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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The following is an “unofficial” transcript from the taped sermon that was delivered by Dr. C. Bruce White at the 10:30 A.M. “contemporary” assembly—and not at 8:00 A.M. The acceptance and consideration of the accuracy of transcription is at your own discretion. Both tapes of the complete sermon from both services are available (upon request in advance) at the receptionist’s desk of the Madison Church of Christ.

A few points to consider in the study of this sermon:

• This point is troublesome: “… but I think our shepherds and myself both in our prayers and in our discussions and in our work, realize that the Madison church for some years has been a little spiritually immature.” Please correct me if the preceding statement has been misquoted. [One elder has served since 1989; another since 1992. The others have served since 1996, 1998, 1999 (2), 2002 (3) and 2003 (3). What about the 9 elders that resigned in 2001, 2002, 2003? I guess, their votes would not count.
  
  
• Statement: “… we want to renew and strengthen you, guys, that have been in the Lord’s church a while….” Question: What’s happened to “brethren” or “brothers and sisters”? But wait … those expressions are no longer “politically” correct and relevant; we now refer to: shepherds—not elders; fellowship—not brotherhood; praise or worship leader—not song leader; mistakes—not sins; etc.
  
  
• Statement: “… what we need at Madison is not more analysis or planning or preparation, but more devotedness.” But why—did the Saddleback scheme for church growth at Madison not work?
  
  
• On one hand, it has “nothing to do with numbers or budgets.” On the other hand, “invite your friends to come and fill this auditorium with folks that want to worship under this [contemporary] style.”
  
  
• ”… the Spirit does not lead us to fight. He leads us to peace and harmony.” Is there really peace or harmony or unity in diversity? Oh, yeah, right!—“We are a church that has made a decision to serve two mentalities of worship.”
  
  
• How can a Christian say, “Spirit, move that in me!” How can we be filled “with the Spirit like those first century Christians”?
  
  
• ”The Spirit” is mentioned at least 36 times throughout the sermon. Is the topic really about the Holy Spirit? If so, let’s begin the discussion.
  

Donnie Cruz
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Sermon by Dr. C. Bruce White (01/04/04—10:30am, Madison Church of Christ)

DEVOTED

… Looking better … looking better! Just love Christmas, and getting all that good stuff. You know how kids always say … my grandkids … they start opening packages and end up with a toy … and … open … clothes and they just throw them … and look for another. When I was a kid we got underwear for Christmas, not thrilled to death. Had tight elastic again … nice new soft cotton feel … just don’t know how to be thankful. I’m telling you…. [Sorry about the missing syllables and the mumbling.]

What a great day this has been already, and I know it’s going to continue as we celebrate the love of God and His grace and goodness to us. And we’re going to have a wonderful year. I went over this morning and talked to my young people, boy, what a great crowd over here, young people, I love these young people. And, matter of fact, next Sunday night, we’re going to have this place running over with young people. I hope all of you will make your plan to be here next Sunday night at 6 o’clock because we’re going to have the high school at Goodpasture and the high school at David Lipscomb choruses all here next Sunday night at 6 o’clock for our service. So, make your plans to be here next Sunday night here in the auditorium at six. But I love these young people and the excitement they bring to our service and how a young person at the early service, and then here at the second service doing the communion. Isn’t that marvelous? Their love for the Lord and what He has done for them as well as us.

2004—if you haven’t already found out, if you came in this door over here, you notice the bulletin board out in the foyer with our theme “devoted”—that’s our theme for 2004. It comes from Acts 2, verse 42, and turn your Bible there, we’re going to talk about this in a moment. But the calendar, you can hardly see “devoted” on this from your distance, but it says “devoted” up here 2004, and these are here and available at the Welcome Center. Be sure to go by and pick one up because as best as man’s hands can do it, and that’s all I can tell you. We’ve tried to get the calendar of the church program for 2004 in this … in this calendar. So, most everything that’s going to be going on in 2004 is … is on this calendar. So, you want to get one and watch what each week holds in activities here at Madison. And if you get one today and put it up, it will remind you that Lipscomb and Goodpasture choruses are going to be here next Sunday night at six. So, be sure to get one of these this morning as you leave and use this for your advantage through the year.

