Results 521 - 540 of 773
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: JCrichton Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
521 | did house churches effect comm. living? | Acts 2:44 | JCrichton | 145489 | ||
Hi, taylorgirl77! Though the practice of living together or of sharing everything was inspired by the Holy Spirit... this communal living is not as those practiced throughout time where a few get everything and control everyone in a cult or cult-like environment... we find that the necesities of the times dictated for the Church of Christ to be found in local houses, deserts and other wilderness locations... there is even evidence that Christians gathered (if not lived) in the catacombs of Rome... still, throughout the Church's infancy there were people living in a communal or communal-like environment while others would continue to live in their own townships and homes... a few would no doubt be part of some mobile community that would bridge all the Christians communities throughout the missionary geographical areas... One thing is constant, Christians are called to aide others, specially their Christian brethren! God Bless! Angel |
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522 | "..a prophet like me.". | Acts 3:22 | JCrichton | 106773 | ||
afro, greetings! I've read some of your postings, are you attempting to humanize Christ or are you truly seeking enlightenment? There are many passages in the Bible that can be twisted to say just about anything. For instance there's a group that believes that Jesus came to America and passed down a special "for your eyes only" new testament book. They use a single Bible verse that refers to "sheep not of this fold" (John 10:16) to base their religious doctrine. The truth is that Jesus was refering to the Gentile who together with the remnant of the Jews would become the people of God (Ephesians 2:11-22). So it is with Moses. The message is not that Jesus is a simple prophet, but that He, the Prophet, (whom Moses and the rest of the prophets could only mirror) comes to the people of Israel as prophesized by Moses (another prophet). The difference between Moses a prophet of God and Jesus the Prophet of God is what Jesus says: "I am." Moses never claims to be anything but God's servant. Jesus responds to questions by saying "I am." This is the title that God gave to Moses when he asked who should I say sent me: (Exodus 3:14). And Jesus made note that Abraham saw his Day and was glad--remember, Abraham died hundreds of years before Jesus was born (the Word incarnate--John 1:1-18). Listen to what Jesus said about Abraham: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad." (John 8:56) Jesus was questioned about His statement in this manner: "The Jews then said, 'You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!' (John 8:57) Jesus replied: "In all truth I tell you, before Abraham ever was, I am." (John 8:58) They Jews clearly understand that Jesus is equating Himself to God and they desire to kill Him under the pretext of blasphemy: (John 8:59). May the Holy Spirit guide you to the Light! |
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523 | what makes you a prophet? | Acts 3:22 | JCrichton | 118887 | ||
Hi, ministermay! There are several requirements that must be met; among them are these: * Special Fellowship with God * Knowledge of God * Knowledge of man * Must have God's authority * Must support the Word both in action and in words In Acts 3:22 Moses is quoted as prophesying about the PROPHET that was to come--He would have complete authority! Both Luke 7:39 and 1 Corinthians 14:37 make it clear that a prophet, from God, has discernment, granted by the Holy Spirit, and is able to understand (know) the Scriptures and humanity. Luke 24:19, demonstrates that the people of God have a long history of recognizing God's prophets: they teach with authority, reveal things that come to fruition, and they have the power of the Holy Spirit directing them! Now, not all who prophesies come from God: Revelation 2:20 demonstrates this exceedingly well! If a prophet commands that we follow another "Jesus" or another "Gospel" we will be running into the mouth of the abyss! Further, Revelation 13:11-15 talks about the end of times when the world will be witness to great signs (wonders), which mimic Christ's first coming, that will bewilder and seduce humanity. We must remember though that Jesus warned about prophets in Matthew 11:13: Because it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were heading; As someone said one time: "there's nothing new under the sun." God Bless! Angel |
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524 | One universal religion | Acts 4:12 | JCrichton | 129954 | ||
