| Author | Message | ||
| Patti |
The Role of the Holy Spirit, Part 2 Many Christians are caught up in "signs," or observable physical manifestations to "prove" that they are God's children. Yet, we are told that Jesus told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." So, I believe, it is with us. Faith is the evidence of things unseen. If we can see it, if we can observe it, it is not of faith. And whatever is not of faith is sin. Faith is believing without tangible evidence. It is knowing that we are a child of God, without the "signs and wonders." Jesus says that it is an "evil and adulterous generation" that asks for a sign. This can apply directly to the believers' lives also. If one maintains that one is not "saved" without "proof" of having the Holy Spirit, the seal of God's salvation, as an outward observable manifestation, then one denies salvation by faith in Christ alone. The focus is lifted from the objective, historical, and unrepeatable saving act of God in Christ, and it is placed upon the believer. As I have heard no one here claim that his/her life is a model of sinless perfection, when the "gospel" message is believer-centric, the believer naturally must remain doubtful and insecure about salvation. When we stay focused on the perfection of Jesus Christ, our confidence is strong, and we can sing confidently, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." What is the main outward manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer? The testimony of Jesus. I am not saying that God does not use signs and wonders, but I do not believe that they are necessary for the believer whose faith in the saving work of Christ is strong. Jesus said that it was "a wicked and adulterous generation" who "asks for a miraculous sign." We are asked to believe. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers with great power. Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. What was the result of this unprecedented outpouring of the Spirit? They testified to the dead and risen Savior. 22 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Another example of a New Testament report of someone being "filled with the Spirit": Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is "`the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." What did Peter do, being "filled with the Holy Spirit"? Correct. He testified of Jesus. Another example: Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. Again, filled with the Spirit, the apostles testified of Jesus, the boldly proclaimed the word of God. Acts 7:55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." Stephen, another individual proported to be full of faith, testified of Jesus in Acts 6 and 7 before the members of the Sanhedrin stoned him in hysterical rage. Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. Another incident with Paul: Acts 13:9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun." Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. Acts 13:44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "`I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Barnabas was also another powerful witness for Christ. Acts 11:23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Every instance in Acts of "being filled with the Holy Spirit" resulted in testifying of Jesus Christ, which, in turn resulted in many others hearing and believing. Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here, again, in Ephesians, being "filled with the Spirit" relates to edifying the church with the praise of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit. What is the main evidence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer? According to the evidence given in the New Testament in the verses given above, "the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy." Continued in Part 3. | ||
| Lydell |
Patti, you seem fearful that Maryann's comment about the babes in Christ and the mature believer sets up a heiarchy. But that's not what she is saying. Both are equally saved. It is just that the babe in Christ hasn't begun to understand who Christ says that he is yet. Absolutely, Christ's death accomplished it all. But at the moment of conversion we don't have a clue how that applies to our problem with lying, or being impatient, or having a quick temper. It is only as we spend time beholding Christ that we start getting a grasp of the fact that we no longer are slaves to those problems. In II Pet 2:3 we are told that His divine power has give us everything we need for life and godliness. It's an accomplished fact. However, in v. 5-7 we seem to need to be actively involved in a process of building character. How? Back to v. 3 It is by the knowledge of Him. Col 1:10 admonishes us to grow in the knowledge of God and be strengthened with power. Knowledge of what? The gospel? Sure, but also in the understanding that the sacrifice took us out of the dominion of darkness and put us in God's kingdom. How does a person grow? By taking in food, learning to talk, learning to walk. The potential is there in the baby, all the muscles, the blood is ready, the lungs are working. But the baby has to be willing to take