We’re going to be working toward a kind of difficult, and yet I think practical, program in 2004, and that is, we’re going to try to raise the spiritual level of the Madison Church of Christ. We think we have a marvelous church; we love everybody in it and everybody that’s doing what they can do, but I think our shepherds and myself both in our prayers and in our discussions and in our work, realize that the Madison church for some years has been a little spiritually immature. And not only that, but we recognize that over the last couple of years, we’ve added an awful lot of new people, new babes in Christ. And so we want to found all of these people; we want to renew and strengthen you, guys, that have been in the Lord’s church a while, but basically we want to raise the spiritual temperature, the spiritual understanding of our congregation in 2004. And that’s going to necessitate some changes. It’s going to necessitate some changes in attitude, and it’s going to necessitate some changes in what you do. We want to break the mold. I guess that’s the best way to put it. We are people of habit. And we quickly have it. I had a coach one time who used to tell us the reason we practiced was that practice did not make perfect—practice made habit, and it did. As a matter of fact to this day if I’m watching baseball game and the ball is hit to the left side infield I’d lean toward first instinctively, I just can’t help it. It was drilled in me too much. So, we become creatures of habit. What we do, we have a tendency to do again. And we want to break the mold that you’ve fallen into in the last several years of practicing your religion. So, one of the things that you’re going to have to do in 2004 to really accomplish what we want to accomplish is you’re going to have to come to Sunday School because that’s where it’s going to be happening in 2004. We are going to be doing our own curriculum. We’ve already set the parameters for that. Our teachers are working with those parameters. Every class, regardless of the adult class you choose, will be based on the same theme.

The theme “devoted” comes from Acts 2:42—“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” We’re breaking the year up in those four quarters. First quarter—we’re going to study the apostles’ teachings. Second quarter—we’re going to study fellowship. Third quarter—we’re going to study the breaking of bread. Fourth quarter—we’ll end the year with prayer. So, the Sunday School classes are going to be working on that; the sermons are going to be in there, preacher prerogative, if you will, with the sermons along those lines as well. So, the whole year is going to be kind of organized to bring about in our congregation devotion—devoted to the channel that God’s people in the first century devoted themselves to. Now, let’s talk about that just a little bit. In Acts chapter 2, verse 42, the Bible says they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, to prayer. And understand that verse as well as to understand what we’re going to try to accomplish in 2004 is obvious. You have to understand the word “devoted.” That’s, that’s the key to everything here—devoted.

Years ago, one of my favorite singers was Olivia Newton-John. And she had a song called “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” And that song kind of talks about how she was looking at this relationship with her boyfriend but it ended she was hopelessly devoted to him. So, that’s what kind of this Greek word means here—hopelessly devoted to God. And the word is “p---[Greek]” and actually means to persist in or to continue in the actions of. So, what the Spirit is saying here in verse 42 is these, these early Christians persisted in and continued in the action of the apostles’ teaching and fellowship and to breaking of bread and to prayer. It was not that these brethren in the first century believed, they didn’t believe in the apostle’s doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. But they were actively engaged in, persistently involved in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. There’s a lot of difference and I think far too many of us this day just believe in things. Oh, I believe in the Bible; I believe in the Lord’s Supper; I believe in prayer. That’s not what’s involved here; that’s not where we want you at the end of 2004. We don’t want you believing in something as much as we want you persisting in the continual action of the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer. That’s devoted.

These first century Christians set the standard rather high. As a matter of fact, I don’t know in history of the world, a generation that is equal to what they did. It’s estimated that in five years after Pentecost, in … that five years later there might have been as many as 50,000 Christians in the church in Jerusalem. When you think in terms of that kind of growth, it kind of startles you. And you want to go back, and you don’t want to analyze that, kind of find out what went on how that happened. And, of course, a lot of people have tried to do that. And I don’t know about all those analyses, and I don’t know how we can really go back and put that into the laboratory test tube and get it. But I think I’ve got something I want to share with you. And I hope that after we share this, you’re going to realize that what we need at Madison is not more analysis or planning or preparation, but more devotedness.

