The Holy Spirit: Forming Us to Do Greater Things

John sets Jesus in the middle of the room saying, “Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me.” When belief feels thin, Jesus points to something concrete: “If you can’t believe that, believe what you see, these works.” The text refuses a fear-driven “believe or else.” Jesus invites trust that looks at his life, lets the Spirit have a chance, and follows the evidence of grace breaking in.

The Holy Spirit stands as the promised advocate, counselor, helper, friend. Jesus lives yoked to the Spirit at the Jordan, in the wilderness, at a Samaritan well, in confrontation and compassion. That same Spirit, Jesus says, will authorize ordinary disciples to do “what I am doing,” and, staggeringly, “even greater things,” because he is going to the Father and giving them the same work. The cross and resurrection are not surpassed; they are extended. “Greater” does not outshine Calvary. “Greater” multiplies the reach of Calvary’s power through a people surrendered to the Spirit.

Methodism offers a living footnote to John 14. The movement took the Word seriously enough to craft methods: set prayers, honest bands asking “How is it with your soul?”, funds for the sick and the poor, schools, hospitals, advocacy that helped crack the British slave trade. John Wesley feared a different future: a people with the form of religion without the power. That line lands like a warning light on today’s dashboard. Leaks happen. Apathy sets in. Energy spikes for a week, then mission gets shelved. The Spirit is not a seasonal program; the Spirit forms a different way of life.

Rich Villodas puts a finger on the fracture: dangerous rhythms, hostility, immaturity, idolatry, consumerism. Right answers alone cannot heal that. Lives formed in the Spirit can. Jesus’ promise aims there: a church whose prayers line up “along the lines of who I am and what I am doing,” a people whose requests and rhythms reveal the Father in the Son. That looks like love that costs something, kindness that refuses cynicism, a communal good that does not quit, a yielded heart the Spirit can actually shape.

Christ calls his church to be more than a lighthouse that keeps the beam steady from afar. By the Spirit’s power, the church can become an illumination station, close enough, bright enough, and Christ-shaped enough that no one can miss the grace of God as it shines through a people doing the work Jesus is doing.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus invites trust through his works [26:21] Jesus does not coerce belief; he points to a life full of Spirit-powered signs that can steady a wavering heart. When doctrine feels abstract, concrete mercy and changed lives say, “Look here.” Faith grows as attention lingers on what the Father is doing in the Son. The invitation is to let evidence of grace pull trust forward. [26:21]
• 2. The Spirit makes belief durable [32:16] The Spirit who rested on Jesus now indwells his people for counsel, courage, and staying power. Fear-based religion cracks under pressure; Spirit-formed trust learns joy and peace under the same weight. Holiness becomes relational before it becomes behavioral. Over time, reliance replaces white-knuckling. [32:16]
• 3. “Greater things” extend Jesus’ work [32:45] “Greater” does not mean topping the cross; it means the crucified-and-risen life going wider through surrendered people. As prayers align with Jesus’ name and mission, the Father is seen in the Son through the church’s witness. The measure is not spectacle but fidelity, breadth, and fruit borne in love. [32:45]
• 4. Methodism warns against hollow power [35:49] Wesley’s fear was not extinction but a shell of religion without the Spirit’s fire. Early Methodists married devotion and mercy with disciplined community, and the world felt the difference. Losing that center leaks power even while programs keep running. Holding doctrine, Spirit, and discipline together keeps the fuse lit. [35:49]
• 5. Apathy drains mission and imagination [38:25] When apathy wins, formation stalls and ministry gets compartmentalized. The Spirit calls the church from event-based energy to a daily yield that reshapes habits, speech, and spending. Right answers must become right lives. That kind of consistency becomes its own apologetic in a hurried, hostile world. [38:25]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [24:17] - John 14, slow burn finale
• [24:38] - Advocate, counselor, helper promised
• [25:05] - Greater works and same work
• [25:29] - Asking along Jesus’ way
• [26:21] - Believe the works you see
• [27:33] - Billy Sunday’s hard-edged altar call
• [29:00] - The man who leaks
• [31:26] - Give the Holy Spirit a chance
• [32:16] - Spirit’s pattern in Jesus’ life
• [32:45] - Wrestling with “greater things”
• [34:31] - Early Methodist methods in motion
• [35:49] - Wesley’s warning about lost power
• [38:25] - Naming apathy in the church
• [41:40] - Illumination station at the oceanfront

1. What does Jesus invite people to focus on if they struggle to believe his words about his relationship with the Father? (John 14:11)
2. According to the sermon, what does Jesus mean by "greater works" in John 14:12? How does this connect to the Holy Spirit’s role? [32:45]
3. What practical methods did early Methodists use to live out their faith, as mentioned in the sermon? [34:31]

1. Why might Jesus emphasize seeing his works as a pathway to belief instead of demanding blind faith? How does this reflect his understanding of human doubt? [26:21]
2. The sermon warns against a "form of religion without power." What might this look like in modern church life, and how does it contrast with being "Spirit-formed"? [35:49]
3. How does apathy toward the Holy Spirit’s work lead to compartmentalized faith or stalled mission? [38:25]

1. When has observing God’s work in someone’s life (or your own) steadied your faith during a season of doubt? How can you intentionally "look here" at evidence of grace this week?
2. The sermon mentions "leaks" in our spiritual lives (e.g., apathy, compartmentalization). What rhythms or habits could help you rely on the Spirit’s power instead of "white-knuckling" obedience? [30:18]
3. Early Methodists asked, "How is it with your soul?" in small groups. Who could you invite to ask you this question regularly, and how might it deepen your spiritual honesty? [34:31]
4. Jesus says prayers aligned with his mission "reveal the Father in the Son." What specific request could you make this week that reflects Jesus’ heart for mercy, justice, or love?
5. The sermon challenges the church to be an "illumination station" rather than a distant lighthouse. What tangible step could your small group take to reflect God’s grace "close enough" for others to see? [41:40]