The Holy Spirit in Acts according to Acts

Fair question, and I truly want to be ready to answer according to His word. I do believe that fully grasping the fullness of the God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit is something none can fully understand. Well, I can not anyway but maybe an image can help... I pray it does...



Anyway, understanding, fully, all the ins and outs of the Diety of God are beyond my scope. Anything or anyone we can fully understand is not worthy of our worship. His thoughts and ways are not ours.

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
Ephesians 1:15‭-‬19 NASB

Listen, I do not want to create or encourage confusion, so I say we both continue to keep our hearts and minds open as we each set about in our own walks, following Christ. Let's move forward keeping our eyes on Him!!!


I hope your evening is blessed. Enjoy your dinner.

This is out of your imagination, the part about trying to outdo one another with prophecy. It might have happened, or that might have been the attitude, but they might have been whacking each other in the head with olive branches really hard. It might have happened, but neither thing is mentioned in the book.

There isn't really any evidence that they were prophesying falsely. He did want them to weigh prophecies carefully, but that doesn't mean the prophecies were false. So if they were getting actual prophecies from the Holy Spirit, the content would have been right, and they wouldn't have been making up stuff to outdo each other. If Paul knew they were prophesying falsely, it would be reasonable to expect a rebuke over that as he did over the prostitution, doing nothing about the one who had his father's wife, and the lawsuits.

Paul encourages more prophesying in the book. And he is careful not to quench their zeal for spiritual gifts as he corrects their misunderstanding about their use.

It is possible that the misuse of tongues was motivated by attention-seeking, but that is speculation. I go through the book in my head and I can't think of that or anything about outdoing prophesying.

My understanding of 'lording over' is domineering over other people, like Jesus warned the disciples not to do, not to be like the rulers of the Gentiles, and like Peter warned the elders not to do. I am not sure the connection between that and just seeking attention. But I don't see any rebuke or even any real hint that their problem with gifts was attention-seeking. It could have been, but they could have just thought speaking in tongues without interpretation was really spiritual and they wanted to be spiritual. So Paul explained to them about the need for edification. He said in 14:20 not to be children in their understanding. The issue seemed to be a lack of understanding on their part.

[quote[
..mentioning their leaders is also clearly their trying to imply one was better over the other...[/quote]

Yes, and they were being divisive about it. But that does not mean they were domineering and this does not imply they were trying to outdue one another with prophesying.

We might guess the prophets weren't yielding the floor to another who received a revelation, claiming they couldn't stop prophesying, or wouldn't. That fits Paul's instructions and correction better in chapter 14, but it is still speculative.

Iḿ sorry you do not understand

Iḿ sorry that you follow the additions of men. I don´t. This image is the yeast of men.

In that day, you will know that I am in the Father and the Father is in me...

John 14

My wife has never spoke in tongues but at times she has given me the perfect simple word to calm the storm .. No different than a message in tongues

Yes, and they were being divisive about it. But that does not mean they were domineering and this does not imply they were trying to outdue one another with prophesying.

We might guess the prophets weren't yielding the floor to another who received a revelation, claiming they couldn't stop prophesying, or wouldn't. That fits Paul's instructions and correction better in chapter 14, but it is still speculative.[/QUOTE]


Please don´t put words in my mouth. That is you using your imagination and opinion of what I said and meant. In fact, I did not say much at all Not half as much as what you have written here about what you have supposed I have said and meant. Now I have to go back and reread my post, highlight and bold the portions of scripture that show there was tension in the church at Corinth...

You haven;t even read 1 Corinthians 3... here it is again: I will highlight GODŚ WORD through Paul which says there was jealousy and strife in the Church....

Not my words, and not my opinion:
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 3for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man? 4For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?
5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. 6I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose,a and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Christ Our Foundation
(Isaiah 28:14-22; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-8)
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames.
God’s Temple and God’s Wisdom
(Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
16Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells inb you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”c 20And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”d
21Therefore stop boasting in men. All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephase or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Unbelievable sir...I did not say they were outdoing each other BY CALLING OUT PROPHECY...that you added to what I said...from YOUR own imagination....Please don´t imagine what I have said and meant...please go back to my original post and show me where I said they were outdoing each other (which is all I said) by calling out prophecy...(that is what YOU added)

I did not say this...please re read what I said

No...not maybe...they weren´t taking turns.

And Yes, prophecying over one another (over one another in the sense that they were calling out and talking above each other), in that manner, speaking out, calling out, is disorderly

That IS...disorderly.

How is this related to how they used spiritual gifts? Paul was saying if they are mentioning Paul, Apollos, Peter...then they clearly WERE NOT spiritual, but still talking from their flesh, not recognizing CHRIST as the HEAD of HIS BODY, and all believers members of HIS BODY...

