As mortal beings, we can easily get caught up in the superhero mentality when discussing Jesus and His apostles. Their life and works were so impressive that it's easy to gravitate towards what made them do things that went beyond mortality. If we're honest, there is a part in each of us that wants to be great, invincible in some way, and even better than those among us. That's why we often long for the hero and villain characters because whether you like the good or the evil, you want the powers that come with each. Jesus was the hero for many, and His apostles followed in His steps. They, indeed, were great men of God, and we should strive to be like them in every way.
That's why we must also look at the part of them that matters to God above all the great works they did on earth. Their greatest assets were not the abundance of works they did for those in the world; their abilities reflected who they were in the Spirit. Knowing who they were in the Spirit is the key to being like them. They were anointed by God, not just to have the power to heal or cast out devils, but because they cared about the condition of their hearts more than their works. Their relationships with God were more important than the miracles.
They became great because they loved God first, had faith in Him, walked in His righteousness, and remained humble before Him. These things are what gave them super abilities in the Spirit and among people. They knew God intimately and sacrificed their lives for His gospel, so pleasing God first was their top priority, not the works.
It's easy to think the things they did are what pleased God, so we strive to imitate them. That's why we often go after the great deeds of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament first. But that's not the first thing we should seek when wanting to be used by God.
Today, I challenge every desire in you and ask you to examine your heart to see the real intent behind these desires. As a young preacher, my focus was always on getting stronger in God so that I could do all the amazing works in the Bible, as the Book of Acts shows us. I did not understand the problems that arose with those prayers. You can't do powerful works for God when you're full of pride, lust, unbelief, and unrighteousness. God guards His secrets very well, and His genuine desire is to raise us to be a righteous, clean vessels that He can use for His glory. When He is glorified, we are glorified with Him, which means our life is not our own, but we belong to Him.
What made Jesus so great?
Jesus was great for sure, but He was great because He was full of love, truth, righteousness, peace, life, hope, and much more. All of these things have to do with the condition of His heart. His every desire was to please His Father. He did the works of God because He loved God and obeyed Him. It was His faithfulness that was on display, not just His works.
His mind was free of sin because His heart was filled with truth, not lies. His desire was clean, and whether He was seen among people doing great things or suffering for the will of God, He didn't deny God from using Him as a vessel that honored God. Jesus didn't just count doing miracles as a supernatural ability; He also counted His faithfulness to obey everything His Father told Him as a superpowerful work of God. His genuine desire was to please His Father in heaven and on earth. That wasn't just doing miracles but also living a life of righteousness.
I must say I spent most of my life ignorant of what matters to God. But now that God has revealed these things to me, you can keep the fame and the glory of men on the earth; I want to please the Lord and hear the celebration of heaven as I commit my life to Him in everything I do.
Today, I ask you to join me in serving God this way. That's what Jesus was all about, and I know this now because He showed it to me and told me to follow Him on the same path. Living life is so much better when your heart is clean, and you do it for the right reasons.
The power of God rests in righteousness and true holiness because that's how He creates you in His image and likeness. (Ephesians 4:24) If you want to be great in God, you must learn how to put off the old and put on the new. Jesus and His apostles were not great because they loved their lives and did things their way; they were great because they were made new in the gift of God, followed the words of Christ, and continued in righteousness. From sincerity and truth, they worked the works of God, and that's why they are considered among us today as God's superheroes.