You cannot differentiate. Signs and wonders were done by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by anything within those who exhibited the miraculous gifts.
The only unbelievers that needed affirmation of the testimony of Christians were the ones that had no Scripture other than the Old Testament, and no knowledge of Christ, or perhaps even no knowledge of either -- think the Greeks and Asians of Paul's day. Today's unbelievers have had the Bible for a little over 1,900 years, and the testimonies of millions of Christians who can testify to the power and glory of Christ through what He has done for them.
I am, as you may have gathered from some of my posts. I don't believe miraculous gifts are for today, based on the massive amounts of testimony as aforementioned, and based on my understanding of 1 Corinthians 13, particularly 8-10.
Yes, God heals. But He doesn't need someone standing up in front of a congregation, or worse, a television camera, doing it. And He does miraculous healing only very rarely. He gave us godly doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to provide His healing, in most cases.
As for tongues and "prophetic utterings," I don't believe they are practiced by people who understand the biblical basis for them, and therefore they do not practice them correctly. Bad biblical understanding can be far worse than no biblical understanding.
SO what you are really saying is that you do not believe in the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit or that it is his time in the earth now, because Jesus DOES NOT sit at the right hand of the Father and finished his work on earth.
How could it be that God used men then, but does not use them now? Please prove that one for me, adn stoip ranting that the Bible is all we need. There are millions of unreached people groups in the world that don't have the Bible.
You are typical of the western church today and have no idea how powerful the Holy Spirit really is.
I watched a modern day version of Elijah on Mt. Carmel about 15 years ago in Africa. You better believe the Holy Spirit blew that witch Dr away. That witch DR today is now a lean, mean Holy Spirit fighting machine, saved and preaches the Gospel in his sphere of influence. He did not come to Jesus by the Bible, because the Bible was not translated into his language yet.
He came to Jesus when his powers of darkness could not restore a boy from a serious coma. Oh But Praise God a missionary, who had faith that could move a mountain stepped up and said let me try and the boy recovered and the witch Doctor came to Jesus!!!
While I find your credentials, degrees, and certifications in you area of study admirable and I respect you for them, I do not bow at the altar of education. Quite frankly and this will make you mad and no disrespect implied or intended, but the Holy Spirit can do more in 5 seconds with someone, than you, your training and all your degrees could do in 5 years. God calls me to wisdom though and wisdom is also seeking advice from Christian experts like yourself. I do not deny your calling and credentials, but I also do not deny the Holy Spirit or his gifts or his ministry.
I have watched ER doctors come to Jesus, because they called death and 10 minutes later a person wakes up and has no ill effects, and not because someone waved their suit coat over them, anointed them with oil, tied a prayer clothe on their arm but because the effectual, fervent prayers of the righteous avail much in the waiting room!
Newsflash, The Holy Spirits ministry did not stop. If you believe this, then you you are simply stating the Holy Spirit is not in the earth and you are only playing christian with mental assent and have no real understanding of God, his Holy Spirit or Jesus!
I will ask you as well. Does Jesus come to live in your heart or the Holy Spirit? I cannot find one verse that states Jesus comes to live in my heart, and don't bother retorting with Rev 3.20, because that is not at all about salvation.
Frog hair splitting!?!? you bet, but the body needs a wake up call to step outside of what they have been told is Bible and nothing more than Christian culture and tradition, that is found nowhere in the Bible
I can find scripture that states my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit!
And before you go to tongues, you will notice I never once brought that up. I never stated tongues were needed to be used by the Holy Spirit, that they are needed for salvation, make me better than another Christian, give me special power or any other nonsense and foolishness some Charismatics and pentecostal folk dreamed up which is dead wrong.
The outpouring of pentecost was to endue them with power to witness, it is repeated several times in Acts and implied throughout the rest of the Epistles.
DO not get me started on your "expert" opinion in the prophetic. You would not know the difference between real a prophetic word or one of your fill in the blank Sunday school lessons. Please refrain form being on a expert on things you believe ceased or believe are no longer available today.
