Results 1701 - 1720 of 2277
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Hank Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1701 | Baptism and defacto elationships | Acts 2:38 | Hank | 178512 | ||
CB - Doc has given a splendid response in Post 178503, which I endorse without reservation. In no wise would I baptize this fornicating couple who obviously don't take the word of God seriously. It is repentence they need right now -- and perhaps regeneration -- not baptism. The key issue is what the Bible teaches about immorality -- and on the issue of fornication the teaching is as clear as it can possibly be -- and not what various age groups think about it. --Hank | ||||||
1702 | Church for believers only? | Acts 2:39 | Hank | 181348 | ||
Hello, Azure. The word "church" is so bandied about these days and used so loosely that one never can be sure what the user of the word really is saying. Here in the western world at least, the word "church" has come to be used more of a building than anything else. But this meaning is foreign to the sense in which the New Testament uses the word. When, for example, the apostle Paul speaks of the church at a certain place, his meaning invariably is people, not a building. And the people Paul calls the "church" are the called out ones, the regenerate believers, who collectively comprise the church. And, quite unlike secular organizations, the church is not something one joins. On the contrary it is an organism to which God adds those who are being saved. (cf Acts 2:47). Thus in the sense in which "church" is used in Scripture, it is solely and absolutely "for" believers. Perhaps a more accurate way to state the matter is this: The church IS believers, born-again followers of Christ, and exclusively that. Claims to church membership are groundless and pointless unless the claimant is a regenerate follower of Jesus Christ. A person could "join" and have his name entered on the membership lists of a thousand congregations and still be as lost as a goose in a snow storm. --Hank | ||||||
1703 | Church growth measured by numbers in pew | Acts 2:41 | Hank | 25010 | ||
Momma, to look at the thing in a positive way, the least one could say is that it's hard to get people to "come forward" unless you first get them to "come in." So, if these who are coming in are hearing the gospel of Christ, perhaps in time they will heed the call and come forward. To preach the gospel is our job. But to get them to "come forward" is God's. --Hank | ||||||
1704 | Lord's Supper discussion. | Acts 2:42 | Hank | 29426 | ||
Dalprad: This topic has been discussed at length on the forum. Characteristic of the forum, opinions vary widely. You might wish to click on Search and enter the words "communion" or "Lord's Supper" and read a number of ideas that have been posted. --Hank | ||||||
1705 | One Pastor and one assembly? | Acts 2:42 | Hank | 175062 | ||
Bereaniam - No and no. But there is strong evidence from Acts and the Pauline letters that the composition of the apostolic churches was stable, i.e., that the members didn't tend to hop from Ephesus to Corinth to Galatia to Rome. Neither does the New Testament teach that each congregation is limited to one human leader, but it clearly does teach that Christ is head of the church. I believe that the corpus of New Testament evidence weighs heavily against the practice of "church hopping" unless you, like Paul, are engaging in plowing new soil by establishing new congregations, called "church planting" in the modern vernacular -- a colorful term indeed that evokes images reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 3:6: "I have planted, Apollos watered: but God gave the increase." ..... I believe that God expects us to use the brain He gave us, don't you? So let's use it to think through this church-hopping scene, and I'll supply the questions. How can we expect to be effective by flitting from one church to another? Do you not feel it is the Christian's obligation to support the work, worship and mission of the local church by his presence, his talents, and yes, his financial resources? Christian friendship and fellowship are important adjuncts to the Christian walk, are they not? And are these aspects of one's Christian life not compromised by having no church roots? Finally, let's draw an analogy from the work place. How effective would an employee be who worked at a different firm in a different location every week? ....... A "church hopper" is not altogether unlike a ship without a rudder. Ihop as descriptive of the place where one dines on pancakes is fine, but "I hop" as descriptive of where one worships is not fine. --Hank | ||||||
1706 | how do we benefit from serving in church | Acts 2:42 | Hank | 187231 | ||
sara - Your question may draw more expansive answers than what I'm going to give you, but I don't know of one that is more succinct and to the point than that drawn from Scripture itself. In this case my text is Acts 2:42 wherein Luke writes of the early church, "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." ...... Let's now look at these four things one at a time. ....... (1) The apostles' teaching. This means the inspired teachings of the apostles, delivered orally at first, and now preserved in the New Testament. Persevering in the apostles' doctrine was one of the first religious exercises of the New Testament church after Pentecost, and a survey of of Acts and the Pauline letters leads one to draw a strong inference that it was of paramount importance. Doctrinal purity was essential to a New Testament church in apostolic times and it is no less essential in ours. ....... (2) Fellowship. One of the evidences of regeneration has always been the regenerate believer's desire to be with the people of God and share things in common with them. There was then and is still a sense of being separated from the world as a worshiper in the house of God in the company of the redeemed. Those who attach so little importance to worshiping, working and serving within the church among other believers are running counter to the example of the early church that Luke gives us in this passage from Acts. .......