Speaking in Different Kinds of Tongues

With regard to tongues, ..... deals with speaking or praying in tongues for ones own edification. Paul says that one who speaks in tongues speaks to God to edify himself but he who prophecies to the church speaks to men ...........Hence Paul says, though he speaks in tongues more than others (vs 18,) prophecy that benefits the whole body of Christ is more profitable. Read more...

Work out your Salvation?

Question : You are always insisting that salvation is a free gift and no one can work for it. Bet you have not read Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV), which says, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” This verse proves that we need to fear for our salvation and so we need to work for our salvation through a lot of good deeds.

Answer : The apostle Paul indeed says in Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV), “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” but then he also says, “for it is God who works in you ….”
It’s important to note that Paul doesn’t say, “Work for your salvation.” The Bible clearly teaches we don’t have to work for our salvation. It is a free gift of God’s grace. Ephesians 2.8-9 puts it like this, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

In a sense, Paul is talking about a spiritual workout, just like when you physically work out to develop your muscles. We’re asked to make the most of what we’ve been given. God provides the power for our spiritual growth, but we must flip the switch.

Yesterday's Gifts or Today's

Question: We believe that the Holy Spirit is ultimately sovereign in the distribution of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11).We believe that speaking in tongues and the working of sign, miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed, their authority upheld, and the early church firmly established (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:20; 4:7-12). What’s your stand?

Answer: The cessationists believe that the manifestation of the gift of the Holy Spirit stopped when the New Testament Scriptures were completed. By examining the very verses you have quoted, in context, we can find for ourselves if this is biblical or not. click here to read full article...

Dangerous Little Foxes

Husbands, wives, pray for the health of your marriage. Ask God to alert you both to the “little foxes” that can slip in and begin to eat away at the roots of your marriage. Bless your life partner today with prayer.

More Cool Bible Quizes

Make sure you check out these cool Bible Quizes.

http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Bible/Quizzes/Quiz2.htm

http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Bible/Quizzes/Quiz1.htm

Person and Work of Christ - part 3

The problem called sin In our culture it has become the norm to accept truth and morals as relative with no absolutes. However, according to the Bible, God has defined sin .....

Christ the solution to sin Many religions and cults admit the problem of sin, but they seek to answer sin through good works and/or by following rules and laws.... to read more

Person and work of Christ part - 2

In a previous post titled ‘Person and work of Christ part -1’ we saw the testimony that confirms that Christ Jesus is God and that His birth was divinely unique in the history of mankind. Today we will continue our journey in exploring the person and work of Christ Jesus.

Doctrine of Trinity
Religions like Judaism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons etc reject the doctrine of trinity, reducing Christ to a ‘created being’. The Word of God testifies to Jesus’ deity and humanity in to read more ...

Radical Message for the World

Apostle Paul’s message is radically simple: Salvation is in Christ alone. What does this mean?
It’s not Christ plus your good behavior.
It’s not Christ plus the number of Bible verses you memorize.
It’s not Christ plus your tithe or the church you attend.
It’s not Christ plus wisdom from the latest Christian seminar.

It’s simply Christ plus nothing. Christ and Christ alone.

My Yoke is Easy

‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

Judaism placed a terrible burden of responsibility on each individual. Jews believe that anyone Jew or gentile, may gain salvation through commitment to the one true God and through moral living. To live morally a Jew had to adhere to the letter of the Law which was quite burdensome.

But Jesus Christ, a Jew Himself, came promising to lift such burdens/yoke from the human heart. Followers of Christ are saved by faith and not by works. So even today He says, ‘Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. … For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’.

Urgent Call to Prayer for Israel

Synopsis of a Letter from Pastor Benny Hinn

Dear ann:
Early in the morning of December 26 the Lord showed me through a dream that the nation of Israel would be involved in a serious military operation in Gaza and that a part of Hamas, the terrorist organization supported by Iran, would be destroyed at the cost of many lives. As I awoke, I was filled with grief for the lives to be lost in this conflict.

To my amazement, on the day after Christmas shortly after waking from my dream, I began hearing and seeing news bulletins about the attacks and airstrikes taking place primarily in Gaza.

Dear saints, we are told in Psalm 122:6 to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” ......... Will you join me in the coming days to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”? Read more....