If they had baptized in their own name, it wouldn't have done any good.
I don´t know why you are even saying this, or where, from what I posted, you even thought I said this

Also, if God used apostles as instruments to impart the Spirit, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and spiritual gifts, it does not mean they were the source of the Spirit or that the Spirit of God can only work exclusively through them. Jesus is the One Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

Again, where did I even lead you to believe that I think a man has any part in bringing on or detaining the HOLY SPIRIT?

Here is this imaginary conversation, as if I had written something else. I did not say that the Corinthians were not jealous or worldly. I had the book memorized at one time, so, yes, I have read chapter 3. What I disagreed with is the idea that there is evidence that the Corinthians were trying to outdo one another with prophesying over one another. I don't see a hint of that in the book. It's possible, but it is not implied.

But it doesn't mean they were necessarily trying to outdo one another with prophesying or lording over one another.
Some comments of mine are in agreement with yours and offer further commentary. Not everythign is a disagreement.

We do not know if they were talking over each other when they were prophesying. They might have. Or one prophet might not have shut up to let another person who received a revelation speak. That may have been the disorderly practice Paul was addressing. That is more along the lines of the instructions Paul gives around verse 30. What verses cause you to think they were talking over one another while prophesying?

This is a weird conversation. I do not recall typing 'calling out' prophesying earlier in the conversation. I do not find it in the quote to which you were responding. You quoted me, getting upset that I used the phrase 'calling out', as if I put words in your mouth, but I did not even type the phrase at all in the quote you were responding to.

I first saw that phrase in this quote of yours that shows up later in the thread, "And Yes, prophecying over one another (over one another in the sense that they were calling out and talking above each other), in that manner, speaking out, calling out, is disorderly ".

I wouldn't use the phrase 'calling out' in this context. It's not how I speak. I wouldn't know what you meant by it if you hadn't added context.

I find your response to me quite strange. I did not use 'calling out' in our conversation except to respond to your post repeating your own terminology back to you.

[Btw, 'prophesy' is the verb and it ends with a 'long i' sound or /aj/ in IPA. 'Prophecy' is a noun and it ends with a long 'e' sound or /ij/ in IPA..]

Let's forget about the he said she said thing. Could you post verses where you think it implies they were not taking turns while prophesying. Are you focusing on verse 31 maybe? Could Paul tell the saints to prophesy one by one even if they were already doing so? That's possible isn't it. How is that proof they were prophesying at the same time? They might have been.

We should keep in mind that one of the few passages of scriptures that actually tells Christians what to do in church indicates there should be prophesying done in an orderly manner which includes taking turns and yielding the floor when one receives a revelation.

The terminology is a little confusing because people who prophesy or are around it often use 'over' as the preposition that follows 'prophesy.' For example, Ahijah the Shilonite 'prophesied over' Jeroboam. You apparently mean it in the sense of speaking over other people who are also prophesying.

I think you need to re review 1 Corinthians 14. They certainly WERE calling out. This is a complete letter to the Church and was written to that Church because of their ungodly conduct within the assembly...

You need to read, or keep in mind the WHOLE letter.

I believe you are misunderstanding what I said, and I don´t know how to clear it up for you. I said they were calling out, (meaning they were not taking turns speaking) If you would reread All of Corinthians, you would see this for yourself.

When I said, calling out, I wanted it to be clear, that I was NOT using that term as you implied...as if the were prophesying OVER one another, which was your comment, and implied, to me, that somehow they were prophesying about each other...That, I wanted to make clear, was NOT the case...that is why I went with calling out, to make it clear, they were just shouting out and talking over one another..,.Sir, that clarification was made for any and every one else who might be trying to follow our discussion. I wanted to make it clear that they weren´t prophecying over one another, as if they were standing over each other and prophecying about what each other was going to do...I wanted över each other, to be made clear, in the way I used it to mean...calling out...talking over each other... That is all I was trying to do...Not just for you, but for everyone else who might have also got the wrong understanding.

I already did...Please reread ALL of 1 Corinthians...
Thank you

You may find that any misunderstanding on the part of Pentecostals is intentional. They have read 1 Cor 12-14 intensely and want to pull it out of the bible to treat it as its own bible. The intent is allow interpretation that supports a specific set of behaviors that they desire.

The fidelity of the bible as a complete or perfect revelation of God is far less important than pushing a narrative that allows conduct which Paul admonished in Corinth as disorderly. Paul even ridiculed the Corinthians through the use of hyperbole to accent their behavior.

There is no consensus of belief among the Pentecostal charismatic professors as to exactly what constitutes biblical tongues. They circumvent the need for interpretation even resorting to self interpretation.

For the cause of Chrst
Roger

Thank you.