Why isnt it enough to believe that God doesnt change, and that He still heals, still moves by His Spirit, still gives gifts to men, still speaks(Audibly, with the still small voice, through angels, visions, dreams, visitations), still dramatically interacts with His church, still corrects her, still builds her, still shows her things to come, still confrms His word with signs and wonders? Still, still, Still..
because that is absolutely antithetical to what He actually said, and is doing.
if you can read this single passage in Hebrews, and still claim God is speaking to men as He did in the past, you are
willfully ignoring His revealed plan and words in order to fulfill the desire for the recognition of men, excitement, and/or SIGNS & WONDERS. an a SINFUL and WICKED generation needs signs. SIGNS are for UNBELIEVERS.
BELIEVERS LIVE BY FAITH - NOT BY SIGHT.
Hebrews 1
The Son Superior to Angels
1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
the MESSAGE of the Apostles was confirmed by signs and wonders: not for the purpose of showing off, or doing anything in particular aside from confirming THEIR ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY, which CONFIRMED THE MESSAGE (no canon yet!!!!!!!!!)
if your modern day apostles are not performing the EXACT QUALITY and quantity of signs and wonders to CONFIRM their authority and to buttress the message, they are BOGUS.
take a look at what happened in Samaria when the people BELIEVED - they STILL needed Apostles to come:
Acts 8
Simon the Sorcerer
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,
10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.”
11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then
Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money
19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.
23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
Look at Apostle Paul's authority to BLIND a man by supernatural means....but more importantly, SEE
THE REASON AND THE RESULT:
Acts 13
On Cyprus
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,
7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,
10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
after all that, INCLUDING THE INCREDIBLE SUPERNATURAL SIGN that Paul was Authoritative, it was neither PAUL nor the SIGN that the Proconsul was amazed at -
it was THE MESSAGE -
THE TEACHING ABOUT THE LORD.
now if today's Apostles have SOME NEW TEACHING about The Lord, that is accompanied by the same QUALITY of supernatural signs, THEY BETTER CALL A COUNCIL AND INVOLVE THE ENTIRE CHURCH AND START SENDING OUT AUTHORITATIVE EPISTLES AND ADDING TO CANON.
but God NEVER, EVER, EVER, NOT ONE TIME SAID HE WOULD SEND NEW APOSTLES. EVER.
NOT ONCE: I CHALLENGE YOU TO SHOW ME WHERE HE SAID HE WOULD.
And yes, Glory to God for all of the marvelous things He's done in the past! And the foundation He laid thatg never needs to be relayed, which wouldnt make sense really? If you lose sight of the purpose of the building and what it was built on, you will sure build incorrectly, and lose sight of the vision, and build with your own ideas and plans. One of the functions of the apostle and prophet, and pastor teacher and evangelist, is to remind us of that foundation - and what was taught to us. So that we can build effectively and in line with God's plan..
there's the NOD in His direction for His work IN THE PAST. how generous of you.
The bible is clear that Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers are for the equpping of the saints (those that arent Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers) until we are the fullness of the stature of Christ...
that's right (almost).
what you don't get is that the CHARISMATICS (and NAR) ARE A FRINGE OFF ON THEIR OWN.
the REAL Apostles in THE BIBLE, in the PAST who laid the foundation ARE for the equipping of the saints......what they said and did is RECORDED and every time the scriptures are read the mind is enlightened and renewed by the reading of the word through the Power of the Spirit the saints are fully equipped.
orthodox christians are fully equipped BY THE HOLY SPIRIT and the holy scriptures to do everything they need to do in this life to live in the way pleasing to God; and to help BUILD UPON THAT FOUNDATION (
SAVE SOULS BY THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL).
END OF STORY.
Forget about emergent, NAR whatever whatever, just because they are not the perfect representation of scripture, you be a more accurate representation. .
RESEARCH THEM.... i will start a new thread
AGAIN.
you better, because YOU ARE ONE, and involved with them DIRECTLY. feigning ignorance about who they are DOESN'T CUT IT.
i refuse to be intimidated by fakes who claim authority THEY DO NOT HAVE.
you may be very sincere....but sincerely WRONG.
if you know what it means to take up your Cross and follow Christ, to lose everything for His Name's Sake: you would consider what you are involved in.
leaving it would mean the loss of your "status", "fellowship", "ministry"....EVERYTHING.
not to mention MUCH crying and repentence when you find out this thing is OF THE DEVIL and is in DIRECT violation OF EVERYTHING Scripture says.
If you dont believe that God is restoring the temple that Jesus spoke of, the you deny the testimony of the old testament. Its definately not finished yet, and its US that is being built into this temple not made with hands - along with all of those that have died with a testimony of Jesus Christ. Some will not die, never taste death - those that remain on the earth when Jesus returns. But they will be changed in the twinkling of the eye, in a moment. W e are still yet a while off from this time in history, but it will be a glorious day. Much more glorious than any single part of History, as it will incorporate all that God has done. It is His work we enter into.
sounds lovely.
NO EXCUSE FOR BEING PART OF THE SUBVERSIVE AND MYSTERY SCHOOL-OPERATED N.A.R