(3) The breaking of bread. This phrase in this context can be in reference to nothing else but the celebration of the Lord's Supper, one of two ordinances of the church (the other is believer's baptism). ....... (4) Prayers. This was the fourth principal practice of the early church. "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" and Scripture teaches the Lord's people to pray, privately and corporately. Given the emphasis that our Lord, first of all, then Paul and the other apostles, placed upon prayer, it is fairly certain that the church of antiquity that zealously followed "the apostles' doctrine" was a church that spent much time in prayer. ...... In this post I've attempted to answer at least one aspect of your question by listing in order those four practices set down by Luke that were common to the early church of Christ. Though it's true, sad to say, that these practices have not always been adhered to by all who profess to be Christian. Not everyone pays heed to that segment of "the apostles' doctrine" that says to preach the word or to the warning about the time when some people will no longer endure sound doctrine. (See 2 Timothy 4:2-5). ...... One final comment regarding the phrasing of your question. In contemplation of God's amazing grace and holiness, should our sole aim not be to enter into God's house in a spirit of worship, praise and thanksgiving to Him who gave His only Son that we, believing on Him, should not perish but have eternal life? Shouldn't this be our one desire and purpose as we enter into God's house? And not therefore to ask, or be motivated by a consideration of, how WE benefit when we serve in God's house? --Hank | ||||||
1707 | what is the meaning of church | Acts 2:47 | Hank | 158050 | ||
kang: To your first question: The Greek word for church (ekklesia) means 'the called-out ones." To your second, the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2). --Hank | ||||||
1708 | Do we continue to serve God after death? | Acts 3:22 | Hank | 27377 | ||
Brian, I believe it is true that Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration, because the Bible says so plainly. You ask what it tells us about our continuing to serve God after the death of our body. My answer is that Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration. I don't see that this tells us a single thing about OUR continuing to serve God after the death of OUR body..... Brian, I'd be dull indeed not to be able to guess the direction you wish your questions to lead, but I'm not going there this trip. It's time for me to pull the cord and get off the bus. Warmest regards. Hank | ||||||
1709 | One universal religion | Acts 4:12 | Hank | 129958 | ||
In his denunciation of a universal religion, your pastor probably had one-world government in mind, of which a state-imposed universal religion would be a possible adjunct. Such an imposition could, of course, mean anything, depending upon how a world government defined religion. Religion can mean anything from atheism to orthodox Christianity, from Islam to Jehovah's Witnesses. A state-imposed "universal religion" is a far cry from what Jesus envisaged when He issued the "Great Commission" of Matthew 28:19,20. --Hank | ||||||
1710 | those who have not heard of Jesus? | Acts 4:12 | Hank | 154714 | ||
shearecj: Jesus plainly said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). The Bible also says clearly, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). The "what ifs" and "what abouts" lead us to speculation, not biblical truth. --Hank | ||||||
1711 | will ignorant people be lost? | Acts 4:12 | Hank | 196038 | ||
Hi, spirit :: Thanks for your question. BradK has cited several passages from God's word that make it clear that there is salvation in no other than Jesus Christ. The only point I wish to emphasize is that whatever man may opine about salvation (or any other theological matter) does not change what God has said in His word -- not one whit. And we who read His word must be always on guard lest we read into it what it does not say (a faulty way of interpretation called eisegesis). It's easy enough to engage in wishful thinking. That's a human weakness that comes naturally to most of us, but it can lead to all sorts of error when we try to mix our own wishful thinking with what Scripture teaches. It won't work. It's like trying to mix oil and water. ...... You asked the question, "What is your response?" I rather wish you'd asked, "What does the Bible teach?" But I'll answer your question in this way: My response is that we should always go by what the Bible teaches and never by what man thinks, believes, says, or feels about any spiritual matter. --Hank | ||||||
1712 | What was the high court of Jews called? | Acts 5:34 | Hank | 184114 | ||
Hello, Keynes. A warm welcome to Study Bible Forum, and thank you for your question. The high court of the Jews in the first century was the Sanhedrin, called the Council in Acts 5:34. Read about the apostle Paul's appearing before the Council in Acts 23:1-9. The Gospels describe the role that the Sanhedrin played in the arrest, trials and condemnation of Jesus. Jewish tradition has it that this high court of the Jews had its origin with Moses, who, in obedience to God's command, appointed 70 elders to serve on the Council. See Numbers 11:16. --Hank | ||||||
1713 | IS MOSES GOD? | Acts 7:35 | Hank | 90895 | ||
No, Truthfinder, Moses is no more God than Michael the archangel is Jesus Christ! --Hank | ||||||
1714 | Can this be related to today's world? | Acts 8:4 | Hank | 159141 | ||
