“Welcome Holy Spirit”
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Hypothetical situations are plastic in the hands of their inventor. You can turn it this way, turn it that way, make it whatever you want.
Reality is, They asked for boldness, God filled them with the Spirit, and they were bold.
Ask God for what you want, let Him be the One to determine if/when/how.
Much love!
If your thinking is that one part of the Bible is at odds with another part, I suggest you need greater understanding. We'll find harmony in correct interpretations.
Much love!
I keep coming back to your OP . . . I hate to see the initial message lost in the wanderings of the thread.
Having the desire to serve others is a sign of maturing in the Lord, and will lead us to seek out those who are in need, and those to whom we can give ourselves.
If we aren't at that place yet, we may simply have the desire to stay in the comparative safety of the big group, where we are not looked at as individually.
Perhaps if we are not seeking to serve in the small groups, no matter how small or where, this is a signal to us that we are still in a more fleshy stage of life. Wanting still to be served rather than serve.
Paul's description, each has a psalm, a tongue, a prophecy, and so on, says to me, all are interested in contributing.
The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor/teachers, are given by Jesus to equip the church for service, to the end that we will build each other up in love. We need the "big room" teaching, I think, to show us God's design so we can keep out of error.
I think the teachings of spiritual truth in the Bible are often hidden, though in plain sight. But the teachings that identify error are plainly seen, so that we can be safe. But we need to learn these things so we don't just fly off into the deep end.
As I'm thinking about Ephesians 4:24, "and put on the new man, created after (that is, patterned after) God, in righteousness and true holiness", this word translated holiness, it carries the meaning of being intentioned for God's work of service. That our new creation is not only righteous, but that God has a purpose for us to be used for others. The high calling, to love as Jesus loves, which means to serve as Jesus serves. That's what we are to put on.
So I look at our desire to be active in the small groups, and our desire to sit in the large group, and maybe I'm thinking on the lines of, the teacher teaching the Sunday sermon is helping me to put on, and stay putted on, the new man. And the believer seeking to give to others is the new man seeking those he/she might serve.
So to say, Welcome Holy Spirit, in this line of thought, is to recognize God's intent for me to be a vessel carrying His love in active form to whomever He sends me, and to declare my participation.
Which then leads me to 2 Corinthians 3:18, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into the same image, out of glory, into glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord,
When we see the Lord reflected in us, this changes us to become like Him. That's when we see Him in us, when we are acting like Him, thinking like Him, always in love, serving others.
As we serve others in love, as He works this through us, it changes us, so we become naturally that way. Sorry if this seems rambling! I suppose that's what it is.
Your thoughts?
Much love!
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That is one aspect of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The other aspect is in Revelation chapters 1 through 3. Each time Christ delivers a message to any church He concludes with this: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
What exactly does this mean? Even though it is the Lord Jesus Christ who sent the messages, it is the Holy Spirit who applies those message to each and every Christian in every age, as well as to each and every church in every age. So no church and no individual is exempt from the exhortations and warnings, and the call to repentance, before anyone can serve Christ. Therefore the first order of business is "house-cleaning". Not pointing the finger at other churches and denominations.
If part of that house cleaning was by the Lord to prevent being led astray into serving something else in His name, that person should warn others.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
1 Timothy 4:1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
It should be disconcerting when the holy Spirit would not lead believers to talk about Himself in seeking His own glory nor any such filling of the Spirit after salvation for that would take their eyes off of the Son in worship, but they have, and they see it not, not even by the title of this thread.
Therefore I am leaving this thread.
And in saying "He who has an ear", the individual, "what the Spirit says to the churches", corporate, inextricably ties us together. "Individuals in the body of Christ" is an oxymoron. We are members one of another, just like we are bone of His bone, and flesh of His flesh.
House-cleaning, or simply, preparation for service. Scripture shows this in the admonition to not choose a novice, we need time to be prepared. If we are not humble, we won't be willing to accept His correction, and we won't be ready quite yet. I always love reflecting on @amadeus posts of "taking the lowest room". We present ourselves to God the best we can, and leave it to Him whether He will have us waiting in silence or performing our ministry or whatever it is He has for us right now. To just accept whatever it is knowing He loves us. Even if the flesh cringes and screams.
Much love!
You really have gotten the wrong idea here.
I'm not seeing anyone "seeking" fillings from the Spirit. And that's certainly not what I'm talking about.
Much love!
Amen!
