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Results from: Notes Author: chris moyler Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | The book of Acts The Book of John etc. | Acts 2:38 | chris moyler | 181769 | ||
Dear Doc/shing, Am I right in saying that the early disciples were known as 'followers of the way' but that they came to be called christians i.e. 'little christs' by outsiders when they saw that their discipleship had changed them so much that they had become to a real extent like Christ himself? I'd quite like a derogatory name like that!! In him, Chris | ||||||
2 | Is speaking in tongues for today? | Acts 2:38 | chris moyler | 181768 | ||
Dear Doc, Thank you for your reply and for your welcome to the website! I have downloaded John McA's talks as you suggested and have confirmed with GTY that he doesn't believe that the gift of tongues is for today. I have benefitted greatly from Dr John's teaching, and in the last 2 years especially I have studied a number of his talks in some detail. I hold his ministry in high regard, but I reserve the right to hold a different opinion to him if I don't believe that his line of reasoning is correct.I will study these in detail and will reply properly in due course. I am fully committed to the inerrancy of scripture as I state in my resume, and so in each case it is imperative that I test what I believe to have been a genuine experience of the Holy Spirit against the scriptures to the best of my ability. I have come to some conclusions in my journey thus far-who hasn't!- but as a serious student of the word I have often lacked the forum in which to debate it. It's one thing to have sincerely held convictions, but it's quite another to debate them with a party spirit. This is something I hate and loathe. If I am guilty of displaying a party,divisive spirit then I deserve the censure of my brothers and sisters. If however I come with a teachable heart then I appeal to you folk in the forum not to judge me for being different, but rather to engage me in honest debate. I believe that a great deal can be gained in this way, especially through those who hold very different views. God bless you, Kalos, and the others in the forum. Best wishes, Chris | ||||||
3 | Tongues mean Holy Spirit? | Acts 2:38 | chris moyler | 181751 | ||
Dear WTB, Firstly apologies for referring to you as a brother and not as a sister! I'm not sure that I clarified what baptism in the Spirit means because it remains unclear and imprecise in my own mind. What I wanted to concentrate on was the utter security and full acceptance of the brand-new baby believer completely separate from any following experience. When you first believed you were washed, justified, and SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. This means that you are as fully a daughter of our Heavenly Father, and as fully a daughter of your Heavenly Brother Jesus as the most godly woman who has ever walked this earth! This is deeply shocking to those who are merely religious but it is the heart and core of the gospel. Eph 1, Col 1, Col3:11, and Heb2:11, Matt11:11 make this truth abundantly clear. In my bible I heavily underline in red, or box around in red those verses which particularly speak to my heart. I go back to them often and drink in their life-giving truth to protect me from the assaults of the unholy trinity (world/flesh/devil) which I'm sure you'll agree can be very vicious at times! Please take plenty of time to drink in the deep truths of who you are RIGHT NOW before you make any further progress in the faith dear sister. This will keep you heart safe in Him. Never forget that our security is always in his commitment to us, not in our performance. Regarding the anointing, 1john 2:20,21,27 makes it clear that you are anointed as a result of your new birth. You anointing was by and with the Holy Spirit himself WHEN YOU FIRST BELIEVED, just as surely as Aaron was anointed as priest and the oil poured down all over him (ps133:2 is a very beautiful and relevant picture of the anointing work of the Holy Spirit). I can't find evidence of subsequent 'anointings' of the believer in the N.T. but I could be wrong on this. Certainly the gift of tongues, or any other gift should not be described as an anointing but simply as a love gift from Him. I find the excessive use of 'anointed this or anointed brother that' really irritating because it seems to imply that the person is somehow now in a more lofty position compared with other believers that they were before. Jesus emptied himself and became a lowly servant, even though he ever was and ever will be the Lord of Glory (phil 2:5-9) and that's where I want to aim in my life, even though I will probably miss it by miles! I hate ranks and titles and I hate 'brother A or sister B'. When Paul wanted to show his qualifications for the highest office in the church he simply related how much he had suffered for the gospel (2cor 11:22f). I long for this level of humility in the church and in my own life. When he writes his amazing letters to us he simply says Paul and follows it with his job description, apostle. That is it! I further believe therefore that he would have been simply addressed as Paul or dear Paul. Why am I droning on at such length about these things- simply because I have had so many years of seeing christians flatten one another with their rank/gifts/experience. This kind of behaviour is soulish and not spiritual at all. Try to use your tongues more in your private times with the Lord, with just a little practice you will find that you can use them completely as normal speech without any hesitation or compulsion. It is very important that you Dont wait for any 'anointed' time or for any particular feelings. I find it helps greatly if I pause to imagine the Lord right in front of me as I speak as I can articulate the words more clearly and with more directness. This stops me from treating the gift casually, and stops me in any way trying to prove anything to others who may be in earshot. As for dancing- I read your letter to my wife and she says to you if you believe this is from the Lord then enjoy it with all your heart, but she hopes the men are being encouraged to dance too and it not just seen as a girly thing! In all these things, always do everything to and for Him. This guards our hearts. If you feel there is anything wrong then simply ask him to sieve the desires of your heart and he will (phil 3:15). As you rightly point out, King David danced before his people but TO the Lord. In no way was he trying to impress people, he was blown away by his glorious Lord and was living out the kingdom truth of matt 18:4 hundreds of years before Jesus spoke it! Dance with all your heart! but never neglect the quiet space for just the two of you. Neither seek to impress or let yourself be impressed by others.(2cor10:12). To each of us one-by-one he simply says "follow Me" (john21:22). In Him,with best wishes, Chris Moyler |
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4 | Tongues mean Holy Spirit? | Acts 2:38 | chris moyler | 181624 | ||
Dear WTB, I sense the frustration and perhaps even the feeling of not quite being a full member of the christian community in the tone of your question. I felt like that once, and still do sometimes when fellow believers are unkind or insensitive. I believe that you received the holy spirit when you first asked the Lord into your life. At that time you were fully adopted into his household as a dear brother of Christ. I further believe that after that initial experience (which may be dramatic/sudden or a gradual awakening) then the Lord wants to take us into a deeper experience of himself. Some refer to this as the "baptism of the holy spirit",which is best thought of as a deeper immersion (baptism means to dip or immerse) into the Lord Jesus. I was given the gift of tongues 30 years ago. I do not know whether that means that I have been baptised in the Holy Spirit but what it did do and continues to do is to quieten down my busy thoughts and feelings and definitely helps me to be more focussed on Jesus. It is completely under my control and I can speak in tongues or not whenever I choose and for however long I choose. I especially appreciate being able to express the deep groanings of my spirit to the Lord without having to think of the right words. It is a very precious and useful gift and I would strongly encourage you to seek it, but whether you do or don't it won't change one bit the Lords commitment to you and affection for you. The word encourages us "to make our election and calling more sure". This has nothing to do with the Lord changing in his commitment to us, but rather is us growing in our day-to-day experience of him and love of him. That is really what tongues is all about. Please feel free to ask some more. Much blessing to you dear brother, Chris Moyler | ||||||