Miracles, Signs & Wonders, Giftings & Anointings, Deliverances, Demonology, Etc.

[Barley]

I have trouble reconciling some of your statements with Scripture, could you please explain.




[quote sheep] What Jesus did cannot be compared to what God did through the apostles





John 14:9-17
9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
(NIV)


[quote sheep]The point I was trying to make is that testing the spirits can only come through research - factual research to find out where the teachings came from, where the "anointing"' is based, who started the concepts - because they are not found historically within the body of Christ. If one looks back, the faith movement was founded by men who deny the Deity of Christ. That makes the "anointing" of the "gifts" from an impure aka evil source. satan transforms himself as an angel of light, as do his ministers.

I believe it is best if we stick to what the Bible says about how to test the spirit.
Remember some of the greatest Christian leaders were those who at one time denied Jesus. It is who people are serving now not where they came from that counts. However I will agree with you that there are groups, religions, whatever, that have denied Jesus in the past and are still doing so today, while at the same time professing to be Christian.
But make no mistake, Christianity is a faith movement.

[quote sheep] The NT shows pretty clearly that the gifts were not given universally, especially the miraculous

It seems to me that all good translations say this.
Quote John 14
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

[quote sheep]
God does do miracles. No argument there from me! But the "gift" of miracles to be "wrought" through people ceased with the death of the apostles. In other words, God does not call people, has not called people to be "miracle workers" since the apostles.

The words of Jesus need to be heeded by all Christians.
He said He tells the truth. He says anyone who has faith in Him will do what He has been doing. He has been doing miracles.
Ask in My Name……..that means to ask in the authority of Jesus…………so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

God did not even call the apostles to be miracle workers, they were called to faith in Jesus Christ.
People everywhere will run after miracles, but miracles will follow after those who follow the Lord.
Didn’t the Lord say that where two or more are gathered in My Name, there I am also. It is only the Lord who makes the difference.

It is no wonder that so many get caught up in cults and false teachings when the basic teachings of Jesus are unknown to so many.

[quote sheep]
I am not sure what you mean by the "anointing" of the Lord is about There is no mention of this in the NT.

Yah sure there is, runs throughout both old and new T.s
Do a study on it.
Hey, I like your icons!

[quote sheep]

And there you have definitely hit on a critical point. The gifts, signs and wonders, and "anointings" of today are not of the Jesus of the Bible. This is the huge concept that I am trying to convey.

The problem with "testing the spirits" literally, is that people think there is some kind of ethereal experience by which a person "feels" or "hears a voice" telling them if it is of God or not. Many will say that Jesus is the Messiah, but they are false teachers and prophets. satan knows that Jesus is the Son of God come in the flesh. It's people that deny this based on his

influence to twist and destroy the foundational truths of the Gospel


Isn’t it wonderful that we have the Scripture to guide us.
Here is a bit on testing the spirit.


I Jn 3:23-4:8
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

CHAPTER 4

1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
(KJV)


When we are unsure it is good to go to Scripture and get the truth.
When we are sure of what we believe it is again good to go to Scripture and see if what we believe is really true.

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