I'm not willing to carry this forward much further on this thread. Much more and I'll include the link to the TP THREAT POTENTIAL THREAD where this issue can be continued.
Wrong on a couple of counts.
The most important one,
you seem to have removed from your Bible the verse about those filled with The Spirit without any laying on of hands or any other intervention of any Apostles.
And, Apostle Paul didn't have any such prior to the Damascus Road incident.
Many in our era have had similar experiences.
As Scripture says, THE FRUIT IS THE PROOF. People 180 degrees turned around loving, worshipping and following God from a life of horror, pain, suffering, rebellion, etc. in countries around the world.
Interestingly, Holy Spirit has had a fuller flow in regions where people simply take Scripture at face value and try and live it out and apply it as it's stated. In those regions, Acts 2 is abundantly demonstrated repeatedly.
In regions where denominational 'distinctives' [i.e. doctrines of man] are elevated above Scripture and above the work of Holy Spirit, there are less miracles.
If you ask a few people who know me, they will tell you I am usually patient and respectful of others when talking about religion. However, I have got to say that it is no wonder that you are "not willing to carry this forward much further" as you certainly must be running out of Bible to use either out of context or in a totally ridiculous way. It is not an accident that Pentecostals are not known for their biblical soundness. Taking the example of Christ appearing to Paul on the road to Damascus as an example of receiving the Spirit through other than laying on of hands is frankly LUDICROUS.
In regions where denominational 'distinctives' [i.e. doctrines of man] are elevated above Scripture and above the work of Holy Spirit, there are less miracles.
You're absolutely right. I just recently read an article here about the tidal wave of Christianity occuring in Africa and South America. Places where people are just hurting for the Gospel. They're 3rd-world, dirt poor, and just so hungry for truth...that raw Christianity that hasn't been seen in the States for who knows how long. It was an amazing and humbling testament to the Faith.
Could you please add me to your ping list?
No overly prophetic dreams here, I'm afraid - that's my wife's job. She had dreams of her pregnancy two days before we found out she was pregnant. She dreamt of her grandmother's illness and subsequent passing about a month before she became ill. Recently, (over the last year) she's had on and off dreams about us having to go underground - into hiding.
Awesome thread here...thank you.
IOTN