Port St. Lucie Church of Christ
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Port St. Lucie Church of Christ
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Speaking in Tongues There are a lot of religious people today who claim to be divinely inspired to speak in a mode of expression (they do not necessarily call them tongues) foreign to their native language. They claim to speak in this irregular way because of some manifestation of the Spirit (they assume you think it to be God’s Spirit called the Holy Spirit in the New Testament). It is my intention in this discussion to deal with some of the issues not often covered by some others who have written on this subject. Despite all that is written on this subject, there will be those who will still be confused. One reason for this will be they never intended to “study to show themselves approved”, they want this bubbly, over-flowing of the presence of God (or so they call it) as proof they are one of God’s special people!! The worst deceived is the self-deceived. Various phenomena which appear to have a supra-human source are daily being reported within the context of what is loosely called Christianity. Speaking in tongues, predictions about the future, casting out demons, pronouncing cures, miraculous happenings are being considered by some to be validating the power of the God of Christianity, today. I do not deny the existence of these experiences, something is happening!! However, the question is “WHAT?” Some even wonder in the New Testament Church if this is a restoration of primitive Christianity. On the surface, it might appear to be, but, before we qualify any claim let us first take a closer look!! Several questions need to be asked to satisfy the minds of those of us who study the Word of God. Were these kinds of ‘wonders’ ever a part of Christianity? The answer is obviously, yes. Are these kinds of phenomena a continuous part of the New Testament Church? The answer is NO? Why did these extra-ordinary “supernaturals” ever occur in the New Testament AND are those conditions, needs, or reasons which made them apart of the early New Testament Church, still present? Are these phenomena to be a continuous part of Christianity? Finally, are these phenomena experienced outside Christianity? The answer, YES!! Christians must be cautious about “jumping to conclusions” about a reported healing, miracle, or wonder qualified by a story told us? I am not saying to doubt the sincerity of those who tell this monstrous nightmare, what I am saying is when you hear something that contradicts the Holy Word of God, look very cautiously!! Propositon: If one man’s experience validates God, and not all experiences are alike, HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT WHICH ONE IS REAL? Are we not left with a multiplicity of gods? If there are other Gods which have produced “other” religions, the Christian’s Bible cannot stand as unique monotheism will have to go; and the Jesus of history lied when He claimed that only by Him can humans know the one and true God and come to Him!! Another question one must ask themselves is; are miracles the ONLY way of the validation of religion, can we leave out prophesy, wisdom, and history? One thing quite clear by all who look at this subject is that supernatural experiences being reported within so-called Christianity, today, have their parallels within pagan religions!! In a book called Possession: Demoniacal; and Other Among Primitive Races, in Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and Modern Times, T. K. Oesterreich has given us a classic study of case histories of religious phenomena. This work was first published in 1921, and apparently was not written with the current “tongue speaking” movement in mind! T. K records case studies which show pagans speaking in ecstatic utterances and in foreign languages, making predictions, casting out demons, and pronouncing curses.
October 16, 2005
News of the Family What a thrill it was to see Leonor Fowler (call her Leo) baptized into Christ and added to the Body of Christ last Sunday morning. That evening, her husband, Keith, was restored. Leo comes to Christ from the Roman Catholic church. They have two precious little boys. We welcome the Fowler’s to the Elect of God. Leanna and Travis have moved back to Ft. Pierce for a couple of months before they relocate in Denver, Colorado. Travis is away this morning getting the last of their things in Orlando. We got one freezer and thanks to Kent and John will purchase two more to keep the food we pass out to those in need. Nathan was a great help Saturday as Theresa picked up more food. Thanks Nathan! Rebecca Burton was in serious trouble this time last week. She had to be attended at home by the Emergency Medics last Sunday evening. Keep her in prayer. If this is your first visit with us please fill out the little Yellow card handed you. Know assuredly, we intend to pattern our worship services after the pattern shown in the New Testament. If you have questions, please see the preacher or one of the brethren.
Riddle for the Week:
By it Satan reigned unimpeded for 4,000 years, because of it life could not again be, and through it man is invited into Christ. What is this It?
Speaking in Tongues, II Speaking in tongues, glossolalia, making predictions about the future, sometimes called prophecies, supernatural voices and visions, theophanies, casting out demons, exorcism, pronouncing curses, defixiones, healings and many other wonders are considered by some to be the way to validate the power of the God of Christianity. Those who play in this world of rabid extremism find themselves often burnt by the doctrines they espouse. As we mentioned last week, paganism and other mediums have evidences among them doing the same. On record are case studies which show pagans speaking in ecstatic utterances and in foreign languages, making predictions, casting out demons, and pronouncing curses. There is virtually no place o n the earth where these kinds of phen9omena have not been and are not still being practiced with “success”. How can these things be? Along with these modern ‘miracles’ there are things that accompany them. Physical change may take place. A countenance may change, there may be a new behavior pattern, the voice may change, seen either in intonation or a change in content. Sometimes the change is from a male voice to a female voice. In some cases it appears that a different person’s voice is speaking; sometimes vulgarity is present from a person never known to speak such, or howling, crying, groaning, ecstatic utterance which make no sense or reason and appear to be no language at all, or a foreign language. In other times these activities were called ‘demon possession’. There mat be a motor-movement take place in the possessed person. This has been observed in such activities as violent shaking, twisting, contortions, jerking, dancing, or a significant increase in physical strength. As you know, these types of ‘experiences’ are being reported by those who possess the “Holy Spirit”, these are claimed proofs that God is working in them!! These same types of ‘experiences’ are reported among those of pagan religions; what do they prove there?? On the Tonga Islands, healings were done by raising over the head of the sick person a basket containing a bead-necklace, bangles and leaves of a Na tree. In Ceylon, people were healed by visiting the temple of the demon Vakula Bandara Devijo. IN India, some were healed in conjunction with pagan ceremonies at the temple of Hur-hureshvurku at Conkon. Others regained health by the sight of Maya. Others have attributed their healing to the mother of Buddha. There are numerous stories from Africa, Jamaica, the back streets of New Orleans and others places where “witch doctors” can hex people and kill them, pronounce curses on others and heal, and they did!! Did this prove them a ‘power of God’?? Exorcism is popular, made such by movies and an interest in the occult. In Siam, pagan “doctors” by pronouncing charms and beating the person possessed by demons with rods, heal them. In China, gifted people called mediums cast out demons by entering into a communion with the departed dead! In Japan, the pagan sect Nichiren made exorcism a specialty, and people went to a temple at Nalayama for such practices. In Mecca (you know the ‘a baba baga boos’ had to get in on the act), the spirit of Zor was cast out by the shechah, using charms and sacrifices. The Mohammedans cast out Zor by drinking beer, dancing, and banging their heads against a wall, (smart, right!). Among the Hindus in India, demons were cast out on the 45th and 46th nights of Cukasaptati by saying, “In the name of Katagara, come forth”. (Katagara was the name of the wife of the Brahman who lived in Vatsamin at that time). And the holy rollers think they have the only show in town! Jim and Tammy, Oral and the boys, Benny Hinn, and the local Pentecostal liars don’t have a thing on these Devil worshippers, they are a poor act!
October 23, 2005
News of the Brethren
We awe in the presence of the power of the Word of God!! This past Lord’s Day, Kadie was baptized into Christ. Kadie comes to Christ from the Baptist denomination. Bobby, unsure of his earlier baptism at the age of 11, was also baptized Into Christ. “And the Lord added” is a beautiful phrase, more Beautiful at the Bar of Judgment!! Will did a great job last Lord’s Day evening. It would C ause you to think it was not his first time to speak. Great job, Will!! Linda was in the PCU ward of the hospital for 4 days this past week. She was in great pain. She was near graduation. She was released Saturday. Thank all of you for your prayers. Grace is looking very poorly. Bill is having an extremely difficult time with his knee and cannot walk. It was good to see Sister Rebecca Burton back with us. She was at the point of Graduation Sunday night a week ago. We had better express our love for each other while we are together!! Theresa made up for an empty run Thursday and Friday. We have started sending foods to families of the Armed Forces who are caught short of monies with their husbands in Afghanistan or Iraq. We are thankful for this extension of the food ministry. If Wilma comes, she will not get here on the Lord’s Day. Do You not think it would be best for you to be here this evening? Kent Bloesser and his family are in Tennessee for a wedding this week-end. Keep them in prayer for traveling mercies. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Make your plans to be with your spiritual family to enjoy this time of fellowship.
Riddle for the Week:
It requires a prepared, special type hopelessness, it demands a total loss of will, and it leads to a hope unknown and unseen which God had to tell, man could never have understood by what he could read. If we don’t participate here by our will, we will participate. What is this?
