Transcription
So, we're sharing this morning from John Chapter 14, verse 12: "Greater things, greater things." The Amplified Bible says, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me as Savior will also do the same the things that I do, and I will even, I will do even greater things than these."
The Amplified Bible says, "in extent and in outreach." We have to understand the dimension of what the Lord is talking about when He says "greater things." The Amplified Bible will say, "in extent and in outreach." Greater things, amongst others, speaks of extraordinary achievements. And an extraordinary achievement is something beyond what is ordinary or usual.
In Daniel chapter 11:32 B, the Living Bible says, "But the people who know their God shall be strong and do great things." And then in the New King James Version, New King James Version, it says, "But the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits." You notice two things here. The first version says they shall do great things. The second version, for the New King James version, says they shall carry out. And that already shows you that doing great things, doing exploits, is not something that is achieved from an indifferent position. You intentionally do great things. You have to use your initiative. Most times, there will be need for aggressive drive. There will be need for persistence in order for great things and greater things to be accomplished.
We also would want to make clarification. What do we really mean by "great things"? What do we really mean by "greater things"? And a scripture will help us to clear one or two things and have a better perspective of what great things and greater things really, really means.
In 2 Kings chapter 5, verse 13, 2 Kings chapter 5:13, God's Word Translation, it says, "But Naaman's servant went to him and said, 'Master, if the prophet had asked you to do some extraordinary act, wouldn't you have done it? Why shouldn't you do as he said, wash and be clean?'" In the Living Bible, he says, "His officers tried to reason with him and said, 'If the prophet had told you to do some great thing...'" Now you are seeing the same thing coming up here, "some great thing." And this will help us to differentiate the context in which the Lord is bringing this message unto us. He said, "Wouldn't you have done it? So you should simply obey him."
Him. When he says "simply." When he says "simply." Because sometimes we miss the path in our destinies to doing great things because sometimes the approach appears to be simple. Sometimes the people that God would want to use to make great things happen for you in life may be people that love to do things in a simple way. And because it is not sensational, because it is not dramatic, we miss it. And we place more value on the approach, the sensational approach that is used. And sometimes we seem not to even bother, in the long run, to see whether that sensational approach has actually produced the desired result. Because what really matters is the outcome, is the result, is the impact, is the effect, and not necessarily the approach that is used.
And one challenge that people have is that they seem to focus so much on the approach. And when the approach looks so simple, we sometimes despise it. Unknown to us that that is the path to your own breakthroughs in life. So take note of this, that for greater things to happen in your journey of life, sometimes it's going to involve a very simple process. It's going to involve an instruction to do something that appears to be very simple. Do not miss it because of its simplicity. Do not miss it because of its simplicity.
Now, what are the insights from this? Greater things is not necessarily about the use of sensational methods, dramatic methods. Achieving greater things is more about the final result. And the best result sometimes will come from a very simple process, from a very simple process and obeying a simple instruction. Achieving greater things is more about the final result, the ultimate effect, the ultimate effect, the proven impact, the proven impact, and the final outcome, the final outcome. It's about achieving far better results, far better results. It's about surpassing past records, surpassing the previous best results, surpassing the previous best standard.
And right here in our cycle in Africa, we need to always re-emphasize the issue of standards. And the church also needs to always emphasize the issue of standards. So doing greater things will involve surpassing the previous best standard that exists anywhere in the world as regards that particular thing that needs to be done. It also involves surpassing the previous best record that anyone has set and achieved in that same realm. It's about surpassing the highest global standards.
And then greater things has to do with outstanding improvements, outstanding improvements, outstanding improvements. Improvements that are better than the current best. When you succeed in achieving outstanding improvements that are far better than the current best, then of course, whoever says you have done a great thing is not flattering you or exaggerating the quality of what you have achieved. Greater things is about outstanding inventions and innovations, inventions and innovations that will solve big problems, big problems.
Greater things. And in going forward, you are going to also, you will need wisdom in order for you to do greater things. There are certain inventions that can expose your life to danger if you are the inventor. So we need to also understand that for certain greater things, things that God may give you the privilege to achieve in life, you are going to need a lot of wisdom. And sometimes you will need to partner with institutions in order to be protected. If you attempt to go that route alone as an individual, even if it sees the light of day, the person may be taken out. So you may need to partner with powerful institutions. And it's so, it appears as if it's that institution that has come up with the invention or with the product. Sometimes there is a way you will still be given the credit, but it is safer to partner with an institution in order for the thing to even see the light of day.
