Before Jesus was glorified, he gave us this promise:

“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 (NIV)

How can we do those “greater things” Jesus spoke of? To do those “greater things,” we must believe in Jesus Christ. However, not just “believe,” but believe the gospel message and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Another way we can do greater things is by obeying God. Indeed, right after Jesus promised we would do “greater things,” he gave us this insight:

“If you love me, keep my commands.”

John 14:15 (NIV)

Therefore, obedience is a conduit to doing “greater things” through Christ. Another means to perform “greater things” is faith. After all, consider what Hebrews 11:6 tells us about faith:

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Therefore, faith is essential to doing “greater things.” However, how much faith does one need to do these things?

In Matthew, Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (17:20, NIV). Thus, we can move mountains with a “small” amount of faith. Yet, not “little faith,” since in Matthew 17:20, Jesus contrasted the disciples’ “little faith” with “small” faith. The difference is that “little faith” considers our circumstances. In contrast, “small” faith knows our circumstances are immaterial in light of God’s might.

Indeed, Jesus often referred to people as having “little faith” when they allowed circumstances to get the better of them. Consider Peter walking on water:

Peter calls out to him after seeing the Lord walking on the water.

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:28-31 (NIV)

Peter demonstrated “little faith” when distracted by the storm, became afraid, and took his eyes off Jesus. Yet, Peter had to have had great faith to believe he could walk on water in the first place. How could Peter have had such great faith? He thought less about himself and his circumstances and recognized that Jesus was “bigger” than him.

Thus, we can see so far that obedience and faith are essential elements to doing those “greater things” Jesus spoke of in John 14:12. However, there is a third ingredient that is essential to accomplishing the greater works Jesus spoke of in John 14:12. What is that third thing? John the Baptist gives us this insight in John 3:

“He must become greater; I must become less.”

John 3:30 (NIV)

Indeed, to accomplish those “greater things” Jesus spoke of in John 14:12, we, too, must decrease so Jesus can increase in our lives.

In Ephesians 2:10, Paul gives us this insight:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

God has already prepared good works for us to do “in Christ Jesus,” and all we have to do is do them. However, to do these things, our focus must be on God, not on those things in front of us. Consider what the Psalmist said about God’s word:

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

God’s word provides us with the light we need as we go forward. Indeed, consider also these verses from Proverbs 3:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

In our understanding, we think those things “we” do that Jesus mentioned in John 14:12 are on us. That’s to say, we are responsible for doing them. However, in John 8:28, Jesus said, “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me,” indicating that everything Jesus did was according to God’s will and not his own. If Jesus only did what God told him, how much more should we?

Therefore, how can we allow God to “take the wheel,” so to speak, if our hands are on it?

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John 3:30 (KJV)

I believe that too many of us have taken what Jesus told us in John 14:12 as a challenge instead of a promise. As I’ve spoken of before, if we’ve done this, as I have in the past, we’re in danger of being arrogant. Consider what God says about pride:

“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

James 4:6 (NIV)

Therefore, when we consider how we can do the “greater things” Jesus spoke of in John 14:12, we must remember that God does those things because he has placed his Holy Spirit in us. Indeed, remember this promise from 1 John:

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (emphasis added).

1 John 4:4 (NIV)

Finally, we must remember what Jesus told us about those who want to be his disciples:

“In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

Luke 14:33 (NIV)

Thus, we can see that to do “greater things,” God “must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” (John 3:30, NLT).