Speaking in Tongues, III Exorcism was a common practice among Roman Catholics in earlier days. A statue of the Mother of God was used, as well as a crucifix. Bernard of Claivaux would pray, put wine on the possessed person’s lip[s, use the sign of the cross, and hold the crucifix over the head of the one possessed. St. Francis of Assissi used prayer and the sign of the cross. He didn’t even use the name of Jesus but would say, “In virtue of obedience, I bid thee go out of her, thou unclean spirit.” And it did!, they claim. Christians (falsely so-called) must be cautious about validating too much by their power to cast out demons. .If the Christian (?) claims that this action verifies his power (a baptism of the Holy Spirit, or a spiritual gift) and verifies his God, then what about the special pagan mediums in Ceylon, India, China, Japan, etc.? If supernatural experiences determine the credibility of my faith what about the “other” religions which also practice exorcism with “success”? So you know that E.R. Dodds in The Greeks and the Irrational has documented evidence that ecstatic utterances attributed to the divine spirits were practiced among the Hittites as early as 1400 B.C.. The Phoenicians as early as 1100 B.C. spoke with strange tongues as evidence their “god” was with them!! In Greece, ecstatic utterances are as old as the religion of Apollo at Delphi. This was centuries before Christ! In their religion, it was believed that the “god” entered the vocal cords and controlled the speech!! The religions of Cassondra, Bakis, Cybele, Dionysius, Eurcycles, and Pythos all practiced tongue-speaking!! In east Africa it was believed that the tongue-speaking was caused by the spirit Mpepo, a kind of vampire spirit! Ecstatic utterances are still common among some pagan religions, and the experience is still attributed to the power of a deity taking control of the vocal cords!! In the first century, ecstatic utterances were hardly new and fresh. The appearance of tongue-speaking, if it were just ecstatic utterances and not a bonafide language heard, would hardly have been a sign of a new age dawning, for this was very common among the ancients, since the days of the Exodus!! There are those die-hards who still claim tongue-speaking an evidence that God is with them. So, what about someone who begins to speak in a legitimate foreign language which he or she had never learned?? What would that prove?? In 1906 a scientist by the name of Algar LeMaitre found a boy of 14 years named Fritz. Fritz and Algar’s spirit talked audibly together. One day Algar’s spirit told Fritz to speak in Latin, which Fritz did not know nor had studied. According to honorable witnesses, Fritz spoke in good Latin!! How did this happen? Immediately, those who desire an expression of importance and a feeling of being “special” to God claim this as proof that tongues are “still being spoken, today”. We are now understanding that our mind stores everything it receives—even information which we are not aware we are receiving. After a close study of Fritz, it was learned that when he was 4 or 5 years old, he had heard a servant speak the Latin poetry that he had spoken for Algar’s spirit!! His subconscious had never forgotten it, although he had not remembered that he had been exposed to Latin. We need to be real careful about explaining the unusual by the miraculous or a supernatural power taking control of the speech!! Do supernatural phenomena really exist, today? Are there good and bad spirits? Is a supernatural spirit present in every case in a disease-exorcism-healing miracle service??
October 30, 2005
News of the Brethren
we had to miss some services. The schedule will be as usual for the rest of the year. Thanks for your patience. We got our water back on Saturday afternoon. Most of have power at home, we hope, if someone needs a generator, one may be available. Let the preacher know. Rebecca stayed most of the week in the hospital. She has severe bouts with her breathing. Keep her in your prayers. Linda is doing some better. Thanks to David, Bobby, and Rich for pitching in helping clean debris, tree limbs, and garbage around the building. We lost 1/2 of our huge tree in the back of the building. There is no sign of it anywhere, it went up in the rapture!! Ilene came late in the effort and cleaned the inside. Thanks to all. Stu had to fly to Indiana for a funeral service for his Sister. He is to be our speaker this evening. We will understand if that may not be possible. Good-grades-Chris and others will quote. Travis Haag is leaving for Chicago to begin his new career, this week. We all wish him well. He and Leanna are out of town, this morning.
Riddle for the Week:
It was kept secret from the genesis of man, sparks of it were seen by the dim light of types, finality brought a burst of light that blinded those through whom it came. What is it?
Speaking in Tongues, IV Physical manifestations of being “possessed” can be caused by actual possession by a real demon, allowed and courted to enter and possess, or by a psychosomatic phenomenon. In the latter, the person is not possessed by a real demon, but psychologically is in a different state than before this special manifestation, tool appeared in their life. In some cases, this state may be the result of some kind of auto-suggestion to fill a personal need. In some cases it could be the breaking through of a dual personality. In some cases it could be hallucinatory (the person constructs a cause and then incarnates it). In other cases, it could be a fake. It is interesting to know that in many cases the person, who speaks in an audible-tongue to them unknown, does not give any information not already known and proven; their information parallels their known sentiments and uses these voices to inform someone of what they had not the strength to tell them, otherwise!! Doctors today use what are called “sugar Pills” to people who believe they are sick. I have observed the power of learned responses at Pentecostal programs. After many people came to the altar to be “healed”, the speaker spent 15 minutes telling them about those in the past who “fell on the ground” when the Holy Spirit possessed them. I kept wondering, “Why is he spending so much time on this?” And I soon learned why. After a few minutes of this instruction, the “healer” began to touch those who had come forward, (you think they were not prone to fall on the ground??). When one fell, that reinforced the “healer’s message and they all began to fall!! Without this advanced instruction, I have often wondered IF any would have fallen at all!! It was a directed response!! The Pentecostal preacher did not tell the poor soul that this is common among pagan people “possessed” by so-called evil spirits!! In Greek history, centuries before Christ, the Greeks were deeply engaged in experiencing supernatural phenomena. They welcomed being possessed!! They called it “madness”. They demanded these “fits of madness” glorified their gods. This “madness” was expressed in such ways as dancing and ecstatic utterances. Through these kinds of manifestations they had a “feeling better felt than told” of a “cleansing” from the guilt of sin. For them, these “fits of madness” had a therapeutic value and were allowed and encouraged. Because of sin, the Greeks had guilt given them through the God-given conscience. Not having the Bible or a member of the Lord’s Church around, they had no real solution for their guilt (like the Pentecostals do, today). The recognition of sin forces man to do something to remedy it. The souls of guilty, sinful men are restless. The restless seek and need assurance. The Greeks sought this assurance from their deities as do the false teachers, today!! The overwhelming sense of human ignorance and insecurity with the dread of divine wrath makes sin unbearable. As they wrote; “out of his divine knowledge, Apollo would tell you what to do when you felt anxious or frightened.” The Greeks believed in their Oracle, not because they were superstitious fools, but because they could not do without believing in them!! It has often been my idea that some of us do not BELIEVE we can or SHOULD be forgiven of sin. But, if God has accepted us, THEN WE NEED TO ACCEPT SELF AND LOVE SELF. A continual feeling of guilt, or of uncertainty, or of inferiority, can cause individuals to seek after other assurances. Because the mere written promises of God are hard for some to accept, they want more. Some want to hear an audible voice, have God do something out-of-the way special for them JUST to prove they “got-saved” God has to do something special, when He does, no one can take that from them!!
November 11, 2005
News of the Brethren
assignments. The Church will again get the Turkeys. This coming Lord’s Day we will Eating-large!! Charley and Liz are in South Carolina. Linda Burton is in Las Vegas, and Ron Burton’s mother passed away in Ohio. Rebecca Burton is much better, she did not attend the funeral. We got another freezer. We got more food. See Theresa or the preacher if you know someone in need. Thanks to Rich, Nathan, and others who came Saturday to help unload the truck. Keep our nation, Armed Forces, and the Judicial appointments in prayer. America needs men who know as much about God as they do about Freud!!
Riddle for the Week:
He took his family to Egypt, he married his child-hood bride, he took in his brother’s wife and children, and he died before fame or mockery came to any of his family. Who was he?
