In saying that, "this can be a potentially volatile discussion"; I understand. But where we seek to understand something and where we experience something is the whole premise of being. More and more do I find one trying to understand what it is to be born again; rather than accepting the call that is upon the heart of the individual! Many want to get 'an understanding' of this experience. The same is true in the gift of tongues. And as a whole we have many trying to explain both gifts. The problem arises when the one explaining them is in all actuality explaining the understanding of what they received as an explanation of such gifts. And with that has come the many versions of denominations that are present in this modern age.
In the explanation of the experience of being born again, one can find many who view it from the outside looking in. Such as the various outward experiences that should follow; and some would demand all of them in the first week of birth. That to me is pretty funny and at the same time very disturbing because it comes from those who have put themselves in the seat of leadership.
When we look toward an explanation of the gift of tongues; I feel that Paul worded it very correctly in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. He did not want any to be uninformed; yet in the ranks of leadership many are still uninformed. There is a test of anyone operating in the Spirit of God; and this is that no one so doing can say Jesus is accursed! To say this is to identify the word anathema of the Greek to Him. Meaning that what Jesus did as a sacrifice was not accepted by God Almighty; that the Father turned His back upon such offering. And no one can say that Jesus is Lord (kyrios -one living and in control of the one speaking); for in doing so they put themselves in direct disrelation to Jesus! We have to remember that Jesus is alive! And that being stated, he is in control. Now weather one submits themself to Him is a personal matter. But when it is in the bonds of fellowship; the one speaking would be in subjection the Elders of that fellowship. Now here arises the problem; because what an Elder is in the Kingdom of God and what an Elder is considered to be in many fellowships in vastly different. So much is hindered because of this and much is permitted beyond what is to be permitted in this modern age.
Tongues are for the benefit of the believer for building themselves up in the spirit (their spirit). Is it any wonder why so many in the body are perplexed and not built up in the faith! We speak mysteries and we speak to God (direct communication between the believer and God 1Cor. 14:2). Have you every wondered what you to do when you just can’t seem to voice what it is that bothers you or what you need in your life? This gift that is given in the baptism of the Holy Spirit is just for that.
Now Paul used some carful words in relating this to us. As a matter of fact he clearly wrote upon it. He spoke of his speech. That he spoke in the languages of men and of angles! But he explained that in whatever way that he might speak; if he did it without love, then the communication was useless!
It is this word ‘love’ that as a believer one knows this as relationship. For to love the Lord is to follow His commandments! So, now we see that whatever communication we use, it has to be in LOVE, (relationship).
All day long you can speak in tongues, and should! But when you enter fellowship with fellow believers and un-believers, you must cease from this. Unless, you speak a word (a proclamation) in tongues; then one needs to receive the interpretation of that which was spoken. If not; sit down and pray for interpretation. You do know that we as Christians can get over zealous?! So here we have a law guiding us in our fellowship.
One note to understand. The individual utterance that is given is not for rational; it is spiritual and not natural. To judge an individual along these lines needs to bring about a big flag of caution! Look at the character of the man or woman and their profession of faith in the Lord. All else is not anyone’s position to judge. Many freely speak out against men and women of faith. They so doing are (and better understand) standing on dangerous grounds. I have heard men and women speak about a man or women and say out of their mouths that that person is anti-Christ. They have just appointed themselves as judge of that individual and have blasphemed them. But if ‘them’ are working by the Spirit of the living God; then they have just blasphemed the Holy Spirit! And of such people I turn my back against and never have any relations with again. There is no forgivenss of this sin!
It is an awe- inspiring thing to come in the hands of the living God! Many treat this relationship with God as common. And I assure one, that it is anything but common. We are awake to the Lord each day and fellowship with Him in the Spirit by our spirit. How one speaks against the gift of tongues is beyond reasoning in my mind. But I was not always a man of faith and in understanding this, I can only pray for that person and continue to go about the work that the Lord has placed upon my heart.