Inerrant Creational Narrative

Creation accounts in the Bible never function simply to satisfy a childlike curiosity to know “how it all began.” The biblical writers' concern with God as Creator grew out of their knowledge of Him as Redeemer.

The Function of Biblical Creation References
Genesis is a book about beginnings. The centerpiece of the book is God's redemptive activity following the fall of man. God began by calling Abram out of Ur, by entering into a covenant with him, and by making promises to bless him and to bless all the families of the earth through him.

Genesis 1-11 serves as prologue to God's redemptive purpose in calling Abram (Genesis 12:1-3) and to the patriarchal stories (Genesis 12-50). It sets a world stage on which God acted in choosing one man in order to bless all men.

Genesis 1-2 contain two accounts of creation, the order of man's creation coming at the end in the first and at the beginning in the second. God's creation, “good” as it was (Genesis 1:4,Genesis 1:10,Genesis 1:12,Genesis 1:21,Genesis 1:25,Genesis 1:31), soon became bad through human rebellion against God. The accounts of creation in Genesis 1-2 prepare the reader for the record of the first people being placed in the Garden of Eden, temptation by the serpent, rebellion against God, expulsion from the garden, and the degenerating effect of sin in society.

Genesis 1 & 2
After reading the first two chapters of the Bible, some skeptics, in an attempt to disprove the Bible’s inerrancy, have accused the writer of Genesis of erring. They strongly assert that such disharmony by the author of Genesis proves that the Bible is not divinely inspired.

Does Genesis two present a different creation order than Genesis one? Is there a reasonable explanation for the differences between the two chapters? Or is this to be recognized as a genuine contradiction?

The main reason that skeptics do not see harmony in the events recorded in the first two chapters of the Bible is because they fail to realize that Genesis 1 and 2 serve different purposes. Chapter one (including 2:1-4) focuses on the order of the creation events; chapter two (actually 2:5-25) simply provides more detailed information about some of the events mentioned in chapter one. Chapter two never was meant to be a chronological regurgitation of chapter one, but instead serves its own unique purpose—i.e., to develop in detail the more important features of the creation account, especially the creation of man and his surroundings.

As Kenneth Kitchen noted in his book, Ancient Orient and the Old Testament:
Genesis 1 mentions the creation of man as the last of a series, and without any details, whereas in Genesis 2 man is the center of interest and more specific details are given about him and his setting. Failure to recognize the complimentary nature of the subject—distinction between a skeleton outline of all creation on the one hand, and the concentration in detail on man and his immediate environment on the other, borders on obscurantism (1966, p. 117).

Some of the differences in Genesis 1-2 is summarized in the following chart

Genesis 1

1. Chronological Order
2. Outline
3. Creating Animals

Genesis 2

1. Topical Order
2. Details
3. Naming Animals

Heaven Bound

Many world religions believe in some form of reincarnation. However, the concept of reincarnation is anti-biblical and anti-Christian.

2 Corinthians 5.8, Hebrews 9.27-28 and 2 Peter 2.9 are the scripture verses we will use here to refute this false claim of reincarnation or the theory of birth cycles.

Lets see what 2 Corinthians 5.8 has to say. ‘We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.’ Here Paul is saying, he is confident that when he leaves his physical body here on earth he will ‘be at home with the Lord.’ Elsewhere it is said that ‘heaven is the dwelling place of God’. So as a believer and servant of Jesus, Paul was confident that he would be with God immediately after his physical death. (Read 2 Corinthians 5.1-10 for a greater understanding and assurance in this topic.)

Hebrews 9.27-28 gives us clear assurance that there is no reincarnation for believers and non-believers alike. It states, ‘Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.’ (See Hebrews 9.24-28 to read text in context.)

2 Peter 2.9 boldly asserts, ‘if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.’ Here Peter affirms the fact that the godly (righteous ones in Christ) are rescued from any further trials, punishments etc while the unrighteous are already facing punishments while awaiting the final day of judgment when they will be condemned for eternal punishment. (Read 2 Peter 2.4-10 to understand text in context.)

