John 16

“It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you.  If I go, I will send Him to you.  When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in Me; about righteousness because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.  I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.  When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” John 16:7b-13a (HCSB)

There are practical reasons why Messiah would take on flesh and dwell among us as a man.  To take mankind’s sin upon Himself, He chose to suffer in a man’s flesh.  To demonstrate that God’s Spirit was willing to inhabit and work through fleshly man, Jesus came as a man.  Jesus also chose to come as a man so that He might develop personal human relationships.  He was fully God yet fully man.

That being said, there was one limitation to Jesus in the flesh:  He could only be in one place at a time.

As important as the healing, teaching, and atoning work of Jesus was His return to Heaven, a.k.a., His Resurrection.  Jesus’ resurrection proved that His sacrifice pleased God.  It also communicated that, given we have a saving relationship with Jesus, God would be willing to raise us up as well.

The resurrection also made practical earthly ministry sense.  If Jesus “in the flesh” could only be in one place at-a-time, the gift of His Spirit would enable Jesus to be wherever a believer was.  The power of God’s Spirit, working through individual “surrendered” followers in accordance with Jesus’ Name and multiplied by thousands, was the growth catalyst for the early Church.

Jesus even told His disciples that they would accomplish more than Him.

“I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do.  And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:12-14 (HCSB)

The effectiveness of the Church draws from the ever-present power of the Spirit, acting in accordance with the Father’s will, to spread the Good News of Messiah Jesus.

Jesus ministered on earth for three short years and then ascended to the Father’s right hand.  He was One Man, serving one place at-a-time.  Today, the greater body of believers is millions-strong!  Imagine what we could do if we were equipped in His Word, empowered by His Spirit, and desired to work together!