reasonr: The Great Commission of our Lord (Matthew 28:19,20) is no less binding on His followers today than when it first came from the lips of Jesus. We err if we think that the call to preach the message of the Gospel of Christ applies only to the exotic far-away lands of the planet. There are literally thousands if not millions of people in the United States who know nothing about Scripture, nothing of what they must do to be saved and have no awareness even that they are lost. They have never heard a Gospel sermon in their lives, and no one has preached Christ to them. If they don't attend church services in a Bible-teaching orthodox church, and don't come from Christian families, where are they to hear the Gospel message? We have taken God and His word and prayer out of schools and public places. We live in a largely pagan society. Their exposure to televangelists by and large gives them a distorted and false picture of biblical Christianity. ..... For two millennia Christians have been persecuted on account of their faith in and allegiance to Jesus Christ. The effects of religious persecution are by no means always negative as the history of the church attests. The splitting of church bodies which you mention can be good or bad, depending on the reasons that spurred the split. --Hank | ||||||
1715 | What does "perish" mean? | Acts 8:13 | Hank | 69479 | ||
cwade, in compliance with your request, herewith is my answer to your question about Simon the practitioner of magic, quackery, and various kinds of sorcery. Reading the entire passage, from Acts 8:4-25, gives just cause to ask, "Was Simon really saved?" Yes, the record says he believed, but as events unfold it would appear more than likely that Simon's belief was merely intellectual assent to the claims of Christ that the apostles were teaching. He may himself have made messianic claims (v.9,10). And, yes, he was baptized along with others, but baptism does not save and is not necessarily indicative of a profound, salvific experience of faith in the Person and work of the risen Lord. Simon believed (v.13), but Peter's denunciation (vv.20-23) indicates that Simon's faith was not unto salvation. (See James 2:14-20) Simon thought he could buy the gift of God (v.20). When Peter urged him to repent, Simon replied "Pray for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me." (v.24) This is tantamount to saying, "Pray for me that I may escape punishment." Obviously, Simon was still thinking in terms dictated by his trade, i.e., of dependence upon magical powers to save him rather than repentence of heart. The indictment Peter applied to Simon as exemplified in the phrases "gall of bitterness" and "bondage of iniquity" are not terms Peter would have used to describe the status of a newly regenerated believer. Terms of this stripe more nearly fit the condition of an apostate or an idolater. (See Deut. 29:18). --Hank | ||||||
1716 | How do I make sense of the context? | Acts 8:13 | Hank | 69784 | ||
Dear David: Please see my most recent post to Tim, ID #69783. And I -- personally I -- don't have a "position" on the issue of the eternal security of the believer, the perseverance of the saints. But the Bible does! That's what we're exploring on this thread, and I cited the references to give vent to the various views that are held on the apostate question of Hebrews 10. One of the references I posted offered three different and conflicting views. Now, when three views of a scriptural passage are promulgated, two things are possible: [1] That all of them are incorrect. [2] That if one is correct, the other two are incorrect. And as a corollary to these points, I would add that when an isolated passage of Scripture is interpreted in such a manner that the interpretation comes in conflict with a large number of other, perhaps clearer, passages of Scripture, then the interpretation is in error. Thus, David, in this instance, to interpret these verses in Hebrew 10 as a proof text that the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer is erroneous, is to misinterpret it, because there are numerous other passages that clearly teach otherwise. Many of these passages I have cited in two other posts in this thread. I trust I've helped to answer your question and speak to your concerns, David. If not, you know how to find me :-). God bless you, too, David. I love your name. It was the name of my son who died some years ago in an automobile accident. --Hank | ||||||
1717 | How can I get back the fire...? | Acts 8:39 | Hank | 198972 | ||
E. J. M. :: No better prescription can be found for keeping the spiritual fire going in your soul than this: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). --Hank | ||||||
1718 | Where doe God say he is Jesus? | Acts 9:1 | Hank | 63853 | ||
Hello, Sunset Gypsy. There is no more powerful testimony that Jesus is God than John gives in the opening words of his Gospel. He says, "the Word was with God" -- in communion with God yet distinct from Him. But he continues, "and the Word was God -- that is, identical in essence with God. It is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who form the Trinity, or triune nature of God: One God in three Persons. To some practitioners of pagan religions and to others who lack knowledge of the Bible's teaching on the triunity of God, it may appear that Christianity teaches polytheism, but nothing could be further from the truth. The words of the Shema, "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!" [Deut.6:4] are eternally true, and this confession does not preclude the later revelation of the Trinity. It is interesting that the Hebrew word used here for "God" is Elohim and is a plural word; and the Hebrew word used for "one" is the same word used in Gen.2:24 pertaining to the union of Adam and Eve to describe two persons in one flesh. --Hank | ||||||
1719 | who was let down from a wall in a basket | Acts 9:25 | Hank | 183596 | ||
stjohn - Saul. Read the account in the ninth chapter of Acts. --Hank | ||||||
1720 | Can ANYONE believe? | Acts 10:34 | Hank | 125173 | ||
Huron: The Bible says, "whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16) and "let the one who is thirsty come, let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost" (Revelation 22:17). But is this the same thing as saying that EVERYONE is created with an opportunity for salvation? This question has been debated for centuries. ..... But nevertheless John 3:16 certainly does say "whoever believes" and Acts 10:34 certainly does say that God shows no partiality, and it does not stop there; it goes on to say, in v. 35, "But in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him." --Hank | ||||||
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