Hi, Noveta! The early Church went through a similar predicament... it seems that some people were choosing to follow men rather than God and they began to form schisms... Paul admonished them thusly: I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (1 Corinthians 1:10-17) It seemed that, till Paul intervened, not too many wanted to be subject to Christ's Word; instead they seeked to serve Christ in their own factions... Today we run the same risk of serving Christ not according to His Will but according to our desires as everyone offers his/her own brand of theology as the church of Christ! We boast of adherence to Scripture while rejecting Jesus' command to love one another... we employ every ounce of energy in dismantling the Church (creating separation and disunity) while ignoring that the Gospel does not speak on a myriad of ways to serve the Lord: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46--see also Matthew 7:21-23) During the early Church almost every town where the Apostles preached had a church, but they were all part of the Church of God--not some independent church that taught a different Gospel or theological truth: See Acst 5:11; 8:1, 3; 9:31; 12:5; 13:1; 14:23; 15:41; 20:28; Romans 12:5; 16:16-20; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 11:16-27; 12:12-28; 14:32; 15:9; 16:1-2. These and many other passages speak on one Church not a myriad of theological doctrines emerging as offshoots of contentions and schisms! Jesus' call is to unity not to an exponentially divisive Body! God Bless! Angel |
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525 | Holy Spirit or holy spirit? What is it? | Acts 4:24 | JCrichton | 140063 | ||
Hi, Ray! "Is the Lord an it?" God is never a third person animal or thing... but it is a grammatical accident... clearly, the text you cited from the NKJ words the statement differently allowing for a direct approach, yet it must add "God" or another word/phrase that would be the direct object of the pronoun (You are God or the One, He, the Mighty One...); my question is, which of the two versions is more faithful to the text of the Sacred Writings?--know that I have no linguist experience--this to me would be the determining factor! "Could there be a holy spirit?" I would adamantly object since the reference is clearly defining the Holy Spirit, the thrid Person of God! God is God; we would never refer to Jesus as the son of God or the messiah nor would we use father as a title for our Heavenly Father! Hence, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost or Spirit... denotes homage and submission to God! God Bless! Angel |
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526 | Can anybody explain this story in Acts 5 | Acts 5:1 | JCrichton | 152208 | ||
Hi, Cloud! It was not because they did not give their money... they were free to offer all of the proceeds, part of the proceeds, or none... What the spouses did was conspire against God... offering an amount and claiming that it was the full price of the sales... it was their money; hence, all they had to do was offer the amount they determined in their hearts as the portion that they were willing to give as offering to God. They chose to lie to God (the Holy Spirit) and a direct penalty was exacted upon them... though Ananias and Sapphira did not know it, their example would be recorded for the benefit of all who would come after them... those of us who choose to cheat God, our recompense will great us at the Judgment Day!... remember, that only God can truly see into our heart and spirit... it is He who will pronounce Judgment (and His wrath does not always wait till the end of times...) God Bless! Angel |
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527 | St paul was thrown from the horse. | Acts 9:4 | JCrichton | 141633 | ||
Hi! Though it could be probable, there is no definite proof that Paul was riding a horse--much of the travel was done by foot... even the Roman Empire did not furnish horses or other animals to all the members of their military... Don't forget that we can fall to the ground from our own two feet! God Bless! Angel |
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528 | St paul was thrown from the horse. | Acts 9:4 | JCrichton | 141634 | ||
P.S.: It was not the fall that converted Paul, it was his encounter with Jesus! God Bless! Angel |
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529 | please help | Acts 9:20 | JCrichton | 149080 | ||
Hi, Live4God! Read the first letter of John chapters 4 and 5--specifically read 1 John 4:15 and 1 John 5:5. Read also the first chapter of Luke--specifically Luke 1:26-38 and Mark 1:1! Satan and his minions also knew Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 5:1-7). And if you like to hear from the mouth of Jesus religious contemporaries, read (John 1:49; John 19:7). God Bless! Angel |
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530 | Who is the angel? | Acts 10:4 | JCrichton | 107696 | ||
Hi, Thomas8! Many times in the Old Testament we will find the references: Angel of the Lord The Angel of the Lord An Angel of the Lord If we pay attention to the single verse we could read a wrong interpretation. But when taken in context with the complete passage we can see the true meaning. Look at verse 2: "He and the whole of his household were devout and God-fearing, and he gave generously to Jewish causes and prayed constantly to God." Could it not be that, though a Roman captain, God's spirit had enlighten him? And as you pointed out: the angel had no problem with his address (Lord). When compared to other encounters we witness an immediate correction and redirection: "...I knelt at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me, to worship him; but he said, 'Do no such thing: I am your fellow-servant and the fellow-servant of your brohers the prophets and those who keep the message of this book. God alone you must worship.'" God reveals Himself to us in various ways in the Bible; if we open our hearts and mind to the Holy Spirit we'll receive the fullness of grace and knowledge! God Bless! |