Speaking in Tongues, V A continual feeling of guilt, or of uncertainty, or of inferiority, can cause individuals to seek after other assurances from God. Because the written Word of God is hard for some to understand, they want more. Some want miraculous things badly enough to self-invent them. When men of letters and degrees see this outrageous display of emotion in religion they think it is “time for men to wake up and act like adults”. In the 5th and 6th centuries BC the rise of the scientific method met the affront of super-emotionalism. The intellectuals made fun of the religious. It causes a sharp polarity between the intellectual and the common people. Intellectuals were persecuted on religious grounds. Trials of heresy were conducted. It introduced wide-spread immorality based upon the freedom of the self. They would cry; “nature wills it, and it pays no heed to rules”. “Nothing is shameful but thinking it is shameful makes it shameful” Finally, “the body is made for immorality.” It introduced Satan-worship. It left man to his own passions. It initiated a reaction which stressed the subjective over the objective. How the ‘FELT ABOUT SOMETHING’ was the only standard that mattered. You see, the intellectuals were demanding PROOF and the super-emotionalists were producing “feelings better felt than told”. The same thing is happening, today. It seems to me that super-emotionalism is the direct reaction against the liberal philosophy and theology of our period of the super-intellect. In our human attempt to verify the existence of God in a time when God is being widely questioned, the way some seek a return to God is to return to the miraculous of the past. . Christians must take the Bible as the Word of God and believe it!! When the Bible tells us “miracles have “ceased, stopped, no longer exist”, 1 Corinthians 13:8-13, we need no other assurances!! In Christ, God has promised forgiveness, cleansing, the Holy Spirit, endurance, communion, and acceptance—there are NO OTHER proofs necessary than HIS WORD!! Speaking in tongues, casting out demons, or healing the sick are NOT problematic activities; we have God’s Word on the subject. We know that nothing lives in sinners or saints today, except by their invitation. We also know that demons cannot exist side-by-side with the Holy Spirit (which also comes into the lives of sinners saved by the blood of Christ, by invitation). The one who is in Christ becomes the temple of God, 1 Corinthians 6:19. He has been transferred into a new kingdom, Colossians 1:13, and in that Kingdom he has entered into a battle against the demonic which is in the world, but not in the Christian!! The weapons pf the Christians in this warfare are different from that used in exorcism, Ephesians 6:10. Prayer, fellowship, worship, and education based upon God’s Word---these are our supplied weapons to win, not some silly exercise of the Catholic Church! A Christian is involved in activities which will abolish whatever stands between himself and God. This is our success package designed by the great Provider. The early Christians understood this and up-rooted sin in any fashion it presented itself, the only weapon they used was the Word of God, preaching the crucified Christ, and sharing with the world the “crucified life”! If we begin to doubt our Christianity, if our assurance becomes shaky, we may add assurance, security, and trust by not quenching the Spirit, utilize EVERY OPPORTUNITY for study, fellowship, and prayer that is allowed; we may “be not filled with wine wherein there is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. Speaking one to another (addressing one another) in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs”. Ephesians 5:18-19 “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, THERE IS LIBERTY 2Corinthians 3:17
November 13, 2005
News of the Brethren
This coming Lord’s Day the PSL Church of Christ will have its annual Thanksgiving Meal. All the Ladies have been busy preparing this great Feast. Please plan to enjoy this celebration with us. Travis leaves today for his new job in Colorado. Leanna will join him in a couple of months. Pray for his traveling safety and success in his new work. If you are visiting with us for the first time and something is said or done you do not understand, please ask one of us to explain. If you would like the whole study of “Tongues” let the preacher know. If you want it in some other language, let him know.
Riddle for the Week:
It abundantly satisfies with the fatness of Thy house, It is as clear as crystal, and begins at the Throne of God. What is it?
Speaking in Tongues, VI One of the most dangerous developments of the present charismatic movement is the trend to recognize any person as a bona-fide Christian on the basis of his experience with tongues. Some consider this phenomenon to be an essential mark of a Christian. A person’s doctrine is of little concern, the only thing they want to know is if ‘you can speak in an unknown tongue”!! Interesting, but not much noticed, is that when our Lord first mentioned such dramatic proofs of His Message, He used these gifts as a proof that the user was a believer OR THEY WOULD NEVER HAVE USED THEM!! “These signs shall follow them that BELIEVE (emphasis mine). If we can read, we know this says something we should listen to! The apostles had been commissioned to “preach the gospel to every creature”. Mark 16:16 What is NOT mentioned is how they were to attend this commission. They, the apostles, were known as “unlearned and ignorant men”, YET, they were to take the New Covenant of Jesus Christ to ALL the world. Let me remind you, there were plenty of smart men in this old world at that time!! How would the Lord Jesus have fared IF the purveyors of His Covenant were confronted with mistakes in their dates, places, and events?? One of the valid proofs that Joseph Smith (the originator of the Mormon lies and religion) is a false prophet is that he wrote that Jesus was born in Jerusalem!!, not Bethlehem!! What if the language they spoke was SO grammatically incorrect, so out of agreement in voice, tense, mood, etc, that any person hearing them would be insulted by the verbage, not the message?? Would the God of all Eternity have sent unlearned and ignorant men to defend His Only Begotten Son?? One of the purposes of inspiration was that God would NOT trust any man to defend His Only Begotten Son to this world by any other THAN HIMSELF!! “Great is the mystery of godliness: God (Christ) was manifest in the flesh, justified (defended) by the Spirit (this is inspiration), seen of angels (these angels were/are the apostles, the messengers of the Good News), preached unto the Gentiles (let me introduce you to the apostle Paul), and received up in glory (read Daniel 7:13, Psalms 24:7-8, Acts 2:28-30, Hebrews chapter 1, and Philippians 2:8-11).” 1 Timothy 3:15, Acts 2:22-32. Peter would later state, by inspiration, “ “Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God?” Acts 11:17 Paul would later by the Spirit write: “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery…..God hath revealed this unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth the deep things of God…Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might KNOW the things that are freely given to us of God….for the natural (any man who knew by a natural means such as study or hearing) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God”. 1 Corinthians 2:7-14 “Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man should be found faithful…..For I know NOTHING by myself…., I bring to light the counsels of the heart.” 1 Corinthians 4:2-5 You want to do one better?? Try speaking in an unknown tongue, knowing nothing of it, understanding none of it, and if asked a question in that language, how would you answer?? It would be not secret that Christ would have His apostle speak in other, unknown tongues; it was prophesied!! “In the law it is written, ‘With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people” 1 Corinthians 14:21, Isaiah 28:11 What good were tongues unless they profited? We would be as barbarians, a foreigner, not understanding his language!! 1Corinthians 14:6-11.
November 20, 2005
News of the Brethren
Worship service. Plan to stay and enjoy this with us, we will have plenty? Our ladies take the back seat to NO ONE when it comes to cooking. Travis got set up in Colorado. His trip was safe and long. He will be back for Thanksgiving. We have food in our freezers for anyone who needs it. See Theresa or the preacher if you need help. Thanks to Nathan for going with us on a moments notice to help get the food. Rebecca Burton is still not feeling that well. Keep her in prayer. Also pray for her husband that he might see his situation before God and obey the gospel. Theresa will have a Thanksgiving Meal here at the building on Thanksgiving day for all who have no family or friends with whom they can share this great day. There is no cost.
Riddle of the Week:
You could not say Amen at the right time, you would be as a child, babbling in non-sensical tones, and it was a judgment against the Jew. What is this?
Spealing in Tongues, VIII Mark 16:9-20 is not often studied, but often
used to support those claims of the Pentecostals, Methodist, even the Roman
Catholics who think themselves specially If one will not accept the textual message of the 16th chapter maybe they will have to accept the conclusions that are forced on them. If one takes Mark 16:17 to justify tongue-speaking, he MUST take Mark 16:18. “They shall pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly think, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” I suggest the latter part of this verse begin to be practiced in the hospitals. They need to meet at least once a week, go through the ICU wards and heal everybody in that unit!! I was addressed one evening while in the ICU waiting room by a man who came out acting strangely and speaking something that sounded like a two year old child with its hand caught in a mouse trap! He declared; “I just healed two people who were at the door of death, glory to God, praise Jesus!” I was sitting there with a aged saint who’s husband’s heart had failed and he was dieing. I thought to myself; “how unfair for this person to be so unkind”. I stood up grabbed him around his neck, lifted him off the floor, and told him I would break his neck if he did not re-enter the ICU ward and heal my brother whose heart had failed!”. He began to cry and wimper that I was hurting him. I ‘encouraged’ him a little more to return and heal my brother. It was so unfair. I regained my composure and suggested to him that he and I would make a trip to a grave yard nearby, after the healed came walking out of the ICU ward, where my beloved mother’s body lay and IF he did not raise her from the dead, I would put him in the vacant lot beside her!! I sat his feet back on the floor and he ran like a rabbit being shot at. I am not bragging about this, I am not exaggerating, this man HAD NO RIGHT to be SO unfair. If he could heal one, he could heal one of the one’s for whom I was praying! Please do not follow my example, I was just overwhelmed with this man’s lack of respect for the SAINTS OF GOD who were dieing!! I suggest that those who speak in tongues claiming Mark 16:17-20 as their proof text also sponsor a poison-drink party sometime at the nearest Pentecostal Church building and invite all their spiritually innocuously inspired brethren from all denominations in for a nice cup of stricnine or other quality drinks of this kind ‘for a closer walk in the Spirit’!! Just think of all the “rapturous joy in the Spirit” they could share, one with another, as they defy death, proving themselves something truly chosen and special for having such overwhelming confidence in Jesus!! Yes, we would allow them to bring along a few diamond back rattlers just to liven up the fellowship, if they wanted. Jesus said that some of those “He never knew” would cast out demons and do mighty works in His name, Matthew 7:22,23. Paul warned the Thessalonians that the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders. 2 Thess. 2:9. And in NONE of these exhortations were the signs of Mark used as a measuring rod!!
November 27, 2005
News of the Brethren
Week after services. The Ladies out-did themselves. The food was just wonderful, all had plenty, and plenty, and plenty. A special thanks to Linda for her management and love she shows in directing these meals. And we have another one to go, December 18th, and you are invited!! The turn-out for the meal on Thanksgiving Day was great. Theresa always does a superb job, this year was just as great. Thanks to Theresa for a job that takes a BIG heart. We were able to give away a car-load of food and freezer to soldiers and their families. It caused everybodies eyes to well-up with tears as they left with these provisions from our food bank. Their PBX was blown away and they cannot make ends meet. We thank God for the use He is making of our small efforts. Everybody left town and has or is coming home. We missed all of you, glad you are home, and we hope you had a good and beneficial time.