May you live in the peace that the Lord has shed upon those who believe in Him and stand by the faith that He provides. – Evangelist Michael
To The Believer
We all hurt at times. The pain seems like it will never go away as we cry out to a God we call Father. The same God in who we speak to others that we believe in. Yet, there we are in the pain as we wait to be delivered from the situation or circumstance that we find ourselves in. Tears run down our face or it is that no tears come and we only find ourselves numb with disbelief as we stare face to face with the situation or circumstance.
What do we do? What can we say to ourselves in a time of pain? How can we make ourselves see God in this pain that we face of which we want deliverance from? We have heard that we are to build ourselves up in our most holy faith. However, we are now in pain and not someone else’s but ours. Does He, God, our loving Father not see us?!
He does see us! He has never left your side! He is there waiting for you to receive the comfort that He is. His presence is comfort. The Angels of God wait to hear your words so that they can go into action on your behalf. The Father wants to hear you say “They have hurt me!” – “They died on me!” – “I did not deserve that!” – “I loved them, but they left me!” – “Father, comfort me!” “Rain down on me and make me stand!” “I will stand in you when all else fails, when all else leaves me!” “You Lord and You alone know my pain and I will not be brought down risking fear to set in.” “Fill me with Your presence Lord so I can be a witness to others of your powerful love that You shed on those that believe in You.”
Never stop speaking when in pain! Do not let it come into your spirit! The pain is upon your flesh and affecting your soul. Lift up you voice and cry out in faith and not doubt and disbelief! This is why it is so vitally important to do this daily before the times of suffering come – for they will come! Your spirit will take over and you will stand the test of faith. Satan seeks to steal, kill, and destroy! Do not be fooled that he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy only the lost! He has them as long as he keeps them away from you or any mature believer. He seeks YOU!
Get to know that presence of the Father for will be times you will be caught off guard by situations and circumstances and it will hurt. Your soul will cry out: “Oh God, oh God!” And your body will react, perhaps shake and feel drained. However, you are a new creation in God! Your spirit is now prepared because you have the mind of the Messiah. Now YOU speak! Yell if you have to. “No, No, No!” My Father who art in heaven; holy is your name!” “Holy Spirit, comfort me!”
He is there, He will never leave your side man or woman of faith. He is always there waiting on your words as a father waits upon his child to see how he or she will react when situations do not go their way. Children cry and throw tantrums for lack of understanding and not knowing how to handle their emotions. But what is seen in a child is not what we want to see in an mature believer! We see Jesus, we know Him for He is given to us who believe!
(Written by someone and sent in...as to communicate faith)
God Said NO!!
I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away,
but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings;
Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from
worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things
that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life,
so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh,
finally you have the idea.
THIS DAY IS YOURS
DON'T THROW IT AWAY
May God Bless You,
"To the world you might be one person,
But to one person you just might be the world"
"May the Lord Bless you and keep you,
May the Lord Make his face shine upon you,
And give you Peace......Forever"
"Good friends are like stars...
You don't always see them, But you know they are always there.
(My responce...)
‘I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.’
(Is this supposed to be Scriptural??? I am glad that when the parents that came needing the word of God in their child's life sitting in a hospital with a thirty day window to live (three years and 7 months ago) that my answer to them was not that God said "no" to her life because her spirit was whole.... God is not defined in some cute feel good expression! He sent His son so that we may have life (MORE ABUNDANTLY).
The THIEF cometh not, but for to STEAL (Steal life! To steal the word from you so you accept this kind of logic), and to KILL (Kill the soul so that the soul does not obtain life but looks at it as something God never intended it to be, abandoned in some perverted spiritual exercise of obtaining higher existence - spiritualism), and to DESTROY (Destroy the creation of God by perversion of the Word of Life): I am come that they might have life (zoe - feminine noun in stating the fullness of life described in the word peace - nothing broken nothing lost!), and that they might have [it - the life] more abundantly (perissos - uncommon, extraordinary, and superior life!)
'I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from
worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.'
