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ALL THE CONFUSION MOST OF THE TIMES IN THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH IS NOT WHO THE HOLY SPIRIT IS…BUT HOW AND WHEN HE ENTERS THE CHRISTIAN’S LIFE!!!. IS EXPERIENCE ALONE VALID OR THE EXPERIENCE IN CONFORMITY WITH THE SCRIPTURES IMPORTANT?.
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ALL THE CONFUSION MOST OF THE TIMES IN THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH IS NOT WHO THE HOLY SPIRIT IS…BUT HOW AND WHEN HE ENTERS THE CHRISTIAN’S LIFE!!!
IS EXPERIENCE ALONE VALID OR THE EXPERIENCE IN CONFORMITY WITH THE SCRIPTURES IMPORTANT?
WE NEED TO HAVE CERTAIN 3 BASIC FACTS RIGHT TO ARRIVE AT THE TRUTH!!! 1. HOLY SPIRIT IS LIKE A WIND TO WHICH YOU CANNOT DICTATE COURSE-JOHN 3:8 HE WOULD APPEAR SO TO THE DISCIPLES!!!
2. THERE ARE SOUND AND LIGHT MANIFESTATIONS’ OF THE LORD IN THE SCRIPTURES AS ALSO SILENT ONES’!!! EG…1…AT MOUNT SINAI NUMBERS 12:6-8/ SILENT EXO 19:16-20/ SOUND AND LIGHT
SECOND EXAMPLE-AT JERICHO JOSHUA 6:1-20 “SOUND AND LIGHT” JOSHUA 6:22-23 SILENT
THIRD EXAMPLE-WITH PROPHET ELIJAH 1 KINGS 18:38-40 SOUND AND LIGHT 1 KINGS 19:11-13 SILENT
3. DO WE TAKE EPHEMERAL HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OR THE ENDURING ONE TO ARRIVE AT DOCTRINES!!! DO WE RESIDE IN A HOUSE WHILE IT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR AFTER To arrive at Doctrines, do we take transitory history of the Church represented by Synoptic Gospels and Acts as the basis or the Epistles or John’s Gospel as the basis -penned later in the day- by which time a clearer pattern had emerged as regards a Christian’s life especially in matters such as A) When and B) How the Holy Spirit comes into a Christian’s life. IN OTHER WORDS CHRISTIANS OF THE PENTECOSTAL DAY (3000) AND POST-PENTECOSTAL DAYARE OUR PARADIGM OR THE APOSTLES OF CHRIST WHOSE ATTACHMENT TO JESUS STARTED EVEN BEFORE THE PENTECOSTAL DAY?
TRANSITORY HISTORY OR THE FULL-FLEDGED ONE I) OT EXAMPLES- A) MARRIAGE (GEN 20:12/GEN 30 WITH CLOSE KIN/SISTERS VS NO CLOSE KIN OR SISTERS LEV 18:9,18) NO CLOSE KIN OR SISTERS LEV 18:9,18
B) PLACE OF WORSHIP –ANYWHERE (DEU 12:8-11 VS SHILOH IN JOSHUA 18:1/1 SAM 1:3/1 KINGS 8-9:1-9)
TRANSITORY HISTORY OR THE FULL-FLEDGED ONE-GO BY EPISTLES!!! • 2) NT EXAMPLES – A) CAN GOSPEL BE SHARED WITH GENTILES –ACTS 10-11 VS EPH 2:14 • B) CIRCUMCISION OR NO CIRCUMCISION –ACTS 15 VS GALATIANS • C) ELDERS –AS PER CONSTRAINTS OF CIRCUMSTANCES 14:22-23 VS 1 TIM 3:1-6 • D) COMMUNION LITURGY IS FROM EPISTLES SECTION (1 COR 11:23-32) THOUGH 3 OF THE 4 GOSPELS CONTAIN AN ACCOUNT OF OUR LORD INSTITUTING THE “LORD’S TABLE”. THE REASON BEING BY THE TIME EPISTLE OF 1 CORINTHIANS WAS WRITTEN, THE ADVERSE EFFECTS’ ON THOSE PARTAKING IN IT, EVEN WHILST LIVING UNHOLY LIVES WAS ALREADY BEING OBSERVED.