Let me just begin by saying that what we’re talking about has nothing to do with me or you. It has nothing to do with numbers or budgets. It has nothing to do with who’s the shepherd and who’s not or what the deacons are doing. What we’re talking about is Jesus. These first century Christians were not the least bit concerned so much about all of those kind of peripheral things that we all get excited about. They were excited about Jesus, about his gospel, about his good news, about the fact that they had been lost in sin, separated from God in this world of darkness without hope. And Jesus Christ left heaven and came to this earth, died on that cross, and they had the availability of His blood to cleanse of their sins and to be put into the fellowship of God and His Spirit. And, folks, I’m going to tell you, I don’t know how it happened, but somewhere or the other, men lost the excitement of that event. They’ve lost the depth of understanding of just what that means. And we must recapture that. There has got to grow in your heart and mind a sincere appreciation for the sacrifice of Jesus. And what that means to you and me, and what that means to our neighbor and our friend, and what that means to this world. And when that excitement gets back in us, then we will begin to kind of accomplish what those first century Christians accomplished.

I’m amazed at religionists, especially their jargon. I listen to a lot of religious stuff, and I read a lot of religious stuff. And I come across phrases like, “Well, the Spirit told me to do this … the Spirit is leading me here … the Spirit’s this … the Spirit’s that.” Let me, let me share this with you—after a long life of experience both within my own life and vicariously with others, I come to understand that there’s not a whole lot that I understand about the Spirit’s work in the present or in the future. There’s, there’s a little. But I tell you one thing, most … most of everything that I know about the work of the Holy Spirit in my life and in the church where I work is in retrospect. Where I can look back and see the Spirit moving, I can see where the Spirit was involved in this or that. But present and future, that … that … that’s a little ambiguous. I’m going to tell you one thing, I might not know a lot about the Spirit’s work in the present or in the future, and I may know some more about the work of the past. But I can tell you one thing—there is not a place in all of the world where I can know more about the work of the Holy Spirit than in Acts chapter 2. Brother, I am going to tell you that in Acts chapter 2, the Spirit is alive. And the Spirit is at work. And the Spirit is accomplishing things in the lives of men that you see and understand and know. And I’ll tell you what I’ve learned. I’ve learned if the Holy Spirit worked like that in Act 2 and ___ to know about it, I need to maybe look at some things that were going on in those people’s lives and say, “Spirit, move that in me!” [lots of “Amen!”] So, I’m hoping that’s … we’re going to go in 2004.

If you’re [pause] … now, I’m going to preach; I’m going to meddle [laughter] … this gets tough. If you’re trying to be a mover or shaker in the Madison Church of Christ, I’m going to … start to say … ask … I’m going to insist … I’m going to insist that you scrutinize your motives. I want you to get on your knees, and I want you to pray fervently. Am I really yielding my heart and my spirit to God’s Spirit? Because whatever happened there in Acts 2 didn’t happen because of planning and preparation and activity and meetings and intelligence and wisdom of men. That thing wasn’t ___ of men, let’s build us something for God. That thing happened because some men submitted their hearts to the Spirit of God, and God through that Spirit built it. [Amen!] And we don’t need any clandestine meetings and little bathroom discussions and sale groups at some homes determining the destiny of the Madison Church of Christ. We need hearts yielded to the Spirit of God [Amen! Applause! Applause! Applause] And if your heart, if your motive is to be known or to be talked about or be a leader and all this kind of things, then let me just kindly say to you: SHUT UP! [Audience laughing.] We want the Holy Spirit of God working in this church.

Now, most men’s lives fail, not because of talent or a loss of talent or lack of talent, but for lack of purpose. And this church has been filled for years with talent and ability and intelligence and wisdom and men and women with power. But I’m going to tell you, it’s not going to be built on that. It’s going to be built, and it’s going to grow on God’s Spirit directing our intelligence and our wisdom and our strength in channels that He has supplied and set up [Amen! Amen!] And that’s what Acts 2:42 is all about. They devoted themselves to planning sessions and to building programs and to visitation programs, and to getting out there and knocking on doors and having all kinds of church work programs that were … that forced others to get into. No. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, prayer. Growth came as a result of doing what God told them to do.

