Doing 'Mighty Works!'

The Paul B Thomas TOPICAL BIBLE NOTES
#104 DOING 'MIGHTY WORKS!'

I ask that the eyes of your heartb may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, 20which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.22And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1;18-23).

And, unto another, energies of 'mighty works' and, unto another, prophesying, and, unto another, discriminations of spirits, - unto a different one, kinds of tongues, and, unto another, translation of tongues; - 1 Cor 12;10 God wants us to go from being 'blessed' to being used in the 'mighty works' of God.  He wants us to go from signs and wonders to mighty signs and wonders. he wants us to go from tongues to mighty works 'We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (Acts 2:5--13). A title or label given to the miracles and gifts, demonstrations of the works of God at Pentecost. 

The same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at God’s right hand is the power that saved us. Even many evangelists will admit that there are only a small percent who move forward from the day of their salvation to experiencing God's power at work in them and through them on a daily basis, why many will turn back and never know the power or mighty works of God in their life. 

Our text states, 'That ye may know the SURPASSING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER to us who believe.' Our salvation is as powerful as his resurrection, in fact our salvation is our resurrection. Do you know the reality of this? Our salvation required the power of God to raise us up out of our deathbed, our watery grave of baptism and make us alive in him. The same power, that it took to raise Christ from the dead! 'If the same spirit that rose Christ from the dead dwell in you it shall quicken your mortal body.'

#101 HUMILITY IN ADVERSITY

 The Paul B Thomas TOPICAL BIBLE NOTES

#101 HUMILITY IN ADVERSITY
A brother of humble means should rejoice in his having been exalted, 10 and a rich person in his having been humbled, because he will fade away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass. The flower in it drops off, and its beauty is gone. That is how the rich person will fade away in his pursuits. (James 1;9-11 ISV).
Mel Gibson in an interview about his latest film father Stu, is asked how he handles trials, his response, 'If you don't have humility you won't handle them. those with egos will crash.
What matters he masters, If 'life' matters more than 'money' then you will master life and all that life throws at you. If money matters more than life, money will master you. The Christain life brings to the rich a new sense of self abasement, James tells us that just as quickly as the sun rises and scorches the grass so, too a man can loose his riches. One day of sunshine can destroy a lifetime of prosperity. The rich like the proud, crash in times of adversity but the humble rise up again. The proud become humiliated by trials, the humble get exalted. The proud losses their place, the humble gain a crown of life. The grass withers, the flower fades, so to do the proud and rich when bad things happen to them.
How blessed is the man who endures temptation! When he has passed the 'test,' he will receive the victor’s 'crown of life' that God has promised to those who keep on loving him. (v12).
Humble people survive and even thrive in adversity because they know all things work for their good, even a bad will produce something of value in their life, and it's because of their humility that they see God working and God blessing them in such times.