Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Philippians 4:13
Do Things Through Christ
As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13, we can do all things through Christ because He will strengthen us, but outside of abiding in Christ, the fact is we can do nothing, as Jesus said ,“As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4), and, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5b). This is clear: We cannot do anything outside of abiding in Christ because by our own strength, it will amount to nothing. Can you imagine a vine producing fruit if it’s not attached to a vine that nourishes and sustains it?
Being the Body of Christ
Jesus once said that “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40). What was Jesus talking about doing? He was speaking about feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, welcoming a stranger, clothing the naked (or poor), seeing those who are sick, and visiting those in prison (Matt. 25:37-39) because when you do this for others, you are actually doing it for Christ, and God can work through you when you minister to people.
Receiving Power of the Spirit
God uses clay vessels to proclaim the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, but we need His power and His authority, and He promises to give us both. He told the disciples in Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” If there is no power of the Spirit of God, then we cannot be effectively witnessing for Christ, but even more He says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19-20). So here we receive God’s power by His Spirit. We have Jesus’ authority to preach the gospel, and, by the way, the gospel is the power of salvation (Rom. 1:16).
Through His Will
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise” (John 5:19). For Jesus, His “food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34), and He said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). We too must seek to do God’s will, and if we are praying to do His will and following His revealed will, then God will surely work through us.
Conclusion
God can work through you, I have no doubt. If you have believed in Jesus Christ, then you have access to the power of His Spirit. You can do things for others, which Jesus sees you doing for Him, but you must be abiding in Him or you can do nothing, and it must be in His will or it’s done in vain. God works through us, and in Christ we can do all things.
