This is something I've never thought of before..but could it possibly be that little voice we call the Holy Spirit in us..could it possiblyour faith .
I'm referring to Romans 14 .. Romans 14:5One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike.Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
when although...they are all Christians ,their convictions are all different..and whereas we are all all Christians our understanding of the scriptures are quite different ..Could our different degrees in faith be the reason for this...Is it possible that alot of the things we see in churches be actually a manifestation of one's faith and not the Holy Spirit at all...let's look. Can faith cause feeings?..yep..Can faith do signs and wonders? yep..Can faith preach apart from God?? yep...Can faith be a martyr apart from God .? yep. 1 Cor. 13:2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Matthew 7:22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Take note...it appears to me that obedience to God's Word should be our central focus..
Acts5:32And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
According to the Word their are some characteristics to those who have the Holy Spirit residing in them. a. obedience b. agape { Unconditional love}
Without me, ye can do nothing. We can do all things through Christ. He hath made this same Jesus BOTH Lord and Christ. It is true that one MUST have faith in order to even come to God, but out strength isn't our faith. Our strength cometh from the Lord, through, and byour faith and trust in God.
Charity is love. Love is God, and if we had all the other attributes of a true christian, without God, we are still nothing and can do nothing.
I am, what I am, by the Grace of God. If one does not walk in the Spirit, he will fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Absolutely Snooky,
This is new to me..yet the Lord laid it on my heart and the study is setting me free from some hang ups..Let me explain..and be real
A. Back in the 70s when I had my spirit filled experience I noticed an attitude from "spirit filled believers" that we kind of had something that the others did not have...Possibly for the sake of unity and love one could say we have all have different degrees of faith as the Word says there is one SPirit and we are all sealed with that Holy Spirit. so all of these various convictions I would say are convictions of one's faith.
B. If we truly look at the "Fruit of the Spirit " we must ask ourselves..do we really have godly self-control...unconditional love ..are we winning souls..because if one is really controled by the Holy SPirit this should diffently be in our life..
C. Or how many times to we sense God leading us in an area to find out it's not God at all..or how many times to we display anger ..lust..jealousy etc..??Is the Holy SPirit fultime or part time.
I'm still studying this issus ..Appreciate the feedback brother..
I'm not sure I really understand what you are driving at. If you have time, could youplease pm me with a clearer explanation? I would really like to understand the question. Sounds like something I want to think a little deeper about.
Blessings.....Pastorjim
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Mere religion is just hanging around the cross.......True Christianity is getting on the cross.
I am, what I am, by the Grace of God. If one does not walk in the Spirit, he will fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Amen and so true. The Spirit has never led me down the wrong path. I depend on the Holy Spirit so much, I can't imagine how those without the Holy Spiritcan even get out of bed, they are definitely walking by sight! Scary isn't it.
I'm not sure I really understand what you are driving at. If you have time, could youplease pm me with a clearer explanation? I would really like to understand the question. Sounds like something I want to think a little deeper about.
Blessings.....Pastorjim
OK Jim..I'll shoot straight from the hip..I'm home now and not in a hurry..also..thanks for asking me to explain..I'll go real slow,,for my sake as well.This is difficult to explain so readers please read the entire thing before drawing conclusions..Tell ya what..I'll just ask questions and you guys give me some answers..These are not trick questions..I'm simply searching for answers ..
1. Is walking in faith different from walking in the Spirit?
2. Is the Holy Spirit guiding our every move or is He there once in a while..and the rest of the time we walk by faith?
3. When we are told to walk in the Spirit...where is He at when we are not walking in the Spirit..??
4. That little voice that we hear daily that leads us into paths of righteousness,,,is that the Holy Spirit ...a renewed conscious ..or a gift of faith that speaketh to our hearts??..
Summary and reason for this study.. a.In all honestly sometimes I see folks who call themselves Christians and I am grieved by their behavior..so much ..I don't want to have fellowship with them...However; if their lives are just a product of their little faith..maybe I'm too hard on them and should over look the flaws..
b. I often say "God is showing me this and that." sometimes it pans out and sometimes it doesn't[&o]..maybe it's not the Lord and only my faith or lack of faith.."For faith speaketh as well."
C, God is not the author of confusion and we see many times topics brought up on here that bring out the worse in all of us..I don't believe the Holy SPirit is causing that ..yet so many are fully persuaded of their knowledge of the truth and that they got that revelation from God..How can 10 different Christians get 10 different revelations about the Word..IMHO I beleive faith speaks and works along side with our finite understanding..And this finite understanding causes the problems..and faith is a godly fruit and many of us mistake it and even call it the Holy SPirit..
the characteristics of the Spirit I see are ...22 : love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.
