“Mark, my faithful helper,” said Simon Peter to John Mark. “I need you to interpret what I tell you in Aramaic language to languages that others can understand. I am so tired of people misinterpreting my messages and my role in the Christian church.”

“Surely, Peter,” agreed Mark.

“Of course, you knew Jesus, too, but you were not among the original twelve disciples who were later called His apostles,” began Peter.  “You were in the garden of Gethsemane when Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. Isn’t that correct?”

“Yes sir,” Mark ashamedly acknowledged. “I was afraid of the soldiers and felt sure that there were going to be problems, especially when it was clear that Judas was in the act of betraying Him.  I ran away, leaving my cloak fall to the ground.” Mark seemed embarrassed at telling this account. Still, it was the truth so why hide it?

Peter noticed Mark’s discomfort and added, “John Mark, you need not be so upset at leaving Jesus when He was being arrested.  If you recall, I denied Him three times, just as He predicted I would do.  You know what that makes me, Mark?”

“I would guess that you seemed like a coward, just as I did when I ran away without my cloak,” was Mark’s response.

“True, I was a coward,” Peter confessed, “but I think there’s a stronger word than ‘coward’ for my condition.”

“And that would be ___?” asked Mark.

“I was a backslider.  I knew Jesus about as well as any one of the disciples. Still, I had fear of even people with little or no influence in our society,” confessed the old man.  “I even denied Jesus to a young beggar girl when I was warming myself by her fire.”

“Quite a strong word you have chosen to describe yourself, Peter,” Mark interrupted.  “In my mind, a backslider is doomed to eternity without any hope of being saved. Maybe you should just confess that you were allowing your human nature to influence you at the time. I don’t like the word ‘backslider’.”

“I doubt that anyone likes that word, but it seems to me to be the best word to describe my condition.  I knew Jesus so very well. I had seen Him do great miracles, even in my own family.” Peter added, “I had Jesus as a guest in my home once. My wife’s mother had a very serious fever and was bedfast.  When Jesus heard of it, he touched her. Immediately, she was cured. She did not need time to recover. Instead, she helped my wife prepare food for all of us.  It was a definite miracle.”

“Someone told me about that, but I suspected that it was just an exaggeration, someone’s imagination getting too active,” John Mark said with a smile. “So this really happened right in your own home.”

Peter’s eyes showed he was remembering the incident, reliving the situation in his memory.  He looked directly into Mark’s face and declared, “Jesus did that miracle in my own home, yes.  He did so many miracles. I have such a great number of such memories, healings, feeding great crowds of people, preaching such commanding sermons.”

“No doubt you loved Him so very much, Peter,” said Mark, touching the older man’s shoulder and patting his bony upper back.

“I thought I loved Him,” said Simon Peter. “Still, when I told Him that I loved Him, He told me to feed His sheep.  That was shortly before His arrest.”

“What do you think He meant by that?” asked Mark.

“He wanted me to be active in His Kingdom after He left us alone,” Peter answered. “Yet, I am sure He knew that I would backslide. He told me that I would deny Him three times in one night.  He had such a gift for knowing the future.”

A nurse entered the room and asked Peter if he was ready to go to bed for an afternoon nap.

“Of course not!” Peter replied with a scowl. “They don’t give me any power to make my own decisions at all around here.”

“I will come to bathe you in a few minutes, and then you get a nap,” the nurse told Peter.

“Jesus told me that when I became old people would do this kind of thing,” Peter whispered to Mark. “He said that the day would come when people would direct all of my activities. He described my old age very accurately.”

Trying to change the subject to something more pleasant, Mark reminded Peter of their reason for meeting today. “You said that you want me to interpret some things for others to understand more clearly.”

“Oh, yes,” Peter recalled. “People seem to think that I’m special. Some people even want me to give them some type of blessing to help them enter Heaven when they die.” He looked at Mark and continued, “Kind of ridiculous, don’t you think?”

A bit unsure of how to approach the subject, Mark said, “Don’t be too hard on them, Sir.  Many people think that Jesus gave you the keys to Heaven. For that reason, those kinds of people may want some assurance against the day of their death.”

“Now, where would I have any keys, Mark? The nurse over there controls my whole life, even my meals. I don’t have any keys for anything, not even this house where I’m living,” Peter returned.

“I can’t answer, Sir,” Mark replied.

“I think that people heard that Jesus sometimes called me ‘Cephas’, which means ‘little stone’. And then, because I had declared that He is the Son of God, he told me that upon my statement was the truth that is needed for people to become Christians. Jesus said that my statement is a ‘big rock’, not a little stone, which is the name He used for me,” explained Peter.

Mark simply kept quiet.  Peter looked at him for some time, wondering what was on his mind.

Peter finally could take the suspense no longer. “What are you thinking about, Mark?”

“Honestly, I am thinking of the many things that are told about you.”

“Such as?”

“How you spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost, when you preached that strong sermon,” Mark opened.  “I was not there to hear it, but I’ve heard about it.”

“I speak Aramaic, Mark,” Peter reminded him.  “I’m not into linguistic activities at all.  I was a simple fisherman and spoke just the same as all the other fishermen in the village. My language is Aramaic.”

Mark had enough inner strength to answer. “But there were people there from many other places. Many language groups were represented.  They all heard your message and understood it even though many of them do not understand Aramaic language at all.”

“You just answered your own questions, Mark,” Peter rebuked. “You said that people understood in their own language. You did not say that I spoke in the various languages.”

Giving Mark a moment to think, Peter went on.  “How many times did I preach the same sermon on the day of Pentecost?”

“Probably only one time, I would predict,” guessed Mark.

“Correct. I did not preach in one language and then repreach in another language and then preach again in still another language,” Peter said.  “In fact, I don’t know all of the languages of the people in the crowd.”

Mark’s eyes began to show signs of understanding.  “The gift of tongues was not used at all, right?”

“Not exactly correct, Mark,” Peter said with a laugh. “God is not isolated in His abilities.  The so-called gift of tongues could go both directions. That’s how I see it.  I, as the speaker that day, did not speak in other languages, only in Aramaic. The people who heard me, understood me even if their native language was not Aramaic.  I don’t really know how God did it, but the miracle is simply helping the people to understand what I said. I don’t know if they heard in Aramaic or if they heard in their own language or if some other situation existed. The important thing is that they heard and understood the message. The language or languages involved were not important, only the message.  Also, it’s important to recognize that over 3000 people were converted that day.”