a risk of letting go and taking a step before he knows that he can walk. And it's the same with the believer. Timothy (who was already saved) is told to pursue good character, to fight the good fight of faith, to "train yourself to be holy". How was he to do that? By being rooted in the knowledge of who God says that He is because of Christ finished work. BUT, it required his making an active choice to put his faith in Christ, to fight the fight. Who God wanted him to be was a finished work of Christ. For it to be manifest in Timothy's life, Timothy had to take action on it. He had to choice to believe that what God said about him was true. Sometimes that comes quite easily by the person just saying, "okay, God said it so there, I no longer have a problem with being impatient." But then most times it takes our constant choice to turn to Him, to draw on His power, a choice to listen to what He has to say, a choice to walk away from a situation instead of blowing our stack. But is that relying on our own power? No, it is a matter of keeping in step with what the Spirit says. Gal. 5:22-25 The work is a finished work. It takes time for us to see that and allow the Spirit to activate it in our lives. | ||
| Patti |
The Role of the Holy Spirit, Part Three: We have seen that the main outward manifestation of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the testimony of Jesus. Now let us examine the purpose of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was filled with the Spirit. John 1:32 And John bore witness saying, "I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 1:33 "And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.' 1:34 "And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." John 6:27, 28 Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal. The Holy Spirit is the Seal of God. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the guarantee that the Christian has that Christ has saved him. Another main purpose of the Holy Spirit is to keep us faith-full, to keep us reminded of Christ's all-sufficient work for unworthy humanity. Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 1:14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. Not only does He inspire us to testify of Jesus, He keeps us focused on our eternal inheritance. He gives us a view of the glory to come and the faith to perceive it. Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. It is the Holy Spirit that "seals us to God." He is our guarantor that our inheritance is secure. And what brings about this "sealing"? Belief (absolute, unshakable confidence) in the Gospel. Galatians 3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? This sets up a nice chain reaction: We hear the Gospel, and believe. (Faith comes of hearing) We receive the Holy Spirit when we believe. We testify of Jesus (tell the Gospel) to others when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Others hear the Gospel, and believe. Others receive the Holy Spirit, Others testify of Jesus; Still others hear the Gospel and believe. How else could the Gospel have spread like wildfire to the uttermost parts of the then-known world in a few short years in an agrarian, non-technical world like the first century? However, just because we live in the Age of Communication, does not lessen the need for us, those who have heard the Gospel and believe, to testify of Jesus. Faith still comes of hearing, and hearing of the Word of God, Jesus Christ. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we cannot help but tell others about the great salvation offered to us in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus. Not of Himself, never of Himself; not to the believer, not to the work of Christ in the believer, but of the historical and objective life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ ("Jesus Christ and Him crucified"). Christ's act of salvation is the Gospel to which the Holy Spirit attests; He does not bear witness to our own "righteousnesses," which, of course, are as filthy rags. We are to test the "spirits." If they speak contrary to the law and the testimony of Jesus (the Gospel), we are not to heed that spirit. One who testifies of the believer gives witness to an imperfect, unfinished, sinful life that continues to fall short of the glory of God. One who testifies of Jesus and His saving work for mankind gives witness to a perfect, complete, finished work of love, justice and mercy which saves the believer to the uttermost. "My hope is built on nothing less..." May God ever lead us into a deeper conviction of the fullness of His grace, the completeness of His great salvation for those who rely upon the doing and dying of Jesus Christ alone. Grace and peace always, Patti | ||
| Lydell |
True, the Spirit testifies of Christ. And he does it in interesting ways. Other activities of the Spirit: "To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues." I Cor. 12: 8-10 By the way, According to I Cor. 14:1 we are to eagerly desire spiritual gifts. Acts 8 it was the Spirit who told Philip specifically what to do. "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." I Cor. 2:4 He doesn't just testify to the story of the cross, but also the power of God. In Eph. 5:18 we find that the Holy Spirit fills the believer. He aids our prayers Eph. 6:18 He intercedes for us Rom. 3:27 We worship by Him Phil. 3:3 | ||
