In word and deed

After Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended upon him, and immediately led him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Following his temptation, Luke 4:14 tells us that Jesus returned to Galilee “In the power of the spirit” and began his ministry. In Matthew 4:23 we are given an overview of what the majority of his ministry consisted of:

“Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.”

The ministry of Jesus consisted primarily of two components: To proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, and to perform miracles. Ultimately these two components were really one and the same, since both of them actually fell under the heading of “proclaiming the gospel.” Essentially the ministry of Jesus consisted of preaching the good news of God’s kingdom both in word and in deed. We can see this in Luke 24:19, where Jesus is described as a prophet who was “mighty in deed and word” – because both His words and his actions mightily declared the reality, power and goodness of the kingdom of God.

The tendency of most of us when we read about the ministry of Jesus is to think something like, “Yes, but that was Jesus – we could never do those things.” What makes this worse is the fact that there are many people both in the church and out, who help us believe this way. But the fact of the matter is that, in John 14:12 Jesus said that EVERYONE who believed in him would do the very same things he did in his ministry:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”

Notice that the reason Jesus gave for this promise was, “because I go to the father” – he was referring to the fact that once he returned to the father he would pour out the Holy Spirit upon them. (John 7:39, 16:7) Even though the church has come up with a number of well thought-out reasons why this statement can’t possibly be true, it still is true. Jesus fully intended for all those who believed in him to take part in the same ministry that He started – of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God in word and deed. Unfortunately, through the lies of the enemy and our own unbelief, the church has let go of this promise Jesus made, becoming content to let a few people do the “preaching” and most of that in word only.

In Matthew 21:43 Jesus said the kingdom of God would be given to a people who would produce its fruit. And when you think about it, there are only two ways you can bear the fruit of the kingdom of God in other peoples lives – by what you say or by what you do. You can think nice, helpful, wishful, even powerful thoughts about people all you want, but until you actually say something to them, or do something for them, you will not bring forth fruit of the kingdom of God in their lives.

As you think about your own life today, focus on the promise Jesus made in John 14:12. Forget anything you may have heard to the contrary, and choose instead to believe that Jesus intended you to bring forth the fruit of the kingdom “in word and deed.” Then, as you go through your day, keep your eyes open for the opportunities – they’re everywhere!