"Have you ever had a spiritual paranormal encounter?"

[Helen]

"When the devil tempted Jesus on the mount, he quoted scripture, but I do not believe there was any Life in what he spoke, so being dead it was not the Word of God. The Word of God is Alive!"

Yikes John, can't hardly believe you wrote this! I DO believe there was def. life in what Jesus quoted to the devil, and authority too. I mean, the devil did leave Him each time he tempted Jesus, because of The Word of God that He spoke.

Maybe John has already answered this...He was saying that there was no LIFE in the words that the Devil quoted...even though it was "the bible".
Explaining to Marymong that dead letter is dead letter..if not spirit breathed by the holy spirit. :)

...but Jesus words we had life and power.

I agree. :)

 

[Helen]

Oh thank God! I knew there was something I was miss reading :) Thank you for clearing that up!

Oh whoops I answered too. above...

You just read it wrong the first time around ♥︎...

 

[amadeus]

Hi Amadeus,

I get the gist of what you are saying but if I may suggest another way to look at it. There is life in all Scripture passages no matter who speaks them one can not take that life away because it is the truth. When one misuses Scripture it does not take the life out of Scripture.....it takes the life out of us. It takes us away from Him.

When a pastor misuses Scripture it is called heresy. When a pastor misuses Scripture he is taking "the way, the truth and the life" from us.....just like Satan tried to do.

Mary

While I understand how you are looking at it, I believe it misses what Jesus is. He is the Word of God. When John writes he says that the Word became flesh, not a book! Jesus is not the Bible. No where in the written scriptures does it say that He is.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14

This is the flesh we are to eat, the Word of God! He became flesh and we, we are become like Him as we partake of Him:

"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." John 6:53

"He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." John 6:56

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." I John 3:2

 

[VictoryinJesus]

He is the Word of God. When John writes he says that the Word became flesh, not a book!

Luke 24:39-45 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. [40] And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. [41] And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? [42] And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. [43] And he took it, and did eat before them. [44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. [45] Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

 

[Waiting on him]

Luke 24:39-45 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. [40] And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. [41] And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? [42] And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. [43] And he took it, and did eat before them. [44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. [45] Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

That’s interesting He spoke to them Spiritualy.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

yeh, its more like hearing Scripture paraphrased coming from someones lips huh?
or maybe can be anyway
faith comes by hearing,
hearing comes by Word

Hmm...I actually think if a person can paraphrase or explain in their own understanding, that it can mean (sometimes) that they really understand something.

 

[Invisibilis]

Have you ever had a Paranormal Spiritual Encounter? Yes.
Met Christ Face to Face? Possibly, or an angel.
Seen a blinding light? Yes.
Enjoyed a life changing moment? Yes.
Experienced a Reincarnation? Don't know.

A 'Road to Damascus' relocation of sorts? Yes.

 

[Marymog]

While I understand how you are looking at it, I believe it misses what Jesus is. He is the Word of God. When John writes he says that the Word became flesh, not a book! Jesus is not the Bible. No where in the written scriptures does it say that He is.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14

This is the flesh we are to eat, the Word of God! He became flesh and we, we are become like Him as we partake of Him:

"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." John 6:53

"He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." John 6:56

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." I John 3:2

I am already aware of your bizarre belief that we "eat the word of God". I have never heard you explain how we drink His blood?

There is no need to try and explain it to me since He already explained it to us at The Last Supper. The NT Christians in 1 Corinthians 10:16 and Acts understood what He meant by eating Him. In Luke 24 "their eyes were opened" at the breaking of the bread. In John they walked away from Him when he told them they would have to eat him. So, according to your theory, they were walking away from the idea that they had to read the word of God. The Didache, which was written BEFORE some NT books, makes it clear that your belief is wrong. But I suspect you think they were wrong and you are right

Mary

 

[amadeus]

yeh, its more like hearing Scripture paraphrased coming from someones lips huh?
or maybe can be anyway

faith comes by hearing,
hearing comes by Word

When God speaks, it is the Word of God: That is, when it comes out of His mouth it is His Word. If is so simple, then why is there so much disagreement and argument about it? Is it possible that many, or even most, people who say they are hearing are really deaf? Or perhaps many people who can hear simply don't pay attention and miss out on some important things that God is saying.