Riddle for the Week:
and is another name for covenant-marriage. What is it?
Speaking in Tongues, IX In Mark 16:14-29 resides verses inspired that have caused many in the “charismatic movement” some hope that it is speaking to them. The problem with all this is the setting and who was present, and why. When Jesus arose from the dead His disciples had had explicit instructions for as yet they believed not on Him. John 16:30-31, 20:27,29 He had told them He would “go before them into Galilee” Matthew 26:32, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted” Matthew 28:16-17 Who doubted, who did not believe, who went to a mountain Jesus had appointed? Did you ever ask a tongue-speaking Pentecostal of today’s breed which mountain, where, and when? Between verses 19 and 20 of Matthew is verses 17-19 of Mark, verses 36-49 of Luke, 19 and 20 of John, and 9-11 of Acts 1. Read the whole story and you will have no trouble figuring out to whom Jesus was speaking in Mark 16:17-20!! Listen to verse 20 of Mark; “And they (who?, they who believed) went forth, and preached every where (how?, they were baptized in the Holy Spirit by Christ, Acts 1:4-5, when (?) on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:1, 26:18), the Lord working with them (“God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His won will” Hebrews 2:4) These miracles, wonders, and signs “CONFIRMED unto us what at first began to be spoken by the Lord”, Hebrews 2:3, “and they, the believers, went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, confirming the word with signs following.” Unless you can find some holy roller who was with Jesus in Galilee, you have no right to use these verses OR misunderstand them!! As a matter of interest, we all affirm that some uses of the physical tongue are definitely from the Devil; such as slander, lying, gossip, back-biting, proud words, and demeaning denials. It is interesting that we have not been so quick to ostracize these performers of their father from the fellowship as we have the tongue-speaker!!, and we should, only they are the more common among us!! We cannot allow those who lie, impugned, or destroy a brother or sister with the tool of their father Satan any more than we would allow a tongue-speaking denominationalist to preach for our assembly!! It is commendable that some today desiring a “closer walk” with God and are open to all they think God has for them. This, they think allows them to dabble in the Spirit. Some have thought the “new birth” (being of water and the Spirit) has something with tongue-speaking. Jesus was telling Nicodemus about a CHANGE of venue concerning parentage, not the elements of instruction He would use when the “regeneration” would be!! Nicodemus did not come to Jesus requiring or asking for a sign or a miracle, he came to find out HOW to enter the Kingdom Jesus and John had been preaching was to come!! John NEVER mentioned the Spirit and Jesus only ONCE, during their public speaking. You talk about “grabbing at straws”; you would have to prune the whole hay field to get this to work!! Others have thought that since we are to “fight against spiritual wickedness in high places” when we “put on the whole armour of God”, Ephesians 6, we must have supernatural weapons to fight the cosmic spiritual battle in which we are engaged!! We SO and ARE in a spiritual fight. We are to use the tools GIVEN, not invented by some emotionally-over-charged-tongue speaker!! When in God’s Army one uses God’s weapon, the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, Ephesians 6:17, that is the ALL THAT IS NEEDED!! in GOD’S ARMY!!!
News of the Brethren enunciate, and it was not known for some 2,000-3,000 years of man. What is it? Grace has spent the whole week in ICU at Lawnwood. She is greatly improved. Keep her in prayer. She may have been moved to PCU. If so, I will let you know and you can visit her. All the Taylor’s have been fighting a food Virus this past week. We have missed them all this past week. Keep them in prayer. Theresa is in Kissimmee on a case, Leanna flew to Colorado for a job interview and to be with Travis, John and Galene are in north Florida, and Rebecca Burton missed all last week’s services, Charlie and Liz were back Wednesday. L:isa was sick all last week. George and Linda got back Tuesday. Keep all these in prayer. December 18th will be our holiday family meal Carry-in. The only way to beat Thanksgiving is to do the same on the 18th. Linda will again direct the meal with all the ladies doing such a wonderful job with all their goodies. Plan on being with us! John did a great job Sunday evening. You would not have guessed it was his first time. George has the list for all the men on the dais.
Riddle for the Week:
enunciate, from the beginning it was not man’s to know. What was it?
Speaking in Tongues, X Several centuries before Christ, when the Greeks were depending upon the experiential for assurance from their gods, a new kind of world-view began to appear, which eventually permeated the Greek culture. This was intellectualism. It began in the 6th century B.C. with the rise of the scientific method. This began the Greek “Age of Enlightenment”. Their scientist made fun of and chided the idea of spirits. They suggested that it was time for man to grow up and come of age (sound familiar?). The erudite competed with the religious. Two sides cannot win, one has to be defeated. In the arena of ideas, the “scientific” got most of the intellectual and learned while the religious won the vulgar, the common people. Today, the “scientific” community (like those of the Greek age of Enlightenment) do not like restraints on their social or moral desires. They have teamed up with the “educated elite” and formed a new religion called Humanism. Humanism is a religion. The doctrine is the “evolution” of man from a lower species. The Public School System since 1938 adopted this religion and demands it promoted by the school teachers and college campuses all across our nation. It has fostered the worship of Satan, left man to his OWN un-governed passions, and initiated a reaction which stresses the subjective emotional experience OVER the rational!! The intellectuals were demanding proof that there was/is God and the super-naturalists were producing it with emotional experiences, supposed miracles, and tongue speakers. The magical, tongue-speaking, healing demonstrations checked the influence of the Greeks’ “Enlightened”, it gave them assurance at a time when their ground for assurance was questioned and denied by many!! The “intellectual” had then and has today, taken away from the persons ignorant of God’s Word, the assurance of God He has provided, HIS WORD. The “miracle-demanding religionists of today are left needing to be reassured or QUIT believing!! I will say it again: the only way to get the “demons” out of people today is to “preach the Word” and let the message of God’s Spirit compete with the message of the “spirit” of denominationalism!! Preach Christ and Him crucified, and the demons will “run out” of the like as swine did down the mountainside to their demise!! IF THE BIBLE IS THE RESULT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THEN THE BIBLE IS A WAY TO TEST THE SPIRITS, TO SEE IF THEY ARE OF GOD, or as brother John wrote; “try the spirits to see if they are of God, for many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 Supposed Tongue Speakers should not think that men of the Book would stand around and mock the God of Heaven and His Inspired Word as they burp up this deceit!! Those with the Book as their sword and shield can support the Truth and it is clearly anti-scriptural to practice speaking in tongues in violation of what the Book teaches!! 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 One primary proof that the Word of God leads and directs our lives is that we adorn the doctrine of Christ with the personal character therein described. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit”. Galatians 5:24 The next verse begins to outline ways to walk by the Spirit: “Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another…” The Spirit produced the Bible, but He does not live IN the Bible, He lives IN the people He has made!! The God, who produced the Book, can guide us to live BY the Book!! If WE HAVE BEEN UNITED WITH CHRIST, WE must be FED the Word and learn to USE our new tools IN our lives. Being a babe “in Christ” 50 years denies the fact that we “must grow thereby”.
December 11, 2005
News of the Brethren
to be sent to a hospital that specializes in getting people off a respirator. Keep her in prayer. Next Lord’s Day is our final meal as a family together. Linda will meet with any lady who does not know what to bring. I don’t think we can make this better than the Meal at Thanksgiving, but it will be fun to try! There is a REASON for the Season. For the Jews and atheist, it is money, for the Catholics, it is to promote their false doctrine, for the Protestant, it is to feel good about such a sinful year, for the non-repentant sinner, it is to make him equal to all the above, he is just as good and saved!! What about the saint? We can “express” our love for others in a special way. Bring a sinner to worship, next Lord’s Day!! Brethren, pick up the list of those who serve on the dias as you leave. Thank you George for doing a good work to keep us straight.
Riddle for the Week:
dead, he prophesied, and was said to hear the words in a king’s most secretive room. Who was he?
