Showing posts with label Cessationism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cessationism. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The Gift Of Prophecy

"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;"  -Romans 12:6
 
   Since I was born in 1994 there have been have around 40 predictions that the world would end [1].  One of the major "predictions" was from Harold Camping.  He predicted the end of the world multiple times (the irony of that is clear).  The truth is, the Bible gives us guidelines on how we are to handle "prophets" (I use that word vary loosely in this case. With this in mind, it makes me wonder why there is not more discussion of the gift of prophecy.  This gift has seemed to become a topic for the more "scholarly", when it is something that is vary applicable to the ordinary.

Friday, August 30, 2013

The Tongues of Men and Angels: Is the Gift of Tongues for Today?

For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the Lord will speak to this people, to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear. - Isaiah 28:11-12

   I once attended a men's conference at an Assemblies of God church in my hometown.  Being saved into a somewhat traditional Southern Baptist church, it was certainly a different experience.  A long time family friend had invited to one night of the conference just on a whim.  This became my first true experience with "glossolalia", what is held by many, especially Pentecostals to be the gift of speaking in the tongues.
   On the way home my friend (and he was actually a major influence in areas of my faith) asked me if I had wanted to speak in tongues and began to share about the "second blessing".  We talked a little, he prayed for me, and we parted ways.  Though my friend and I (along with many other Pentecostal friend I have had) may be differ one some issues in the faith, I have a deep respect for the work of Gospel done by AoG churches and my friend (who as I write this is a missionary to South Korea).  I love them as brothers, sisters and laborers together in the Gospel! I pray for them as often as I remember them and made sure to pray for there churches as I finished writing this.

"We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
 - 1 Thess. 1:2-3