the heavens are open, we will see heavenly visions and revelations. Ezekiel, Stephen, Peter and John all saw an open heaven (Ezekiel 1:1; Acts 7:56; 10: 11; Rev. 4: 1,2; 19:11). They had visions about the knowledge of God, about God’s plan for their lives and ministry and about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord will give visions to us also.

When the heavens are open, we will receive heavenly provisions. The Bible tells us that God opened heaven to provide miraculous provision to the nation of Israel during its wilderness wanderings. ‘He gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven’ (Ps 78:23-24). Israel’s destiny was to live in Canaan under open heaven and continue a lifestyle of faith. ‘The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands.’ (Deut. 28:12).

3. MINISTRY OF ANGELS

Angels are actively involved in the lives of God’s people. The ranks of the holy angels include martial angels, ministering angels,and messenger angels.

There are messenger angels who came to priests like Zacharias, and to people like Elizabeth and Mary (Luke 1:13, 18, 19, 28, 30, 35). They bring good news and message of hope and encouragement. There are ministering angels such as those who came to apostles like Peter and Paul to deliver them (Acts 5, 12:7-10, 27:23), who care for little children (Matt. 18:10), who came to Christ in the wilderness and the Garden (Mark 1:13; Luke 22:43), and who are concerned for Children of God (Psalm 91:11). There are martial angels who do battle against God’s human foes. Angels are magnificent creatures, not at all like the tiny, childlike cherubs that we see in some art. Their power is so great that just one angel was able to destroy 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (2 Kings 19:35). One angel struck Herod and he was eaten by worms (Acts 12: 21-23). These angels fight against Satan as described in Daniel and Revelation (Rev. 12:7).

There is no doubt that the angels help protect (Daniel 6:20-23; 2 Kings 6:13-17), reveal information (Acts 7:52-53; Luke 1:11-20), guide (Matthew 1:20-21; Acts 8:26), provide for (Genesis 21:17-20; 1 Kings 19:5-7), and minister to believers in general (Hebrews 1:14). We will experience the ministry of these angels in the coming days!

THREE CONDITIONS
The promises in John 1:50 and 51 were primarily given to Nathanael. We see some characteristics in this man which moved Jesus to give him the above word of promise.
1. BE A PERSON WITHOUT GUILE
The moment Jesus set eyes on Nathanael, He said, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”The word translated “guile” here is the same word used in Genesis 27:35 to convey the idea of guile or subtlety. Genesis 27 tells us of Jacob’s guile. Jesus used the same word Isaac did when He described Nathanael as an Israelite in whom was no subtlety or guile. John 1:47 has frequently been paraphrased, “Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no Jacob!” Nathanael was an Israelite singularly free from the guile, crookedness, and subtlety of Jacob.
We must get rid of all malice and guile (1 Pet. 2:1). Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile (Ps. 32:2). There should be no craftiness, no deception, no double-dealing, no falsehood, no fraudulence, no hypocrisy found in our lives (1 Thess. 2:3; 1 Pet. 2:22; Rev. 14:5).
2. BE A PERSON OF GOD’S WORD
Nathanael was a great searcher of the Scripture and a scholar in the law and the prophets. It could be inferred that Nathanael had been reading his Bible when Jesus saw him under the fig tree. The Lord now referred to Genesis 28:12, apparently the chapter and the verse upon which Nathanael had been meditating. Philip told Nathanael, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth.” Probably the two friends had often pored over the Old Testament Scriptures together, searching out the many prophecies concerning the coming of Christ. Since Nathanael knew from the Scriptures that Messiah would come from Judea, he raised a legitimate question- Can anything good come out of Nazareth? We must be like Bereans in searching the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). We must also ask ‘What does the Bible say?” concerning every issue of our life (Rom. 4:3; 10:8; 11:2).
3. BE A PERSON OF FAITH
Nathanael recognized Jesus as Son of God and King of Israel and put his faith in Him. He became a sincere follower and disciple of Jesus till the end. Faith is the key to receive the promises of God. Jesus said, “Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23). We can inherit the promises of God through faith (Heb. 6:11, 12). May the Lord bless everyone with the blessings given above!!

