Chapter 1: Jesus Started It

In Luke chapter four, we read about the very beginning of Jesus' ministry. He was fresh out of a 40-day fast in the wilderness.

If you or I attempted a 40-day fast, we’d probably need to be carried out on a stretcher. But not Jesus. He didn’t come out weak and run down—He came out full of the power of the Holy Spirit.

He was so amped up on the Spirit that He returned to His childhood synagogue and boldly declared, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me!”

That doesn’t bother you because you believe Jesus is who He says He is. But imagine what His family and childhood friends thought of such an audacious statement.

Think about how today’s church reacts when a pastor confidently declares that the Holy Spirit has anointed him. I imagine Jesus got that same skeptical response.

But He didn’t back down. He doubled down, making sure they knew He was talking about Himself. He said, “This Scripture you just heard has been fulfilled this very day.”

At first, they were amazed. Then, they were skeptical. And instead of trying to ease their doubts, Jesus did the opposite—He prophesied about how they would reject Him.

For anyone who still thinks the way of Jesus is to keep people happy and comfortable, let this obliterate that lie once and for all.

In His first message to His hometown, Jesus irritated them so much that they tried to kill Him. That takes some doing! These weren’t strangers; these were people who had known Him since He was a kid.

This brings me great comfort. I’ve been pretty good at irritating people ever since I transitioned from being a feel-good pastor to a true apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When that shift happened in late 2020, I ran off people who had been part of our church for years—family friends, even! But they didn’t want the unhindered Gospel.

If you’ve never irritated someone with the Gospel, you might be watering it down. Just sayin'.

So, what made Jesus so bold? The same thing that gave Him the ability to heal and deliver.

Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV) – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me…”

The Spirit of the Lord is what gave Jesus boldness and power—to preach, heal, deliver, reveal truth, and set the oppressed free.

Without the Spirit of the Lord, Jesus would have been just another human. But with the Spirit, He had everything He needed to fulfill the will of God.

And this wasn’t just reserved for Him.

John 14:12 (NKJV) – “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.”

How are we supposed to do the same works—and even greater ones? Only when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon us. It’s not by our own power. It’s not by our own might.

It’s only by the Spirit of the Lord.

But what exactly is the Spirit of the Lord? Most of us would simplify it by saying, “The Holy Spirit.” And that’s true. But there’s so much more to it than that.

What I’m about to teach you is unknown to most of the modern church. It’s one of the main reasons we don’t see the “greater works” Jesus said we would do.

But once this truth sinks into your spirit—watch out.

You’ll find yourself full of the power of the Holy Spirit. You’ll have the same confidence Jesus had when He declared, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.”

And then, together, we’ll step into the greater works Jesus said we would do.