“Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it…. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth” (John 14:12-17, CSB).

As Jesus and His disciples shared a last meal together, Judas Iscariot’s impending betrayal was revealed by Jesus to His disciples. Once Judas left the dinner to carry out his unscrupulous scheme, Jesus spoke openly and intimately with His remaining disciples about the events that were about to unfold and what they meant. John 13:31 – 17:26 replays the conversation Jesus had with His disciples.

As Jesus was explaining to His disciples that the only way to know God the Father was through Him, Philip asked Him to show them the Father and that’s all they would need to believe. Jesus reminded the disciples that the Father was in Him and the words He spoke and miracles He performed were by the power of God the Father.

Then, Jesus added that not only did He have the power to do God’s works, He also had the power to enable those who believed in Him, His disciples, to perform the miracles He performed and even greater ones than He did! When Jesus said to ask in His name and He will do it, He was granting His power of attorney.

Power of attorney is a legal transaction authorizing one to act as an agent on behalf of the one granting the authority. Once Jesus had atoned for the sins of the whole world, He returned to heaven and granted His power of attorney to His disciples.

Why would Jesus grant such sweeping authority to His disciples? Because He was going to the Father (vs. 12) and would no longer be physically present to conduct His ministry on Earth.

Jesus was born of God and exercised this authority by birthright. Since we are the created beings of God and not of the Divine Nature as was Jesus, we are granted the authority that Jesus had not by birthright but by proxy when we ask in Jesus’ name.

So, Jesus needed His disciples to be His proxies and act in His behalf to show the people of Earth the way to God.

And, not only did Jesus grant His disciples legal authorization to discharge His ministry on Earth, He executed this legal transaction by sending the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, to empower His disciples to perform the work of His ministry (vs. 16).

God has put us in charge of His Kingdom until Christ the King returns. And, He has not left us powerless to perform this great work. By the Holy Spirit, who dwells in and empowers believers, God has granted us authority and power to seize this world for His Kingdom.

Just as power and authority was vested in Jesus by God the Father, our personal relationship to Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit is the legal basis for our authority in God’s Kingdom.

That power and authority is effective to the extent that it expresses God’s will. When we individually and collectively ask God for the accomplishment of His will, God’s power is released through us by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the same things Jesus did…. and even more!

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Luke 1:8, CSB)