| Max |
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. --Peter, NIV 1 Peter 2:1-3 | ||
| Patti |
He doesn't just testify to the story of the cross, but also the power of God. But the story of the cross is the greatest demonstration of the power of God. | ||
| Max |
I have given them [those whom the Father gave to the Son] the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. --Jesus, John 17:22-23 NIV | ||
| Patti |
Lydell: In Eph. 5:18 we find that the Holy Spirit fills the believer. Absolutely! I mentioned this above: Every instance in Acts of "being filled with the Holy Spirit" resulted in testifying of Jesus Christ, which, in turn resulted in many others hearing and believing. Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here, again, in Ephesians, being "filled with the Spirit" relates to edifying the church with the praise of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lydell: He aids our prayers Eph. 6:18 Starting in verse 13: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. with the breastplate of righteousness in place, Christ is our righteousness. 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Readiness to spread the Gospel of our peace with God for the sake of the work of Jesus Christ. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Faith in the all-sufficient saving work of Jesus Christ, our only shield from false doctrine. 17 Take the helmet of salvation Jesus Christ has accomplished our full salvation. and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God (John 1). 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. We don't even know how to pray or what to pray for: Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel What a wonderful passage, Lydell! Thanks for bringing it up! Lydell: We worship by Him Phil. 3:3 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, Wonderful text! The Spirit enables us to glory in Jesus Christ. He convicts us of His perfect salvation, and of our complete unworthiness: and who put no confidence in the flesh I think these passages bear out that the main purpose of the Spirit is to show us, to keep us trusting in, our perfect salvation in Jesus Christ. Thank you for bringing them up. Grace and peace, Patti | ||
| Max |
^^The story of the cross is the greatest demonstration of the power of God.^^ Not only the greatest, but also the first. It burst like a quasar from eternity outside of human spacetime into into human spacetime. The cross is the spiritual hyperspace portal from eternity into our universe through which the power of God flows. The cross is the centerpiece of God in human history. Through it the power of God flows throughout all human time past (flowing backward into history from the cross). And through it the power of God flows throughout all human time future (flowing forward into history from the cross). | ||
| Patti |
Forgive me, Max, for being nitpicky. I appreciate your flair for the colorful. But God's power has been displayed many times downward through out the centuries: 1. Creation 2. The flood 3. The Exodus 4. Water from the rock 5. Manna 6. Jericho and I am sure you can add many, many others. All of these were types of the greatest display of His power, the salvation worked out by Jesus Christ for all humanity who would believe in Him. But, yes, the salvation accomplished by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is His greatest display of power. | ||
| Max |
HEAR, O ISRAEL OF THE SPIRIT: THE SPIRIT GOD, THE SON GOD AND THE FATHER GOD ARE ALL ONE GOD -- NOT THREE GODS [The One] God, after He [the One God] spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son [in whom ALL THE FULNESS of the godhead dwells bodily], whom He [the One God] appointed heir of all things, through whom also He [the One God] made the world. And He [the One God] is the radiance of His [the One God's] glory and the exact represen- tation of His [the One God's] nature, and upholds all things by the word of His [the One God's] power. When He [the One God] had made purification of sins, He [the One God] sat down at the right hand of the [the One] Majesty on high,having become as much better than the angels, as He [the One God] has inherited a more excellent name than they. (NASB Hebrews 1:1-4.) Trinity God YES, Committee God NO! MC | ||
| Max |