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531 | Lord? | Acts 10:14 | JCrichton | 107698 | ||
Though both references are "Lord" Acts 10:4 suggests that it is to the Person of the Holy Spirit, who was manifesting Himself at the time that He was building the Church, through the believers. While Peter, an Apostle of Christ, had a direct history with Jesus, who continued to communicate with the Apostles ("I will be with you always, till the end of time..."). I hope this is helpful! God Bless! |
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532 | Holy Spirit | Acts 10:14 | JCrichton | 107798 | ||
Hi, Thomas! It is evident that these verses do refer to the Holy Spirit! I can only tell you that it is just another of God’s mysteries: In Hebrews 3:7-11, Paul credit’s the Holy Spirit with the words of Psalm 95:7-11, where Yahweh admonishes the Hebrew people--hundreds of years prior to Christ‘s incarnation! And though the Old Testament does not reveal the Person of Christ to Israel, the Holy Spirit makes known to Paul that that rock was Jesus: 1 Corinthians 10:4, (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11). Again in Acts 4:25-26 Peter says that it was the Holy Spirit who revealed the prophecy of Psalm 2:1-2 to Israel. I equate this interchange to the titles Lord, King and Savior: throughout the Old Testament they were mostly applied to Yahweh and in the New Testament they are applied to both the Father and Jesus in equal authority and devotion! God’s marvelous ways are known to us only in limited measures as when Jesus, in Matthew 22:41-45, divested the Pharisees of all wisdom, fulfilling 1 Corinthians 1:19-20, while simultaneously revealing that He is God! (There are those who will attempt to dispute this passage with some futile (LORD vs. Lord) rhetoric. Why did God chose to reveal Himself in such fashion? We may have the answer at the appointed time, as Paul said: 1 Corinthians 13:12. God Bless! |
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533 | The Source | Acts 10:20 | JCrichton | 107701 | ||
Exactly! The writings reflect what the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the Father are doing! Once commanded to do something, as in Acts 13:2-3, the Apostles would send or order something to be done, having the Source being God (most likely the Holy Spirit--He is the active force in the Church as Christ did not leave detailed organizational charts and commands! Another example is Acts 5:1-11; it is not Peter who wills death on Ananias and Sapphira--his words are a revelation of the Holy Spirit, Who, through Peter, reveals Himself as God! Look at Acts 16:6-10: from an outsider's view point, the Apostles were following a haphazard mode of travel, preaching at a whym here or there. But the Holy Spirit is very actively involved in the daily matters of the Church. |
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534 | The Source | Acts 10:20 | JCrichton | 107702 | ||
Just got wipped out! Netzero sucks! Will have to get back to you tomorrow--I don't have the energy to retate (short version: Acts 13, Acts 5; Yes, it is stated that it is the Holy Spirit; other circumstance Hebrews 3:7-11 compared to Psalm 95; and Paul revealing Christ as the rock that followed the Hebrew people and provided them with water...) God Bless! |
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535 | earth being flat?? | Acts 13:47 | JCrichton | 118335 | ||
Hi, road rash! Next I saw four angels, standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the world to keep them from blowing over the land or the sea or any tree. (Revelation 7:1) 'The Lord Yahweh says this, "Even if I send my four dreadful scorges on Jerusalem--sword, famine, wild beasts and plague--to denude it of human and animal, (Ezekiel 14:21) These two passages talk about the number "four;" rather than thinking that it pertains to determining that the world is flat, I think of the four winds (corners) as the four points in the compass: North, South, East, West (four points of travel for the wind, nature and humanity). He who sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, the inhabitants of which are like grasshoppers, stretches out the heavens like a cloth, spreads them out like a tent to live in. (Isaiah 40:22) "above the circle of the earth," could be easily read as above the obr or sphere of the earth. God Bless! Angel |
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536 | Does "abstain" include more than eating? | Acts 15:29 | JCrichton | 123851 | ||
