Posted on 10/30/2006 8:56:41 AM PST by Rightly Biased
Which Apostle laid their hands on you? Considering they all died by the end of the 1st century or very early 2nd century, I don't see how it could have been any of them.
God bless you Quix you have a gentle spirit
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Which Apostle laid their hands on you? Considering they all died by the end of the 1st century or very early 2nd century, I don't see how it could have been any of them.
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Holy Spirit seems to disagree with the criteria demanded. He was DEFINITELY INVOLVED and has been countless times since then.
Perhaps taking the complaint up with Him would be educational.
I'm certainly skeptical of my meeting the criteria demanded. But then I never have fit in any tidy little tiny theological boxes.
Much appreciate your kind words.
I suspect you'd get a number of dissenters hereon regarding your assessment, however.
Please give an example of someone receiving miraculous gifts in the New Testament that was not preceded by laying on of hands by the Apostles.
There's also the case of folks whom Holy Spirit fell upon without ANYONE laying hands on them. I think it was Peter who wisely affirmed their being Holy Spirit blessed.
Perhaps these words are troublesome in some mysterious way:
HOLY SPIRIT CONFIRMED THINGS INITIALLY, in my life, WITH ME.
HOLY SPIRIT HAS CONFIRMED HIS WORK IN MY LIFE REPEATEDLY SINCE THEN.
If anyone has problems with that, they are welcome to take the issue up with HOLY SPIRIT.
HOLY SPIRIT HAS NEVER AND WILL NEVER FIT IN ANYONE'S TIDY LITTLE BOX.
HOLY SPIRIT has been appearing upon and amidst countless groups and individuals even in my life awareness and network . . . around the world.
It's my exceedingly strong bias that Holy Spirit knows a LOT more about what HE'S doing than ANYone else does.
Paul was an Apostle, picked specifically by Christ. His gifts came directly from the Lord.
As for your second point, I assume you are talking about Cornelius. Peter clearly states that the Holy Spirit came upon them as it did the Apostles at Pentecost. The instance with Cornelius, and the instance at Pentecost, are the only two times that the Holy Spirit descended on someone in such a manner.
Miraculous gifts served a purpose in the 1st century, but no longer serve that purpose. We have the full revelation of God in His Word.
HOLY SPIRIT CLEARLY disagrees with that perspective wholesale. Emphatically so. And, the naysaying perspective doesn't seem to slow Him down much when He decides to override it in an area. Unbelief can be a factor in some regions for a time. But if He decides to override it, He does.
People are essentially still the same. They still need miracles.
People are essentially still the same. Miracles still confirm God's word with signs following.
People are essentially still the same. God loves to pour His glory into their lives and through willing vessels.
People are essentially still the same. When they read God's Word, BELIEVE IT and apply it as His Word teaches and in faith, GOD LOVES CONFIRMING IT WITH SIGNS FOLLOWING.
People are essentially still the same. GOD SAID. THESE SIGNS *SHALL* FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE . . . " And they DO.
People are essentially still the same. If folks claim to believe but have NEVER experienced God's miraculous Holy Spirit doing HIS MIRACULOUS THING in their lives to any even tiny degree . . . then perhaps they need to check the health of their beliefs out. That's a basic Scriptural application of pain Scripture.
Have you ever performed a miracle? If so, please document what happened.
Have you ever received revelation from God and given it to others, either through prophecy or speaking in tongues? If so, please document what happened.
I don't have time at the moment to dredge up the memories on the miracles God has worked through me.
One of the latter requests was displayed right out in plain sight on an open FR thread. I won't give you the details as the individuals involved deserve their privacy--even though it happened on an open thread.
My life has been saved more than 3 times because of Holy Spirit's word directly to me.
Folks have been healed as they reported later to me after my praying for them. I didn't and don't consider it that huge a deal as it is merely Holy Spirit doing what He said He'd do in the lives of believers. So I don't keep such things long in active memory in any detail.
I think the first time I recall is as a Jr High kid, the pastor's 2 year old boy fell off the altar rail where he should not have been playing during altar service and banged his head real hard. I immediately prayed for him and IIRC, his mother was watching and noticed the quickly forming knot disappear.
There have been probably more than a half a dozen situations where very destructive folks were firmly and very long term entrenched in a situation--whether work or church . . . and I've prayed and they've been removed in various ways.
MarySecretary and many other believers on FR have had such miracles in and through their lives.
I encourage anyone overgiven to stern, haughty, etc. sorts of judgment and skepticism to be very cautious. Holy Spirit can be longsuffering. But at some point, He can also get real hard nosed. Then things get interestin
BTW,
NO. I've never performed a mircle.
God is the one doing the miracles. He sometimes chooses flawed vessels to do them through, however.
I have often seen miracles come about through prayer.
I have often seen miracles come about through prayer.
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INDEED! Obedience in doing what God says God's ways tend to result in miracles.
Pretty simple.
Though unbelief can be a big stumbling block in many situations.
Actually, virtually every sincere Christian I know has had a mini-miracle . . .
where some intense super big burden they'd been concerned about, praying for an answer about . . .
was suddenly and out of the blue spoken to by Holy Spirit by a specific phrase or sentence or verse of Scripture jumping off the page as though in neon lights when they were reading it.
But folks get muddleheaded about such and rapidly explain them away irrationally because such things don't jive with their tidy boxed theologies to construe them plainly as they happened. So they have to distort the reality even to themselves to dismiss the miracle aspect as never happening or not really being a true miracle or some such nonsense.
I think it becomes a problem when someone "speaking in tongues" tries to add to scripture. Personal or church interactions with God are private issues and certainly biblical.
I can't quickly recall anyone in my 59 years ever attempting to add to Scripture.
Certainly no need and off the wall to do so, imho.
Well claiming new revelation is, and claiming "the Lord said", and dream prophecy and the like. All revelation given by the HS points to Jesus and Jesus is the end of revelation. This is biblical.
There, fixed it.
My mistake. Thanks.
Not in the sense you are seeming to mean the words.
There's PLENTY of examples in the NT of Holy Spirit giving input which was NOT ENSCRIPTURATED, is the term.
Assuming that all Holy Spirit's inputs are equal to Scripture flies in the face of the Scripture about the world not being able to contain books about all the works of Christ--or however that verse goes.
The LORD SAYS lots of things not intended to be in Scripture.
Telling a young man which woman to seek for marriage is not needed as an enscripturated Holy Spirit input.
Telling a family to sell their house and move from an area before a big quake or forest fire is not an enscripturated bit of Holy Spirit provided input.
To construe things as stated in the post I'm responding to would negate Holy Spirit leading each believer into all truth FOR THAT BELIEVER'S LIFE--tailor made to that believer in all the details of that believer's life.
I really have a very hard time with this meat-axe, tidy little boxed theology mentality regarding Holy Spirit and His operations in The Church Age. Most of the time, it's utter nonsense. Holy Spirit was involved in all creation. He will NOT fit any man construed tidy little boxes. What's so hard about that? It's not rocket science!
I Cor 12-14 makes abundantly clear the guidelines and something of the scope of Holy Spirit's operations in The Church Age. What's so difficult about reading such Scripture, believing it and practicing it as one is supposed to do with the rest of the New Testament?
Oh, right . . . biases . . . flawed, traditions and doctrines of man biases. That I can understand, sadly.
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