When the disciples looked at Jesus they were looking at the “whole fullness of deity” in human form. When Jesus put his hand on their shoulders, God was touching them. When Jesus listened to them, it was God hearing their words. When Jesus appeared to them after Pentecost, he was the risen deity reminding them that death had no power over their lives.

Paul told the church, “you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” When we received the Holy Spirit, the fullness of deity came to dwell in us. Have we limited ourselves by failing to understand we are capable of doing anything Jesus wants us to do? Do we see ourselves as only human beings, or as human beings who have been “filled” with the holy presence and power of Christ?

Jesus is the “head of all rule and authority.” Jesus can do all things and Christians can do “all things through him who strengthens” us (Philippians 4:13). The name “Christian” actually means “little Christ.”

Our lives are not hindered by a culture that refuses to believe. Our witness is not weakened because people argue with or slander our faith. God is not who people believe him to be; God is who God has revealed himself to be. The same God that created the world is the God who governs the world today. And Christians have been filled and gifted by his Holy Spirit. 

God isn’t limited in our lives unless we choose to limit him. We don’t feel the hand of Jesus like the disciples did, but his hand does touch our lives. We don’t hear the voice of Jesus like those who physically walked with him, but his voice is just as clear in the red letters of our Bibles.

Jesus returned to heaven and then the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us bodily. We have been “filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” What ministry will Jesus accomplish tomorrow through your surrendered, obedient life?

Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. Jesus is the Holy Spirit who empowers every Christian’s life today, and he tells his disciples, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).