Speaking in Tongues, XI All we have written before, now it is time to dig into 1 Corinthians 13:8-13; but before we begin, we MUST determine context. 1 Corinthians 13 is not on an island all by itself!! There is a continuous discussion by the Holy Spirit which the apostle Paul is being inspired to instruct those who misunderstood the role of the miraculous in the early Church. When the use of miracles is mentioned in the New Testament, most people think it is telling THEM something they are promised or with which they can become involved. All one has to do is look at the circumstance at hand. The Holy Spirit HAD to communicate a message to a young and doctrinally weak people that for the most part has JUST HEARD OF CHRIST!! He had to do this while at the same time many of them were called on to die for what they believed. Background and circumstances always play a great part in what people believe even if they have been correctly instructed!! Among the Gentile peoples of that day any one who had ANY ability to speak publicly was considered among the very elite. Speakers held GREAT sway and influence and therefore were not only in great demand but were treated as those who were extremely educated and gifted by the gods. In this situation the Church of Christ at Corinth began. When the apostle Paul hit town in Acts 18, having left Athens, Paul found Aquila and Priscilla, because Claudius, the Caesar, had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome (a much loved people then and even now). There were no other Christians. (It is my impression that Aquila had had his tongue tied by the persecutions at Rome, like some he probably thought no one wanted to hear of Jesus Christ anyway, so why get into trouble, again!!.) Silas and Timothy arrived in a few days from Macedonia. Corinth is very important to us Gentiles, for it was here that Paul began to fill the mission for which Christ had made him an apostle. The Jews, to whom Paul would immediately go, had no interest in Christ, indignant, Paul “shook his raiment, and said unto them, ‘Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from here on I will go unto the Gentiles”. Acts 18:6 Corinth was a metropolis with every tongue, nation, people, and religion, there. It was in Corinth, that the apostle Paul had to change tactics, for the first time in his ministry, he had to begin to speak in other languages!! Before, all to whom Paul preached were Jews as was he and did not need to speak in other languages. It had been prophesied by Isaiah that “with stammering lips and another tongue will I speak to this people”. Isaiah 28:11 So, in Corinth, everything was new; new approach, new people, new audience, and a new direction to which the gospel was to be preached, but the same Jerusalem gospel!! There was NO NEED for tongue speaking when the gospel was to be preached ONLY to the Jew, the all spoke the Aramaic language, it was only when Paul turned to the Gentile nations that another tongue became important, FOR INSTRUCTION! Paul would be the ONLY apostle who would ever be seen in the New Testament dealing with tongues, for he was the apostle to the Gentiles. In the 12th chapter, the discussion involves the fact that there WERE such things as spiritual gifts of a miraculous nature. The reason for their existence has been discussed. When preachers of the gospel, often called Angels, preached the Word, they spoke in tongues the audience spoke. Remember, the only reason for preaching the Gospel was to save souls!! When a brother preached to be heard or noticed or to add injury to another’s injury their preaching would do them harm, not good: SO, when the Holy Spirit was instructing the brethren about tongues (chapter 12), He had to first bring them into line about the message being important, not the messenger!!
News of the Brethren
Sister Grace Harris graduated last Friday about 3:30pm. She leaves behind two sons and a daughter. She will be buried in Georgia beside her husband who preceded her by 35 years. We say good-bye to a faithful saint of God to one day say, hello. Our year0end fellowship meal is today after the Morning worship services. Please stay and see just how great our cooks are here. We will have a very “filling time”. Stu and Sandy flew to Hawaii for a honeymoon. They have been married 30 years. They will be back in two weeks. Linda and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary the 15th day of this month. We look forward to forty more together, if we are allowed,
Riddle of the Week:
it is impossible to administer, today and it represented the “counsel of God”. What was it?
Speaking in Tongues, XII “Tough I speak with the tongues of men and of angels”, is the way the apostle Paul begins the 13th chapter of Corinthians as the Holy Spirit inspired him to write. Paul is not talking about a”language of the spirit”, nor “another language of man”, nor was he talking about a “heavenly language, spoken around the Throne of God in Heaven” as the Pentecostal purveyors of false doctrine teach. Those ‘men’ and ‘angels’ were preachers and prophets inspired by the apostle, who, having had an apostle lay hands on them, could speak the “mysteries of God”. Those of Corinth had a passion for speakers and held the speaker in very high esteem. Those who could speak got the “big head” and began to like to “hear themselves” and so spoke for the glory of themselves and not God. This, like speaking by the power of Satan HAD to stop! Paul had addressed this problem in the Philippian church when he wrote: “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife, and some also of good will. The one preach of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds.” Philippians 1:14-18 There were other problems that had arisen; Satan had caused some to profess Christ as accursed because He hung on the tree. 1 Corinthians 12:1-3 Interpreters assigned to qualify the message were doing nothing.1 Corinthians 14:29 Their job had been relegated to nothingness because of the great love of the hearing the speaker. THEN, Paul, IN THE 8TH verse starts to instruct us as to WHEN these gifts would CEASE!! He begins with a premise not seen by some: the message is permanent; the way it will be delivered will change!! Let me state what is obvious to all who know me, but not so obvious to others: I am not interested in perpetuating any traditions which are not scriptural. As a matter of fact, I prefer to shatter traditions with the sledge hammer of the Truth, so men can be FREE!! John 8:32 We will understand the idea of truth by the text and NOT strive to understand the text by what I think is truth!! Paul, by the Holy Spirit, begins by telling us that the knowing and prophesying of verse 8 will be set aside BECAUSE another source (ek, the word used in the Greek language described the manner of means by which the message would be delivered) A better source was to come---a complete source---not just what the apostle had who had laid hands on the prophets and preachers. What is not seen by the casual observer is that the gifts of prophecy and inspired knowledge produced ONLY LIMITED PIECES OF DIVINE REVELATION!! The WHOLE REVELATION of God’s will was to come; they at that time DID NOT HAVE IT ALL! “When that which was perfect (Greek word, teleios, meaning complete, final), was come, then that which was partial (Greek words ek merous—meaning out of a part) would cease. Paul did not know what Peter had written; James had not read what Paul had written---not knowing, the apostles ONLY KNEW what they had been inspired to write unless they had obviously mentioned such in their writings!! 2 Peter 3:16 The partial methods to bring the message to man would become UNNECESSARY!! Glory, if that was what men sought, would be to the MESSAGE, and not the MESSENGER as originally intended!! Another thing very interesting is that in verse 9 ‘tongues’ were not mentioned. Paul did not need to explain why they would give way to something BETTER as he did with knowledge and prophecy because ‘tongues’ were not GOING TO BE REPLACED, when the need for them had passed!! When would that something BETTER COME? Verse 10 tells us. Verse 10 begins with a contrast. It begins with something permanent, not something in piece-meal fashion. It begins with the word (de) which introduces a contrast.
News of the Brethren If we can have better fellowship meals than those we have just had, I will be there to eat!! Again, the ladies did a marvelous job. All appreciated their efforts. Rich, Ilene, and Chris are away today on the west Coast visiting family. Pray that their visit is profitable for the cause of Christ. Travis flew in last evening. They will be leaving for a long time after the holiday season is past. Stu and Sandy are reportedly having a great time in Hawaii. We are so glad for them and ask you pray their flight home will be safe and uneventful.
Last Riddle for 2005
It is the oldest contiguous institution that has ever existed, before it appeared it had been, it is home to those who were not, yet were, and after it ceases to be, it will exist, glorified. What is it?
Speaking in Tongues, XIII “When that which is perfect is come, then that which in part shall be done away.” The literal translation from the Greek is interesting, here: “but when the whole (thing) comes, the thing (miracles, tongues, and prophecies) will be set aside.” Note again the phrase “out of a part” (ek merous) appears in verse 10 and verse 9. The “out of a part” speaks about the piecemeal source, hence, out of a part, and refers to knowledge and speech. Tongues and knowledge never gave the inspired, the WHOLE of Revelation on any subject. The “inspired spokesman” NEVER had all the PARTS to the puzzle!! This phrase is translated in the RSV version as imperfect. The word perfect-(complete, final, and fulfilled) stands in direct contrast with the words out of a part (piece). So, within its context, the only proper way the word perfect in verse 10 can be rendered is whole or complete (instead of perfect). It is here the opposite of partial. It means whole. Then, what is the whole (perfect) or complete thing of verse 10? It is the TOTAL of the “put-together pieces” spoken of in verse 9! Or, when all the “put-together pieces” have been given, the WHOLE of Revelation is complete and the ‘parts’ would no longer be considered!! Each apostle had a ‘part’ of the Revelation of God’s Mystery, WHEN each HAD BEEN given; the whole of Revelation was complete. Inspired to give their ‘part’ of the WHOLE, each apostle added to the other apostle’s writings, giving us “all things that pertain to life and Godliness”. The “why” of verse 9, why were there tongues, prophecies, and knowledge, having been answered, Paul now gives the WHEN these ‘parts’ will cease!! The apostles were the ONLY MEN empowered to write. Before we leave verse 9, we had better take a look at the three possible meanings of the word translated perfect (teleious). Perfect is something without flaw. Perfect is something entirely together. Perfect is something which has reached its goal, it is totally complete. Now, which is the translation in verse 10? Often I have encountered those who think the ‘perfect’ of verse 10 is the Lord of Glory, Christ our older brother. Perfect is in the neuter gender, a ‘thing’, not a being; Christ was of masculine gender, a MAN. The little word “for” (gar) is a very important word. This is a word which introduces an explanation or a reason for the preceding statement. Verse 9 GIVES THE REASON for saying that prophecies and knowledge will be replaced. The literal translation is this—“For we are (now) knowing from a part (a piece at a time) and we are (now) prophesying from a part, BUT when the whole strategy (Revelation) is complete, the ‘part’ (a piece-at-a-time) will be divorced.” The RSV translation translates it this way: “Our knowing is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect”, it is too ambiguous and is not helpful, for there are things we can never clearly understand if this is all we will ever have given. (Remember, the word the RSV translates imperfect is our two Greek words ek merous. Every time the New Testament uses the phrase “out of a part” {ek merous} or from a part {apo merous}, it refers to a state of incompletion—a partial situation which needs to be completed, See Romans 11:25, 15:15 ,24; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 2:5 ). During the early days of the church, God gave to various persons special gifts for the purpose of equipping His church with His Law. Among these gifts were knowledge and prophecies directly inspired by the Holy Spirit. These gifts were given to CURB subjectivity. Many were claiming to have a word from God. To curb this each man received just a ‘part’ of God’s total revelation; this was NEVER intended to last. The time would come when ALL WOULD BE PUT TOGETHER, BE WHOLE.
