Living Out Your Faith: Do What Jesus Did
How can we do what Jesus did? Francis Chan has a great illustration that explains how Christians justify disobedience. Imagine telling your kids to clean their room. They don’t get credit for thinking about it, talking about it, or even singing about it—they only get credit if they actually clean their room. In the same way, Jesus doesn’t need more people just talking about Him; He needs people who will obey Him. That’s how the world is changed!
Following Jesus in Action
Our mission is simple: Love God, love people, and make disciples. How do we make disciples? By teaching them to listen to Jesus and obey Him. A true disciple listens, obeys, and follows Jesus by being with Him, becoming like Him, and doing what He did.
Called to Do What Jesus Did
Here’s what Jesus said:
“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.” — John 14:12 (NIV)
James 2 shows us why Jesus said it… He wants us to have a living faith:
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” — James 2:26 (NIV)
The work our faith will express is love:
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself (working) through love.” — Galatians 5:6 (NIV)
Love is sacrifice:
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13 (NIV)
Why This Matters
God didn’t just save you from something—He saved you for something. You were saved from sin, destruction, death, and hell. But why? Because He loves you. He saved you for fellowship and for partnership in His Kingdom. It brings God joy when we step into what He created us for.
Your Life as a Reflection of God’s Power
Your life—your obedience—is how God displays His creative genius to the world.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Throughout history, God has used unlikely people to fulfill His purposes. The apostle Paul went from persecuting Christians to writing much of the New Testament. Today, in places like Iran, the underground church is growing rapidly, often led by those the world would least expect. God’s power is displayed through those who surrender to Him.
How You Can Live Like Jesus
Three things we need to embrace to do what Jesus did:
- Communion – Spending time with Jesus.
- Community – Living in fellowship with others.
- Commission – Walking in obedience to God’s calling.
Jesus loved people in action—by preaching and teaching, healing, casting out demons, confronting sin, feeding the hungry, and ultimately laying down His life.
Steps to Start Living This Out
- Learn your spiritual gifts and take risks. John Wimber said, ‘Faith is spelled R-I-S-K.’
- Prepare your personal gospel message—your testimony. A great testimony only needs three parts:
- Who you were before Jesus.
- What happened when you surrendered to Jesus.
- How He is changing your life now.
- Learn how to explain your encounter with God and start sharing it!
Why This Is So Important
The world is desperate for an encounter with God. Our good works are one way the world will encounter Him. When we do what Jesus did, people’s eyes will be opened to who He is.
Just as a well-cared-for tree produces good fruit, a life surrendered to Christ will reflect His goodness. When we walk in obedience, our actions point others to Jesus and bring glory to God.
A Challenge for You
Don’t let the enemy lie to you and make this about you—it’s not about how good you are, but how surrendered you are to the One who is perfectly good. God specializes in taking broken people and using them for His glory. Jesus is glorified when we do what He did.
A Prayer for Obedience
Jesus, help us to do what You did. Help us to listen, obey, and step out in faith. May our lives reflect Your love and power to the world around us. Amen.
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