I pasted a few theologians..but in order to cut out any confusion..I deleted them all but one..which had plenty of scriptures to back up his views..see the post 2 replies downby Charles Finney..good stuff....my questions were all answered in this copy and paste..enjoy,
C7
And now a study from Charles Finney.. Again..it's very lenghty so I cut out alot..the red highlighted ones are the ones that excited me..
I. That the blessing of Abraham has come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.
In the 12th chapter of Genesis, we have the first mention of the covenant which God made with Abraham. In the last clause of the third verse it is said, "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." In Gen. 17:4, it is written, "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations," Verse 7, "I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee;" and 18:18, the same promise is noticed again; and 22:18, "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," and 26:4, the same words are repeated.
Now it should be remembered in regard to the covenant made with Abraham, that there were two things promised. Temporal Canaan or Palestine was promised to the Jews or natural descendants of Abraham. There was also a blessing promised through Abraham to all the nations of the earth. This covenant was not only made with Abraham, but, through his seed, as we shall see, with all the nations of the earth. This was a spiritual blessing, and that which the text says has come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.
I will quote several other passages to show that this spiritual blessing was intended for, and has come on the Gentiles. In Rom. 4:13, it is said, "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." and verse 16, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed: not to that only which is of the law, but to that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." This epistle to the Romans was written to the Gentiles. And the Apostle here expressly affirms that the Gentiles who had faith are of the seed of Abraham, and that he is the father of us all.
Gal. 3:7, 9, 14, 29. "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. II. I am to show what this blessing is.
[ul][*][*]2. The text informs us that this blessing promised to Abraham, and to his seed, and through Christ his seed, to all the nations of the earth, is the Holy Spirit. This is the grand thing upon which the prophets and the inspired writers seem to have had their eye all along under the old dispensation. And by a careful examination of the scriptures, it will be found that the promises are one unbroken chain from Abraham to Christ, and even to the time when the canon of the scripture was complete, everywhere pointing out this particular blessing. It was promised sometimes in figurative language, where the Spirit of God is represented as water. But in most instances the prophets have spoken without a figure and promised the Spirit by name. Isa. 32:15, "Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest."--and 44:3, "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring;" and 59:21, "As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever." Jer. 31:33, "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." and 32:40, "And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." Ezek.11:19, "AMENAnd I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh;" and 36:27, "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them;" and the text; "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."III. This blessing is to be received by faith.[*]1. This is expressly asserted in the text. "That we might receive the promise of the Spirit THROUGH FAITH." In the second verse of this same chapter the Apostle inquires, "Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of FAITH?" John 7:38-39 Christ says, "He that BELIEVETH ON ME, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that BELIEVE ON HIM should receive." Other passages might be quoted to the same effect.
[ul][*]what it is to receive the Holy Ghost.
The three elements of faith are,
[ul][*](a) An intellectual perception of the truth.[*](b) A realization of the truth.[*](c) That trust or confidence of the heart that yields all our voluntary powers up to the control of truth. These are the essential elements of faith. [/ul]
[*]To receive the Holy Spirit is to take him for our Parakletos, our Comforter, Guide, Instructor. Now it is manifest on the very face of it, that the Holy Spirit can only be received by the mind, by that act which constitutes faith. Perception of the truth, is not itself faith. ok thanks Charles FinneyA realization of the truth is not itself faith. Though both these are indispensable to its existence, yet faith itself is an act of the will--a trust--a confiding in--a yielding up of the whole being to the influence of truth. Faith then is the yielding up of our voluntary powers to the guidance, instruction, influences and government of the Holy Spirit. This is receiving him, and this is the only possible way in which he can be received. The mere perception of truth respecting him is not faith, nor is it a receiving of him. For the truth respecting Him may be perceived, and often has been perceived and yet rejected. Nor is a realization of the truth respecting him, however deep and intense, either faith or a receiving of him. But when his offers of guidance are perceived and realized, faith is that act of the mind that lays hold upon these offers--that yields up the whole being to His influences and control. [/ul][/ul]
Finally. Every individual Christian may receive and is bound to receive this gift of the Holy Ghost through faith at the present moment. It must not be supposed that every Christian has of course received the Holy Ghost in such a sense as it is promised in these passages of Scripture or in any higher sense than he was received by the Old Testament saints who had actually been regenerated and were real saints, of whom it is said, that "they all died in faith not having received the promises." Now it would seem as if there were thousands of Christians who have not received the promises on account of their ignorance and unbelief. It is said that "after we believe we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." Now beloved the thing that we need is to understand and get hold of this promise to Abraham, and through Abraham to Christ, and through Christ and by Christ to the whole Church of God. Now remember it is to be received by simple faith in these promises. "Be it unto thee according to thy faith." "For it is written the just shall live by faith."
Faith or the Holy Spirit