Patti, Read my post above of Hebrews 1:1-4 for the scriptural view on the creation, flood, exodus, water from the rock, mana from the sky, Jericho walls falling, etc. These events are all examples of "the many ways" in which the One God spoke before the Son God came as our Christmas present. The Old Testament prophets [the ones who spoke for God, not necessarily always predicting the future] recorded these events -- and many others but not all -- in the Old Testament Scriptures. Thus the One God spoke through them. "These [prophets and other Old Testament faithful] were all commended for their faith, yet NONE of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better [the cross] for us so that ONLY together with us would they be made perfect." NIV Hebrews 11:39. This is how the the power of the finished work of the One-God-on-the-cross flows backward through human time from the cross to the time BEFORE the foundations of the earth were laid. In other words, God made us in order to save us. In eternity -- though not in time -- the cross actually precedes creation and gives it purpose. So, eternally speaking, one cannot limit the power of cross to being only the greatest revelation. It is more. It is the one revelation which gives all other revelation the right to exist -- backward through time from the cross and forward through time from the cross. For in this way the power of the cross is made manifest (eternal present tense) in Abraham through faith alone -- and in you and me through faith alone. MC | ||
| Patti |
So, eternally speaking, one cannot limit the power of cross to being only the greatest revelation. It is more. I am not sure where we are disagreeing. Saying that (not just the cross, but) the life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus God's greatest manifestation of power puts no upward limits on its magnitude. Greatest is greatest. It is the one revelation which gives all other revelation the right to exist -- backward through time from the cross and forward through time from the cross. Agreed. The saving work of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all prophecy, the OT in anticipation, the NT in retrospect.... Still I don't know where we are disagreeing. For in this way the power of the cross is made manifest (eternal present tense) in Abraham through faith alone -- and in you and me through faith alone. True. Through faith alone. I am still a bit confused as to wherein you think we disagree... But at least this is more pleasant than direct disagreement!  | ||
| Max |
Not interested in disagreeing. | ||
| Patti |
I am posting this for Mom, who is cyberly handicapped today: I just spent a half hour reading through these posts. Good discussion. One thing that jumped out at me, regarding our "behavior" and the "change" which seems to be expected in the believer, (i.e., the Peter reference: "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.") is that when I lived in the Middle East I met dozens of fine Moslems who fit this description. They even kept the laws of Moses! We had some wonderful friends, who met the criteria in every respect. I have known a number of Buddhists, also. I even dated a fine Buddhist- he was an American who had converted - for a while. These people also meet the "changed" criteria. In fact, they are without malice, envy, etc, and kinder, more considerate, compassionate, radiant, and joyful than many "Christians" I have known in a long lifetime. So I have to agree that our lives are not and cannot be, our witness to Christ. The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus. "Our authority is not our experience, but the Word of God." (Sproul) True, there is Christian growth, behavior change, regeneration. But at what point are we all regenerated into the perfection of Jesus? Do we all have the time to "become perfect" before our death or Jesus' coming? We all know the answer. Just as with the thief on the cross, we must depend on JESUS CHRIST for our salvation. Therefore our witness must NEVER be to our imperfect experience, our behavior change, our "regeneration." Our witness must always be to Christ. We were commanded to take "the Gospel" to the whole world. The "Gospel" is the story of Jesus coming to save sinners. "You are MY witnesses", Jesus said. He never told us to witness to our spiritual changes! Our witness is always to HIM. Even the Holy Spirit witnesses to Jesus - not to Himself. I worry when people begin to major on the Holy Spirit in themselves - or even the Holy Spirit alone - instead of Christ. It is the benevolence, love, mercy and grace of God which saves us, as expressed and achieved by Jesus. "Unto HIM be all glory, honor and praise for ever more!" Pat | ||
| Lori |
PRINCIPLES OF WITNESSING You can not communicate what you do not understand! The more limited your grasp of the Gospel, the less effective your presentation. As a result, the person to whom you witness may get a distorted or inaccurate picture of the Gospel. (For instance, that the Gospel message is linked to the observance of the 7th day--this is inaccurate) In order not to obscure the true issue of salvation an accurate description of the person and work of Jesus Christ must be presented. Here are a few priniciples for witnessing. 1. The responsibility for witnessing belongs to every believer. 2. The basic knowledge of witnessing involves the person of Jesus Christ and His accomplishments on the cross. 3. The challenge of witnessing comes from the doctrine of unlimited atonement (1 John 2:2)- Christ died for ALL mankind. 4. The method of witnessing is enhanced by your positive mental attitude related to your spiritual growth or maturity (john 15:2-16; 2 Peter 3:18) 5. Confidence in witnessing comes from your own assurance of eternal security (john 10:28) 6. The effectiveness of witnessing depends on the ministry of God the Hoy Spirit (John 16:7-11) 7. The communication of witnessing occurs in two ways-the example of your life (2 Cor. 3:3; 6:3) and the words of your lips (2 Cor. 5:18-21; 6:2). 8. The reward for witnessing is a part of your blessings on earth and in eternity (Dan 12:3) More later-- | ||