“Before that silly nurse returns, let’s consider one aspect of what we discussed this afternoon, Mark,” Peter said, watching nervously for the nurse to appear again.  “A backslider is not doomed to perdition.”

Surprised, Mark repeated, “He is not doomed?”

“You are correct; he is not doomed.” Peter echoed.  “Have you heard of any sins that cannot be forgiven?”

“Well,” Mark tried to remember, “The apostle Paul said something that I recall. He said something about the only unforgivable sin is related to the Holy Spirit.”

“God sent His Son, Jesus, to forgive us and help us to become ready to go to Heaven. That is basic, right?” Peter began.

“OK, I’ll agree to that.”

“We are all human, children of dust, right?” asked Peter.

“For sure. At least, that describes me,” Mark agreed.

“The Word of God tells us that all have sinned and come up short in God’s sight. The Psalms tells us that there is none that does good all the time and never needs to be forgiven.”

“I remember something like that,” Mark confessed.

“As I see it, everyone has backslid, at least to some degree,” Peter declared. “My sin maybe looked larger than that of some others, even larger than your sin of being afraid, Mark. Remember that you ran away when they arrested Jesus. Was that a good and helpful thing in the sight of Jesus?”

A bowed head signified Mark’s embarrassment.

“If that was not good and helpful, then it was bad and unhelpful, right?”

Mark nodded his head, not daring to speak for fear of feeling even less upright after Peter spoke.

“A sin is a transgression against God or God’s laws, Mark,” Peter said. “Something which is bad is a sin.”

“I also was a backslider,” Mark admitted.  “Help me to pray, Peter.”

“I doubt you need a lot of prayer, little Christian brother,” Peter smiled. “I know that your trips with Paul and Barnabas have helped you to grow more and more in love with our Savior.”

“I do love Him, so very much,” Mark agreed.

“Me, too,” smiled the aged Simon Peter.  His countenance began to become less pleasant when he saw the nurse coming with soap and a towel and basin.  “Time for my bath.  I always hated baths, even when Jesus wanted to wash my feet. I told Him that I’m clean enough.  However, Jesus disagreed. I guess we all need baths, inside and out, rather often.”

While reading and researching the Talmud Babli Megillah on the role of the reader in ancient Jewish worship, an unexpected name came up – Jacob the min, or in Hebrew, יעקב מינא. (Talmud Mas. Megillah 23b)

Min or minim is a controversial word coined by leaders in the Jewish community about groups or persons that strained or threatened normative Jewish customs. Another word for minim in English may be heretics, but this may be too restrictive. The early Jewish Christians were the predominant target with this term.

He has been mentioned before in the Tosefta Chullin 2g, and a number of other Jewish writings where he is identified as being a faith-healer.

The text above which Travis Hereford in his book, “Christianity in Talmud and Midrash” translates:

“The case of R. Eleazar ben
Damah, whom a serpent bit. There came in
Jacob, a man of Chephar Sama, to cure him
in the name of Jeshua ben Pandira, but R.
Ishmael did not allow it. He said, Thou art
not permitted, Ben Damah. He said, I will
bring thee a proof that he may heal me. But
he had not finished bringing a proof when he
died. R. Ishmael said, Happy art thou, Ben
Damah, for thou hast departed in peace, and
hast not broken through the ordinances of the
wise ; for upon every one who breaks through
the fence of the wise, punishment comes at
last, as it is written [Eccl. x. 8]: Whoso
breaketh a fence a serpent shall bite him.”

When I look at this quote more closely, the translation “in the name of Jeshua ben Pandira”, causes some difficulty. Pandira is a variation of the Latin last name given to Joseph’s father. (See my article The Genealogy of Christ and Other Problems for more details on the last name). This copy does not exist in the original Talmudic text supplied by the Judaic Classics Library (published by Davka). There must be a reason for this but it is not presently known. If one holds together other references of Jacob the min, and supposes that the problem text of Pandira is true, Jacob was a follower of Christ.

Also there is no Tos. Hullin 2:22-23 as Hereford identified. He must have been using another reference system, as it is Tosefta Chullin 2g or as some may call it 2.6 (Some write Chullin as Hullin).

Jacob lived, according to Travis Hereford around 130 AD (Page. 103), but Talmud Megillah 23b recorded him having a discussion with Rabbi Judah haNasi, who flourished around the early part of the 2nd century. So it is hard to peg Jacob the min’s actual date.

One can’t assume that this is the same person either, but the evidence tends to lean towards the same individual.

It is surprising to find his name coming up again and used in the discussion of the role, function and rites of the Reader in the Jewish assembly.

Jacob the min must have been an important contributor to Judaism during this time period.

It makes one wonder, if Jacob the min appears here, how many more undocumented places does he appear?

About the reading of the Law, the Rabbi’s included Jacob the min’s question.

“Jacob the Min asked R. Judah: What do the six of the Day of Atonement represent? — He replied: The six who stood at the right of Ezra and the six who stood at his left, as it says, And Ezra
the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood which they had made for the purpose…” (Megillah 23a Soncino Talmud)

This text does not directly comment on the public reading of the Law, but is part of a much larger discussion on it. It is amazing that Jacob the min, a Jewish believer, was allowed to be part of the discussion. It must have been a rite important to the Jewish Messianic community too.

A controversial 5th or so century manuscript with portions that may be dated earlier, The Apostolic Constitutions, reinforced the fact that the Church had continued the rite established by Ezra on the reading of Scripture:

“”I Matthew, also known as Levi, at one time a tax collector, make a process to select a reader by laying hands upon him, praying to God, let him say, “O God, the everlasting, great in mercy and in compassion the one who hast made manifest the constitution of the world by Thy operations therein, and the number of elect you preserve, to him also now upon your servant being entrusted to read out your holy Scriptures to your people, and give to him your Holy Spirit, the prophetic Spirit. The One instructed Ezra your servant for the purpose to read aloud Your Laws to Your people…”

This is important to know as I get further into the role of the public reader and interpreter in the Church at Corinth.

Acts 2

What would it have been like to be in the court-yard, or where ever it was, when the disciples burst out of the upper room full of the Holy Spirit? No doubt, as scripture says, they were pretty confused and probably thought they were all crazy. All of these mad people coming out of a building speaking another language. The scripture says,

12. And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does it mean?” 13 But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”

For the first time ever, the Holy Spirit dwells in man. In order to set things right, Peter speaks up. He probably can be understood by everyone there. Peter explains to them that this was all in prophecy. Jesus is the one behind the prophecy, the man that they put to death.

