Welcome to GreaterThings.today. This site is dedicated to believing God for greater things. Life is filled with disappointment, but Greater Things is about pushing back against disappointment. Greater Things is built on the premise that God is greater.
Jesus calls Philip. Jesus says, “Follow me” (see John 1:43-51)
Philip goes to find Nathanael and says, “We have found Jesus of Nazareth, the one we have been waiting for.” Philip had great faith that Jesus was someone worth following. He believed they would see “great things.”
But Nathanael is a bit of a pessimist. He says, “Nazareth? Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Living in New Jersey we understand this. When people think about New Jersey, it usually is not positive. But New Jersey has much more to offer than people often realize.
Philip recognized Jesus had more to offer than Nathanael recognized. Philip was not about to give up. He urges Nathanael to just come and see. Nathanael reluctantly goes.
Jesus sees Nathanael coming. After a brief exchange, Jesus shares a vision about how he saw Nathanael under a fig tree when Philip came calling. Nathanael is amazed by this vision. He declares Jesus to be Rabbi, Son of God, and King of Israel. A great declaration for such a small thing!
Jesus goes on to further say that while this was an incredible experience, “you will see greater things than these” (see John 1:50).
Indeed Nathanael would see miracles of healing such as the blind receive their sight, the lame made to walk, and demons cast out. He would see Jesus calm the storm, walk on water, and feed the 5000. But none of these would compare to the grand finale when Jesus would rise from the dead and appear to his disciples.
It was the night of Easter Sunday (see John 20:19-23). The disciples were locked in a room together out of fear for their lives. It was a dark time. Disappointment and despair filled the room. Everything they had been working on for the last 3 years had seemingly come crashing to a halt. They wondered if their faith had been misplaced.
But the last act had yet to play out. Jesus had saved the best for last. Jesus comes and stands among them. He says, “peace be with you.” He shows them his hands and his side. The disciples’ fear melts into gladness and joy. He is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
There is a common thread in each of these two stories. It is the contrast between faith and doubt. It is easy to see that faith is lacking in the world today. Fewer and fewer of us are turning to Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (see John 14:6). People ask, “Can anything good come out of the Bible? Can anything good come out of the church? What value is there in a relationship with Jesus?”
For those of us who believe there is something “good” to be offered through a relationship with Christ we will often enter into those darker moments where we might wonder if our faith has been misplaced. It is easy to relapse back into doubt and despair.
This site is dedicated to urging and encouraging us to greater faith and overcoming doubt. It is to believe we will see even greater things as we follow Jesus, the Savior of the World.
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