ARE TONGUES, HEALINGS
ARE TONGUES,
HEALINGS
SIGNS AND WONDERS,
‘SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT’,
NEW REVELATIONS,
APOSTLES, PROPHECY
FOR TODAY?
There are a lot of people today who are
saved and want to serve their Saviour Jesus
Christ in a greater capacity - but they don't know what to do.
Many churches today are offering cartwheels,
barking, swooning, running in circles, falling over backwards, roaring,
grunting, quacking, yelling, screaming, babbling, painted faces, swords, armor,
chanting and
good old rock ‘n roll
as a way to become more full of the Holy Spirit
with the aim of becoming a more powerful witness for Jesus.
WHERE.... OH WHERE.... DID THE WHEELS FALL OFF?
It
comes as a shock to many to find the emperor really has no clothes on!
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We'll
look at the above topics and see what God's Word (King James Bible) says.
SPEAKING
IN TONGUES
TONGUES
is the supernatural ability to speak in previously unlearned, identifiable
human languages. This was their purpose at Pentecost where unbelieving Jews
heard Peter speak in their own language.
Paul
outlines very clearly the purpose of tongues: "Wherefore tongues are
for a sign (of judgement), not to them that believe, but to them that believe
not.." (1 Cor 14:22).
BIBLICAL
TONGUES WERE A SIGN TO UNBELIEVING JEWS THAT THE JUDGEMENT OF GOD WAS FALLING
ON ISRAEL.
(Is 28:11).
The Jews should have known that when they heard foreign languages, this meant
they were in for judgment, which came 38 years later in 70AD.
Paul
was condemning the Corinthian church for using unknown languages by insisting
they had interpreters. At Pentecost they didn't need any. Speaking in unknown
tongues has been the hallmark of heathen religions. They increase Alpha-Wave
activity working with `Broca's Area' of the brain to induce "good
feelings". Transcendental Meditation achieves the same result.
NEVER
IN THE BIBLE ARE TONGUES
MENTIONED IN CONNECTION WITH PRAYER! Ordinary believers who pray are praying in
their spirit and it is the Holy Spirit that issues "groanings and
utterings" not the
believer
himself.
"TONGUE
SPEAKERS" PRAY IN VAIN. (MATT 6:7). Many earnest Christians today are
deceived.
NEW
REVELATIONS
People
look for new prophecy because they don't understand what's already there in the
Bible. What new revelations could there possibly be? What would God be wanting
to tell us that He hasn't already laid down in His Scriptures?
The
present day church has fallen into error by not recognizing the three distinct
groups mentioned in the Bible - The Jews, the Gentiles and the Church (1 Cor 10:32). The church today is guilty of
committing acts of "vampirism" upon the Old Testament and the
promises given to the Jews.
The
Bible actually teaches about the remaining time of this age. Scripture doesn't
foretell a revival of miracle sign gifts in the churches - just the opposite.
The Scripture foretells of a leavening apostasy which will grow within the lump
of Christendom until the whole is leavened (Matt 13:33).
APOSTLES
AND PROPHETS
Are there
any Apostles and Prophets today?
Eph 2:20 tells us they were used to lay the
foundation of the church with Jesus Christ being the cornerstone.
Question: How
many foundations can a building have? Answer: Just one.
What
is then built on the foundation is the framework, walls, rooms etc. What the
church has today are Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers to complete what the
Apostles and Prophets started. False Apostles and Prophets with inauthentic
doctrine (Acts 2:42) were detected by
elders in the early church, by their lack of accompanying signs, wonders &
mighty deeds
(2 Cor 12:12). Where are the mighty Apostles today
that can drink deadly things, take up deadly serpents, speak in tongues and lay
hands on the sick?
Also,
there were strict criteria to be an Apostle - personally chosen by Jesus Christ
and witness to His ministry, death & resurrection. How can these
requirements be fulfilled today? They can't!
With the
church established and doctrine put down in written form, there was no further
need for apostolic & prophetic work. Indeed Peter tells Timothy to do the
work of an evangelist note: not a Prophet or Apostle). Why? That work was
finished. Peter also warns the church to be on the lookout for false teachers
of doctrine. Why? They weren't looking for prophets anymore, they'd come and
gone!
1
& 2 Timothy warns us 12 times about distortion of doctrine (not prophecy)
by false teachers.
SIGNS
AND WONDERS
A look
at Scripture shows us that they are no longer needed today. Acts 2:22 and Matthew 9:6 gives the reason Jesus performed
signs and wonders - to show that He was approved of God as the Son of God.
The
Apostles were given mighty deeds to authenticate themselves so as people would
know that the correct doctrine of Christ was being preached. (Acts2:42; 2 Cor 12:12; Heb 2:3-4).
The
Great Commission given to the Apostles in Mark 16:15-18 comes on the heels of a stern
lecture given to them by Jesus a few verses earlier, upbraiding them for their
unbelief and so finishes with verse 17 "And these signs shall follow them
(the Apostles) that believe...".