Once again, the power of the message of Christ shows itself true. Peter, simply tells about what Christ did , how they killed him, how God raised him from the dead and toward the end he finally answers their question in this verse.

Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear

And what did the message of Christ do? It pierced them to the heart. They went from darkness to light. Confusion to understanding.

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

And peter responds

Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

That is the power of the message of Christ. It is sprinkled all of the Bible. It’s two-edged sword piercing the soul. It searches the hearts of men. It’s everlasting. We are to let it richly dwell within us.

At this point there is great celebration. 3,000 souls are added to the kingdom of God. Now, I don’t want to be negative, but I must, because the thought did come to me. I wonder if all the 3,000 souls were lasting converts. Or if they just saw all the excitement and everybody else doing it that it “was the thing to do.” However, Christianity is attractive and compelling, so perhaps it was genuine. Obviously some of them were, for they were the beginning of the Church.

I also notice that the first things they did was learn more about it from Peter vs 40, baptized vs 41, and  learn some more, pray, break bread vs 42.

Verse 43 three says they were filled with a sense of awe because of the many miracles. The foundation of their salvation was composed of other believers (fellowship) learning from others (discipleship) pray (devotion), miracles (God at work), and giving up their possessions (surrender).

Once again we notice that they were all of one mind. I think that true Christians can’t help but be knit together. However, I’m afraid that America’s individualism and weakened us in this area. It’s really a sign of pride and selfishness.

We see the Holy Spirit living in man for the first time. We see the power of the Gospel. We see the body of Christ. We see some foundational necessities of every Christian. This chapter is a beautiful demonstration of what should happen when one gets saved.

Desiring Face to Face with God,

-Brandon Esparza

If there is any spiritual discipline that is practiced more than others, it is prayer. Nearly every religion that I know of has some form or variant of prayer. My own life tends to be taken up with prayer more than the other disciplines.

As a Christian, I pray to the Father, through His Son, by the Holy Spirit. Last year, I took a class on prayer that opened my eyes its the richness and variety. Jesus himself did not pray in one way or manner all the time but prayed in various ways: short prayers, long prayers, in solitude, in community. It was then that I began to explore the different forms of prayer and here are some of the ways I have found help me relationally with God:

• Simple prayers. I like simple prayer because I always feel as myself when I pray. There are no pretenses in simple prayer. It’s just me and God in discourse. Sometimes I pick a name by which I want to address God (for example: Lord, God, Father, Jesus, etc.) and a need (for example: help me, give me wisdom, etc.) and pray that. I will sometimes do these as “breath prayers”: As I inhale, I pray His name;  when I exhale, I pray the need.
• Scripture prayers. Some would think that repeating words of scripture might be vain prayers. They would take that from Jesus’ warning about those who think they would be heard for their vain repetitions. I think the keyword there is “vain.” I haven’t found many times where non-scriptural prayers have outdone scriptural prayers—instead, it has been the opposite. I often find that scriptures, especially the Psalms, better express what I’m feeling than my own words can. My concentration is better when I can focus on praying a short sentence in Scripture, than just free flowing my own without my mind or my heart engaged in the prayer.
• The Jesus Prayer. This is something I have learned from Eastern Orthodoxy. The prayer goes like this: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me[, a sinner]. I sometimes use this as a breath prayer or a contemplative prayer. I have had some interesting encounters with Jesus through this prayer.
• Contemplative prayer. This prayer involves silence and meditation. Sometimes I choose one of God’s names (like YHWH)  and just meditate on it for a while. I will sometimes contemplate on Jesus’ humanity or on His passion. I will also meditate on a particular of passage of Scripture, allow it to permeate me, and meditate on ways I can apply that Scripture to my life.
• Glossolalia. This comes from my charismatic and Pentecostal background. I first experienced glossolalia in a charismatic Roman Catholic group. It continued through my time in Oneness Pentecostalism. I consider this to be a gift of the Spirit that God has given me and so I continue to utilize it as a devotional.
• Community. I have been involved with the International House of Prayer Northwest for a few months. This is a community that gathers to pray. There is just something about the way God moves among His people as they are gathered in community. One of my favorite nights are Fridays from 10 p.m. to midnight. It is a time of intimate prayer and worship. I always leave being transformed in some way by Love. I long for one day to live in a praying community as this.

As I have engaged myself in these various ways of prayer, I have found that prayer is about relationship to God. It is never a formula or method to get something out of God. In the way I understand the dynamic between a believer and God, one’s faith in and closeness to God moves him to respond; there are also times where one’s relationship with God causes that person to pray according to God’s will, which may be totally different than one’s own.

How is prayer lived out in your life?

There are two basic views when it comes to the charismatic gifts debate. One of these views is the cessationist view, which basically claims that charismatic gifts such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, and healing among other things ceased to happen after the New Testament. On the opposite side of the spectrum there is the continuationist view, which claims that such gifts have continued all the way until today and that Christians are still able to perform such gifts in their lives. Using Scripture and experience, it has become more than obvious to me that the continuationist view is the correct view to take on this subject.

It is seen throughout the entire Bible that when the Holy Spirit shows up, gifts, as well as signs and wonders, come with Him on regular occasions. Numbers 11 is proof of this. In this story, Moses gathers most of the seventy elders of Israel around the tent of the tabernacle where the Holy Spirit showed up. Verse 25 says, “Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.” It is important to note that this does not mean that Christian prophecy will end. This particular moment of prophecy was different which The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out well. “All that was necessary was for their ministry to be publicly authenticated so the whole community could see that they possessed the same spiritual qualifications and authority as Moses himself.”

The Holy Spirit dates back all the way to the story of creation and it is obvious that He dwells in Christ in the New Testament (as shown through His gifts, miracles, and signs and wonders). We as Christians believe fully that Christ made the Spirit available to everyone who believes in Him so we should expect the Spirit to live as He always has. The Spirit was going to be so helpful that it would actually be more of an advantage that Jesus left so the Spirit could come as stated in John 16:7. The Willmington’s Bible Handbook points out that, “This does not mean that the Holy Spirit had no ministry in the world up to that time but that his ministry would now expand and intensify.” So if Christ is giving us the same Spirit He has, we should expect that this meant the Spirit was capable of doing and being much more than a super-conscience (as many cessationists have made Him out to be). And it is evidenced in Acts 2 that He does do much more since as soon as He enters Christians for the first time, they start speaking in tongues.