News of the Brethren Rich, Illene, and Chris got back safely from the West coast. Stu and Sandy finally got home. We are glad they had a great time. They were sorely missed by all.
George and Linda are in North Carolina for a few days. Leanna flew back to Colorado. Theresa has been very sick, again and missed Wednesday evening. Ray’s brother, Raymond, had an attack Tuesday evening. John and Galene are in north Florida for the New Year.
We need to put a new roof on the building before Summer. George is gluing the pews back together. List are on the dais for all those who are quoting for the next few months. Judy, Lisa, and Will moved to a new house in PSL. Nathan was very gracious to help them.
We started our 10th consecutive year on Sunday Radio, WPSL 1590am at 8:00am.
First Riddle for 2006
On this mountain there were 3, then 6, before they left The 7th had spoken, three forms of existence and four worlds were represented. Where was this?
Speaking in Tongues, XIV To curb the confusion of all members of the body in Corinth and other Gentile congregations, the Holy Spirit directed the apostles to ‘lay hands’ on others Christians who would discern, judge, interpret what had been said. Corinth had a particular problem in that they held the interpreters in low esteem and did not give them hearing when a popular tongue speaker addressed the congregation. The interpreters had taken a “back-seat” and some in Corinth had called Jesus “accursed” during a public worship service!! 1 Corinthians 12:1-4 Because of this, the Holy Spirit DEMANDED those who spoke had an interpreter at the time of speaking and the interpreter reveal the message delivered! 1 Corinthians 14:27 Another thing done was the division of information. Each man received just a part of the Revelation. God gave to one man this part, to another, another. The apostle Paul recognized that the inspired knowledge and speaking of selected individuals was partial-a word from God here, and a word from God there and it was revealed to him that these partial revelations would not go on forever!! There would come a time when the pieces (parts, merous) would be put together!! When that happened, men would get their knowledge and speech about God’s revelation from the whole (telios) because the parts would have been done away with!! The whole would be FAR MORE beneficial to the student of the Word. For the first time it would ALL make sense. Therefore, the inspired knowledge and prophecy pf verse 8 which is from a partial source (verse) 9 will give way (be set aside) when a better source comes—the whole, the perfect (verse 10). Remember: tongues, themselves would just completely disappear, cease, stop!! As a matter of fact, church history shows that tongues did cease even BEFORE the writing of the New Testament was entirely finished!! I Timothy 4:1 In verse 10 we run into the word perfect. It can refer to nothing other than the completed “mystery” of God. Paul often speaks of God’s revelation as a mystery. That was a military word of the first century which meant the overall strategy of a general. Here’s the way it was used: Before a battle, a general would call in his leaders and give to each one a different order. Each then had a piece of the total strategy. Each would pass this on to the men of his charge who were to fulfill it. Often this was done without necessarily knowing that the other pieces were in existence. Men under different leaders were getting different pieces depending upon their part of the Battle-plan. After the battle was won, the general would call all his leaders together and explain to them the pieces of his battle plan so that each saw the total strategy. The combination of the PIECES PUT TOGETHER was called the “mystery” (musterion). The role of God’s church is to let all men see the total (put together) plan of God’s musterion. Ephesians 3:8-10 Before God’s new plan was put together, it existed in pieces because He, like the commander, gave certain pieces to various apostles and those on whom they laid hands. Paul wrote that later the possessors of the parts would have explained to them the whole. Until the whole was, the part gave the possessor only THEIR part of the battle plan!! That strategy (musterion) is OUR NEW TESTAMENT!!! When the whole came, the parts were to be absorbed into the whole like a child is changed into the adult!! Verse 11. To see the whole is to see how all the parts interrelate. It is to see the outline and details clearly. That is what Paul is saying in verse 12. “We now see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” He explains his meaning in the next verse, which parallels exactly. That is, I see in a mirror dimly equals I now know out of parts (ek merous), and then face to face equals understand fully!!
January 8, 2006 News of the Brethren
assignments to serve and preach, and be “ready” when You can present yourself before the Lord and His family. Most everybody is back home for a week or two. It is good to have all the family back together. Pray one for the other. Ray Taylor’s brother was dismissed from the hospital and sent home. Keep him in prayer, praying he will see the need to obey the Lord. Tuesday night classes continue to be a source of strength to all who attend. If you would like to come, we begin at 7:00pm with food tastefully prepared and served by one of our sisters in Christ. You cannot love God and not enjoy This time of study.
Riddle of the Week
It was not apart of the 1st century church, it is not unscriptural because it does not usurp the commandment to assemble, and it marked certain of those where it was. What was it?
Speaking in Tongues, XV The word perfect of verse 10 of 1 Corinthians 13 refers to nothing other than the completed mystery of God. The word mystery is a concept not a thing. Mystery was a military word of the first century which meant overall strategy or battle plan devised by the general in charge of the conflict by which he intended to win the conflict. It was given to his officers by himself in pieces, each would pass this along to his troops under his command who were charged to fulfill their role exactly as detailed, no field improvisation was allowed!! After the battle was over, the general would call his junior officers together to explain their part in the victory so they could understand his battle plan and learn thereby. This combination of pieces put together was called “mystery”, not the mystery, not “a” mystery, but it was a thing. Musterion is our New Testament. In Psalms 24 we see Jesus going back to the Ancient of Days, where in Daniel 7:13-14 we see Him brought near before Him. When Jesus went back, He went back to marshall an Army, return to this world and launch an attack!! The Psalmist speaks of it this way: ”Lift up your heads oh ye gates, be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in.” The cry comes as a refrain, “Who is this King of glory? The answer is responded; “The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” Described as “mighty in battle” the Hebrew means to describe a King who has gathered a force and is set to attack with valor. Christ went back to Heaven to marshall His forces and attack. We know the battle plan for we have the book of Acts to relate it to us. On the day of Pentecost, AD 33 at 9:00am, the Trumpet sounded. A trumpet was always to announce an attack!! The apostles were waiting in Jerusalem as told them by Jesus. The commander-in-chief of the ground forces that day was the Holy Spirit and He had twelve generals, apostles who had been baptized by Christ to be the bearers of that mystery. The operation was completed before the forces of the Evil One knew they had been attacked. A multitude of Jews heard the cry that came from Heaven, “repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” That first attack saw 3,000 pass through the waters of baptism, and on that first day of the attack there were ground soldiers added to the Church of Christ who were determined to carry this message to all the world, and have NEVER EVER heard the sound to retreat, since!!! At the moment of attack, some perceived this to be another sect of Judaism, but soon, they learned this was intended of God to REPLACE the Jew as the “chosen” of God and the message to “whosoever will” became a reality because as many Gentiles became members of this elite fighting force as there were Jews. The apostles spoke “as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance”; soon there number was 5,000, then we are told their number was beyond counting!! “Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? Saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut to womb? ….” Isaiah 66:8-12 The role of God’s fighting forces,His church, was made known by one of the generals that was not present that day. Its role was “to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which was hidden from the Jews. The “beginning of the world” was not the beginning of time, it was the beginning of the promise by Christ to Abraham for a special race, age of the promises, Colossians 1:26, not cosmos, but the world to which it applied! January 15, 2006
your list on the dias. Tonight we are to begin this year’s program. Our first “ladies breakfast” is fast approaching. Make plans to be with us on February 18th for a great time of fellowship and fun. Bill is having a great deal of pain with his knee. The doctors have not been able to give him any relief. Keep him in your prayer. If you are visiting with us for the first time. Please Fill out the little yellow card handed you.
Riddle for the Week:
They die to live and live to die. They are a controlled substance, and they gender from another Sphere. Who are they?
