Our keynote Scripture reference for this article is the following one: Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1… Read More »
In my previous post in this series, we began discussing the gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 and led off with exploring the gifts of tongues and the interpretation of tongues. One of the statements I made towards the end of that article was tongues and interpretation are the functional equivalent of the gift of prophesy, which… Read More »
While I sorted my list of the gifts in my previous article in the same order as they appear in the Bible passage quoted, I’m going to deal with them in a different order, beginning with tongues. Why? Because tongues is the most controversial and misunderstood of the gifts and is subject to the worst biblical scholarship among… Read More »
The gifts of the Holy Spirit have but one purpose: to supernaturally demonstrate the reality of Jesus’ resurrection to both believers and non-believers alike. But before we dig into that, I first want to make a clear-cut distinction between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit Most people consider… Read More »
In this series, I’m about to answer two questions I believe to be crucial to our understanding of Christianity: What is the Bible? How do we correctly grasp what we read in it? Why Should This Topic Concern Us? Tragically, some so-called Christians misuse the Bible to preach hate against various groups: racial minorities, interracial marriages, homosexuals, and… Read More »
In my previous article in this series, we explored what the Bible is, where it came from, and what it has to say about itself. In this installment, we’ll tackle the question posed in this article’s title. The answers I’m about to provide here are the principles I use whenever I examine the Scriptures and am seeking God… Read More »
Now let’s take a look at the history of the early Church and see what the New Testament has to say about speaking in tongues and whether or not it is the initial evidence of someone being baptized in the Holy Spirit. There are 6 biblical accounts of people receiving Holy Spirit baptism — aka “being filled with… Read More »
The spiritual gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is an amazing blessing for those who have received it. Unfortunately, it is also the source of an equally amazing amount of dissension within the Body of Christ between those who do and those who don’t. Frankly, it is appalling how hostile both sides… Read More »