WHAT DOES THE EPISTLES SECTION (WRITTEN FOR ALL BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS) SAY... But you are not like that. You are controlled by your new nature if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that if anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ living in him, he is not a Christian at all.)-Rom 8:9 Do you not know that you[a] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?-1 Cor 3:16 He has put his brand upon us—his mark of ownership—and given us his Holy Spirit in our hearts as guarantee that we belong to him and as the first installment of all that he is going to give us.-2 Cor 1:22 CHURCH AT CORINTH HISTORY- “CRISPUS, THE RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE, BELIEVED IN THE LORD, TOGETHER WITH HIS ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD. AND MANY OF THE CORINTHIANS HEARING PAUL BELIEVED AND WERE BAPTIZED.”-ACTS 18:8 CHURCH AT ROMANS COMPRISED MOSTLY OF CHRISTIANS FROM JEWISH COUNTRY WHO HAD COME TO JERUSALEM DURING THE PENTECOST-”VISITORS FROM ROME—BOTH JEWS AND JEWISH CONVERTS”-ACTS 2:10
SOME MORE EPISTLE PORTIONS In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee[d] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,[e] to the praise of his glory.-Eph 1:13 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,-Titus 3:3-6
HONESTLY IS CHRISTIAN LIFE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. -John 15:1-5 HOW WILL THE LORD CALL US TO ACCOUNT FOR SINNING IF WE DO NOT HAVE HOLY SPIRIT POWER FROM WITHIN TO OVERCOME SIN? WHEN APOSTLES FLED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, THEY WERE FORGIVEN, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE THE POWER...IF STEPHEN OF THE 3000 HAD FLED FROM THE SANHEDRIN, WOULD HE BE FORGIVEN? WILL THE LORD ALLOW HIS GLORY TO BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?...WHEN WE SAY THAT A CHRISTIAN WITH HIS OWN “FINITE” STRENGTH OVERCOMES THE LUST OF THE EYES, WORLD, AND PRIDE OF LIFE LIVING A LIFE GLORIFYING GOD IN EVERYTHING (1 COR 10:31)....ARE WE NOT TAKING AWAY THE GLORY DUE TO GOD?-ISA 42:8
WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES INTO A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE DOES HE COME SILENTLY OR WILL THERE VISIBLE SIGNS LIKE THE RECEIPIENT PROPHESYING OR SPEAKING IN TONGUES? • DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT COME INTO A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE AT THE TIME OF REPENTANCE AND BAPTISM OR AFTER SOME SUBSTANTIAL TIME LAPSE? THE NORM IN THE BOOK OF ACTS-SILENTLY WHEN A PERSON RECEIVES CHRIST 1. 3000 Believers’ on the Day of Pentecost 2. Ethiopian Eunuch-Acts 8:38-39 3. Apostle Paul- Acts 9:17-18-Time of repentance itself 4. Cyprus Church-Acts 11:19 5. Antioch Church-Acts 11:20-23 6. Churches of Galatia- Acts 13 and 14 (Acts 13:52 speaks about the new converts/Gal 3:1-3/4:6) 7. Lydia and her household with which began the Philippian Church –Acts 16:11-15 8. Philippian Jailer and his household-Acts 16:25-34 9. Thessalonian Church –Acts 17:1-10/1 Thess 3:5-6/1 Thess 1:6/1 Thess 5:19 10. Berean Church –Acts 17:11-12 11. Household of Crispus with which began the Church at Corinth –Acts 18:8-9
CORE ISSUE 1 -CONTD THE EXCEPTIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS –WITH VISIBLE SIGNS
PROGRESSIVE REVELATION-JOHN 16:13-FIRST SAMARITANS AND THEN GENTILES ACTS 10-11:1-18 ACTS 8:14-25
CORE ISSUE 1 -CONTD THE EXCEPTIONS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS –WITH VISIBLE SIGNS
OT EXAMPLES • 1) GOD CAN “THUNDER” (MOUNT SINAI WHILST GIVING THE COMMANDMENTS-EXO 20:18) AND CAN “WHISPER” TOO (SPEAK GENTLY FACE TO FACE WITH MOSES-NUM 12:8). • 2. AT MOUNT CARMEL “THUNDER” (1 KINGS 18:38) AND AT MOUNT HOREB “WHISPER” TO THE SAME PROPHET ELIJAH (2 KINGS 19:11-13)
SO IN THIS MATTER... SHOULD WE NOT GO BY THE WHAT IS WRITTEN IN JOHN 3:8 (WE CANNOT DICTATE COURSE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS LIKE THE WIND) RATHER THAN MAKING THE SAMARITAN CHURCH THE ONLY PARADIGM...
