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"...Shepherd the flock of God which is among
you, serving as overseers..." (1 Peter 5:2)
Elders
Morris Bass, Rick Holt , Joe
Price |
"...let them serve as deacons,
being found blameless..." (1 Tim. 3:10)
Deacons
Aaron Bass, Rich Brooks, Mike Finn
John Hague, Dan Head |
"And take...the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17)
In this issue:
"You Never Know How The
Spirit Will Hit You"
Sermon Outlines:
"You Never Know How The Spirit Will Hit You"
Joe R. Price
Many
people think the Holy Spirit has given them the miraculous gift of speaking
in tongues. They think the Holy Spirit is working in them to cause this
phenomenon. Here is a reply offered recently when I was asked to comment on
a woman’s defense of present-day miraculous manifestations of the Holy
Spirit. She wrote in part,
“I know
many people with this gift. The truth of the matter is that you never know
how the spirit will hit you, until it does.”
The
question that should be asked is what language is spoken by these people?
They may say they speak in tongues, but in the New Testament, when the
apostles spoke in tongues “everyone heard them speak in his own language”
(Acts 2:6). The gift of tongues was the miraculous ability to speak in a
discernible human language one could not otherwise speak; not unintelligible
gibberish. Those who heard them said, “we hear them speaking in our own
tongues the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). All of the personal
experiences in the world will not change this clear, simple statement of
fact from the Scriptures about the New Testament miracle of speaking in
tongues. Today, those who claim the power may have a “form of godliness”
but they deny its power (2 Tim. 3:5).
Furthermore, the Bible teaches us how the Spirit “hit” first century
Christians. And, we can only conclude that unless he “hits” people the same
way today, they have not been “hit” by the Spirit of God. In the Bible, the
apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of the promise
Jesus made to them (Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:1-4). It required an apostle to lay
his hands on a Christian before that Christian received any miraculous gifts
of the Spirit (Acts 8:14-17). In that passage we see that people “had
received the word of God” and been saved, yet the Holy Spirit “had
fallen upon none of them.” The apostles Peter and John “laid their
hands on them (the Samaritan Christians, jrp), and they received the
Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:17). There are no apostles on the earth today.
Nobody receives miraculous manifestations of the Holy Spirit today like they
did in the New Testament because: 1) We are not apostles, so we cannot
expect to receive Holy Spirit baptism, and 2) There are no apostles on earth
to give miraculous gifts of the Spirit to anyone. This is not a problem,
because the Holy Spirit fully accomplished His miraculous work during the
days of the first century (Jno. 16:8-13; Heb. 2:3-4; 1 Cor. 13:8-10). The
day of miracles has ceased. One must not put his trust in things that are
not found in the Bible, including the “lying wonders” of Satan (2
Ths. 2:9).
You also
wrote:
>> I
have felt the spirit of the Lord on me, and the truth of the matter is that
it is entirely overwhelming. I cried and cried uncontrollably for the
better part of an hour, for complete lack of a better way of physical
expression...what's to say that others wouldn't laugh uncontrollably? It
has not happened to me since, I think mostly because I am more guarded than
I used to be. It is a scary thing to not be in control of yourself, even
when you know you're in better hands. <<
I do not question you felt something. But, how do you know it was the
Spirit of the Lord when the Lord only miraculously sends His Spirit to
people through the hands of His apostles (Acts 8:14-17)? How do you know it
was the Spirit of the Lord and not a lying spirit and strong delusion (2
Ths. 2:9-12)? Unless you have a “love of the truth” more than a love
for your experiences, you will be deceived; that is what 2 Thessalonians
2:9-12 teaches.
In the
New Testament those who had miraculous gifts of the Spirit could control the
use of those gifts; they did not act “uncontrollably” as you suggest some
do. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:27-33:
27 If
anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in
turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep
silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or
three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is
revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can
all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is
not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the
saints.
It is
clear from what the Bible says that they took turns speaking in tongues,
that no more than two or three at the most were to speak, and if there was
no one present to interpret the language, they were to keep silent (that
means they could control when they spoke). And, a prophet could stop
speaking and yield the floor to another prophet. It was to be done orderly:
“the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” None of
the confusing, uncontrollable, scary loss of self-control you describe
happened in Bible times. What you and others have experienced and are
trusting in is not in the Bible; it is not from the Holy Spirit.
You
wrote:
>> I
guess that it just kind of upset me that the site was so quick to question
how the Spirit would work. He works differently in all of us...and like the
saying, "Birds of a feather flock together", we tend to attend a place of
worship that feels comfortable to us. With different levels of comfort in
different churches, of course the Spirit of the Lord would Manifest Himself
differently to us. <<
Dear
Madam, I do not question how the Spirit works; the Bible teaches how He
works. I question how you say he works, because what you say is the Spirit
working is not to be found in the Scriptures! Remember please, the Holy
Spirit inspired the Scriptures (Jno. 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:10-13; 2 Tim.
3:16-17). He has told us in the New Testament how he works, but what you
have described contradicts what the Spirit wrote about Himself. Now then,
whom should I believe? Whom should you believe? Shouldn’t we both believe
what the Holy Spirit says in His inspired Scriptures? Yes, of course. He
said tongues are human languages that helped communicate God’s word (Acts
2:6-11).
Speaking
in tongues was just one of many miraculous gifts of the Spirit given to
Christians by the Holy Spirit through the apostles (1 Cor. 12:1-11; Acts
8:14-17; Heb. 2:3-4). They were temporary, lasting until the revelation of
the gospel of Christ was complete (1 Cor. 13:8-10).