Jesus has become the avenue in which we receive the Spirit and He expects to see the outpouring of great works because of it. In John 14:12 He says “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” This is not a small statement to make as the very last verse of John states that “there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” These verses are evidence that Christians are expected to do things even beyond what Jesus did. Matthew Henry’s Commentary made a great point on this subject. “In the kingdom of nature they should work greater miracles. No miracle is little, but some to our apprehension seem greater than others. Christ had healed with the hem of his garment, but Peter with his shadow, Paul by the handkerchief that had touched him.” Obviously Christians cannot do these things by themselves, but they need the Holy Spirit to do so.

My experience has made all of these verses real to me. It is one thing to say the Spirit is capable of doing these things, but it is a completely different thing to actually see it happen. For most of my life I was grown as a cessationist and I did not question it because I had yet to see the Spirit do anything. But after catching people slain in the Spirit, seeing healings happen, hearing tongues spoken, and hearing story after story of what the Spirit is doing, I cannot ignore that there are charismatic gifts today. For this reason, it is my opinion that the cessationist view has become a view of arrogance rather than an educated outlook on the Holy Spirit, because I am obviously seeing Him at work around me through charismatic gifts.

Because of my experience, I have no objection whatsoever to the continuationist view, and see all of the cessationist arguments as incredibly weak. Therefore, the only objection to charismatic gifts today that I can see, is really more of a question than an argument: How can we know that it is God doing these things today and not the perceptions of our own emotions or demonic forces?

There are several ways to answer this question, one of the first being that Christians need to learn how to discern what is and is not from God, and do so with other Christians. We can also look at the fruit of the situation to see if God was really present in what happened. But I think the best way to find out is for one to experience it himself. When a person sees someone healed (or perhaps is the person being healed) it will become much more obvious that God still does these things. Or if someone is prophesied over they just might fall to their face and worship God, declaring that God is there (1 Cor. 14:25). Most of the charismatic gifts that Christians practice are Biblical and until a cessationist tries to experience it, they will have a hard time understanding or believing it, which is not only their loss, but also the Holy Spirit’s.

Bibliography

Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-c1985). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (1:227). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Willmington, H. L. (1997). Willmington’s Bible handbook (619). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

Henry, M. (1996, c1991). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Jn 14:12). Peabody: Hendrickson.

The Christian Assembly

If Christian worship is the sacrifice of service and the evangelistic preaching of the word (see this post), how does the Christian Assembly, usually called the Worship Assembly, fit into God’s plan for His people? Actually, the assembly also has a sacrificial (liturgical) purpose.

Hebrews addresses this as well.

We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. – Hebrews 13:10-16

Three different liturgies are in this passage in the bold-face words. The Temple High Priest ministered by offering the blood of animals. Jesus ministered by offering His own blood. We offer a sacrifice of praise, doing good, and sharing with others. Our “sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess His name” is not offered exclusively in the assembly, but we certainly offer it there as well as in all of our songs, prayers, and proclamation of God’s wonderful works in our homes, at our work, and as we are going about our daily lives.

In fact, if we are not praising God in word and deed outside the assembly, it is doubtful if our worship in the assembly will be acceptable.

If we do not praise God in life outside our assembly together, when we come to the assembly do we become like the Pharisees? Jesus said of them,

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. – Matthew 15:8

If the only time we think of God is when we are assembled together, can we honestly think that our assembly-worship will be as it should be?

The point of this is that worship is a way of life for the Christian. We do not restrict our worship to certain times and certain places. Instead, our entire life is to be a sweet odor offered to God.

THE PURPOSE OF THE ASSEMBLY

When we understand better the purpose of the Christian assembly, we will be in a better position to appreciate what should take place there. If the purpose is to “perform certain acts of worship in prescribed ways” in order to please God, we will look for precise instructions as to what acts we are to perform and exactly how we are to perform them. On the other hand, if we find that the purpose of the assembly is something other than the performance of acts to please God, we will look for how we can accomplish things that contribute to the actual purpose of the assembly.

With no pretense of being complete, here are several purposes that Scripture gives for the Christian assembly.

Encouraging One Another

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25

This familiar passage is not about encouraging one another to attend the assembly; it is about what we do in the assembly. We encourage one another to love and good works. That is, we encourage each other to worship God in our lives at all times.

Celebration With the Angels

We have referenced the following earlier in this series, but we need to look at it in the context of the purpose of the assembly as well:

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. – Hebrews 12:22-24

Never forget that we are in the presence of God, His Son, His Spirit, the angels of heaven, and of all the redeemed of all ages. There is celebration in this glorious assembly. In one sense, we are constantly in this assembly in our entire life of worship. Yet, in an intensified way, our assembly together with our brothers and sisters on earth is to be celebration. There is very seldom a reason for a local church to have a worship that is a lament.

Remembering Jesus

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

This is in a context of corrective instruction about the assembly of the congregation. We, in the churches of Christ, understand that this is a central part of our assembly together. The purpose of this is to remember Jesus by proclaiming His death.

This remembering of Jesus has many purposes. For one, it encourages us. By remembering Him together, we encourage each other. In addition, remembering Jesus gives us cause for celebration and rejoicing in our deliverance from sin. The angels rejoice over each sinner who repents. How long does their joy continue? Do you think they still rejoice over a congregation of sinners who have repented, even if some members of that group first repented decades before? We need to rejoice and celebrate our salvation with them in our assemblies.

Celebrating the Body of Christ

Closely related to celebrating with the angels is celebrating the body of Christ. Here I mean the body of Christ, which is His church. As Paul continued his corrective instruction to the church in Corinth, he wrote:

A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. – 1 Corinthians 11:28-30

This segment of correction begins in verse 17.

In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you…. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk…. Do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! – 1 Corinthians 11:17-22

The context is division in the church. In 10:17 he had already written, “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” The very next chapter continues, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (12:12-13).

In 10:17, the body is the church; in 12:12-13, the body is the church. Certainly 11:29 at least includes the body, which is the church.

The specific problem at Corinth was that in the Lord’s Supper people were not having proper regard for each other as members of the one body. That is, they were not recognizing the body of the Lord.

Remembering Christ and proclaiming His death should cause us to forgive each other and to recognize each other as members of the one body. If we do not respect each other, we are not doing that – and are eating and drinking judgment on ourselves. That is why I say that one purpose of our assembly is to celebrate the unity of the church and the importance of each member of the body.

Sharing with Others

One aspect of worship in life is to share what we have with others. This is especially true in the assembly. We share. We share our experiences in the Lord as a means of encouraging one another. We share of our income to help those who are in need. We share our understanding of the gospel with others. We weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. In short, we have fellowship together – not because we sit in the same assembly, but because we share, as it were, our very hearts with each other.

