“And THESE SIGNS WILL ACCOMPANY THOSE WHO BELIEVE: in my name, they will CAST OUT DEMONS; they will SPEAK IN NEW TONGUES; they will PICK UP SERPENTS WITH THEIR HANDS; and if they drink ANY DEADLY POISON, IT WILL NOT HURT THEM; they will LAY THEIR HANDS ON THE SICK, AND THEY WILL RECOVER.” (Mark 16:17-18)
[“Signs” comes from the word; sēmeion: distinguishing mark, miracle! These “SIGNS” will “GO WITH” with believers!]
“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…” (John 14:12)
[“Works” from the word ergon; action, behavior or deed!]
“And I will do WHATEVER YOU ASK in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me FOR ANYTHING in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)
[Why will we do these things? TO GLORIFY THE FATHER; because these “signs” could only be done supernaturally, to indicate a miraculous event!]
“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and YOUR JOY WILL BE COMPLETE.” (John 16:24)
[Qualifier: We are to ask so we may do THE WORKS THAT JESUS DID: NOT new, airplanes, boats and the like! Where do these miraculous signs come from? The Holy Spirit of God in us! To show the world and to remind us of who we are which will make our joy complete!]
“…you WILL RECEIVE POWER when THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES ON YOU; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
[The Holy Spirit is anxiously awaiting our ACCEPTING AND BELIEVING these wonderful promises from the Lord!]
“His divine power has given us EVERYTHING WE NEED for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may PARTICIPATE [take part in] IN THE DIVINE NATURE…” (2 Peter 1:3-4)
[What is the divine nature? For us to FINISH THE WORK AS JESUS WOULD DO IF HE WERE STILL ON THIS EARTH! Now we are here as:]
“…Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us…” (2 Corin. 5:20)
[We are Christ’s representatives so LET US DO AS HE WOULD DO: take part in His divine nature by believing and doing miraculous signs!]
WE ARE CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS, HERE ON EARTH; TODAY!
-Bill Stockham