If we do all that we can while trusting God, will He not take up any necessary slack?
A lot of big churches encourage home cell groups, these days.
I am replying only because I had initially believed you really wanted me to stop posting altogether.
I would reconsider that occasion for what you believed you were led to do and discern that with Him in according to the scripture.
1 Corinthians 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
This is why we are told not to quench the Spirit because we can and so there is no loss of self control which is temperance, a fruit of the Spirit.
I would reconsider that occasion for what you believed you were led to do and discern that with Him in according to the scripture.
1 Corinthians 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
This is why we are told not to quench the Spirit because we can and so there is no loss of self control which is temperance, a fruit of the Spirit.
I do not believe there is any process for us to maintain nor anything on our part.
His disciples were told not to pray for a filling of the Spirit or pray for knowledge of what to say, but applying faith that the Spirit of the Father in them would speak through them. So they did not look for a sign or a feeling as to know when they should speak, they just by faith spoken.
Matthew 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Now if the event you are referring to happened in a church or an assembly, then you should discern that with Him.
34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? 37 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.
I believe the Lord uses women in outward ministry and raising up children to be godly, no small task, but one has to discern events when women are compelled to speak because the Holy Spirit would not lead women or teach in the assembly to break the commandments of the Lord.
Now as much contentions as there is about the Book of Acts, there is a difference between they were filled with the Holy Spirit as that is the born again of the Spirit moment at salvation and Peter filled with the Holy Spirit as Luke saying how Peter was speaking as led by the Spirit and nothing from him was speaking.
Now I am not saying that the spectacular has to happen in both Acts 2 & Acts 4 for some outward sign that one is being born again of the Spirit, because Jesus said no one can tell when God does the saving whenever any one believes in Him.
Galatians 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.... 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
So it is in this I had asked for clarity because sometimes we say things not really reflective of our faith & when believers refer to the events in Acts as if supporting the outward signs or what appears to be manifestations of outward signs, they can use it to sow doubts of salvation to others and in fact can be used to support and it has been used to support apostate movements like another baptism with the Holy Ghost with evidence of tongues, slain in the spirit, and holy laughter movement.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
This is why I do not believing in a continual filling of the Spirit because there is only one drink of the One Spirit and that happened when we got saved. We are not leaky vessels per Matthew 9:17 or else we would be hungering and thirsting again to be filled even after salvation John 6:35
One of the sayings from those apostate movement is believers are hungering for more of God, meaning for more of that encounter & visitation. It should be a red flag for everyone knowledgeable of the scripture that are involved but, not if they want to believe it is of God. 1 John 4:1-6
Clarity is need for saying this below because some believers seem to think quenching the Spirit applies to not resisting any spirit that comes over a believer apart from salvation, let alone the sensation of being filled again seemingly to the fullest.
This is why we are told not to quench the Spirit because we can and so there is no loss of self control which is temperance, a fruit of the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings.
I believe Paul was clear about what he had meant about not quenching the Spirit by not despising prophesy hence edification.
There is no edification for tongues in private use when it is not coming with interpretation. Paul prayed by his spirit while speaking in tongues that was manifested by the holy Ghost so that another would interpret the tongue so he would understand it & be fruitful to himself.
Therefore tongues are not for private use. All the gifts of the Spirit are to benefit the body withal as the body of Christ and they cannot say they have no need of interpretation from another member of the body.
Do note how Paul maintains the testimony we all suppose to share in verse 13 for why God's gift of tongue is not gained by another baptism with the Holy Ghost just as no other gift is gained by another baptism with the Holy Ghost.
1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal....
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But now are they many members, yet but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
There is no process for us to maintain in allowing God to minister to us or through us other than not to despise edification through His words.
If we are not to give a thought about what to speak, for Him to speak through us,
Matthew 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
... and there are no such instructions to wait for the filling of the Spirit before we can speak, any where in the N.T., why do you think it is on you in order for God to speak or to minister to us?
Surely you are not waiting to be filled by the Spirit every time before you post. Surely you have done good without feeling a filling of the Holy Ghost to do good.
That is what I believe is meant in Acts in those places where Peter filled with the Holy Ghost is Luke's way of saying Peter was led by the Holy Spirit to say that and nothing came from Peter himself. Same thing when they were cast out of an area, they dusted their feet off of as a testimony against them as they were filled with joy and the Holy Ghost as I believe this was done by the holy Ghost in them and not by their flesh.
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