 

[Mike Waters]

When God speaks, it is the Word of God: That is, when it comes out of His mouth it is His Word. If is so simple, then why is there so much disagreement and argument about it? Is it possible that many, or even most, people who say they are hearing are really deaf? Or perhaps many people who can hear simply don't pay attention and miss out on some important things that God is saying.

I doubt we will ever break through the exaggerated scriptural misrepresentation promoted by the various Post Reformation Statements of Faith, such as that of the Evangelical Alliance. Everyone fails to recognise that 300 years ago we were still in the infancy of "the age of enlightenment" when many newbie Protestants were still extremely illiterate and 'fair game' for the primitive ultra fundamentalist influence that has 'stuck' ever since.

 

[Waiting on him]

I doubt we will ever break through the exaggerated scriptural misrepresentation promoted by the various Post Reformation Statements of Faith, such as that of the Evangelical Alliance. Everyone fails to recognise that 300 years ago we were still in the infancy of "the age of enlightenment" when many newbie Protestants were still extremely illiterate and 'fair game' for the primitive ultra fundamentalist influence that has 'stuck' ever since.

This was done with much intention.

 

[Invisibilis]

When God speaks, it is the Word of God: That is, when it comes out of His mouth it is His Word. If is so simple, then why is there so much disagreement and argument about it? Is it possible that many, or even most, people who say they are hearing are really deaf? Or perhaps many people who can hear simply don't pay attention and miss out on some important things that God is saying.

Fear of the truth can cause denial (not hearing with ears).
Denial can happen in a split second. The faster the denial, the more convincing it becomes.
However, denial does not work, because one must know what they are denying before they can deny it. So, as it is said, nothing is hidden.

Luke 8:17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

 

[amadeus]

Hmm...I actually think if a person can paraphrase or explain in their own understanding, that it can mean (sometimes) that they really understand something.

Indeed! Even as various translators have rephrased the very same original words written by inspired men, why could not an anointed person today say the rephrase

I am already aware of your bizarre belief that we "eat the word of God". I have never heard you explain how we drink His blood?

There is no need to try and explain it to me since He already explained it to us at The Last Supper. The NT Christians in 1 Corinthians 10:16 and Acts understood what He meant by eating Him. In Luke 24 "their eyes were opened" at the breaking of the bread. In John they walked away from Him when he told them they would have to eat him. So, according to your theory, they were walking away from the idea that they had to read the word of God. The Didache, which was written BEFORE some NT books, makes it clear that your belief is wrong. But I suspect you think they were wrong and you are right

Mary

Carry on as you think you must!

 

[amadeus]

I doubt we will ever break through the exaggerated scriptural misrepresentation promoted by the various Post Reformation Statements of Faith, such as that of the Evangelical Alliance. Everyone fails to recognise that 300 years ago we were still in the infancy of "the age of enlightenment" when many newbie Protestants were still extremely illiterate and 'fair game' for the primitive ultra fundamentalist influence that has 'stuck' ever since.

There are always people wanting to lead others by the nose toward the ditch which they do not see themselves. The reasons it has happened and continues to happen are many, but the ultimate problem is a lack of love for God by both leaders and followers.

 

[brakelite]

Your logic makes zero sense.

The Protestant churches started protesting 500 years ago. That's why they are called Protestant. Then new protestants began to protest the original protestants. Then new protestants began to protest those protestants until today, 500 years after the original protest we still have protest to the point that abortion, gay marriage and gay pastors are ok with God. That is why they are called the protestant churches. When did their protesting stop?

Curious Mary

You have zero understanding of why the reformation began, and why it was needed. The later Protestant reformers weren't protesting the former protestants, they were just coming further it from Rome. But the first reformers became stuck in their one protective of truth and failed to search or accept further truth. Thus they then persecuted those that came after. Like Calvin persecuting Baptists. Calvin did not come out of Luther. He came out of Rome, just further than Luther. Same with Wesley. The Wesley brothers didn't come out of Calvinism, they also simply took further steps away from the apostasy of Rome. None of those churches are now protesting. They are going back to Rome.

