Bible Questions & Discussion PAGE 205

Well Texsis,

It sound like you are in the midst of a change in your life and need direction from the Lord in choosing the best thing. I can pray for you again right now.

Dear Heavenly Father, we always come to You in prayer int he name of Jesus, because He told us to do so and said You will answer! Texsis and I are asking that You guide her in this possible move. Raise up her spirits to be feeling more gladdened on heart. It probably best for us to not make important decisions when we are feeling down, so Texsis does need you to work in her right now to be uplifted and sober minded concerning this possibility. We know that You are with us always wherever we may be living or wherever we go. So, asking that You give Texsis clear direction here. She is concerned about the temptation to return to her former life she lived while in Utah. Keep her from ever going back to that way of living, Father. Strengthen her to repel all temptations towards falling into a sin-filled lifestyle. Sanctify her today and empower her to resist whet ever tempted her before. We know how much You love us and desire for us to be holy and godly in our life. So, guide Texsis to the situation that will be most helpful to her to live this way for You. Amen.

S. Spencer, I do not disagree with the Scriptures you quoted at all. Paul is saying that he was not putting forward to those he preached to his own words, but the words of the Holy Spirit as he was anointed to do so. though very intelligent, he submitted to the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He was not looking to impress anyone with his natural abilities, but to impress them with the need for salvation in Christ.

As one reads the epistles of Paul it is very apparent that he is one God had gifted in communicating in speech and writing. He did not all of a sudden become literate and effective in these things upon conversion. He says elsewhere where he was trained by Gamaliel, so he could read and write easily.

Steven, my concern here is that you seem to be are denigrating the value of being intelligent in your replies to me. I do agree that we cannot be puffed up in our own knowledge or prideful of our talents. I was not doing that as you imply. On the flip side, we cannot be anti-intellectual in our approach to spiritual things either. Both intellectualism and anti-intellectualism are detrimental to any believer. We are to be balanced in this area and humble enough to know that we need to abide by the counsel of the Holy Spirit in all matters in our lives. But we are not to speak badly about talents God has given us. They are gifts and blessings and we should view them as such, knowing that these, along with all aspects of our persons and abilities are to be submitted to the workings of the Holy Spirit.

I don't think we really have anything to continue discussing here. I stand by what I have written and it is fine if you stand by what you have written. I think the issue is in how you interpret what I have written due to your predisposition about the topic of intellectual gifts. You see them as a negative. I see them as a positive as long as one uses them in obedience to God's will and direction.

We can leave this be for now.

Here is the basis of Jema's very important question.

Quoting Jema.

The thing that puzzles me is : 'promised before the world began' , where did Paul get this specific information from at that time ? I guess Paul was wise for his time , we know because we have the full Bible , old and new and we can discern the big picture . We can recognise that it was God's perpose all along , to creat a people who would love Him and want to be with Him , where and how did Paul find this out ?

The only way this could be revealed to Paul is by divine intervention by the words of Christ assisted by the Holyspirit.

Paul was sharing what was revealed to him as did the other Disciples and Apostles.

The Holyspirit is our strength today, He assist our teaching and reveals truth to the blood tipped ear.

The Ministry of the Holyspirit and our total dependency on him is paramount to the Christian fate.

You see that also played out in

1 Corinthians 3:1-23.

Hi Gigi.

You said you disagree with me about his natural abilities. He was a very intelligent man prior to his conversion with many skills and abilities that God used.

And you said you don't think Paul is meaning in the verses I quoted that he was illiterate, nor unskilled with language or reason prior to conversion.

Re examine my post, I didn't say either of those things.

Here's all I said; Paul in his "Natural mind/ Wisdom persecuted Christians and did not understand the things of God.

Referring to this verse.

1 Timothy 1:13-14.

And IGNORANTLY IN UNBELIEF!! That wasn't a blessing.

Everything else I posted that you disagree with was scripture I copied pasted and posted.

The emphasis is that NO! God doesn't need anything intellectual from anyone and nor does he seek out those things.

The reason being is that we will do exactly what you are displaying now. Glory man and not God.

Listen to Paul again here in

1 Corinthians 2:1-4.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

FOR I DETERMINED NOT TO KNOW ANY THING AMONG YOU! save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

AND MY SPEECH AND MY PREACHING WAS NOT WITH ENTICING WORDS OF MAN'S WISDOM, BUT IN DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT AND OF POWER:

Paul says he came to them as someone Knowing nothing!

This section of scripture Parallels with the passage you disagree with in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.

When we are born again we start out as babes in Christ and we feed on the sincere milk of the word whereby we grow, as Peter mentioned in his epistle.

The Holyspirit is the most neglected member of the Godhead amongst the Church,

That's why there is so much ignorance in the word of God.

There's many verses that disagree with you

Philippians 3:4-8.

So I disagree with your take that God blessed and prepared Paul with intellect to prepare him for ministry.

GB.