| Lydell |
7. The communication of witnessing occurs in two ways-the example of your life (2 Cor. 3:3; 6:3) and the words of your lips (2 Cor. 5:18-21; 6:2). Or as Francis of Assisi said, "witness everywhere you go, and when necessary, use words." | ||
| Lori |
This study on witnessing is for the purpose of demonstrating that we (believers today) are not ìspiritual Israelî. [This is one of the things that Adventist seem hung up on-we are spiritual Israel, therefore we must keep the commands (10 commandments) that they were given]. Scripture does not support this belief when ìrightly dividedî. Agencies of Witnessing Witnessing through The Family Plan The gospel was first proclaimed in the Garden after the Fall by the Lord himself Gen. 3:15: And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring (seed)] and hers (her seed) ; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Adam and Eve were the first people to hear the gospel. Adam and Eve set the precedence for all future parents by witnessing to their own children. Before long belief in or rejection of the Gospel divided the human race. This ìfamily planî of witnessing continued through Noah and his children until the time of the Flood. After the Flood, God ìdividedî Noahís sons into separate nations (see Genesis 10). As these new nations developed and expanded, evangelism was generally contained within each national entity. With the passage of time, man became more and more pre-occupied with the details of life and increasingly people turned a deaf ear to the Gospel. When a majority of the population rejects Godís grace offer of salvation and when believers neglect Bible doctrine, decadence and apostasy contaminate and dominate society. This type of degeneracy is what existed at the time that the Tower of Babel was constructed. Evangelism had been forgotten, man in arrogance replaced the plan of God (Gen. 11:1-9) Any additional thoughts brought to mind on this subject? Next-----Witnessing through the Nation of Israel | ||
| Lori |
Agency of Witnessing-The Nation of Israel: After God destroyed the Tower of Babel conspiracy and instituted different languages and races on the earth a specific missionary agency replace the family system of witnessing. Through Israel Godís word would be preserved and His Son sent as the Savior of the world. Abram was called to become the father of the Jewish race (Gen. 12:1-3). Over a period of 400 years of slavery in Egypt the nation of Israel was formed. Since Israel was custodian of Godís word they were given the responsibility of evangelizing the world (Rom. 3:1-2). What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. Israel did not fulfill their assignment. They became arrogant and regarded salvation as a Jewish monopoly. They failed to obey God and spread the Gospel. Israel came under severe disciplineóthe 70 years of captivity (587-517 BC). Following this judgment God graciously promised His people an additional 490 years for missionary activity (from 445 BC). But this period was shortened by 7 years when Israel rejected the Messiah (Dan. 9:24-27)óThe Jews still ìoweî God 7 years of witnessing, which they will ìpay backî in the Tribulation. Israelís failure was so overwhelming that God set aside His chosen nation (Matt. 21:43-"Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.) and replaced it with a new agencyóTHE CHURCH. | ||
| Kelly |
I need you guys to pray for me. Someone is asking me for guidance in finding the truth about Adventism. They read a message that I posted on Atoday about the Sabbath and emailed me. Wanting to know more. As I am so new to this myself, I feel inadequate to help someone else. I don't want to tell them too much and drive them farther in instead of out. I know that if God is trying to use me as his instrument that I can not go wrong. Just pray for me that I will not try to take over the controls at my discretion. The email I received really amazed me but is typical of what I was as an Adventist. In my post on Atoday, I was hoping to encourage those who read it to read their Bibles-telling them to read the entire chapter surrouding any verse but more than that read 7 chapters around that verse. The person who wrote me wanted to know "which 7 chapters to read". (I fear that my point may have been lost). Then they went on to say that they had never heard the concept of reading the whole chapter a verse was in. As an Adventist this concept had been lost on me as well. It makes me shudder to think of how many people that this concept of reading the whole chapter has never been known by. Pray that the Lord can use me; that His Spirit will be present in me in any correspondence I might have with this person. I want to be a clear representation of Spirit and Truth to this individual. Thank you to all of you that so graciously ministered to me in my need, Kelly |