Praising God Together

All of worship is bowing before God and serving Him. This includes the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips. In the assembly, this is one major purpose for being there. As we share our hearts, we lift up voices together in praise to God.

Paul’s corrective message to Corinth continued into the 14th chapter as well. There he wrote:

I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? – 1 Corinthians 14:15-16

I understand Paul to mean that praying and singing “with my spirit” was, in the first century, praying and singing in tongues. For us, this would mean we should conduct our worship so all can understand it. This is the only way we will be able to share together in our praise to God. That is why Paul followed the above by saying, “…in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue” (1 Corinthians 14:18).

Sharing the Prophetic Word of God

Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. – 1 Corinthians 14:29-33

The purpose of this, as well, is that we receive teaching, encouragement, and strength.

In Corinth, apparently, there was mass confusion as everyone wanted to speak at once. Paul counseled the moderation that comes from love. They were all to be swift to hear and slow to speak. They should respect God’s word, regardless of who was speaking it to the group – but each should weigh the words spoken.

[An Aside: Our modern practice of a designated preacher responsible for all the teaching in the assembly would seem strange to the church in the New Testament. When Paul assembled with the church in Troas on the first day of the week to break bread and he preached to them, the word for preached is the Greek word from which we get our word dialog. His preaching was not a lecture; it was a dialog, more like asking and answering questions while discussing God’s Word. Most assemblies today would likely be more effective in building up the church if we had more dialog and less scripted performance and presentation.]

Building Up the Body of Christ

The one thing that runs throughout 1 Corinthians chapter 14 as Paul continues to correctively instruct that church is edification.

Everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. – vv. 3-5

Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? – v. 6

Try to excel in gifts that build up the church. For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. – v. 12-14

You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified. – v. 17 [Note: This edification of another man is through prayer, not through preaching.]

When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. – v. 26

All of this is consistent with what we have said. If the church is not built up, the assembly has not accomplished its purpose.

We assemble to praise God together joyfully and to receive encouragement that will help us to worship God acceptably and effectively in our daily lives. The church comes together to feed on God’s Word and be strengthened by the songs, prayers, experiences, and victories we share with fellow worshippers.

The assembly is not a performance with God as the audience.  It is interaction with God and with one another in a way that will glorify God and build one another up. That way, our lives will reflect the glory of God as we go into the world to serve, living the life of Jesus, shining as stars in the darkness of this world.

In the final post of this series, I will attempt to bring the thoughts of this series together.

NEXT – (15) Bringing It All Together

PREVIOUS – (13) Serve God Acceptably With Reverence and Awe

I’m stumble around the bar, too drunk. It reminds me of another night, not too long ago, but I’m not blacking out this time. I have other plans. I stroke the tattoo on your arm as I think it over. You watch me and I realize that you can see the gears turning. You cock an eyebrow in my direction.

“I think I need a ride,” I say.

“Now?”

“Yes, now.”

“I’ll take you.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” I say, giggling at the double entendre.

We say our goodbyes and you help me out the door. I climb up into your truck and give you directions to my place. It is a little awkward on the drive over. You don’t do anything to help, of course.

Minutes later we are in my apartment. When we walk in you grab my shoulder and spin me around. One hand grabbing the hair at the back of my head, the other pulling me by my waist, you crush my face into yours. I can’t help but moan. I lick your lips, waiting for your tongue to come out and meet mine. When it does I bite down on it, holding it in place so I can suck on it a while.

You know what? I can’t even wait to finish this story. I’m pulling out the toys.

Hoar Frost on Branch ©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2009)

You cut me
a thousand times
wounded me
a hundred times

Your tongue
lashed me
struck me
and cut me
to wound me

Words sliced
names flayed
anger salted
bitterness poisoned
my wounds

“You’re stupid!”
you called
“You’re worthless!”
you said
“You’ll amount to nothing!”
you prophesied
“I’m ashamed of you!”
you admitted

And each word
every name called
cut again
opened anew
my wounds
for the world to view

Like a razor blade
the cut is deep
Like a paper cut
the wound is swift
and I bleed
from my wounds

Heal me
if you can
Restore me
if possible
Quicker are the cuts
than the time to heal

By my wounds
others may be healed
for I am not
the sum of my wounds
so I may not
pass on my wounds
to others

©Weatherstone/Ron Almberg, Jr. (2009)

Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis, (310-403 AD) potentially gives one of the most important clues to solving the tongues of Corinth.

He links the tongues of Corinth with a rite that was traditionally practiced in the synagogue at the time. The synagogues outside of Israel had a public reader of the Hebrew Scriptures, and beside him was a person who interpreted it into the local vernacular.

Epiphanius stated that this was still happening at the Church of Corinth. There are many details that will be explained in the upcoming chapter, but essentially it was a twofold problem. First of all he believed the problem of the tongues of Corinth was the tension of using Hebrew as a religious vernacular in a Greek world.

Secondly, it was a problem of which Greek language to use for interpretation. The Aeolic, Doric and Attic Greeks were all competing for this position.

The Talmud has numerous references about the order of speaking and interpretation with the reading of Scripture. There are various rules as to how many ought to read and interpret along with how many passages and when the amen should be said. This very much parallels what Paul wrote in the Book of Corinthians.

However, I have just begun looking at the Talmud references to readers and interpreters and it appears that the rules that the Sages have implemented into the synagogue regarding this function are clearly fifth century thought.

What Paul was addressing in Corinth concerning tongues with the role of speaking and interpreting is in a much more primitive and developing stage than what the Talmud offers.

I am forced to go back further in the Jewish writings previous to the Talmud to find more substantial evidence that backs up Epiphanius’ claim.

There are also scant references to debates within the synagogues at the time of Paul on the use and role of Greek in their traditional worship. It is hard to find definitive information on this, but I think it may add yet an important key.

This is not easy. It is going to take time to search for clues.

She Had Some Horses

She had some horses.

She had horses who were bodies of sand.
She had horses who were maps drawn of blood.
She had horses who were skins of ocean water.
She had horses who were the blue air of sky.
She had horses who were fur and teeth.
She had horses who were clay and would break.
She had horses who were splintered red cliff.

She had some horses.

She had horses with long, pointed breasts.
She had horses with full, brown thighs.
She had horses who laughed too much.
She had horses who threw rocks at glass houses.
She had horses who licked razor blades.

She had some horses.