Speaking in Tongues, XVI All the apostles had their part of the “mystery”, God’s divine strategy to present Jesus Christ to the world as an alternative to death and separation for eternity. The combination of the pieces, put together, is called the New Testament. It is the role of God’s church to “make all men see what is the fellowship (sharing to bring about a desired end) of the “mystery that had been hid in God”, it is OUR job to “preach the gospel to every creature”. When the WHOLE came, the PARTS were absorbed into the whole like a child is changed into the adult, verse 11. To see the whole is to see how all the parts interrelate. It is to see the outline and details clearly!! That is what Paul is saying in verse 12. “We now see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” He explains his meaning in the next sentence, which parallels exactly. Than is, “I see in a mirror dimly” or “I know out of parts”, or ek merous, and then face to face, or “I know even as also I am known”. “Face to face” does not require us to think of standing in the Lord’s presence after the resurrection of the saints. It may be a vivid expression of the wholeness and clarity of revelation which would be available after the completed Word of God made prophesying unnecessary!! There is one other time I recall the expression “face to face” mentioned. God was said to have spoken to Moses “face to face”. Exodus 33:11 yet, when Moses ask to see God, he was told, “Thou canst not see My face; for man shall not see Me and live.” Exodus 33:17-20 We often do not realize how full and intimate a knowledge of God has been given to us in His word. “Henceforth, I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what His Lord doeth: but I have called you friends: for all things that I have heard of My Father, I have made known unto you.” John 15:15 Then there is the reference to a mirror. Paul says he looks into a mirror (a glass darkly). This refers to a partial look, not a clear look. The outline may be seen, but not any clear details. In the first century, the only mirrors available were polished metals. Polished metal NEVER allowed as clear or full a view as looking directly with the eyes!! So the term “look into a mirror” was commonly used to refer to a partial knowledge! The apostle James declared, James 1:23-25 “But who looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deeds.” Paul also wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image form glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. 2 Corinthians 3:18 Anyone looking into a mirror of the first century COULD NOT get all the details, it required a putting together of the pieces, THEN Revelation would be “face to face”. That is our way of saying we see something clearly-to see from a correct or holistic perspective so that both outline and details can be seen!! By the way, that is exactly what the Holy Spirit had Paul write next! ”Then I shall know, even as I am known.” Clarification did not wait long, Paul declared, “then I shall know fully”. What was Paul to “fully know”? The total strategy of God!! As the captains came to know fully the General’s plan after he put all the pieces together for them, so Paul as well as ourselves, could know God’s completed, WHEN THE GENTILES WERE BROUGHT INTO BODY OF CHRIST!! Ephesians 3:1-8 To put it another way; God would cease all operations WHEN the Gentiles had entered the Kingdom. Another way? God would stop tongues, knowledge, prophesying WHEN the ‘other sheep’ from another fold were brought in!! Do you not reject God’s strategy IF you speak in tongues?
January 22, 2006
News of the Brethren
did a superb job quoting and the congregational singing last Sunday evening was the best. Sorry, some of you missed!! Linda flew to Colorado, yesterday. Leanna had a week before she started her new job with Allstate and their house is about ready to move into so she went to help. February 18th is our appreciation breakfast for the ladies of this congregation. Don’t forget to put it this on your Calendar!! If this is your first visit with us, come again. It is our intention to make you feel welcome. We hope we have succeeded. Please fill out a visitors card.
Riddle for the Week:
Noah had the Ark, Joseph his dreams, David his Psalms, and you and I have ________ to keep us. What is the word that fills in the blank?
Speaking in Tongues, XVII “Faith, hope, and love abide.” These will abide after the perfect had come. The perfect in verse 10 cannot refer to the 2nd coming of Christ because when that happens, our faith will be turned into sight and our hope into reality!! The gender of “perfect” (teleios) in verse 10 is neuter. It could NEVER mean the Lord of Glory for He was always and is always referred to as a male in gender. To suggest that Paul would use this form of the word to speak of His Lord is wrong. It would depersonalize Jesus. In fact, Paul is fond of speaking of Jesus as God; and especially so in this letter He refers to Christ and God some 20 times in the first 9 verses of 1 Corinthians, and he knows how to speak about the 2nd coming in a clear way (see chapter 1:7). God is called perfect in Matthew 5:48, but the gender is masculine!!! To change the gender from masculine to neuter is to say “a perfect thing” instead of a “perfect Being”. Every other time the word perfect appears in the New Testament, it appears in the neuter gender, it refers to a non-personal thing, and twice it is used to refer to the will or law of God (see Romans 12:2and James 1:25). This is not unusual for God’s revelation to be called perfect. The perfect in verse 10 in its present context can only refer to God’s completed revelation which had come from pieces to men here and there, but was later put together into a whole!! When that happened, the piecemeal source for inspired knowledge and prophecy will have been set aside by being absorbed into the whole. To understand perfect in another way is to say that inspired knowledge and prophecies from pieces (ek merous) are valid in the church, today!! That would mean we have no absolute, completed revelation from God!! Church history reveals that the church of the first three centuries rejected that kind of thinking and stood on the fact of completed information from God at the cost of their lives!! One of the arguments used to support tongue-speaking by the religious, today, is to say that the perfect in 1 Corinthians 13:8 refers to the second coming of Christ. One reason, I think for this position is the appearance of the word translated know full in verse 12. The thought is that the phrase means to entirely understand all things and since that cannot happen in this life, the perfect must refer to the second coming of the Lord. What does the phrase “know fully” mean? The word translated “know fully” is epiginosko. This is a compound of the verb ginosko and the prefix epi. Ginosko simply means know. It is the most common word-root for the verb know and the noun knowledge in the Bible. The difference between this common word and the word used in 1 Corinthians 13:12 is a prepositional prefix epi which, when used alone, means upon. When used this way, a preposition prefixed to a Greek verb, it intensifies the action of that verb. When we read where this word is used in the New Testament, we discover that the word is used interchangeably with the simple form ginosko. The interchangeableness of these two words is even more clearly seen in the parallel accounts of the Gospels. While one account will have ginosko, its parallel Gospel will have epiginosko (that is no problem since both words meant exactly the same thing in the 1st century)!! What about tongues? They merely stopped---showing they were not as significant as knowledge and prophecy. Is this to deny the power of God?? NO. It is merely to accept the strategy God had outlined from the beginning of time to make His power known to all generations for all time!!
morning. She had a great time with Leanna and Travis (their house is about ready to move into), but was glad to be home. It was good to see Dwayne Knott and Douglas Albertson with us last week. They are members from far back in our history. Dwayne is stationed in the Boston area in the Navy, Doug lives in town. John and Galene are on vacation in Orlando. George will speak for John as the PIT this evening. Make sure you are with us to hear him. Ron Burton’s brother, Terry passed away this past week. Ron had just returned from the funeral services of his mother. Pray that Ron faced with so much death will see his need in preparing for his call from the Master. If you are with us for the first time please fill out the little yellow card given you. Thank you.
Riddle for the Week:
He was hid in a cave, imprisoned by a seductress, a deliverer of his people, and the greatest man of his time. His people carried him home with his father to be buried by his grandfather. He has no anti-type. Who was he?
Speaking in Tongues, XVII There are some Pentecostals who like to make a play on the Greek word we discussed last week, epiginosko. The take the position that this word cannot mean knowledge that happens in this life, it must be the knowledge that would await Heaven. Paul uses this word in 1 Corinthians 13:12 to speak of knowledge to be obtained or that it is already obtained in this life. I will cite a few instances where the word epiginosko is used in the Greek text and you can see for yourself that in none of these cases it means to “know completely”. In Romans 1:32 Paul by the Spirit writes: “Who knowing the judgment of God…” There is NO way those who Paul describes can have the full, eternal, overwhelming knowledge. In 1 Corinthians 14:37, again, Paul writes by the direction of the Holy Spirit, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith…” Hebrews 10:26, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins…”. One more, “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” 1 Timothy 4:3. These usages (and a host of others) suggest that the word in 1 Corinthians 13:12 does NOT refer to something to be obtained ONLY in Heaven. Epiginosko is a common word to refer to knowledge which can be obtained here on earth. The Holy Spirit NEVER MEANT Paul nor any saint would KNOW everything fully, for that matter ANYTHING of God can no man know fully!! To suggest that the compound epiginosko is more FULL OR COMPLETE knowledge than the simple ginosko is to overlook the additional fact that the simple form is the normal word used to speak about the knowledge that Jesus and God have!! Matthew 6:3, 7:23, 10:26, 12:15, 15:33 plus hundreds of other places (the Gospels are full of them), all show the commonness of this word. There is no linguistic evidence that I know of and even less Biblical evidence that will allow any of us to think we will EVER know as much as God knows about anything!! That does away with the eternal qualitative and quantitative difference between God and His creatures. Why need God in Heaven if we will there have His complete knowledge of everything?? That temptation got the first people into trouble in Eden, it will not get those of us who advance to that sublime degree!! We will praise, honor, and glorify the only One who has complete knowledge ---forever and ever, there!! The Holy Spirit used a good illustration for that century. To look into a polished metal (1st century mirrors were polished metal instead of silvered glass) was not to see in proper perspective. It was to see as a child sees. This is compared to looking at God’s revelation from the piecemeal sources from which revelation was coming at that time. But when the completion is done, then we can look to His revelation directly, face to face!! It must be mentioned here that to see the self completely, face to face from a face to face look, is not yet to see the self completely!! There’s still part of the real self that cannot be seen in any mirror!! I have known studied brethren who always seemed to have a superior knowledge for which we all strive knowing the path to their information leads through the same door of study as has every diligent student of the scriptures. I cannot find that 1 Corinthians 13: 12 suggest a complete or full knowledge. The Greek word used does not suggest a kind of knowledge which cannot be obtained in this life.