By My Spirit

Zechariah 4:6

The world-renowned evangelist Dr. Billy Graham once beautifully said, ‘you need the Lord Jesus for your eternal life and the Holy Spirit for your internal life.’ Every believer in Jesus Christ needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18). It is impossible to live victoriously and serve the Lord effectively without relying on the Holy Spirit’s power. The divine standard that God has set for Christian living and service is so high that it is impossible to reach that standard without the enabling ministry of the Holy Spirit. Human ability and human genius are quite inadequate. It is “not my might nor by power; but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty (Zechariah 4:6)! Let us see briefly the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

1. He is the SECRET of the Christian’s victory
   The Christian life should not be one of failure but a life of victory and triumph. The One who lives this life out in us is the Holy Spirit, so that we are able, through His empowering to be victorious over sin, self and Satan. The Bible says, `live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Gal. 5:16). Days are becoming more and more difficult to live holy. But God has made full provision for a victorious life in giving us His Spirit. Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8 brings the ministry of the Holy Spirit to believers into clear focus. Prior to this chapter, the Holy Spirit is mentioned only one other time in the entire epistle (Romans 5:5). But here in chapter 8, he is referred to nearly 19 times. Paul says that the Holy Spirit frees us, enables us, revives us, leads us, bears witness for us, intercedes for us and makes us more than conquerors (8:2, 4, 11, 13-15, 26, 37).He transforms us more and more like Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18). By His Spirit, we have victory!
2. He is the SPRING of the Christian’s joy
   The Holy Spirit brings joy unspeakable. He is called the oil of joy, the oil of gladness (Isaiah 61:3; Psalms 45:7; 1 Peter 1:8). He turns our mourning into dancing. He lives within us to make us joyful, happy, radiant people. One of the fruit of the Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22). The disciples were filled with joy in the midst of adverse circumstances because of their walk in the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:41; 13:52; 16:25). The Holy Spirit comes in to lubricate your spiritual life, to make this life interesting and exciting. The Christian life will become a frustrating religion without the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, ‘The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking…but it is joy in the Holy Spirit’ (Romans 14:17)!By His Spirit, we have great joy!
3. He is the SOURCE of the Christian’s knowledge
   Jesus said, `the Holy Spirit will teach you all things’ (John 14: 26). The Holy Spirit is the best teacher of the bible because he is the author (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16). The Holy Spirit teaches us all that we need to know concerning our walk and our work, what we are and what we are to do (John 16:13). This does not mean we don’t need people and study materials. The Holy Spirit will turn all information into inspiration. When we study the Bible with the help of the Spirit, He will open your eyes to get a grasp of His Word (Neh. 9:20,30). He will illuminate our minds to understand the difficult passages of the Scriptures (Eph. 1:17, 18). He will quicken our understanding and give revelations from the Word of God. He will teach us comparing the spiritual things with the spiritual (1 Cor. 2:13; 1 John 2:27). How wonderful to have the divine Teacher instructing and guiding us into the truth, in order to please the Lord.By His Spirit, we have deep understanding of God’s Word!
4. He is SUCCOURER of the Christian’s Faith
   The Bible says that we are to live by faith (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 11:6). Therefore the Devil attacks our faith (Luke 22:31-32). We are subject to many trials and temptations, overwhelmed by sorrow (John 16:33), but the Holy Spirit is within us to succour us at such times.The Holy Spirit is called a Helper (John 14:26). One of His primary helps is in the area of prayer, because we are all weak in it. We do not know at times what to and how to pray for. In those times, the Holy Spirit not only helps is in our prayer but also intercedes for us and through us (Rom. 8:26, 27). Apostle Peter who faltered in his faith and failed in his prayer life (Matthew 26:40; 69-74) became a mighty man of faith and prayer after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 3:1, 6). By His Spirit, we become mighty in faith and prayer!
5. He is the STRENGTH of the Christian’s Service and Ministry
   We are all saved to serve, but Christian service is impossible in our own strength. In Old Testament times God called people to serve Him, giving them special anointing of the Holy Spirit to make them effective in service. Bezalel was filled with the Spirit of God and so he became an extraordinarily skilled craftsman (Exo. 35:30, 35). Daniel and Joseph prospered in the strange lands which were hostile to their holy convictions because the excellent Spirit of God was upon them (Dan. 5:11; 6:3; Gen. 49:23-25; 41:38). Yes, when you are filled with the Spirit, you will be able to do your work exceptionally and extraordinarily well. A spirit-filled doctor will treat better, a Spirit-filled engineer will build better, a Spirit-filled teacher will teach better and a Spirit-filled student will study better! When a person is filled with the Spirit of God, even his seniors and superiors will come to him for counsel and guidance (Gen. 41:37-40).
   The Lord Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit when He began His public ministry (Luke 3:21-22; 4:18). The last recorded words of Jesus before His ascension was the promise of the Spirit’s power for global evangelization (Acts 1:8). About the early Christians we read, `they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly’ (Acts 4:31). The Spirit-filled believers are powerful means in the hands of God to convince and convict the sinners (Acts 2:36, 37). The Holy Spirit gives us the courage, charisma and charismata (spiritual gifts- 1 Cor. 12: 7-11) to witness for Him. He empowers us to emancipate those who are under the bondage of sin, sickness and Satan (Acts 10:38). Hegives us strength and power to accomplish God’s purpose in our lives. By His Spirit, we shall do valiantly (Psalm 60:12; 108:13)!