Turning Point #3 - This one was a doozy for me!!
(If you want to read the first two Turning Points, you can read them here - https://www.paulettestamper.com/blog )
I remember where I was standing in the kitchen when I heard this turning point. To say it rubbed me the wrong way is putting it mildly. It went against everything I've ever believed, but something in me thought… oh gosh, what if that’s true???
Before I share what I heard, let me share a unique experience I had with the Holy Spirit one morning. I was reading the account of the woman who pushed through the crowd to take hold of the hem of Jesus' robe. You know the story – Jesus immediately stopped because He felt power leave Him and asked, "Who touched Me?"
I've taught this passage several times, so when I read it, my own teaching rings in my ear: "Of course Jesus knew who touched Him, He's God, He knows everything! He asked this question so the woman would have the opportunity to come forward." However, on this particular morning, as those familiar words crossed my mind, I clearly heard the Holy Spirit say to me:
"That's not what the Scripture says."
Woah.
So I read it again. Sure enough, right there, plain as day. Jesus asked, "Who touched Me?"
Because. He. Didn’t. Know. Who. Touched. Him.
Um… Mind. Blown. !!
Hold on to that, and now consider the turning point:
"Jesus was God, yes. But Jesus did not live His life here as God. He lived 100% as a man in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus performed miracles not as the Son of God but as a man in the power of the Holy Spirit. He did this to show us what's possible."
(If this is the first time you've considered that, you may need to take some time to really think through it and digest it like I did.)
I've never doubted the deity of Jesus Christ. I've never wrestled with believing that He was/is God in the flesh. What I never considered was what Philippians 2 actually teaches – Jesus did not hold on to His rights as God but laid them down and lived as a man. He demonstrated what's possible when we live in the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, Jesus didn't perform miracles as God; He performed miracles as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit.
How has this turning point affected me? (It might be easier to list the ways it *hasn't* affected me! This understanding has changed how I read the entire New Testament!)
For one, it's caused my awe of the Lord Jesus to increase exponentially. When I consider what He willingly sacrificed to save me and teach me how to live...my goodness, all I can do is say, I LOVE YOU, JESUS!
It's caused me to believe for greater works and greater miracles. Now, when I read Jesus' words - "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) – I take it literally – because I have the same Spirit that empowered Jesus to do the miracles! I'll be the first to admit that I have much to learn and much more to experience – It's mind-blowing when you think about it!
Honestly, when I first heard this turning point, I didn't believe it. It sounded like heresy. I thought it was a false teaching. But, after digging deep into the Scriptures, I've concluded that it is indeed an accurate interpretation of what the Bible says – Jesus was fully God, absolutely, but He lived as a man. He performed miracles and healings and had supernatural understanding and knowledge because He lived in total obedience and surrender to God in the power of the Holy Spirit – precisely what He spent His life teaching His disciples to do.
It's really made me wonder what our lives would look like if we really believed that, through the Holy Spirit, we could do what Jesus did.
After all, He did say, "Anything is possible for the one who believes."