You know, at the insistence of my wife, I plant grass seed. And I … I don’t worry about that. I go out there and strew that grass seed, and it’s going to come up. Because, you know, my ground is fertile and I get good seed and I throw it out there, and I water a little bit, and it’s going to grow. As a matter of fact, it grows more than I like for it to, and she won’t mow it. [Laughter] And I’m going to tell you something. God’s church is not going to grow because of our perspiration; it’s going to grow because of His inspiration. [Amen!] And if we will just channel ourselves in God’s Spirit in the way God tells us to channel ourselves, growth will result.

Growth just happens. Folks are going to come where God’s word and God’s work is being done. And where people are excited and in love with the Lord and … and … and praising the Lord and serving the Lord in every way they can, people are just going to come and be a part of that. And we’re going to have to make that a part of our program of life because that’s what we’re talking about, we’re talking about life. And we’re not talking about how to live; we’re talking about why you live. It doesn’t matter how you live, we’re not in this thing to compete with each other on how we live. We’re in this thing for why we live and that’s the purpose of our life—to bring glory to God. And when we’re all involved in why we live, we impress everybody around us because everybody is really looking for a why. What is this all about? So, when we get ourselves channeled in the right ways, then, people are going to notice that. And growth is going to happen. And that means were going to make a united effort.

Notice verse 44 in Acts 2. All the believers were together and had everything in common. We are a church that has made a decision to serve two mentalities of worship. And we’re going to be that way. At 8 o’clock we’re going to have a traditional worship service. And it’s going to be a traditional worship service. And folks are going to enjoy that, and they are going to want to come to that when the Spirit of God starts moving the hearts of those people at the 8 o’clock worship service. At 10:30 we’re going to have a contemporary service. And the 10:30 service, you have to take ownership of this service. It’s your service, so when you enjoy the one you want to come to, so you must take possession and ownership of it and make it exciting and enthusiastic and invite your friends to come and fill this auditorium with folks that want to worship under this style. I’m going to tell you, we are not … we are not engaged in conflict and confrontation. We’re going to be together in all things. [Amen!] And the thing we are going to be together in is our common love of Jesus Christ. And He is the Lord of our lives; he is the Lord of the 8 o’clock people’s lives. He is the Lord of this group class. And when Jesus is the Lord of your life, then the Spirit is leading and guiding you and I’m going to tell you, the Spirit does not lead us to fight. He leads us to peace and harmony. And we’re going to have all things in common and we’re going to be together in the Spirit of the Lord, and we’re going to build two services that fill this auditorium both times.

Not by our plan, not by our work thoughts, not by our … all of our effort but by opening our hearts to the Spirit, letting that Spirit lead this church to where God wants it to be. But I’ll tell you one thing—I know, and I don’t know a whole lot. [Long pause] I knew that was coming. [Applause] I was just waiting on it. [Laughing] But I can tell you one thing I know—God wants a church filled with love. And that’s what we’re going to have. We’re just going to have a church in love with each other. It’s not going to be anything ugly and … and … not going to be any badmouthing going on around here’ we’re going to love each other; we’re going to share together, and we’re going to … and if the time comes and necessity brings it … we’ll sell all our possessions and bring it in common and no one will suffer. Where else were you going to be? Fill with the Spirit like those first century Christians. You say they set the standards, and instead of analyzing that and trying to look at some type of activitiy, when you get out of it, let’s just submit to the Lord like they did. And let our hearts be led by the Spirit of God. They believed what they were doing and they were sacrificial, willing to give up whatever they needed to be given up for the glory of God, for the good of the kingdom, and that needs to be our spirit and attitude.

So, 2004 is going to be an experiment at Madison in raising the spiritual level of temperature of every member here. But you’re going to have to change. It can’t be the same-o … same-o in 2004. You need to be going to Sunday School. So, find your class, adult class that suits your need, and get involved in that study with us. Be at the worship service. I mean just … well, we’ll excuse you for death. [Laughter] Other than that just be here [Laughing] because being together in worship and praise to the Lord, is a vital part of that growth, as well and then build your personal relationship with God in 2004.