She had horses who danced in their mothers’ arms.
She had horses who thought they were the sun and their bodies shone and burned like stars.
She had horses who waltzed nightly on the moon.
She had horses who were much too shy, and kept quiet in stalls of their own making.

She had some horses.

She had horses who liked Creek Stomp Dance songs.
She had horses who cried in their beer.
She had horses who spit at male queens who made them afraid of themselves.
She had horses who said they weren’t afraid.
She had horses who lied.
She had horses who told the truth, who were stripped bare of their tongues.

She had some horses.

She had horses who called themselves, “horse.”
She had horses who called themselves, “spirit.” and kept their voices secret and to themselves.
She had horses who had no names.
She had horses who had books of names.

She had some horses.

She had horses who whispered in the dark, who were afraid to speak.
She had horses who screamed out of fear of the silence, who carried knives to protect themselves from ghosts.
She had horses who waited for destruction.
She had horses who waited for resurrection.

She had some horses.

She had horses who got down on their knees for any savior.
She had horses who thought their high price had saved them.
She had horses who tried to save her, who climbed in her bed at night and prayed as they raped her.

She had some horses.

She had some horses she loved.
She had some horses she hated.

These were the same horses.

~ Joy Harjo

… doesn’t mean you should do it.

There’s some great examples of this in 1 Corinthians 14. Paul says

Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. (vs 26)

Each one has an ability to contribute. Each one has something worth while to say. But in the same verse he says -

All things must be done for edification.

Sometimes this will mean being silent. For example, someone may speak in another language

but if there is no-one to interpret, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and God. (vs 28)

If there is no interpreter this gift fails to be done for edification of the church so the speaker, while given this particular gift, must choose not to use it at that time.

A second example is given – that of prophecy. A person may be sharing their word of prophecy

but if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. (vs 30)

Why??

God is not a God of disorder but of peace. (vs 33)

There is something bigger and more important than our own “right” to use our gifts as we please. That is not God’s concern and neither should it be ours. Our concern should be for others. In particular for the edification of the church, and the order and peace of God’s nature. This comes only with love. Love for our God and for others. Without love our gifts are nothing.

If I speak the languages of men and of angels but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith, so that I can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-2)

 This is a continuation of the use of The Spiritual Tongues/ Languages

J.L. All Tongues, Languages and Prophecy and the use of these must be tested against the WORD of GOD and not taken out of context. GOD has set the importance of TONGUES. The person who speaks what God has revealed is more important….. than the person who speaks in other languages…… This is true unless he can interpret what he says to help the church grow……

1 CORINTHIANS 14 5I wish that all of you could speak in other languages, but especially that you could speak what God has revealed. The person who speaks what God has revealed is more important….. than the person who speaks in other languages…… This is true unless he can interpret what he says to help the church grow. 6Brothers and sisters, it wouldn’t do you any good if I came to you speaking in other languages,……. unless I explained revelation, knowledge, prophecy, or doctrine to you.,\……

10No matter how many different languages there are in the world, not one of them is without meaning. 11If I don’t know what a language means, I will be a foreigner to the person who speaks it and that person will be a foreigner to me. 12In the same way, since you’re eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in them so that you help the church grow. 13So the person who speaks in another language should pray for an interpretation of what he says.

J.L. This next verse could be interpreted two ways 1. That Paul was an educated man that spoke in many languages or 2. That while he was doing the LORD’S Work the LORD gave him the Gift of TONGUES as part or help him with his work.

              The use of TONGUES to lead people to CHRIST ?

18I thank God that I speak in other languages more than any of you. 19Yet, in order to teach others in church, I would rather say five words that can be understood than ten thousand words in another language. 20Brothers and sisters, don’t think like children. When it comes to evil, be like babies, but think like mature people. 21God’s word says,  “Through people who speak foreign languages and through the mouths of foreigners I will speak to these people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”

22So the gift of speaking in other languages is a sign for unbelievers, not for believers. The gift of speaking what God had revealed is a sign for believers, not for unbelievers. 23Suppose the whole congregation gathers in the same place and you speak in other languages. When outsiders or unbelievers come in, won’t they say that you’re out of your mind ?

24Now suppose you speak what God has revealed. When unbelievers or outsiders come in you will show them where they are wrong and convince them that they are sinners. 25The secrets in their hearts will become known, and in this way they will quickly bow with their faces touching the ground, worship God, and confess that God is truly among you. 26So what does this mean, brothers and sisters? When you gather, each person has a psalm, doctrine, revelation, another language, or an interpretation. Everything must be done to help each other grow.

Other languages and interpretations

27If people speak in other languages, only two or three at the most should speak. They should do it one at a time, and someone must interpret what each person says. 28But if an interpreter isn’t present, those people should remain silent in church. They should only speak to themselves and to God.

39So, brothers and sisters, desire to speak what God has revealed, and don’t keep anyone from speaking in other languages. 40Everything must be done in a proper and orderly way.

J.L. As and individual and Pastor, I have experienced the 3 types of Tongues and Languages described in this teaching. I think that the most profound experience occurred when I was in quadra-by-pass surgery, when the LORD called me to prayer. What best described what happened next was “the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that “cannot be expressed in words”. A nurse asked me to speak more clearly and I told her that I was praying in Tongues and my wife explained what was happening. During the same surgery I started to raise my hands in praise and worship and they started to strap me down and my wife told them not to and they stopped. For many reasons I shouldn’t have survived the surgery but GOD would not allow me to go to Him because I had more work to do.

J.L. I think that what is missing when talking in and about Tongues, is the intimate relationship that develops between you and the LORD. The desire to be with Him and communicate with Him with or without Tongues or Languages. Praying in the Spirit and Meditating in the Spirit is part of it but there are deeper things of GOD, mysteries and Spiritual Things that the HOLY SPIRIT can teach us if we would just let Him. It is the communication between our spiritual soul and the Spirit of GOD which requires a Spiritual Language which is Tongues. Never forget that GOD is a Spirit and deals in Spiritual Things ( JOHN 3:6 ).

J.L. What bothers me today is that the LORD has let us go on a “pathway of curses”.

( Deut. 28 ) because of our corrupt nature. Evil surrounds us with disception, wars and rumors of wars, corruption, all of which are bringing us to self-destruction. We have become our own worse enemy. We are Evil. We have cursed ourselves.

We, ourselves have no Plan, power, authority or ability to rid ourselves of the spiritual Evil we are .