Where in the world did you get that (or the person who wrote this)?! If you do not have the Spirit speaking a astounding wake up call; try a word study of the word 'suffering'! We suffer persecution from the hands of the enemy and not affliction of sickness and disease by God's hands! He came to give us life, not the ideal of it! He came and suffered for us(!) so that we may live in Him! If any....is sick among you....go to the elders of the assembly and receive healing! Not psychological babel by those professing to be an elder in saying it is God's will! Suffering is not what brings you closer to God!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Faith is what brings you closer to God!!!!!!!!!!!!! Faith in not only believing that God exist; but that He is a rewarding God (our Father) of them that diligently seek Him!!!!!!
My God, my God in Heaven how long will you pervert the Word of God?!
"May the Lord Bless you and keep you, (How may He bless you when you walk in the curse? How is He keeping you when the devil is eating you alive?
May the Lord Make his face (His face...do you know what this means?) shine upon you,
And give you Peace (Are you saying peace as in the 60's as in world peace? Or do you know what the word shalom really means?!)......Forever"
If you think this is harsh, it should be! Mere profession and emotion is not the Gospel (good proclamation) of the Kingdom! He (Jesus - the Messiah) came and shed His blood for the Church! He paid a horrible price for the life in Him that is for the believer! He gave a Gift to us - the Holy Spirit. NOT TO THE WORLD! Set yourself apart and receive the Gift and live the abundant life.
The only time God says no is when you ask amiss, and not according to His will! His will is the Holy Spirit! Jesus did not say that when you ask it is a crap shoot! His words were: "Ask the Father (He first has to be your Father and not only identified as such!) anything in my name (authority) and He WILL give it (the thing) to you!
And why would He (God the Father) do this? I will leave this for you to go back into discipleship with.
Does God hear / answer the prayers of a unbeliever/sinner?
If one will, step out of the religious effect that they have found themselves in; I will explain this. For many of us hold dearly to the teachings that we have heard without ever once praying to God about such teaching nor have they sought the Scriptures for the correct understanding of such teachings.
Does God hear? Yes, He hears everything that goes on. He so much does so that He hears the thoughts of the heart that are in man. So, it is a very clear ‘yes’ to the fact that God hears! However, does God only hear one group of people? No! He hears all of mankind and is seeking relationship with man. He heard Hagar’s prayer as she was outside Abraham’s camp. God acts upon faith! He has not given some ‘Christian’ faith, and some ‘Jewish’ faith, and some ‘unbelieving’ faith. He has given men faith; nevertheless, not all men have faith. Any prayer to God is heard. God is a God of mercy! However, there is much to be desired about the faith contained in the gospel. For in it we as believers are given a name above all names so that God (our Father) answers our petitions!
God answers many prayers by those who do not live according to His will. It is by these that many are led to the Lord by the Spirit of God speaking to their heart about the situation or circumstance that God has delivered them out of. As a matter of fact; many who proclaim that they know Jesus, yet do not live separated to Him, also get their prayers answered. However, this is to draw (or to be judgment against them) upon the heart for repentance, so that they will come back in relationship to Him.
There are many who think that there is a difference between a man who has once confessed Jesus as his Lord yet still living in sin; and a man who has never professed Jesus as Lord and who is a sinner outright by his or her profession or that of another. Here is the stumbling stone.
We who profess Jesus is Lord should live as He lived! And in so doing; others should see the blessing of the Lord upon our lives. Many love to point to the time of the first Apostles and say that they were pressed beyond belief and poor and sick and etc. However, what they fail to relies is that they were the seed that died and brought the fruit of our life – our fellowships that are now in the Lord. It is through us that the world will see the Messiah! If we are His body, then we will do the works of the Lord by this body in guidance of Him who is the head. We should bring to the understanding of others how merciful the Lord is, that we minister how merciful God has been to us when we were still sinners! Nevertheless, He has provided the believer a covenant of promise through the Messiah – Jesus of Nazareth – where we cry out Daddy! And Daddy rewards those who diligently seek Him.
Yes, God hears and answers the prayers of sinners. I pray that no one reading this is in sin. If you are, you can repent and turn to God so that you may be saved from the judgment that is coming upon all men when the Lord returns.
May you live in the peace that the Lord has given to those of us who believe through the final sacrifice of the Messiah. God bless – Michael.