Let’s pray: Father, we thank You so much for all that You do for us.Thank you for Your love. Thank you for Jesus. Help us to submit to His lordship in our lives. Help us to welcome Your Spirit into our hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, no one said this was going to be easy. Lots of things in life are not easy. I had a Hispanic minister down at Decatur, and he … we used to share a lot … he had talked to me about learning English. And he said, “man, that was tough learning English. That’s the hardest language.” He said, for instance, what does G-I-V-E spell? G-I-V-E (give) [Laughter!] Then he said, but what does F-I-V-E spell? (fiv)? Oh, “five … well!” You know, if you write a letter and you’re going to mail it, you put it in an: … envelope. But if we’re going to embrace or overwhelm something, you don’t “envelope” it, you “envelop” it … well! And then he said, one day I was in a grocery store, and he said, I was waiting in line and I heard a mother say to her little boy: Stop being ugly [great, great laughter] He said: How do you do that? [More great laughter] If you could do that, Chris would have done it years ago. [Laughter] Well, but whose ____ did not give up in learning English? Now, he speaks it very fluently, and he is a great worker for the Lord with the Hispanic community there.

Well, I think that’s worthwhile … growing spiritually. The devil is not going to let you … do that. He is not going to sit and applaud you grow spiritually. And so you’re going to make an effort. You’re going to have to make some changes … changes in locale and ways you’d act and form an attitude and so forth and be what God wants you to be. But the Madison church is only as strong as our weakest member. And you don’t want to be that weakest link, do you? So, let’s just open our hearts to the Spirit of God this year. Maybe, this morning you’re here and you’re outside of Christ, you need to obey the gospel and be baptized into Jesus. Or, maybe you’re a Christian and you’re saying, I want that walk with God that’s on a higher plain. If we can help and assist you, you come while we stand and sing.
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Don't miss a VITAL question asked in SS in Exile: "Was Jesus a Jew?"

http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/message?forumid=187069&messageid=1073350997

THIS IS VITAL as we look at ALL of the Change Agents but especially John Mark Hicks who says that Paul identified the Lord's Supper as an Old Testament MEAL where God actually EATS with the people.

We will be looking AT DONNIE'S QUESTIONS AND SOME TROUBLING COMMENTS FROM BRUCE WHITE WHICH MAY SIGNAL THE "DON FINTO'S" SCAM TO GET YOU TO SELL OFF THINGS TO SUPPORT THE CHURCH. Don began with claiming to be something like the Vicar or Apostle to ALL the churches.

PLEASE WARN PEOPLE NOT TO GET SCAMMED BY THE TITHING OR "LAW OF GIVING" WHERE THE POOR SUPPORT THE RICH.

If the SPIRITUALLY IMMATURE is the CHARISMATIC service then Bruce seems to confess that the PROGRESSIVE worship service consists of a LOT of NEWBIES who need to be matured. Does that indicate that the TRADITIONAL service makes up the MAJORITY of what is left of the Old Madison Church of Christ. Did A HOLY SPIRIT lead these people to DELIBERATELY SOW DISCORD so that they could GROW the church from about 3,300 to probably less than 1,000 of the OWNERS of the property? What SPIRIT led them to believe that it was SPIRITUAL to OFFEND thousands of these little ones?

I think that this is, in part due to the NEW TRADITIONALISM which developed in the early 20th century. NO restoration movement can endure in the TENSION between the Word of God and the PULL of Satan to Destroy it. Satan can get his "claws" (musical-charismatic) into people ONLY when what T. Campbell saw church as THE SCHOOL OF CHRIST, and WORSHIP as giving attention to the reading and discussion of the Word, was TAKEN CAPTIVE by people who HAVE NOT THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST. The PHD mania which was a Post War Makes Work Project just as David's MUSICIANS was a post-war MAKES WORK PROJECT, attracted too many who saw "Godliness as a means of financial gain." That means, as OCCUPATION rather than as MINISTRY .

The other Satanic weapon (instrument) is to PIT the olden father against the younger son, putting THEM BOTH on the throne, and HALLUCINATING the Holy Spirit Person (people) as the "god" of this, His dispensation for which only HE is qualified to lead. When God pours out His Wrath (I repeat) He sends strong delusions through strong deluders: the Wandering Stars reserved from old. The wrath prophesied against Messial means a "orge" which makes the PRETENDERS to Godhood (Incarnated) into BUFFOONS where fools disarm the fooled into APPLAUSE which is MOCKING God. COURT JESTERS or clowns have always been USED by the KING to mock the king to DISARM those with TRUE CHARGES to lodge against the King or his fools.