Hi, knucklehead! Your argument is a good one! But I suggest this: Did Jesus command that the believers did not seek the assistance of doctors since He would heal everybody? Did the Apostles ever preached that doctors were to be shun because our Faith would be belied if we sought their medical knowledge? Was the medical science as advanced then as today? And if that were the case, could it also not be the same for the use of medical drugs and hormones, synthetic blood, artificial limbs and parts, human and non-human organs, reconstructive surgery, chemical and physical therapy, and dental implants... true these may all be done without the use of blood transfusions but they alter the human body, distorting it to a point of unnatural existence! We must not seek to limit God and God's Word! As was told to Peter: Next day, while they were still on their journey and had only; a short distance to go before reaching the town, Peter went to the housetop at about the sixth hour to say his prayers. He felt hungry and was looking forward to his meal, but before it was ready he fell into a trance and saw heaven thrown open and something like a big sheet being let down to earth by its four corners; it contained every kind of animal, reptile and bird. A voice then said to him, 'Now, Peter, kill and eat!' But Peter answered, 'Certainly not, Lord; I have never yet eaten anything profane or unclean.' Again, a second time, the voice spoke to him, 'What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane.' (Acts 10:9-15) 'WHAT GOD HAS MADE CLEAN, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL PROFANE.' Did you noticed that Peter was not told that there were unclean animals that he should not eat? Would God make clean the animals that we are to eat and yet forbid us to use human blood to save the life of other humans? I liken this to Jesus admonitions to the Jews: "Alas for you, blind guides! You who say, 'If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound.' Fools and blind! For which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? (Matthew 23:16-17) How could God proclaim clean the animals, which are used for our physical nourishment, and condemn blood transfusions which provide life to God's Temple? (1 Corinthians 3:16) God Bless! Angel |
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537 | why did paul and barnabas fall out | Acts 15:38 | JCrichton | 123103 | ||
Hi, LSmith! Paul felt that since John (Mark) did not complete the mission with them but returned to Jerusalem, he (Mark) should not accompany them on their return trip throughout the various towns and cities from which he remained absent during their mission. (Acts 15:36-41--see also Acts 13, the whole chapter.) Paul could have insisted on this in an effort to instill obedience and constancy in Mark. God Bless! Angel |
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538 | were infants baptized? | Acts 16:15 | JCrichton | 148695 | ||
Hi, Jeff! As the previous posts noted, whole households were baptized... from those passages you can conclude that: a) Children, including infants, were excluded from baptism, as they were seen as insignificant to the Body of Christ or b) Children were included in the baptism, as they were seen as significant to the Body of Christ... If we opt for the first thought (a), we must conclude that the children were left unbaptized till they were of sufficient age (not specified in Scripture) to be baptized--of course, their future baptism would depend on their ability to travel to a place where they could be baptized or wait about till other ministers would come their way or someone in their household or village would be delegated the authority to baptize the children as they reached the proper age... Opting for the second thought (b), would afford one baptism for all the famility members, bestowing all family members the same vital importance in the Body of Christ... if nothing else, infant baptism could have immerged as a form of tradition where as baptism replaces the offering at the Temple and the circumcision of the male child (both happening while the child is less than a month old)... God Bless! Angel |
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539 | family salvation | Acts 16:31 | JCrichton | 108899 | ||
Hi, donna robertson! One particular passage that I like to point out when the subject of "umbrella salvation" comes up is Luke 17:34-35: I tell you, on that night, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left; when two women are grinding corn together, one will be taken, the other left.' Jesus acknowledges that not everyone will elect salvation (Jesus); therefore, even in the most intimate relationships (the sharing of a bed) or in the most mundane (work, recreation...) there will be a parting of ways when it comes to being saved (believing in Jesus as to gain Eternal Life). But the grace of God can save all of the household if there is one believer amongst the family, since the Holy Spirit, through the believer's example (James 1:25) and prayers (James 5:15), can bring the others into Christ's fold! God Bless! |
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540 | Why do some denominations Baptise babies | Acts 16:33 | JCrichton | 122190 | ||
Hi, kangulo! There is no Biblical mandate that requires that only adults (or children from x age) be baptized. In the old Covenant the symbolic entrance into the children of Israel was circumcision... Since Jesus did away with the symbolic values of the Mosaic Law, baptism bacame the new "public" symbol of entrance into the kingdom of God. How logical is it to wait till a person is 30 (or 21 or 18 or 14...) years old in order to begin his/her walk in Christ? As Acts 16:33 attests the whole household was brought into the Lord--how said it would have been for the children to have been excluded! God Bless! Angel |
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