What Jesus Needed To Fulfill His Destiny — And You Do Too
Though Jesus was fully God, He had set aside His deity to become a man, and as a result, He could only accomplish His call by the power of the Spirit. Just like us, He was completely dependent upon the Spirit for all He did during His life on earth. This is why the Father needed to anoint Jesus with the supernatural power of the Spirit in preparation for His earthly ministry.
Acts 10:38 clearly explains the origin of Jesus’ earthly ministry:
You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
At His baptism, Jesus was anointed and empowered to do the good works of His Father’s Kingdom. In this passage, the Greek word euergeteo , which is translated as “doing good,” can also mean “to bestow benefits.” By the power of the Spirit, Jesus bestowed the benefits of the Kingdom on all He met.
In His humanity, like us, Jesus needed the anointing power of the Holy Spirit to carry on the work God had assigned to Him.
Though Jesus did have a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit from childhood (see Luke 2:52), as far as we know, it does not seem that He had any special power or abilities until the moment when the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove.
This was the crucial moment in Jesus’ life, the moment when He stepped into His role as Messiah and Savior of the world. Only through the anointing of the Holy Spirit could He fulfill His destiny on earth.
The same is true for us.
Not only does the Father have the same love and approval for us as He did for Jesus, but He also empowers us with His Spirit to do the work of the Kingdom. In our humanity, we need the same anointing Jesus received.
And, as Jesus taught, the empowerment of His followers to do all He did (and more) has been God’s plan from the beginning (see John 14:12). Just as Jesus’ work of redemption on the cross was only possible through the Holy Spirit, so too, our work in expanding the Kingdom of God on earth is only possible by God’s Spirit.
When Jesus returned to Heaven, His job description became ours. He commissioned His followers to take His Kingdom into all the earth, and He sent His Spirit to make it possible.
Our individual parts in fulfilling Christ’s commission are only possible when, like Jesus, we experience the two aspects of His baptism—the love and approval of the Father and the empowerment of the Spirit for good works.
When we are embraced by our Father’s arms, secured in our identity as His beloved children, and when we are overshadowed by His dove, then we will be ready to minister His good news to the world.
This is an excerpt from my new book Loved Like Jesus.
I wrote it because I want you to experience the deep love that your heavenly Father has for you. Living from this reality as a much loved son or daughter, you can rest in a confident connection with Him and experience abundant living and lasting freedom.
Order my book today for yourself and an extra copy for a friend, your pastor and/or your small group.
Thanking Him for you,
Vikki