Sons of God & Daughters of Men Equals Nephilims

The Book of Isaiah says that the Nephilim and their descendants will not participate in a resurrection as is the portion of ordinary mortals. Isaiah 26:14 reads: "They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise." The original Hebrew word translated "deceased" here is the word "Rephaim." It would have saved a lot of misinterpretation if the translators had left the word as it was in the original. The verse actually reads:.... to read the full article, click here

Anyone in Heaven?

Salvation or Eternal Life in Jesus Christ is one of the running themes repeated many times over throughout the gospel of John. The verse, ‘No one comes to the Father except through me (Jesus)’ John 14.6b is just one such.

The following verses by Jesus need to be understood in this context.
John 3:13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
John 6:46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.

Jesus spoke these words before His crucifixion. After His dead, burial, and resurrection, all mankind received the unique privilege to enter Heaven the dwelling place of God provided they met the Father’s only condition –Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord (Jesus) will be saved (Romans 10.13).

We use the words ‘saved’ and ‘salvation’ to mean Eternal Life in Jesus Christ. The Words, ‘Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;( John 14.11a)’ helps us understand that if one is in Jesus Christ then one is in the Father too, and so has Eternal Life. (the Father is the source of all Life)

God is Just and He judges people according to His Word. Before Christ’s death according to Hebrews 11 people were declared righteous by faith. After Christ’s death and resurrection people are still being declared righteous by faith.

Another understanding of the verse ‘No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father’ is based on the word meaning of the original word used to express the word ‘seen’.

1 Corinthians 13.12 says, ‘Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” The knowledge of God the Father is beyond the realm of human mind.

In conclusion we can safely say that no one alive has seen the Father the way Jesus sees and knows Him. During our time on earth we see Him through the ministry of Jesus but limited by the immaturity of our soul. In Eternity, if our name is in the Book of Life, we will ‘see’ the Father as He is seen by Jesus Christ - perfectly. What a blessed privilege.

{There is no evidence in the Bible for the belief that after death the souls are in a state of suspension, in purgatory, etc etc. These theories have their origin in the belief that man is justified not only by faith in Christ but also by ones good deeds and by observing the sacraments prescribed by the church.}

Bow Down and Worship Him

“They saw the child and his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him” Matthew 2:11

Do you worship God with your words and actions? Do you worship Him with your heart?

Who are you praying for to give their heart to Jesus? Keep praying for him. The Bible tells us that when we pray according to God’s will, He will answer. Soon the person WILL worship the Lord with his whole heart.

Father, there are thousands of people who have heard the Christmas story and have not yet begun to worship You. Father, we pray that this year, You would open the eyes and hearts of those we have been praying for. We pray that they would become true worshippers of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Person and Work of Christ - Part 1

Christ is the backbone of Christianity. So let us explore the issues concerning Jesus Christ – who he is and what he did.

• Who is Jesus? A man? God? Someone uniquely different?
• What did he do? Taught us how to live? Died for our sins? Both?

Jesus – God or Great Teacher
The Bible clearly teaches us that Jesus Christ is God. John 1.1 refers to Jesus as the Word (Logos) and tells us that ‘in the beginning was the Word … and the Word was God’. John 1.14 affirms that ‘the Word (God) became flesh and made his dwelling among us.’

Jesus himself testifies about himself on several occasions. In John 10.30 He claimed to be equal with God, ‘I and the Father are one’. John 14.9 records Jesus words thus, ‘..anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.’

Jesus referred to himself as God in John 8.58 ‘ I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I Am!’ The teachers of the Law understood well that He was claiming to be the God of Israel and so tried to kill him. Before his arrest, on the night of the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.’ John 14.6

After appearing to Thomas who doubted him, Jesus makes a profound statement, ‘……; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’.

Birth of Jesus
Atheist and skeptics scoff at Mary’s virgin birth while others object to the doctrine of virgin birth on the grounds that it is similar to other pagan legends of heroes who were half god, half man. In the pagan stories of this kind, there is gross physical cohabitation of a god with a human being. Mary is simply informed that the Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1.35) There is no suggestion that Jesus is half man and half God.

According to Theologian Wayne Grudem, “God in His wisdom, ordained a combination of human and divine influence in the birth of Christ, so that His full humanity would be evident to us from the fact of His ordinary human birth from a human mother, and His full deity would be evident from the fact of his conception in Mary’s womb by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.’