Gifts of the Spirit

[Knowingtruth]

2 hours ago, Couppy said:

Thank you.

You are welcome

[Paul James]

On 8/30/2017 at 5:19 PM, Knowingtruth said:

The most controversial gift of the Spirit is speaking in tongues. Only diverse tongues and their interpretation is the gift of the Spirit, not the unknown tongue speaking observed in Corinth church.

Read Corinthians 14 carefully.  Paul told the Corinthians that when they speak in tongues they were thanking God well: " You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified" (1 Corinthians 14:17).  If Paul didn't approve of the nature of the tongues they were speaking he never would have said that.  It is where and when they were speaking tongues that was the issue with him.  So your last phrase is contrary to what is clearly written in 1 Corinthians 14:17, and 1 Corinthians 14:2, and when Paul said, "I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all, yet in the church, I would rather say two words in plain language so that others will be edified."

Of course the truth comes out of the chapter when elementary school comprehension 101 is applied, rather than filtering it through non-Biblical Cessationist teaching.

[Paul James]

On 9/12/2017 at 6:32 PM, Knowingtruth said:

Spiritual gift is for common good. Personal edification is like 'selfie'--unconnected with the Holy Spirit. There is no record of the Holy Spirit falling on Corinth church as it happened on Pentecost. Paul was not an apostle; it was his self-claim, like, many. 1 Corin. 14 speaks of involvement of persons's spirits unrelated to the Holy Spirit. Note the word 'spirit', not 'Spirit'! The Holy Spirit may intercede, but not with animal sounds and behavior. Interpreter's position was an invention of crafty Paul to eliminate the nuisance there. This was not found when Paul was there for one and a half years.

Oh?  So the Holy Spirit did not speak through Paul?  If 1 Corinthians 14 is an invention of Paul, who's to say the rest of his letters weren't?  Either Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit in all his letters or not.   If one doesn't believe that it was the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul, then they might as well get a pair of scissors and cut all of Paul's letters from their Bibles.

But if it was the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 as in the rest of the book and all his other letters, then to say that 1 Corinthians 14 is a crafty invention of Paul, is an insult to the Holy Spirit.  It is then no wonder that people to say those sorts of things tend to be fairly unfruitful in their Christian lives.  One can't insult and grieve the Holy Spirit and then expect Him to work with them.

[Paul James]

On 9/13/2017 at 2:10 PM, Knowingtruth said:

Canon is man-made. That is why we have different versions. Both chosen apostles as well Paul did many wrong things as they grew spiritually. They did not mature instantaneously. Chosen apostles never accepted Paul as an apostle, neither did Jesus. Self-claims have no value

Seeing that you have no confidence in Paul, I just wonder what your profession of Christianity is based on.  Also, most of the book of Acts is out too and Luke's gospel, because Luke was a companion of Paul and totally stood with him with total unity in his ministry.

[Henry_iain]

2 Peter 3:16

Paul was writing just as inspired as Peter. 

Scripture is infallible. 

I completely agree with Mr James. I am not a fan or any of the extremes. At the same time I think we should be careful about dismissing things we don't understand because the Holy Spirit might move in ways we are not familiar with. I go to a charismatic church but we are quite mild compared to most. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Henry_iain

[Justin Adams]

To attribute the workings of the Holy Spirit to 'imaginations' is getting very dangerous for someone...

The pharisees did not recognise the Holy Spirit and Yeshua had something to say about that. Especially when they attributed the Spirit to an underworld entity...  Take care!!

[Eddy Crocker]

I have been to many churches over the years and have noticed many people counterfeiting the Holy Spirit through their own Spirit. Even so much as people being drunk in and with their own emotions and calling that the Holy Spirit. 

Theres a fine line between external hype because of the nice loud sounding music and being truly touched by God. True worship shouldn’t be promoted by externally as the cause of it but if should happen everyday regardless whether or not your in a church building.

John4.23, 

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

[Paul James]

10 hours ago, Henry_iain said:

2 Peter 3:16

Paul was writing just as inspired as Peter. 

Scripture is infallible. 

I completely agree with Mr James. I am not a fan or any of the extremes. At the same time I think we should be careful about dismissing things we don't understand because the Holy Spirit might move in ways we are not familiar with. I go to a charismatic church but we are quite mild compared to most. 

My interpretation of your "mild" is that it is a church run decently and in order.

[Henry_iain]

Exactly. I love my church. We have our challenges but I think God has really blessed us with solid teachers. My pastors,while being continuationists,  tend to be critical of the charismatic movement. Especially against the prosperity gospel, the idea of church as entertainment rather than a true encounter with God, the tendency to focus on experience rather than solid biblical teaching, and especially the tendency to fall into comfort zones where people never get challenged to serve and always want to be given comforting messages.

Actually this year has been a good time for us as a church. Challenging and yet good for us. We were speaking a lot about how church is not a building or an event but that each of us, working together, building each other up but also challenging one another, are the church. And now along comes lockdown and suddenly we this beautiful opportunity to practice this teaching.  Not moving in fear but using common sense and keeping in touch and praying for the nations. It's such a great time to preach the gospel because people are realising their own vulnerability and are looking for answers. I know this is a sad and challenging time for many. But if ever we needed the guidance of the Holy Spirit it is now.