News of the Brethren There seems to be a renewed interest in Radio program on WPSL 1590 am from 8:00- 9:00 Sunday mornings. Tell a friend and listen yourself, if you get a chance. We had another successful food distribution Tuesday. By the time we got to the Bible study Theresa had most of the foods gone. We appreciate her efforts in this area. It is a lot of hard work! Don’t forget the Ladies Breakfast on the 18th of this month. Plan on being with us participating in a great deal of fun and food. We really DO appreciate the good women of this congregation! We always welcome our visitors. If this is your first time with us and you have questions, please ask the preacher or one of the male brethren you see serve.
Riddle for the Week: He had greater faith than any that heard Jesus speak, he was blessed as the exception to the rule, and although offered, the Lord never entered his home. Who was he?
Speaking in Tongues, XIX Much has been written by our brethren on the subject of tongues in the New Testament; however, few writers deal with the most elementary research—the meaning and use of the Greek word translated into English as tongue or tongues. The Greek word for tongue is glossa. Glossolalia is the most common translated word for tongues and it is a combination of two words glossa, tongue, and lalia, speaking. Glossalalia literally means tongue-speaking. When we search the Old and New Testaments for the usage of the words in question, the Greek Bible reveals glossa is used about 100 times and in only two ways. One, it is used to describe a member of our anatomy (the tongue); secondly, it is used to mean the known language of a known people. It is very important to note that the Holy Spirit used Paul to refer to tongues as a KNOWN language of a known people in 1 Corinthians 14:21. Not ONCE in the Old Testament is it used to refer to an ecstatic, supra-human language from a higher order of beings, angels. In the New Testament the word glossa means the same and NEVER refers to some ecstatic or supra-human language!! When first used in Acts 2 the thing I find most amusing is that ecstatic utterances would have hardly been a sign because many pagan religions were practicing such in the first century—Dionysius, Phrygia, Bacides, Cybele, and even some sects of the Jews were practicing ecstatic utterances as early as the 5th century BEFORE Christ came to this Earth!! Men, on the birthdate of the Church of Christ on this planet, would not have been amazed to hear ecstatic utterances; they were common among the primitive pagan religions of that day!! (See The Greeks and the Irrational by E.R. Dodds and Possessions by T.K. Oesterreich) Glossa is used in Acts 2:11, 10:46, and 19:6. In Acts 2:3, 4, 11, and 26 glossa is used as dialect. In verse 8, the Greek word dialektos (the language of a nation) is used interchangeably with glossa in verse 11. Verse 8; “And how is it that we hear each of us in his own dialektos.” Verse 11; “We hear them telling in our own glossa.” How is this word used in the letters to the Corinthians? First, let me state that the word unknown which appears in many translations absolutely does NOT appear in the original Greek!! Boy! Does this blow their bubble!! 1 Corinthians 12:10 and 28, refer to ‘various kinds’. Reading the book of Genesis we find a “kind” referred to a family or genealogy. Could Paul determine which ‘family, race, or part of the world’ a member of his audience was by their dialect IF TO HIM THEIR LANGUAGE WAS UNKNOWN? If you could not know because the language was unknown, how could you know that which you did and could not know—the LANGUAGE WAS UNKNOWN!! Remember, I have been to Disney World. I can pick out some I have heard over and over, but the new stuff that I have never heard, I cannot begin to tell you which continent they emanated from much less what country. I have a new one for the Pentecostals. Let them tell us what continent, country, and state strangers in their midst are from instead of lying about what diseases, cancers, or growths they are suppose have!! I have heard these lying preachers tell their audience they were “told” by the Holy Spirit that they had someone in their midst that had Ovarian Cancer. I was not sure if they knew what this even was but they went on to say God told them they would HEAL them that night!! My wife and I have a game. When we go to a restaurant and get a waitress with a strange dialect we both try and guess what country, state, or part of a state they are from. Spanish(?) forget it, we would not know HOW to tell if they were from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain or ????
treated with brethren quoting, preaching, and being encouraged by those who do, tonight!! I am SO proud of all those who are taking a lead in this work. The 18th is right on us. If you do not know what to bring, brethren, ask George Dimsey. Plan on being at the building by at least 8:00am.. The pews are getting stronger and the church is getting Spiritually richer as we “grow together in the Lord”. Thanks to George and Elmers glue. It proves another point, the only pews that are stronger are the ones that are being “filled”!! Ron Burton has asked me to express his appreciation to all who remember him in prayer during the loss of his family members.
It forces the end of hostilities, it is stolen most often by they who do not have a right, and it saved the human race. What is it? Speaking in Tongues, XX Hermeneutics is a word translated from the Greek word hermeneuo. The word means to interpret. The word is used to mean to translate words from one known language into another known language. In John 1:38 the scriptures state: “Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said unto them, ‘What seek you’? They say unto Him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest Thou? Verse 42 shows the same instruction: “And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, ‘Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas,’ which is by interpretation, A stone. You can see this in John 9:7, Hebrews 7:2, and Acts 9:36. There is only one place this is used to mean something else and that is in Luke 24:27 where the scriptures say: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Here, it is used to explain the content-meaning from one known language into the same known language! Never is the word used in the Bible to mean to interpret an unknown language INTO A KNOWN LANGUAGE!! The word hermeneuo used with glossa shows the truth that Paul’s subject in 1 Corinthians 14 is a KNOWN foreign language which is translatable. “For he that speaketh in tongues speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” It is nonsensical to think someone could understand what the brother was saying IF no one, anywhere, or in some language could understand him. So the brother’s message could be checked out by many who KNEW the language in which he spoke. In this passage the glossa was a KNOWN tongue and was not used to speak about some language which had not been discovered, or was being used in isolation. Some have cited 1 Corinthians 13:1 to relate to something not of this world, the tongues of angels. One first has to question IF angels, spiritual-non-bodied beings, have a language in which they speak?? Angels as used here and in many other places (the context has to decide) are God’s messengers, men, who are preachers of the Gospel. See Revelation 2:1, 12, 3:1,7,14 also Galatians 1:6, Hebrews 1:4,7, and 14. MAN WAS COMMANDED TO ‘GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL’, NEVER A SPIRIT-BEING CALLED AN ANGEL!! When those who are Spirit Beings which are also called angels were used of God to communicate a special message, as far as I can read, these Beings ALWAYS spoke in the language of the men or women to which the communicated the message!! Also, one has to assume angels, spirit-beings HAVE physical bodies and these bodies INCLUDE vocal cords, tongues, and mouths with which to express words; hence a language!! I know some of those Pentecostal pastors know more than what the Word of God teaches (or to hear them lie about it), BUT do those spirit-beings called Angels NEED to speak to each other?? THEN, we would have to PROVE these non-bodied, spirit beings have a NEED to communicate with higher spirit beings called Arch angels, or the Godhead, itself!! Every time a Spirit communicated to man or woman they had already theophanized, that is taken upon themselves a temporary, physical form!! Then again, it is assumed that the tongues of angels are SUPERIOR to the tongues of men and since these tongues are UNKNOWN who could prove that??
February 19, 2006 News of the Brethren
of Eternity, yesterday. The food was adequately prepared by all the men who came to honor their wives and sisters of this congregation. Thanks, men for such a fine job. We lost a good friend to this congregation last week when Don Smith died of a massive heart attack. Keep his wife and family in prayer. Don lived in Okeechobee, Florida. We have gotten a permit for the new roof on the Building, we are going to start painting the interior. Watch as you enter and exit the building. Listen to the radio program on 1590am from 8:00-9:00AM every Lord’s Day. If you are visiting with us and we do something you do not understand, ask for it to be explained. It is not our idea so do not feel embarrassed to ask. Buck Taylor is in Lawnwood undergoing test. The doctors do not know how his condition can be treated as of yet. Keep them in prayer.
Riddle for the Week:
more highly thought of that he should have been, It cost him and his wife their lives. Who were they?
Speaking in Tongues, XXI “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels.” If angels speak, in what language do they speak? There are, as I know of them from the Scriptures, four classifications of angelic beings (spirit beings without physical or mortal bodies). These are cherubim’s, seraphim’s, mighty angels, and angels. Does each classification of angelic being speak in their own particular tongue? Are they bilingual? In their own form of existence, can angels even speak to man?? What would be the need? What would man need to learn, know, or have information given him by angels? The Gospel was/is to be preached by MAN!! We know they are male in gender, as is God, and we know they do not pro-create, die, nor remain as they are now after the resurrection. Our translations of the Scripture are so confusing because of the trans-literation (the use of a Greek word in the English language) of the Greek noun angeles that most people who read of them don’t know of what they are reading. Every one who bears the message of the gospel is an angel!! This was the mem |