ROMANS 7 23However, I see a different standard at work throughout my body. It is at war with the standards my mind sets and tries to take me captive to sin’s standards which still exist throughout my body. 24What a miserable person I am! Who will rescue me from my dying body? 25I thank God that our Lord Jesus Christ rescues me! So I am obedient to God’s standards with my mind, but I am obedient to sin’s standards with my corrupt nature.

2 CORINTHIANS 10 10He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us in the future. We are confident that he will continue to rescue us, 11since you are also joining to help us when you pray for us.

J.L. Our Evil is all spiritual and yet we try to fight it with our physical minds, physical language, physical intelligence and physical intellectual arrogance. We do not have the Weapons of GOD for spiritual warfare or the faith to use them. We are very corrupt, sin full and dumb. We have not let history teach us, so we are repeating it to our peril. We worship a “ideologue god” based on the Sins of Rome that failed, not GOD.

J.L. We have the ability with Spiritual Tongues, Spiritual Languages, Praying in the Spirit, Meditating in the Spirit and a Spiritual Intimate Relationship with a Heavenly Father, that has all the Spiritual Power and Spiritual Authority, to turn this Evil world upside down if we just had faith in Him. Our rescue is through Jesus Christ , not the government bail-out.

J.L. Do we have a Moses, David, Gideon or Paul to communicate directly with GOD and stand in the Spiritual gap between Good and Evil that we are currently facing ?

J.L. We need a Spiritual Language now more than ever to keep in continuous communication, prayer and praise with our Spiritual GOD who will rescue us.

                                                  INTRODUCTION

J.L. Tongues has become the most misunderstood, misused and finally the most spiritually abused of all the Spiritual Gifts. No one other than the HOLY Spirit has been given the ability to, or to put it more bluntly, the authority to teach how to talk in tongues. And HE does not teach it but gives it to the people that need it as a SPIRITUAL GIFT, not teaching, when they are doing the LORD’S Work. Not all Spiritual Christian People have it as one of their Spiritual Gifts. GOD and the HOLY SPIRIT choose who gets it, not church people or pastors. It is definitely not required for Salvation or a Spiritual Role in the Church. Again I must state that it is a Spiritual Gift that will be given to you if it is required/needed for you to carry out your Spiritual Job given ( called ) to you by GOD to do. You will never be undersupplied by Spiritual Gifts to do GOD’S Work by a Perfect GOD.

J.L. Tongues ( KJV ), Languages ( GWT ) and Communications are all about Spiritual Communication with GOD on a individual or corporate basis. If you do not have GOD’S Righteousness , HIS Approval, you will probably not receive the Spiritual Gift of Tongues, you will probably not have good communications with GOD or you will have communications not to your liking. For those HE loves HE will definitely correct.

HEBREWS 12 4You struggle against sin, but your struggles haven’t killed you. 5You have forgotten the encouraging words that God speaks to you as his children:

“My child, pay attention when the Lord disciplines you. Don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 The Lord disciplines everyone he loves.

……..He severely disciplines everyone he accepts as his child.”……..

7Endure your discipline. God corrects you as a father corrects his children. All children are disciplined by their fathers. 8If you aren’t disciplined like the other children, you aren’t part of the family. 9On earth we have fathers who disciplined us, and we respect them. Shouldn’t we place ourselves under the authority of God, the father of spirits, so that we will live? 10For a short time our fathers disciplined us as they thought best. Yet, God disciplines us for our own good so that we can become holy like him. 11We don’t enjoy being disciplined. It always seems to cause more pain than joy. But later on, those who learn from that discipline have peace that comes from doing what is right.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNICATIONS WITH GOD

J.L. All Born again Believers have this ability to speak this way with GOD directly. This is not tongues or languages. This is Communications with GOD with or without speech. This is us meeting GOD and GOD meeting us, on any conditions that you find yourself in. The Holy Spirit is your intercessor. This can take place under in any and all weaknesses, health conditions, mental state, deep pain or depression, physical, mental or Spiritual….GOD, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will never leave you or forsake you and they are just a prayer away if you are able to pray or not ….The Spirit will intercede if you can not pray. This Spiritual Communication is completely under the HOLY SPIRIT’S and GOD’S Control.

J.L. These Communications of a Born Again Believer are between our human “soul spirit” and the HOLY SPIRIT. This is Spiritual Language that no human, including the Believer, understands and can interpret, it is purely Spiritual. This language or tongue will never cease. It is our method to Spiritually Communicate with GOD.

1 CORINTHIANS 14 1Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially the gift of speaking what God has revealed. ……2When a person speaks in another language( tongues ), he doesn’t speak to people…… but to God……. No one understands him……. His spirit is speaking mysteries………

ROMANS 8 26At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don’t know how to pray for what we need…… But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that “cannot be expressed in words”……. 27The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind…….. The Spirit intercedes for God’s people the way God wants him to.

EPHESIANS 6 18Pray in the Spirit in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people.

J.L. This is the point in your life when the “footprints in the sand” are the deepest because HE is carrying you.

J.L. In 1 SAMUEL 1, it states that Spiritual visions and dreams were very infrequent because of the corruption at the head of the church which was relating to Eli and his 2 sons. Could this be the reason today that we don’t hear from the heads of our churches about visions and dreams. Has the Spirit stopped it’s activity? Or could it be that the “communication” between the pastor and GOD has dried up or was never there? What would happen if a pastor had an intimate relationship with GOD that challenged the pastor to hear a message from GOD and relay that message directly to the people, a message that was not politically correct. Or go to a level down and listen to a prophet old testament, new testament or one in his congregation that gave him a direction that he should take the congregation because he was not listening to GOD himself. What would happen if the pastor actually communicated with GOD as Paul did in 2 CORINTHIANS 12 ? Would his sermons change ?

2 CORINTHIANS 12 I’ll go on to…. visions and revelations from the Lord….. 2I know a follower of Christ who was snatched away to the third heaven fourteen years ago. I don’t know whether this happened to him physically or spiritually. Only God knows. 3I know that this person 4was snatched away to paradise…… where he heard things that can’t be expressed in words, things that humans cannot put into words…….. I don’t know whether this happened to him physically or spiritually. Only God knows.

J.L. Please note that the below passages talk in terms of new tongues and new languages as if the tongues and languages had not been heard before. Such as Spiritual languages and tongues.

MARK 16 17“These are the miraculous signs that will accompany believers: They will use the power and authority of my name to force demons out of people….. They will speak new languages…… 18They will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick and cure them.”

( KJV ) 17And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils;….. they shall speak with new tongues;

J.L. The below event seems to describe a Spiritual Event that happened where the HOLY SPIRIT came down on each one of a group of Believers as fingers of SPIRITUAL FIRE and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. They were actually translating the GOOD NEWS by telling about the miracles that God has done.” into various native dialects and languages.