So doing greater things is going to involve, above all, God also taking you to a deeper level of wisdom. Can that man who is ready for it say a powerful amen? Can that woman who is ready for it say a powerful amen? You will need wisdom. You will need wisdom in order to do greater things. Samson was destined to do greater things, but he lacked wisdom. And because of that, he was easily taken out many, many years before his time.
So greater things is about inventions and innovations that will solve big problems, that will make things far better, far better for some people concerning certain needs, or for humanity in general.
In John chapter 14, verse 12, from the Amplified Bible, you see an insight of what greater things also implies. He says, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me as Savior will also do the things that I do, and he will do even greater things than these." Then the Amplified Bible says, "in extent and in outreach." So when the Lord is saying "greater things," it means in extent, in outreach. So it's about achieving more extensive reach and impact with a particular thing that you are doing, achieving more extensive global reach and global impact.
Our Lord Jesus Christ did not have the benefit of technology, which would have enabled Him to preach to the whole world at once from a single location. That is one benefit that we have in this present time. So when He's saying "greater things," He was not also talking to just the disciples of His time. He was talking to the church that will emerge in the seasons and generations ahead, before the rapture. You will have the opportunity to do greater things through the benefit of technology.
So doing greater things also is about achieving greater things in your area of calling, in your area of calling. And this is where we need to make it clear to us. Not everybody is called to be a full-time pastor. Some of you, you have been ordained to take up, in the process of life, the mantle of leadership as the president of your nation, governor of your state. There are mantles of leadership, mantles of excellence in different activities of life. Many of you who have been to be king of something, king of something at the national level, at the continental level, at the global level. You're supposed to be king of something.
So when the Lord is talking about greater things, for the apostles, that will mean in ministry. But for other believers, it will mean greater things in their area of calling, in your area of calling and destiny in life. So it is the will of God that you will go into the seven mountains of societal influence and distinguish yourself there, become the pace setter in that field. That in the seasons ahead, anyone who wants to excel in that field, they have to benchmark with what you are doing, and maybe one, two, three others, in order to discover the best standards in that field.
And when people want to measure your level of excellence in life, two key areas they look at, which is relevant to our topic today. One, your achievements so far. And we need to look at this as we look at this topic of greater things. Your achievements so far, the outstanding solutions you have discovered, the outstanding solutions you have invented, that you have provided for critical needs or purposes. Your outstanding innovations, outstanding improvements, things that would have taken one week to get done, somehow you came up with a solution that now it's done in a single day. Your outstanding discoveries, your outstanding inventions, your outstanding products, your outstanding products.
When you excel as the best in any nation, by the time you are able to stand out as the best in a nation, in any nation of this earth, then of course, whatever it is you are excelling in, is worthy of recognition. And then you take it higher to the continental level or the global level. And the second area is public recognition, honor, and awards. Those things you have been consistently praised for. When we are talking of greater things, you can get a connection between these because those who eventually succeed in doing greater things will ultimately receive some measure of recognition, honor, and sometimes awards. Those things you have been celebrated for, those things you have been specially honored for, those things you have been specially rewarded for.
And I pray for everyone here today that every reward that is already overdue to you in life, that you are yet to receive, may the Lord Almighty compel them to manifest these seasons, in the name of Jesus. The Lord will do it for you and do it for your loved ones. Those things you have been recognized as an ideal role model for. People see you as a good example that others can learn from in a particular thing. Those things for which you have received awards, special recognition. It could be from schools, from institutions, from groups, from communities, from cities, from nations, from a church or the body of Christ.
Then we look at this issue of unrealized potentials. Unrealized potential. One of the painful observations of life is that at the time of death, the graveyards are full of men and women who were capable of much more than the best that they had achieved in their lifetime. And this is the pattern everywhere in the world. Some of them did not even attempt to do certain things that they actually had the potential to do. They never became great because they did not even believe they could achieve certain outstanding things that they actually had the potential to achieve. Many did not even achieve greater things because they did not use their personal initiative. Can somebody say "personal initiative"? Let the person beside you hear you clearly. This has hindered many people from realizing their ultimate potential in life. Waiting for someone else to start it for you has hindered many people. Many did not achieve greater things because they did not use their personal initiative to try and achieve certain outstanding things that they actually had the potential to achieve. As a result, when they finished their journey in life, they did not achieve as much as they actually had the potential to achieve.