BEING
SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT
Misunderstanding
of what baptism with the Holy Spirit is has led to gross mockery, heresy and
pagan practices in the contemporary church.
The
purpose of baptism with the Holy Spirit is clearly set out in 1 Cor 2:13 and Eph 4:5 and that is to unite the forgiven sinner
into Jesus Christ.
A
believer's fellowship with the holy Spirit has them both looking to Jesus
Christ with the latter conforming the believer into the image of Jesus. It's
never the believer & the Holy Spirit enjoying each other's company for its
own sake.
By
falling over backwards, getting "drunk in the Spirit" and barking
like dogs, believers think they are more spiritual. It's either flesh or
demonic.
What
they are demonstrating is God's judgment upon themselves as falling backwards
and drunkenness’ are signs of judgment in the Bible. "Being filled"
in (Eph 5:18) means to be
controlled by the Holy Spirit. Not many fillings but one baptism and the
Spirit's control. Lazy people want to have the Holy Spirit drown their sin by
remote control - with no effort on their part!
HEALINGS
The
misunderstood verse of Isaiah 53:5 "...and with his stripes we are
healed." reveals that it has nothing to do with physical health at all (1 Peter 2:24). The healing
that comes from Jesus' stripes is from sin - not physical disease or
ill-health.
God
heals today though and believers are to ask for health ACCORDING TO HIS
WILL!
God
didn't always heal in the 1st century as is seen in the cases of Timothy (1Tim 5:23); Trophimus (2Tim 4:20); Epaphroditus (Phil 2:26) and indeed Paul himself (2 Cor 12:7-10)
The
word "heal' (therapeuo) is used 45 times in the Gospels and Acts & 3
times in the rest of the New Testament & 2 of these 3 refer to the
Antichrist. "Wonder" (teras) is used 16 times, referring to the
special signs of Christ and His apostles, and only once in the rest of the New
Testament, being attributed to the false prophet.
WHY
DIDN'T GOD HEAL THE FOLLOWING?
William
Tyndale, the giant of English Scripture translation,
suffered dreadfully with perpetual head colds and catarrh, from imprisonment
and GREAT HYMN WRITERS SUFFERED DREADFULLY FROM SICKNESS. Charlotte
Eliot was sick all her life. Fanny Crosby was blind from birth and
for 95 years. She wrote "Saved by Grace" and "Safe in the Arms
of Jesus". William Bradbury ("He Leadeth me"), August
Toplady ("Rock of Ages"), Philipp Doddridge ("Oh
Happy Day"), Sarah Adams ("Nearer my God to Thee") - all
of them had tuberculosis all their lives and finally died of it. Isaac Watts
("When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" "Marching to Zion"
"Joy to the World") had acute suffering all his life from a frail
body. John Knox was sick all his life. John Bunyan was sick from
the diseases he got while in prison. Joseph Scriben ("What a Friend
We have in Jesus') had tragedy and sickness all his life. Frank Graff
("Does Jesus Care") was sick most of his life. Robert Murray
McCheyne and David Brainerd, two of the holiest men of their time,
both died of lung trouble at the age of 30.
Are
men today that talk about healing more spiritual than those listed above?
We
would think not!
God's
word does not guarantee physical healing for Christians! Sometimes He heals;
sometimes not. This is the clear example of the New Testament and is the honest
experience of godly Christians of every century.
God has a purpose in our sicknesses, and as long
as we are in this body we will be subject to infirmities, weaknesses,
disease, old age & death.
AFTER ALL, DEATH IS THE RESULT OF THE BREAKDOWN
OF THE BODY & DISEASE.
There are miracles for today, but and let's
refuse to force the Bible to say what we want it to say. The Bible tells us
that God doesn't always heal and that sickness and trouble can be blessings.
One way to increase our faith is to have it
tried and tested under tribulation!
"Giving thanks always for all things unto
God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"
Eph 5:20.
Many Christians want to ignore this verse. Why?
They want everything to work out their way.
They want to help God their way. Strange isn't it after God has reduced some to
wheel chairs, they realised that God wanted them to spend more time in prayer.
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YOU WANT TO BE FULL?
"For in him (Jesus Christ) dwelleth all
the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are COMPLETE in him..."(Col 2:9-10) (the meaning of "complete"
_ "having all its parts; entire; finished).
This verse literally means:
"YOU AREN'T MADE FULL IN HIM, BUT
IF YOU ARE IN HIM YOU ARE MADE
FULL."
i.e. Our fullness comes from His fullness and
His fullness is transfused into you by virtue of your incorporation into Him.
TONGUES + HEALINGS + PROPHECIES + FILLINGS +
WONDERS WON'T MAKE YOU FULL IN A MILLION YEARS!
Looking for tongues, healings, prophecies,
signs and wonders detract from Jesus - not what He is going to do for us, but
what He has already done on the cross!
What Paul says is that in Christ the saints
find the satisfaction of every spiritual want.
By Harley Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