To some, the third member of the polytheistic "god family" speaks to them AUDIBLY. I don't know how Bruce White is going to know whether the leaders are hearing a HOLY spirit or an UNHOLY SPIRIT. A holy spirit made holy at BAPTISM does not, CANNOT deliberately sow discord. One can suspect that the TRADITIONAL service is all that is left of the Old Madison--if you don't count the JAIL population as members.
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The word "Spirit" is used in two senses: one, it describes God in His invisible, immaterial form. God, the Holy Spirit, was made visible in the form of Jesus.

In another sense, the Holy Spirit to us is "the Mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2.). We simply have no way of understanding pure Spirit, else God would not have moved into the physical realm to supply Spirit. Ministering the holy spirit is through the word of Christ the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit (Mind of Christ) is to the true Being of God what our mind or spirit is to us (1 Cor. 2). Because our bodies will die and decay, our only true self is the spirit which God put into everyone.

Jesus reveals His Mind or Spirit to us through His Words which He said were Spirit and Life (John 6:63).

Our spirit is A holy spirit only to the extent that the Mind of Christ occupies our thoughts and actions.

Because no human can "minister" or "supply" the Spirit by physically manhandling a "person" to place "Him" in our bodies, Paul ministered the Spirit by preaching the full gospel or "everything which pertains to life and Godliness" in our lives.

For instance, The Bible personifies THOUGHT, Truth and Spirit. "Trinity" has pre-TRADITIONAL church of Christ people SEPARATED God into The Family of Gods.

For the (1) WORD (Dabar=Logos=Spirit of Christ) of the (2) Lord (Jehovah) is right; and all HIS works are done in TRUTH. Psa 33:4

By the WORD of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the (3) BREATH (Spirit) of his MOUTH. Psa 33:6

Mouth: Peh (h6310) peh; from 6284; the mouth (as the means of blowing)

Breath is SPIRIT: Ruwach (h7307) roo'-akh, roo'-akh; from 7306; wind; by resemblance breath... by resemblance SPIRIT, but only of a rational being (includ. its EXPRESSION and FUNCTIONS)

Because GOD, the only Spirit, is IN CHRIST JESUS He is ministering the holy spirit through the word of Christ the Spirit. Paul said that he MINISTERED the SPIRIT through PREACHING. Now, SPIRIT is not some SUBSTANCE you get when the presumptious lay their hands on you, SPIRIT, according to Jesus is HIS Words which are als LIFE.

God, through Zechariah, shows how people so damage their spirits to such an extent that they no longer belong to God. Therefore, as He did the nation of Israel, He allowed them to walk in their own ways and worship like the nations.

But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they SHOULD not hear . Zechariah 7:11

They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law OR to the WORDS that the LORD Almighty had sent by HIS Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry. Zechariah 7:12
...Therefore it is come to pass, that
...as he cried, and they would not hear;
...so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord (Jehovah) of hosts: Zechariah 7:13

In Matthew 13 Jesus spoke parables to of the multitudes to keep them from even hearing the word. When they do not hear then God quits speaking to them. In this sense He "hardens" their heart. Stated in another way, when people reject God and He lets them go by His permissive will He is said to have hardened their hearts.

This was repeated as the Jews killed Jesus and Stephen. Stephen was not gentle when he lashed out at the clergy who took away the key to knowledge and would murder you if you threatened their jobs:

"Ye stiffnecked and UNCIRCUMCISED in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost : as your fathers did, so do ye. Acts 7:51

"Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Acts 7:52

"Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. Acts 7:53

To resist or quench the spirit is to refuse to listen to God's words which are Spirit.

The prophets with the power of the Spirit or Mind of Christ were ministering the Spirit through the Word. Peter says that they were--

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 1 Peter 1:11

We noted that God Who is pure or Holy Spirit can also have a Spirit of or mental disposition of Himself. Paul said that NO ONE can hear the SPIRIT IN THE WORD until they UNCIRCUMCISED IN HEART have been BAPTIZED (Col 2) and therefore have TURNED TO THE LORD;

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17

Therefore, the Spirit God and the Spirit of God are not two people. I hope you will read the CLEAR explanation to those with a CIRCUMCISED HEART. In 1 Cor 2:

The Holy Spirit
.....Is to God
What OUR spirit
....is to us.