 

[marksman]

There is nothing in the Bible that requires a paranormal spiritual encounter, blinding lights, and reincarnation is just a falsehood. In fact, Jesus said blessed are those who believe and DO NOT SEE. In other words, we are saved now by the Word of God. That is how we come to faith. It's not normal for a spiritual supernatural event as you are describing to happen. Most of those, from what I have seen, aren't even real. They are influenced by things people have heard already. For example, the Heaven is for Real book, not real. Why? Because it directly contradicts the Scriptural depictions of Heaven. It's fake. It's people wanting attention.

Sorry to say that what you contend is not the truth. In the last year, I have read about 10 books regarding the situation in the Middle East and which has focussed on God's dealings with Muslims. Time and time again, Muslims testified to having a spiritual encounter with a person, often in a dream which they found out to be Jesus himself. After the encounter, they have all realised that the person talking to them in their dream was Jesus and as a result, they gave up Islam and embraced faith in God, which was dangerous for them to do because if they refused to convert back to Islam they were told they would be killed.

In one book, three teenage boys converted to Christianity and when their families found out they were told: "convert back or you die." They refused so one night two uncles found out where they were and hacked their nephew to death with machetes.

These Muslims are saved by a spiritual encounter with Jesus and in my research, I have found out that this has happened to thousands of them.

 

[marksman]

Are we talking about experiences like Bethel Church's nonsense of "Glory Cloud"??

Nonsense to who?

 

[marksman]

God meets us where we are at. I remember a young man who was a beer-drinking, hard-living, foul-mouthed individual whose only objective in life was to get drunk on Saturday night. He always succeeded. God met him in his drunkenness and saved him. As he tells the story he was wobbling along down the road one Saturday night and fell into the gutter, stone drunk. As he lay there, Jesus appeared to him supernaturally and spoke to him. He got up a changed man, never drank a glass of beer again gave up the foul-mouthed expletives, and because he was so grateful for what God did for him he became an out and proud evangelist, never missing a moment to tell people what God had done for him.

 

[marksman]

Even the question is with an intellectual slant. ;) Why do you ask such questions? The bible is ONLY about such encounters and their aftermath. It is God among us.

God is supernatural and eternal. Any kind of real connection with God is spiritual, miraculous and supernatural. Eternal things are such....in the kingdom realm of the Spirit. (we are supposed to seek to be there) So then what is unusual outside the church should be commonplace inside the church.

But the sign of the times thing creeps back in.

Can I suggest that the church has got to the point where it shuns the supernatural because it may mean they lose control of everything? As many churches say "Why change? We have always done things this way."

That may be fine up to a point but what do you do when you are running a conference and when you invite people forward for prayer, a young man says to you "I am homosexual and I don't want to be." Gulp. help, what do I do? Not come across that one before.

Let me think back over the last 500 years and try and find an answer. Sorry, I haven't got one as there is nothing like that in the last 500 years. I know. Pass it on to one of the senior ministers. He will know what to do. OK, we will let you know in the morning.

We meet in the morning and he tells me what they have decided. We think that you should deal with it! Heeeeelp! No, no, no. Yes, yes, yes. Oh hell.

I tell the young man I am it so off we go to a private room. We get there and sit down. Now what? Read the word. Good. So I read out various scriptures that I think are pertinent to the situation.

"Are you sure this is what you want"?

"Yes, yes, yes."

OK, here we go, (fingers crossed). I lay hands on him and in the name of Jesus, I command this spirit of homosexuality to leave him.

A big yell, a shattering release, and boyo no more spirit.

Was I glad as it was all trial and error, but it worked no thanks to the last 500 years.

 

[marksman]

I've seen the video, it's obviously just dust from ventilation combined with smoke machines. It is a gimmick. It is ridiculous and blasphemous.

There are a lot of churches that have experienced this so I guess they must all have the same ventilation system and the same smoke machines. Do tell me, in what meeting at Bethel did you find this out?