Hi thanks for the reply
The gospel does not teach self edificatio . Like I did something, look. I made a noise, hear. . . as the "witness of men".
I showed you in scripture where Paul said that speaking in tongues edified oneself, and he wished that you all spoke with tongues. Prophesying edifies the church, and he'd prefer that you prophesy.
You should accept what Paul says. You should also look up 'edify' in the English dictionary and the Greek word, which can also mean 'build.'
It is good to build yourself up by reading the Bible and praying by yourself. Speaking in tongues is also self-edifying. That's good. But our activities in the assembly (the church) should be directed toward edifying the church.
I don't know what you mean by "Like I did something, look. I made a noise, hear. . . as the "witness of men"". That's not what Paul is saying when he says to 'edify.' Prophesying isn't there for the whole church to know it is making a noise to have the witness of men. When Paul says to let all things be done unto edifying, he isn't just talking about making a noise.
We are like a building that is being built up (edified.) Construction workers build the house. They don't just make noises and say 'Look at me'. That's not edifying/building up.
We walk by faith the unseen work of God. We build each other up or edify in the gospel .
So now you are redefining the term 'edify'? Now it means build up, but it just means make a noise in whatever verse you want it to mean that? It looks like you are just defining the word to mean one thing in one verse and something else in another.
How would prophesying or declaring the word of God edify the one God gives word to?
Of course someone who prophesies, teaches, preaches, exhorts, etc. can be edified by his own words. The word of God is very powerful. And it is possible to get a deeper understanding of a scripture while teaching it, to be encouraged and strengthened in ones faith while teaching it. Prophesying also can build up the speaker.
And not God who moved the person to speak the word of God.?
In I Corinthians 14, Paul uses the terms to designate different kinds of manifestations in this chapter.
Like for instance .Do we edify Balaam's Donkey for stopping the madness of the false prophet?
Your question does not make much sense considering what the word 'edify' means. Do you mean do we say something edifying to the donkey because she spoke, like say 'Way to go, Donkey!' or read her the psalms?
What do you think he meant by saying Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.' It is better to see without believing. Was he opposed to walking by sight?
You are the one who associates no miracles with walking by sight. Paul wrote about being absent from the body and present with the Lord in that passage, not about miracles.
The apostles did miracles, prayed for God to do signs and wonders and exercised faith as they did miracles. When Peter doubted, he sank into the water he was walking on.
The last sign as a wonder (source of unseen faith) was the sign of Jonas.
You make a lot of assumptions. Do you have any scripture that shows that 'wonder' means a source of faith? I can't think of any context that backs that up, or any reason based on the actual meaning of the word.
When God grants that signs and wonders occur and that helps people believe, we should be thankful for God's mercy and grace in doing this, and not be opposed to it.
Matthew 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall "no sign" be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
You should also note that Jesus said that an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but he did not say that anyone who seeks a sign is evil or adulterous. The apostles asked Jesus for a sign and prayed to God to do signs and wonders. Different kinds of signs, probably, but signs none the less. The people in Matthew were probably wanting a sign to test the Prophet like unto Moses, wanting Jesus to predict something so that, if it does nto come to pass, they would have an excuse to reject Him....and maybe could believe Him if it came to pass.
That an evil and adulterous generation liked to eat bread. But this doesn't mean that everyone who eats bread is evil or adulterous.
First and foremost God is not served by human hands in any way shape or form .
That's not true, especially with all of your additions there to what Paul said. A specific Greek word is used in the passage you are referring to. and Paul clarifies-- as if He needed anything. God doesn't need people to supply him with food or anything like that. But we are to serve Him with our bodies, our speech, etc.
The idea of accrediting the miracles to the apostles as things seen fulfills the requirements of paganism. Making gods in the likeness of men. The abomination of desolation .They in effect cried out Blasphemy . Not job well down miracle makers .
That first sentence is word salad. You like to quote the passage where the pagans think Paul and Barnabas are their false gods and almost sacrifice to them. I haven't seen any Christians do that.
Acts tells us that Paul healed the people on Malta. Having read Acts, we can know that this was the power of God working through Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ. Believing that the apostles did miracles is not the same as worshipping them as false gods.
You seem to have some fuzzy idea that believing that God does miracles through people now is somehow idolatry, and want to quote that passage to 'prove' it, even though the Bible shows God doing miracles through people without it being an idolatrous thing throughout Acts. I Corinthians shows that the Spirit gifts members of the body of Christ with the working of miracles as He wills. They do not even have to be apostles. Given your unclear vague word usage, I am not sure what your objection is exactly, and I am not even sure that you know what your objection is.
The Son of man, Jesus constantly resisted men attributing the unseen work of the father working in him to his outward flesh.
I don't know of any Christian who attributes miracles now to the apostles' flesh or the flesh of other believers. I don't see anyone arguing along those lines in that forum. I wonder why you go off on diatribes about such things.
Spiritual gift are gifts unseen .They have not ceased but continual to work in the believer to both will and perform the good pleasure of our Good God as One master not seen .
You might think that sounds spiritual, that spiritual gifts are unseen, but does that line up with what Paul taught? Paul calls them 'manifestations of the Spirit.' Can you see someone prophesy? Yes. Can you see healing or miracles? Yes. Many of the things that Paul listed as charismata are visible. Look in Romans 12 at those charismata. You can see someone prophesy, teach, or exhort. You might be able to see leading, serving, or giving in some cases.
Your psuedospiritual statements do not line up with what we know about many of the spiritual gifts in the BIble.
No such thing as a "sign gift." Signs are for those who rebel .Prophecy /tongues for those who do believe God.
Your statements are not particularly helpful here. Who is arguing for a 'sign gift'? I don't care for that term because of the way some people use it, but something could conceivably be both a gift and a sign. There is a word translated either miracle or sign. Genuine miracles occur through grace that comes through the Spirit. So your first statement is unbiblical.
'Signs are for those who rebel' but signs are also for people of faith, too. Jesus told the apostles about the sign of His coming. The apostles prayed for God to stretch forth His hand to do signs and wonders, and then went out and healed.
Prophecy and tongues are for those who believe. These gifts edify those who believe. But prophesying might also open someone's heart to recognize that God is in or among the saints. And tongues is a sign to them that believe not.
God works miracles every day . Miracles are not bad .Its when mankind attributes them to human hands that it becomes a abomination of desolation. Things seen the temporal in the place of faith the unseen eternal place of God's glory
God delegates. He has delegated many things to angels. He has delegated to man. The Bible has numerous examples of God working miracles through men, even through hands.
Acts 19:11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,
(NKJV)
I Corinthians 12 also lists the working of miracles among spiritual gifts given to the saints as the Spirit wills.