Good Monday morning (6.21.11),

At some point in their walk, every believer asks a certain question. It’s a simple question as well as a loaded question: What am I supposed to be doing for God?

The answer, like the query, is at the same time extremely clear and incredibly complicated. There is a roadmap we can follow but each one of us must determine how our own life fits on that map.

This particular question is often preceded by several similar ones: Who am I now that I’m in Christ? What do I look like now that I’m a new creation?

What am I supposed to be doing?

Jesus actually answered this question in several ways. The answers direct us to an exciting and fulfilling future. They remove the confusion, cancel the doubt and light the path so we can find it in a dark world.

Jesus told his followers, “Go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you…” (Mat. 28:19-20). “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…” (John 14:12). He gave us “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18).

He described the signs that would characterize their lives because they believed: they would cast out demons, heal the sick, speak in new tongues, successfully resist poisonous attempts on their lives.

We are believers. We are His followers. So, studying the words of Jesus, we see there are expectations and plans for us to carry out. Because our Lord said we should do everything that had been observed, to teach others the same thing, and that signs and wonders would follow us, we understand that the same ministry assigned to Jesus has also been assigned to us.

Now, Jesus came as the lamb slain from the beginning of the world. We are not the sacrifice. That has already been made. But we are His body on this earth. We have the same commission He had: to spread the Gospel, to tell the good news, to reconcile a lost world to the Father’s love.

How do we do that? The same way Jesus did. We can find and read and follow the same road map that Jesus followed. It is found in Isaiah 61.

We must be sure that the spirit of the Lord is upon us, just as it was upon Jesus. The dove came and dwelt with Jesus as a representation of how it would be with His body. He went to the Father so He could send the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to anoint us with power from on high so we could be His witnesses.

In order to do what we are called to do – the same thing Jesus did on this earth – we need power just like He did! Because we are anointed with the same Spirit, we can do the same works.

First, we are anointed to preach the gospel. We have been given the same fiery Spirit that filled Peter at Pentecost when he preached a mighty sermon and over 3,000 people were saved. We need to come to the place where we understand it’s not our lightning fast mind that draws people to the Gospel. It’s the presence of God, and His presence resides in the anointing!

Second, we are anointed to bind up and heal the brokenhearted. God’s love, when it flows through us, touches and makes well the sad, the lonely, the rejected, the fallen, the hopeless. It requires an anointing to release God’s love to people, because that kind of love does not naturally reside in the human heart. We are selfish creatures by the flesh nature. Only God’s Spirit, His presence abiding in us, will touch and change hurting people.

Third, we are sent to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Lost humanity has been taken captive by the devil to do his will upon this earth. We proclaim liberty to the captives in two primary ways: we introduce them to the One who paid the price for their release and we take our authority over evil spirits and command them to leave those who have been demonized.

Isn’t this what Jesus did? Aren’t we promised that we would do everything He did and even greater things? Can we do this by our own great intellect and power? No! We need an anointing. We must have it to fulfill our purpose.

In addition, we are to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, to comfort and bring joy to those who mourn. This is our job description. Each one of us is called to this work.

Dottie recently said, “We need a change in people’s hearts…an awakening.”

How does such a change happen? Because everyday Christians become what they are called to be.

Pastor Carl said, “If you will start believing it, then you will start acting it.”

Will you and I, by faith, do what we are called to do? Will we take our place in the mighty kingdom, wielding the sword that has been forged, honed and sharpened just for us?

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Is. 60:1-2

Laurie Gross