Yet, no matter what I say, it is ridiculed, my motives are questioned, my discernment is doubted, my relationship with Christ is slighted and, although I will not give away the identity of the man and how I know, my observations are trashed. What exactly is your idea of NOT haranguing someone?
You should know by now that I defend you whenever I feel you are being unfairly attacked, do I not? I am also NOT in any way stating I do not believe God continues to work in this world and in our lives nor that he is unable to do miraculous things as HE sees fit. What I am questioning is the stranglehold this ONE thing (tongues) seems to have on some people. God, the power of God, is SO much greater than that! I do not believe those sign gifts are still active today and I have given the Scriptural reasons for why I hold to that. I do not desire to continue to discuss this with anyone who is incapable of looking at it objectively because it appears that, no matter how the argument is framed, it will be taken as a personal attack. I hope you can see that how you are reacting is how some of the Roman Catholics do whenever their church's doctrine is questioned. They are unable to step away and objectively discuss the points in a calm, respectful manner but take personally every criticism. Some of the exact same words and taunting are showing up here. Obviously, it is hitting too close to home. Is it wrong to ask why?
I don’t believe that’s accurate. That’s far too blanket a statement for what I do vs what I don’t do. I do commonly ridicule things I believe to come from the pit.
my motives are questioned,
Please show me where I questioned your MOTIVES. I don’t believe I did. I have asserted that the idea that the Gifts of Holy Spirit described in Acts 2 and I Cor 12-14 have ceased to operate in our era—that THAT IDEA is from the pit. I still stand by that conviction.
That’s far different than questioning your motives.
my discernment is doubted,
Of course. You doubt my discernment wholesale on this topic. How is it righteous for you to doubt my discernment but evil for me to doubt yours? Where is that in Scripture?
my relationship with Christ is slighted
I don’t believe that’s accurate. Please show me where I slighted your relationship with Christ. I don’t believe I said anything about that.
and, although I will not give away the identity of the man and how I know, my observations are trashed.
I have no idea what man you are talking about. I have no idea what observations you are talking about.
If you are talking about excesses regarding tongues and other silliness in Pentecostalism and Charismania—I’ve agreed with all of you about the horrors of such things existing. That agreement with y’all on such scores has evidently earned me MINUS 99.8% (-99.8%) respect from yall. Real sweet.
What exactly is your idea of NOT haranguing someone?
My idea of haranguing folks would involve relentless fierce to harsh personal assaults.
You should know by now that I defend you whenever I feel you are being unfairly attacked, do I not?
I believe that’s true and have always appreciated it. I return the favor as often as I’m aware of the need and feel an ability to do so.
I am also NOT in any way stating I do not believe God continues to work in this world and in our lives nor that he is unable to do miraculous things as HE sees fit.
Sounds good. Yet, on this issue and even in this post, that sounds like talking out of both sides of one’s mouth quite inconsistently. You say that on the one hand and in the next breath or sentence insist that the Holy Spirit gifts in I Cor 12-14 and Acts 2 are not for this day. You can’t logically have it both ways.
Either God sent Holy Spirit to operate as described for the whole church age or He did not. This is not a half pregnant possibility.
There is NOT A SHRED OF SCRIPTURAL indication that God sent Holy Spirit at Pentecost and then changed his mind a few decades later and withdrew Holy Spirit or put His manifestations in a straight-jacket. Not a shred.
1. The world, the flesh and the devil HAVE NOT CHANGED
2. The devil’s methods, goals and strategies have not significantly changed.
3. Mankind HAS NOT CHANGED.
4. GOD HAS CERTAINLY NOT CHANGED.
5. Demonic attacks HAVE NOT CHANGED.
6. Spiritual warfare has essentially NOT CHANGED.
7. Human NEED for God’s supernatural solutions to excruciating human problems HAS NOT CHANGED. 8. The Biblical logic of the Biblical exhortations about how to call for, facilitate, administer, pronounce God’s miraculous solution over human needs HAS NOT CHANGED.
What I am questioning is the stranglehold this ONE thing (tongues) seems to have on some people.
I don’t observe such a person in my mirror.
God, the power of God, is SO much greater than that! I do not believe those sign gifts are still active today and I have given the Scriptural reasons for why I hold to that.
I’ve observed that you’ve thrown some Scriptures on the table as relating to that issue. I find no connection between the Scriptures and your claim of the application of those Scriptures to this issue. None whatsoever.
It is as though you cite
“The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me to lie down in green pastures.”
As the Biblical proof requiring all authentic Christians to sleep in pastures with sheep.
Non-sequitur’s after non-sequitur.
I do not desire to continue to discuss this with anyone who is incapable of looking at it objectively because it appears that, no matter how the argument is framed, it will be taken as a personal attack.
Show me where I’ve done anything of the kind. I don’t recall thinking or saying something like that.
I have noted that I’ve agreed with a lot of what y’all have said and none of you have agreed with a single Biblical thing I’ve said. That doesn’t feel wonderful but I haven’t considered it a personal attack—just something that’s very very sad.
I hope you can see that how you are reacting is how some of the Roman Catholics do whenever their church's doctrine is questioned. They are unable to step away and objectively discuss the points in a calm, respectful manner but take personally every criticism.
Show me a single case where I’ve taken things personally.
My fierceness and zeal are in behalf of Holy Spirit’s operation in this era in these matters. I’m sick to death of Holy Spirit and His authentic manifestations being trashed by the enemy’s schemes. I’ve heard it all my life and I’m sick of it.
It’s not per se persona. I don’t give THAT BIG A RIP what y’all think of me on the matter. I KNOW WHAT’S HOLY SPIRIT AND REAL IN MY LIFE whether anyone else does, or not. NO AMOUNT OF ARGUMENT can change my mind on what’s real BECAUSE GOD HIMSELF HAS BURNED IT INTO THE MARROW OF MY BONES.
What angers me is the insult to Holy Spirit and the catering to the satanic perspective by folks who are otherwise usually open to END TIMES Biblical stuff. I hate seeing satan snooker folks of normally substantive authentic spirituality.
And I CERTAINLY hate to see HOLY SPIRIT QUENCED in direct disobedience to the Scriptural exhortation NOT TO QUENCE HOLY SPIRIT.
But again—it’s no skin off my teeth. Our congregation operates Biblically and will continue to do so—as will I—regardless of what even 100% of everyone else on FR thinks or doesn’t think about such.
It does grieve me and anger me to see Holy Spirit’s efforts so maligned, dismissed, rationalized away, trashed etc. by folks who I think ought to know WAYYYY better. But even then, the anger is felt primarily toward satan for snookering such folks.
Some of the exact same words and taunting are showing up here. Obviously, it is hitting too close to home. Is it wrong to ask why?
Your assumptions on that score just happen to be off-the-wall wrong. Both your analysis and your interpretation about me are WRONG.