And the potential of a person has to do with what someone is capable of doing, what someone is capable of achieving, and what you are capable of becoming in the season ahead, in that particular part. And most people do not attain their optimum potentials in life because of set limitations. I pray this morning that whatever is the limitation, the opposition, the barrier, the hindrance that is suppressing or hindering your glory from manifesting in its full dimension, I pray that on this beautiful Sunday, the Lord gives you complete deliverance, complete deliverance, complete deliverance, in the name of Jesus. Anything that is attempting to localize you, whereas your glory carries a dimension that is supposed to be at the continental and global level, we pray this morning that the forces that are currently localizing you be removed, in the name of Jesus. Can that man or woman say "powerful amen"?
[Applause]
The Lord grant you open doors worldwide, worldwide, worldwide, in the name of Jesus. Please be seated.
So, what is our limitation? A limitation is something that prevents you from growing further, something that prevents you from improving further. Anybody that is, anyone that is always improving, improving, improving, is someone you need to watch carefully. Robots cannot improve themselves, so they are not really a threat. The best of what was programmed into a robot is what is the best it can do. But when you have the capacity to consistently improve, when something has a capacity to consistently improve on itself without external influence, you need to keep an eye on that thing.
So a limitation is something that prevents you from improving further, something that restricts you. It prevents you from increasing, prevents you from spreading, prevents you from self-improvement as well. Something that prevents you from realizing your obvious potentials, obvious potentials. That is a limitation. And in achieving great things, you need to be discerning to recognize where there seems to be a limitation around that area of potential in your life, or in the life of your son, your daughter, or your platform, your workplace.
So, in closing this part one, how can you attain your optimum potentials? One key thing you must do is that you must aspire for outstanding things. You must aspire for outstanding things. You must aspire for excellent results. You must aspire for the highest global standards. You must aim for abundance and not for survival. And we've always said this, don't misunderstand the concept of contentment. Contentment teaches us to be happy and satisfied with whatever we have as at today. But contentment is not telling you not to improve, not to increase, or aspire to go higher. But wherever you are today, be happy for it, be grateful to God for it. But your gratitude to God should not kill your ability to aspire and pursue greater things. Desire the very best that is much higher than your best so far.
In 2 Kings chapter 2:9, 2 Kings chapter 2:9, after Elijah asked Elisha, "What would you have me do for you before he was taken up into heaven?" Elisha answered in the Living Bible, he said, "When they arrived on the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, 'What then? What wish shall I grant you before I'm taken away?' And Elisha said, 'Please grant me twice as much prophetic power as you have had, twice as much, twice as much.'" Greater things. And it will interest you to know that Elisha did twice the number of miracles that Elijah did in his own time. Exactly twice the number of miracles that Elijah did in his own time. Elijah was able to do twice that number. But he saw ahead that for this to happen, he would need twice the measure of grace, anointing that was upon Elijah for that particular purpose.
So please, for your optimum potential to be fully realized, you must continuously aspire for a better result, a higher standard, greater impact that is better than the best that anyone has previously achieved. God has ordained you in life to be among the people that will make things happen. The message, "Doing Greater Things, Greater Things," is for people that will make things happen. Because someone will say that there are three kinds of people. The first group are those who make things happen. Are you there? Is that your own group? The second group are those who watch what happens. Is that your own group? The third group are those who wonder what happened. They wonder what happened. Group one is where you belong. And to be a great achiever in life, you have to be among the people who make things happen, the people who make things happen.
And for you to have that kind of life, you have to be proactive in creating it. So getting what you really want out of life will involve ambition. It will involve also effective efforts, and it will involve persistence. You have to first strongly desire it, then find out how best to achieve it. Finally, you have to diligently implement the plan and not give up. Because greater things often are achieved after persistent attempts and sustained efforts.
I speak to people here today that God is waiting for them to rise up to the call of this message and take up the mantle for greater things. I see you, with the help of God, rising up this year, 2024, to key into the insights and revelations of this message. And the Lord Almighty will launch you with a higher level of anointing and grace. Some of you are about to be connected with destiny partners. And for some of you, destiny partners are about to locate you now.