As a heterosexual man I fully believe that the bible deters homosexuality on the same level as adultery and some may say that it is the work of the devil, but it is very interesting to view a really strong article written on the BBC website about the current split in the church between pro-gay and anti-gay believers. Well worth a read and certainly starts the brain cells thinking. View the article.
Homosexuality in the bible
2 09 2008Comments : No Comments »
Tags : bible, heterosexual, homosexuality
Categories : Christinanity, bible
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
26 01 2008“A Spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (2 Corinthians 12:8)
Since my baptism I have been praying for the Holy Spirit to fall within me and provide me with the ability of speaking in tongues. I know you should be careful for what you pray for, but I feel that this ability would take me to the next stage of being a Christian and would also build a hotline directly to God. I found out the other day that there are actually nine gifts that can fall on you and they are grouped in three’s. I have referenced examples in brackets.
Gifts of Revelation
Wisdom (Proverbs 4:7)
Knowledge (2Kings 6:9)
Discerning of Spirits (1 John 4:1)
From what I can gather (and read), these three gifts have to be used carefully. They can effectively make or break a person’s spirit and change the course of life for them forever. The Word of Wisdom and Knowledge can be quite vague in their offering whereas Discerning of Spirits will normally focus on a particular individual.
Gifts of Power
Faith (Matthew 11:14)
Working of Miracles (Exodus 14:21)
Healing (Matthew 8:8)
To me the gift of Faith and Miracles are like trying to describe the difference between Power and Authority. There is a thin line between the two and without doubt can cause confusion.
Gifts of Inspiration
Prophecy (1Corinthians 14:3)
Speaking in Tongues (1Corinthians 14:2)
Interpretation of Tongues (Acts 2:4)
From developing an understanding of the nine different gifts, it has now broadened my knowledge and means that I will be praying for the ability to speak in Tongues, but also asking the Lord to provide any gifts he feels that will best suit me.
How about you, do you have any Holy Spirit gifts and how do you use them in your daily life?
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Tags : Discerning of Spirits, Faith, gifts, Healing, holy spirit, Interpretation of Tongues, Knowledge, Prophecy, Speaking in Tongues, Wisdom, Working of Miracles
Categories : bible
Holy Spirit or Moses?
27 10 2007
“I say it again. Every man who has the religious act of becoming a Jew done on him must obey every Law. If you expect to be made right with God by obeying the Law, then you have turned away from Christ and His loving-favor. We are waiting for the hope of being made right with God. This will come through the Holy Spirit and by faith. If we belong to Jesus Christ, it means nothing to have or not to have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. But faith working through love is important.” Galatians 5:3-6. And then “But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the Law of Moses.” Galatians 5:18.
As a believer of the Holy Spirit, this suggests that I should follow the word of just the New Testament. But alas, although I know that we should follow Jesus’ message, Jesus quoted from the Old Testament at every opportunity. The Old Testament is a great way to build the foundation of our knowledge and to ensure that we can promote this way of life in a confident way. We shouldn’t neglect the Old Testament because it might be ‘heavy going’. Nobody ever said life would be easy and without doubt nobody ever said being a Christian would be easy!
To me as a new Christian, this kind of scripture allows me to answer many questions. I remember in the early days discussing this kind of thing with Teresa, is circumcision a requirement or not and how certain parts of Numbers is quite hard hitting and surely goes against modern day beliefs, such as genocide. Thankfully the answer lies with the Holy Spirit!
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Tags : circumcision, God, holy spirit, jesus, Moses, New Testament, Old Testament
Categories : bible
Control that tongue!
24 10 2007
“Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips”. Psalm 140:3
It is said that our tongue is lead by our brain and with it the first line of defence, or attack depending in which way you view it. But is it possible that our heart can also control the output of our precious tongue?
I don’t know about you, but I have learnt the hard way. In the past I probably put my foot in it at least once a day and would often require a shovel to dig further away from the subject I had created (just ask Teresa!). To ensure I reduce my ability to offend, I find myself often taking the diplomatic route in which I seem to explain myself before I even make the comment. Peer pressure is a key indicator to how we manage our tongue. For example you would not contemplate getting stressed or swearing in a Cell group. So why then do we see it ok to lower our standards when at work or down the pub ?
The need to blaspheme or say crude and rude words are sometimes inbuilt into the vocabulary and it is probably harder to educate non-Christians of this than it is to try and curb, but as a Christian it is an area of life that we should all be more determined to refine. Having said this, how do we know that when someone uses ‘JC’ in every other word that they are not using this term from the heart, rather than from the brain in a blasphemous manner. Is it passion or is it love? Either way we should always be careful not to judge as everybody’s relationship with God is different.
“For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and control ourselves in every other way” James 3:2
Amen!
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Tags : bible, brain, control, heart, James, Psalm, tongue
Categories : bible
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