This is not SPIRITUAL TONGUES OR LANGUAGES, this is translation and/or interpretation done by Spiritual-Filled men.

 Acts 2 1When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were together in one place. 2Suddenly, a sound like a violently blowing wind came from the sky and filled the whole house where they were staying. 3Tongues that looked like fire appeared to them……. The tongues arranged themselves so that one came to rest on each believer….. 4All the believers were…. filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak…….

5Devout Jewish men from every nation were living in Jerusalem. 6They gathered when they heard the wind…… Each person was startled to recognize his own dialect when the disciples spoke…..

7Stunned and amazed, the people in the crowd said, “All of these men who are speaking are Galileans……. 8Why do we hear them speaking in our native dialects? …..9We’re Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. We’re people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the country near Cyrene in Libya. We’re Jewish people, converts to Judaism, and visitors from Rome, 11Crete, and Arabia…… We hear these men in our own languages as they tell about the miracles that God has done.”……

( KJV ) 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them……. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance……

( KJV ) And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded,….. because that every man heard them speak in his own language…… 7And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11Cretes and Arabians,…… we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God…… 12And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

J.L. These next passages are a discussion of translators, translations and interpreting the WORD of GOD

1 CORINTHIANS 12 10Another can work miracles. Another can speak what God has revealed. Another can tell the difference between spirits……. Another can speak in different kinds of languages…… Another can interpret languages. 11There is only one Spirit who does all these things by giving what God wants to give to each person.

27You are Christ’s body and each of you is an individual part of it. 28In the church God has appointed first apostles, next prophets, third teachers, then those who perform miracles, then those who have the gift of healing, then those who help others, those who are managers, ….and those who can speak in a number of languages…… 29Not all believers are apostles, are they? Are all of them prophets? Do all of them teach? Do all of them perform miracles 30or have gifts of healing?…… Can all of them speak in other languages or interpret languages?……

1 CORINTHIANS 12 ( KJV ) 10To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits;….. to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:…… 11But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

( KJV ) 27Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30Have all the gifts of healing?……. do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?…… 31But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.

J.L. The below passages talk about the languages of humans and Angels. The human part I will not discuss. The languages of Angels we will discuss because it directly replies to a spiritual language, good or Evil. There were fallen angels and GOOD Angels both were spiritual and both had direct dealings with GOD. Verse 1 describes a person, “I” , that spoke with not only a human language but an Angelic language. The word is languages and is plural, so the person spoke with both languages. If we follow through with the Angel language than we will have to separate the language into the GOOD Angel language and the fallen angel language . We will only discuss the GOOD Angel language which will be the Spiritual Language of a Believer, TONGUES.

J.L. Angels worship, sing, prophesy and praise the LORD with their language so the Believer that has the Spiritual Gift of TONGUES will use it for the same purpose.There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself.

J.L. TONGUES will stop when there is no need for it to be used , when we are with the LORD.

1 Corinthians 13 1I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal.8Love never comes to an end. There is the gift of speaking what God has revealed, but it will no longer be used. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will no longer be used. 9Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete….. 10But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will no longer be used…… 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways. 12Now we see a blurred image in a mirror. Then we will see very clearly. Now my knowledge is incomplete. Then I will have complete knowledge as God has complete knowledge of me.

1 CORINTHIANS 13 ( KJV ) 1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

( KJV ) 8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

J.L. All this will apply when we have joined with our Lord in Heaven.

EPHESIANS 6 “18Pray in the Spirit”  in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people.

J.L. All Tongues, Languages and Prophecy and the use of these must be tested against the WORD of GOD and not taken out of context. GOD has set the importance of TONGUES. The person who speaks what God has revealed is more important….. than the person who speaks in other languages…… This is true unless he can interpret what he says to help the church grow……

The next lesson will tell how tongues/ languages will be used for the LORD’S work.

Visions_Beyond_the_Veil_by_H_A_Baker

This is a book by an early 1900’s missionary named HA Baker.  He was a missionary to Tibet China and Formosa.

The book is about revival that broke out in the orphanage on children who were previously beggars.  They saw visions of heaven, hell, angels demons etc.

Although it is nearly 90 pages long, please read it in its entirety.

This was one of the best plays I have been involved with. It was also clearly the most moving to my spirit. I have the entire play on tape and decided to share a bit of it with the world this weekend.

The Azusa Street Revival was a glorious outpouring of the Holy Spirit that began in Los Angeles, California in April 1906. In the beginning, the meetings ran seven days a week almost around the clock. William J. Seymour, an African-American led the great revival. Services continued at the 312 Azusa Street Mission even after the death of the pastor in 1922. This scene is from a Glenda Mohr theatrical production at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. Circa Spring 2008.

I just want to start off my day by saying Thank you, Thank you for allowing me to open my eyes yet one more day and breathe the life that you have blessed me with. Thank you for your renewed grace and mercy that you shower me with daily. Thank you for your hedge of protection and your blood covering keeping me safe thus far. If I had ten thousand tongues O’ Lord I could not Thank you enough. Today I ask for many Blessings to fall fresh on myself, family and friends. Touch the ones who don’t know you O’ Lord and lead them to know you the way that I do. I ask for continued peace, wisdom and knowledge in all that I do. I love you Lord, I adore you and I ask that you help me make the very best of this new day. In Jesus name I give you all the Honor, Glory, and Praise………. Amen!

Written By Ms. Dawn

I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together! Psalms 34: 1-3

Our Saviour’s Baptist Church is definitely on the move doing great things. Minister Annesah Shabazz is calling all Youth Of Our Saviour’s to join her in Praising The Lord in song. Minister Annesah has been led by God to start a Youth Choir for all ages. The first meeting  will be held November 15th 2009 right after morning service. God’s Blessings on the start of a wonderful ministry.

Sister’s Circle is off  to fantabulous  start. We The Sisters of Our Saviour’s welcome you to come Pray, Fellowship, and Discuss the word of God with us. We truly have a high time  together. Click on Sister’s Circle tab for further details.

May God Continue To Pour Out Blessings,

Ms. Dawn

Praise the Lord, all you nations,

glorify God, all you peoples!

Praise the Lord, faraway space,

glorify God,

Praise the Lord, world of today,

come with your blessings;

Praise the Lord!

Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. John 14:21

If You truly love God you will be obedient in all that he commands of you to do!

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
- Thomas Jefferson