CORE ISSUE 2 • WHO IS TO BE GIVEN GREATER PROMINENCE ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST? • CLEAR DIFFERENCES NEED TO NE KNOWN BETWEEN REBIRTH EXPERIENCE AND THE ANOINTING EXPERIENCE
MATTER TO BE LOOKED AT FAITH COMES BY HEARING NOW IN 2018 AND NOT BY SEEING (ROM 10:17) ABOUT CHRIST’S GOSPEL WHICH APPLIES TO 3000 (SOME FROM PONTUS, CAPPADOCIA-ACTS 2:9/1 PETER 1:1/1:7-8 AS OPPOSED TO APOSTLES WHO HEARD HIM, SAW HIM AND TOUCHED CHRIST-1 JOHN 1:1-2
CORE ISSUE 2-FULFILMENT OF LUKE11:13/JOHN 7:37-38/ACTS 2:38/ROM 5:5 WHEN THE 3000 RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT (THE LORD USES EVEN JEALOUSY TO ATTRACT THE JEWS-ROM 10:19) • Did not the 3000 become Christians that very day? If Holy Spirit did not come into their hearts at the time of their genuine repentance, can we call them Christians going by Romans 8:9? God forbid we even daring to think that the “very first fruits (Church began with these blessed 3000 as Laity) of the Holy Spirit’s transforming work” were not Christians!!! • If not for the overflowing love poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5), could such outstanding acts of charity and generosity ensued (Acts 2:45/ 4:34-35) amongst them? • So if there is no doubt that Holy Spirit has entered their hearts, the next question is “did the 3000 speak in tongues or prophesy”when the Holy Spirit entered their hearts?
COMPARING THE 12 APOSTLES WITH CHRISTIANS OF 2018 IS AKIN TO PUTTING THE WRONG WINE INTO THE WRONG WINESKIN-MATT 9:17
ACTUALLY SIMILARITIES ARE THERE BETWEEN BRIDEGROOM (JESUS) AND THE BRIDE (3000)
ACTUALLY SIMILARITIES ARE THERE BETWEEN BRIDEGROOM (JESUS) AND THE BRIDE (3000)
KEY FINAL QUESTIONS? 1. THE APOSTLES TOOK WATER BAPTISM OF JOHN AND THEN WERE FILLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT MUCH LATER, IS THAT THE RIGHT PARADIGM FOR US LIVING IN POST-PENTECOSTAL ERA OR THE PATTERN (REPENTANCE, BECOMING THE BODY OF CHRIST, GROWTH, ANOINTING AND USAGE IN THE MINISTRY) OBSERVED INTHE 3000 WHO TOOK BAPTISM THAT DAY?
KEY FINAL QUESTIONS? 2. IS THE ANOINTING AFTER GROWTH OF A CHRISTIAN TO A CERTAIN STAGE (2 TIM 2:22), THE ONLY POINT OF TIME WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT STARTS WORKING IN A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE? FROM WHEN DOES HE START INDWELLING US?
KEY FINAL QUESTIONS? 3. SHOULD WE NOT MAKE EPISTLES THE BASIS OF ARRIVING AT DOCTRINES?
KEY FINAL QUESTIONS?DO I SEE ROM 8:26/9:31 FULFILLED IN MY LIFE?