A New Norm For a New Year:
God’s Spirit on Jesus,
God’s Spirit on me,
God’s Spirit on you”

That’s what scripture says. “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me……” Luke 4:18a especially, through 21

The more I read scripture, the more I realize that God wants to reveal to His church a new norm. I suppose many Christians would picture different definitions of what it is to be Spirit-filled, or to walk, or live in the Spirit. Looking through the Book of Acts, I’m noticing that LIVING SUPERNATURALLY wasn’t meant to be for a select few, but for every believer.

We have often said that we are to be Jesus to others. Just what does that mean? It means that the ‘norm’ God desires for His Church (the called out ones) is for them to have the Spirit of the Lord on themselves, just as Jesus had God’s Spirit on Himself. You will notice in the passage Jesus quotes in defining His ministry starts there. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me.” This preceded the tasks He did in ministry…..preach, teach, heal and deliver. That means I, (and we, the church) must learn to represent (re-present) the life of Jesus.

The Bible centers on Jesus…the Old Testament looks forward to Jesus, the New Testament looks back to Jesus. Actually the Bible teaches us that Jesus is the express image of the character of the Father. (Heb. 1:3) Jesus was the prototype for how we ought to live. “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me”…Jesus said. This effected what He did. Jesus didn’t do what He did because of His “God-ness.” Rather, He did what He did because He was fully-man-in-proper-touch-with-God’s-Spirit. He was filled with the Spirit. He did what He did because He was a man filled with God. (Can I hear a growing group of men applauding because they want to be a man filled with God?!) You and I can represent Jesus. Holiness is being like Jesus. I (and you) can be like Jesus in purity and in power.

Christ’s call to us was simply: “Follow Me and I will make you…” (Mt. 4:19) What was Jesus making? Ready for the answer? Followers equipped to represent Him in purity and power so they could bring about transformation in their world. Could it be the church has lost it’s credibility today, because it has lost it’s power?…the power of God’s Spirit working IN them and THROUGH them? If we ask, “what does Jesus look like, as we view what He did, we must notice that a strong percentage of the scriptures emphasize signs and wonders in Jesus’ ministry as well as the disciples in the early church. Here’s how it comes out: 44% of Matthew; 65% of Mark; 29% of Luke, 30% of John; and 27% of Acts. And 1 John 2:6 tells us, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Jesus has com-missioned you and I, as believers, to minister to people around us….and do the things Jesus did. Listen to John 14:12. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father. Why did Jesus say He was going to the Father?…… so He could send us the Holy Spirit…the Spirit of Truth, who was with them, Jesus said, but would be IN them. Church, can we seek God’s face, so the Spirit of the Lord is ON US? If we make this our priority and succeed at this one thing, it will drastically affect how God’s Spirit can be released and flow from us to other’s, meeting their needs, transforming their life? “Lord, send the Fire again, as you once did, and teach us how to live everyday supernaturally, allowing Your Spirit to bring the fullness of God’s blessings into our lives, those in our homes, His church, and our communities. Amen. (let the arrow fly to it’s God-ordained target.) God wants His people to be living supernaturally….in revival everyday, as a life-style