In 2 Corinthians 12:11-12 you see that Paul says these signs “were accomplished among you.” These things weren’t miracles they HEARD that God accomplished through Paul—they were miracles they SAW God accomplish through Paul!
Yet even more impressive than God at work through Paul was God at work in Paul. It wasn’t all about the miraculous works God did but the WAY they were done. Look carefully at verse 11 as Paul describes this in a paradoxical statement:
•First, he says, “For in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles.” Paul says, “I am not inferior at all to these superlative apostles; I have everything they have and more.”
•Next, Paul says, “though I am nothing.” In one statement, Paul says, “I am the equal of anybody,” then in the very next sentence, Paul declares that he is “nothing.”
This reveals that God worked through Paul in such a way that Paul remained invisible, and God remained the center of attention. Paul was all about God and nothing about himself. This attitude is echoed in Paul’s words in Philippians 4:13 where he writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The “can do” attitude was encompassed by “Christ who strengthens me.” The confidence was not upon relying on self but surrendering everything to Christ! There is no limit to what God can and will do through any person who has surrendered all their time, talent, and treasure to the Lord so that He alone gets all the glory.
One of the ways you can test the false teachers of our day is to listen carefully to what they say about themselves. Do they claim anything is coming from them? Do they claim to be remarkable people of remarkable ability, or are they talking about the power coming from Christ?