Where does the Bible teach us we can look for a place of worship “that feels
comfortable to us?” Jesus said to come after Him one must deny himself,
take up his cross daily, and follow him (Lk. 9:23; Matt. 16:24). The Holy
Spirit said self-denial, not self-comfort, is the way of discipleship.
Finally,
you wrote:
>>The
church I attend now is unbelievably mild compared to the churches I attended
in my youth, I actually miss that people don't get up and start spouting out
the word of God in tongues...and on that occasion that someone is given an
interpretation, they stand up and shout it out. And you hear the word of
God spoken in words directly to your ear, and you can't deny that He has
just spoken. There is nothing like that in the whole world! <<
The Bible says God speaks to us today in His Son, not in visions, dreams or
miraculous messages spoken directly into our ears (Heb. 1:1-2). “...how
that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly
written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in
the mystery of Christ)” (Eph. 3:3-4). When we read the New Testament we
can understand the will of God; that is how God speaks to all men today.
We must
be careful not to deny the word of God as revealed in the inspired
Scriptures. The ways that seem right to men often lead to death (Prov.
14:12; 16:25; Jer. 10:23).
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
A Study of Bible Authority (#7): What is the Church of Christ?
Scripture Reading:
Ephesians 5:22-32
Misunderstanding
church leads to many other errors.
I. DEFINING AND
UNDERSTANDING THE CHURCH.
A. Church:
“Called Out Ones,” an Assembly, cf. Acts 7:38 (Hosea 11:1), 19:39 (32, 41).
1.
Assembly of the saved; called out of darkness (1 Pet. 2:9-10) by God through
the gospel (Acts 2:39; 2 Ths. 2:14), Matt. 16:18.
2. To understand “church” we must think “people,” not “institution,”
Acts 2:47; 6:1, 7; 5:14; 9:2; 1 Cor. 1:2.
B.
“Church” is a Collective Noun.
1. Used
in geographic sense, Acts 9:31; Gal. 1:2.
2. Used of composition, Rom. 16:4; Col. 4:16.
3. Used of who it belongs to, Matt. 16:18; Rom. 16:16.
II. THE UNIVERSAL
CHURCH,
Heb. 12:23.
A. God’s People
wherever they are Found, Matt. 16:18; Eph. 5:23-27 (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12:13;
Eph. 4:4; 1 Tim. 3:15; 2 Tim. 2:19.
B. Universal Church Denotes a Relationship with God, not an Organization
(Eph. 5:24)
C. Universal Church is Composed of Christians, not Local Churches, Eph.
1:22-23; 5:23, 30.
III. THE LOCAL
CHURCH,
Rev. 1:11; 2:1.
A. Independent,
Autonomous Congregations of Christians, Acts 11:22, 26.
1.
Organization, Acts 14:23 (Phil. 1:1).
2. Local oversight, 1 Pet. 5:1-2 (Acts 20:17, 28).
3. Local treasury to fund its work, Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor.
11:8 (Phil. 4:15-16).
4. Local church regulates its membership, Acts 9:26-28; 18:27; Rom.
16:1-2, 17-18; 1 Cor. 5:4-7.
5. An assembly, 1 Cor. 11:18; 14:28.
IV. CONTRASTS
BETWEEN THE UNIVERSAL & THE LOCAL CHURCH.
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
Bible Question Box Feb 2006
Scripture Reading:
1 Timothy 2:8-15
“Concerning
Bible Authority – I have heard it preached (rightly so) about a woman’s duty
to learn in quietness & full submission and not to teach or have authority
over a man (1 Tim. 2:11-12). The preceding verses (1 Tim. 2:9-10)
concerning decency & propriety, seem just as specific about braided hair,
gold & pearls. They seem to be in the same context of appropriate worship
so what is the difference in these instructions? Why are the verses treated
differently?”
I. THE TEXT IN
CONTEXT,
1 Tim. 2:8-12.
-This verse does
not exclude women from praying, but it defines spheres of duty for men &
women.
-Neither does this verse exclude jewelry & clothing, but it defines its
parameters & characteristics.
A. Duty of Men: Lead in Worship, 1 Tim. 2:8.
B. Duty of Women: Quiet Submission, 1Ti. 2:9-12
1. Adorn (kosmeo): “To put in order, arrange.”
2. Modest
(kosmios):
“Orderly,
well-arranged.”
3. Shamefastness (propriety, nkjv)
(aidos):
“A sense of shame,
modesty” (Vine). (Jer. 8:12)
4. Sobriety (moderation, nkjv)
(sophrosune):
“Soundness of
mind…judgment;” self-control, 2:15.
II. WOMEN
PROFESSING GODLINESS,
1 Tim. 2:9-10. (Prov. 7:10; 4:23; Rev. 17:1, 4)
A. Heart Issue:
(internal) modesty is reflected by (external) clothing, 1 Tim. 2:9-10; 1
Pet. 3:3-6.
B. Does God Condemn All Jewelry & All Care for Personal Appearance (such
as braiding hair)? (No)
1. “Not…but” (2:9-10): (Jno. 12:6, 9).
2. Illustrations: 1 Cor. 1:17; 1 Pet. 3:3-4; 1 Tim. 2:9-10
3. Note: God adorned Jerusalem for beauty, but she “trusted in her
beauty” & turned to harlotry, Ezek. 16:1-14, 15-18.
4. Also: Gen. 24:22, 47, 53; Exo. 3:22; Isa. 61:10; Matt. 6:28-29.
C. Both Underdressing & Overdressing are Immodest, Isa. 3:16-24.
Top
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