I’ve been thinking about translating some of my books to Portuguese for awhile, and some people have asked for them. I was planning to do it eventually, but it wasn’t top priority. Translating is a lot of work.

On Sunday I was feeling pretty exhausted and a bit discouraged. It’s funny how the Lord sometimes tells you to do something when you feel like you’re at your weakest. He is good at helping you get your focus off of yourself. I started to think about writing a book in Portuguese. It felt like God touched the top of my head and strengthened me, and I started weeping. So I downloaded a Portuguese language pack for word, turned on auto-correct, and started writing that night. I’m already on the second chapter. Now I’m not translating a book, but I’m writing a fresh one in Portuguese.

Today I was working on writing testimonies of how several friends started ministering healing. The stories set my heart on fire afresh, especially Kevin Peterson’s testimony which I had just written.

The Holy Spirit’s Work Tonight

Tonight I went to a meeting at somebody’s house, with my heart burning. Somebody told me to prepare and asked me to preach. I started thinking about what I was going to say. When somebody asks me to preach, I see myself sharing the message and imagine what I am going to say. I was going to share from a few verses of John fourteen and then share several of the testimonies I was writing today.

However, I had to take my daughter home because she fell asleep and my wife got home from work. My wife leaves early and often gets home later, after 8 pm. Then since she hadn’t eaten, I went to get her some food while she was holding Rebekah. So by the time I got back to the meeting, that had gotten somebody else to share.

At the end of the meeting, a friend asked me to pray because she had a headache. It left quickly. Then she pointed out some other people who needed to be healed, and we saw a few different people healed, also quickly. One was an elderly lady with pain in her legs, so much that she had been hospitalized. When the pain left her legs, I asked her to touch her toes. She began to protest, explaining why she couldn’t, but then she did.

You should have seen the shock on her face! She covered her mouth in awe, and it got everybody’s attention. We started talking and proclaiming God’s mighty works. Then most of us walked a block away to visit another elderly lady who had oxygen tubes. We ministered to her, and she felt every symptom disappear.

Surely the knowledge of Jesus will fill Brazil as the waters cover the seas! There is a revolution going on of ordinary people doing the works of Jesus, and we are pushing to spread this revolution in Brazil. Mindsets opposed to the manifestation of Christ through the church have infected many people’s thinking. It takes grace to teach people where they’ve missed the truth, and build up and encourage them at the same time. Sometimes as I speak I am directly contradicting what somebody else just said!

Here is the short and simple message I was going to share tonight and then illustrate with testimonies. Perhaps this look at John 14 will help you to explain to others how to minister with authority. I’m sure it will strengthen you as it is strengthening me right now.

Do You Believe You’re In Jesus And He Is In You?

John 14:11-12 (NIV)  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 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.

Do we believe this promise? How many people did Jesus raise from the dead? How many paralytics did he heal? How many deaf ears did he open? How many have you opened? Those who believe in Jesus will do the same works and greater.

Who did Jesus say would do the same works and greater? Did He say “My Father in heaven will do the same works as I do and greater?” No, He said “My Father is working in me, and those who believe will do the same works and greater.” He said you would do the works, if you believe.

Believe what? Believe in Jesus. And what does Jesus do? He makes us righteous and joins us to the Father. He makes us one with God in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:17 (NIV) But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

Jesus said He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. That was how He did his mighty works. According to scripture, if you believe in Jesus, you are in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:1) and Jesus is in you. (Galatians 2:20, Colossians 1:27). That is how we do mighty works.

Don’t just believe in Jesus’ existence. Trust in Him. Hang your life on Him. Be joined to God through Him

Do you believe you are in Jesus and Jesus is in you? If so, you will lay your hands on that person and speak. You will speak the very words of God.

1 Peter 4:11 (NIV)  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 

We have tried serving God with our strength, but it is impossible to do the things that Jesus did with our strength. If we are going to do the same works and greater, we must serve with the strength God provides. That is only possible if we know we are in Jesus and He is in us. God has given us the command to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. (Matthew 10:8) He provides the strength. We do it.

If you don’t believe you are in Jesus and He is in you, you won’t do it. You will ask God to do it. You will try to serve God with merely human strength. And you will live in powerless “christianity.” But if you serve with the strength God provides, people will be left in awe and God will be praised in everything through Jesus and through Jesus’ body, the church. People will praise God because of you and because of the manifestation of Jesus through us.

If you believe you are in Jesus and Jesus is in you, you will do what Jesus did and talk like Jesus talked. You will act, knowing that we the church are Christ’s body and the fullness of God on earth. If you don’t believe you are in Jesus and He is in you, you will ask God to do it.

Where is God’s hand? It’s on your arm. Christ is the head and we are his body. So stretch out your hand and do the works of Jesus.

Look at Luke 8:40-56. A man came to Jesus because his daughter was dying. Then people came and said “It’s too late. She’s dead.”

What did Jesus say? Did he say “We don’t understand now why the Father took that little girl, but we will understand someday. She’s in heaven now.” Did Jesus use human rationale to try to make sense of the situation? No. How did Jesus speak?

Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid.” Jesus said, “She’s not dead but sleeping.” Then Jesus said, “Little girl, get up.” What did Jesus do? He took her hand.

Do you talk like Jesus talked? You will if you believe you are in Him and He is in you. You will speak the very words of God. And if you believe, you will do the same works as Jesus did, and even greater works.