WE (humans) have the MIND of Christ.


God the WORD or "SON" spoke ONLY what He heard from God the FATHER spoke to Him. The WORDS are SPIRIT and LIFE because they come from a HOLY SPIRIT GOD. Holy means pure or WHOLLY: God is NOT made up of PARTS. They are SPIRIT because they come from the "MOUTH" of God by His BREATH (spirit). The Spirit of Christ, Christ, Paul and Peter DO NOT SPEAK to the UNWASHED. That is why they REPUDIATE God the "father" of the thought Who speaks His WORDS as the "son" through His breath of inspiration guiding the APOSTLES but not the dominants of many churches.
Again, ministering the holy spirit is through the word of Christ the Spirit. Those who think that they have PERSONAL POSSESSION of 1/3 of God are a SECTARIAN group group of what Luther and Calvin would call FANATICS. The PREACHERS of this HERESY want you to believe that when the ELDERS rock and roll while pretending that it is a HOLY spirit may simply just be infantile and effeminate. However, this FALSE CLAIM, adopted from the mountain snake handlers, has proven a POWER PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVICE. As the hill or forest Alpha Males dominate the clan and often get first choice of the brides, the DRESSED UP URBAN types usually have a FIST into the ALMS given for the poor widows or the destitute. They can pick the pockets of the living or even dead, crippled widows WITH A HIGH HAND.

Ken Sublett

Did All Christians in the First Century Possess Miraculous Gifts?

by Wayne Jackson
Christian Courier: Questions

This article addresses the question as to whether all Christians in the first century were in possession of miraculous gifts.
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“In Act 2, when the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, was it on the apostles only, or did the 3,000 who were baptized also receive miraculous gifts? Please explain.

“If everyone received the gifts, were they promised until ‘that which is perfect’ (1 Corinthians 13:10) was come? Did the Ethiopian eunuch receive a miraculous gift? If so, how?”

First, there is no evidence that anyone other than the apostles received the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. That blessing had been promised to them (see Acts 1:5,8). The only other exception was to the household of Cornelius, in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, as a divine token that Gentiles were to be admitted into the church (Joel 2:28ff; cf. Acts 2:17ff; 10:44; 11:15; 15:8).

Second, there is no explicit testimony which indicates that anyone other than the apostles possessed miraculous gifts for some time following Pentecost. If the claim be made that the expression “gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38) reflects such, we would insist that this is a point to be proven, not merely asserted. The expression itself does not determine the nature of the gift. In fact, the evidence of Luke’s subsequent record suggests otherwise.

Note the following:

a. “wonders and signs were done through the apostles” (Acts 2:43).
b. “by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought” (5:12).

These passages are puzzling if all of the early Christians were going about performing miracles.

As far as the inspired narrative actually reveals, the first people to receive supernatural gifts, besides the apostles, were the seven special church servants chosen in Acts 6:1ff. Of them the record says: “and when they [the apostles] had prayed, they laid their hands upon them . . . And Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought great signs among the people” (6:6,8).

Third, no, the Ethiopian eunuch did not possess a miraculous gift. In order for the eunuch to have possessed a supernatural gift, it would have been necessary for an apostle to have laid hands upon him (Acts 6:6; 8:18; 19:6). But the Ethiopian had contact with no one but Philip, who was not an apostle. [Note: The “Philip” mentioned in Acts 8 was Philip, the evangelist (21:8), not Philip, the apostle (Mt. 10:3).] It is evident that Philip could not bestow miraculous gifts, for after he converted many of the Samaritans, the apostles Peter and John had to be sent to Samaria to convey gifts to the disciples there (8:14ff).

Further, in 1st Corinthians 12, Paul frames a series of questions regarding supernatural gifts:

“Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? do all have the gifts of healings? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?” (29-30).

In the Greek Testament, each of these questions is prefaced with the negative particle me, which is designed to elicit a negative answer to the queries.

The word “miracles” (dunamis - vs. 29) is a broad term for any supernatural gift, emphasizing the divine power behind it. The implication underlying these questions is clearly this: not everyone in the first century church possessed a miraculous gift.

The evidence appears conclusive: miraculous gifts in the early church were limited to select persons; they were not available universally to all saints.

For a more detailed study, see our Archives for the article titled, Miracles.