Just finished responding to GiGi when I noticed your responce & have to get grandson fed. Will definitly look up & read all you sent. Tho one quick Qs: so what meaning of 1Cor, 14:2? If you already answered this, I will catch it later or tomorrow. Thanks so much & God bless 'Texsis'

Wow, thank you so much.! I'm glad it was you who God led torespond. Not sure whats going on w/me lately yet its so good to know my friends (if I may) in Christ are hear for me. I'm thinking (yet in constint prayer) of going bk to Utah. Living here is really bringing me down & I refuse to go back to the old me. So thank you for helping. God bless always 'Texsis'. P.s. guess I'll have to change my user name out west ha? Or maybe just add a desert type mountain to it somehow..lol. thnx again GiGi, as always, yur a blessing

Texsis, 2/2

Maybe tongues ceased existing in the church? Joel's prophesy that was recalled by Peter on Pentecost covers a time period from that time all the way to "19And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:" So it seems that they will keep existing to the very end.

Was it for the Jews? No, the epistle to the church of Corinth was for the gentiles.

What about 1 Cor 13:8? Let's read the whole passage from 8 to 13, "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.

11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." So it is clear that tongues will stop existing when "the perfect comes", that is when we enter Heaven.

Is it a matter of salvation? No it is not, as GiGi put it right "As for being saved, this is not based on speaking in tongues, but on faith in Jesus. Any and all who place their faith and trust in Him to save us are saved by his grace freely bestowed upon us."

So what "do I do now?" Do you want my advice? When kneeling down to pray why don't you keep asking God for His Spirit and the sign of it, speaking in tongues? In science they say that a theory can not be a Law unless it is proved experimentally. GBU

Hello Texsis 1/2

Let's put some things in order about tongues.

What are tongues? They are unknown languages spoken by a believer.

Do they understand what they say? No, they don't unless they have a revelation from God. 1 Cor 14:13. "Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.".

Is it necessary to speak in tongues? Yes it is. Why? 1 Cor 14:4, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.".

What does apostle Paul say about us speaking in tongues? 1 Cor 14:5, "I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying." Paul also speaks about prophesying.

Was Paul speaking in tongues? Yes, he did, 1 Cor 14:18, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:".

So what is this thing speaking in tongues? On Pentecost the sign that the apostles received the Spirit was speaking in tongues. Similarly in the Cornelious' incident. Similarly in the incident with Paul and the disciples in Ephesus. So it a sign that a believer has received the Spirit of God. But it is also a spiritual gift, 1 Cor 12:10, "To 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:" From that verse it also shown as before that a believer does not understand what they say unless the have the gift of interpreting. The specific gift is "kinds of tongues", that is many different tongues.

Maybe as many say, love is enough (ch. 13) so those tongues are not needed anymore? 1 Cor 14:1, "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy."

Italicized words were words put in by the translators of the King James Bible. So sometimes when you translate something from one language, there is not a perfect translation, but rather a phrase. For example: "Consuegro" in Spanish translates to "your son or daughter's parent-in-law" in English. In this example they are referring to the parent-in-law, so the child's name would be italicized. It was just the way they had to translate for it to make sense or else we would have some weird verses. For example Isaiah 57:19 would say, "I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to far off, and to near, saith the LORD; and will heal him." we know the context is talking about a "him," so they added the italicized words to help it make sense.

As far as the apocrypha goes, I do not believe it is equally inspired as scripture. Titus 1:2 says that God cannot lie. There are parts of the apocrypha that go against what the canonical KJV says which in turn make that part of the apocrypha false. In the translating of the KJV, the translators had many copies of the same scripture that said the same thing. Any that said something different were looked at and decided upon. If 9 out of 10 said one thing, they would ignore the 1. It makes sense as that would have been a misprinted or wrongly copied scroll of scripture. They were objective as possible as they translated. The apocrypha were all translated the same way, they were separate books so they did not compare them to the other books during translation. Later, they decided that they would not be accepted as they contradicted the other scriptures. If God cannot lie, then His word cannot lie. 2 Peter 1:21 tells us that God gave the writers what to write. meaning it was inspired. So since those books contradicted the others, they are clearly not of God.

I'm going to politely assume you grew up Pentecostal and that's when you were told that speaking in tongues was proof of salvation. That just isn't true and I'll show you why.

1 Corinthians 14:26-28 is just saying if you are speaking in a tongue/another language you need an interpreter. Tongues were known languages. You see, tongues is used to say that they are speaking in a language they weren't taught. Proof of this is in Genesis 10:5 where the world was split because of the building of the tower of Babel, and God gave them each a different language or tongue.

Now the New Testament understanding of tongues is that you are filled with the spirit and in turn you can speak in tongues of other languages. That was completely reserved for the first century church and here is why:

1. It was clearly not a sign of salvation ( 1 Corinthians 14:22)

a. It was for the Jews ( 1 Corinthians 14:21) "This people" is God talking about Jews.

2. It was done away with ( 1 Corinthians 13:8-10)

a. "Tongues shall cease": the meaning of "that which is perfect" means the completion of scripture. So when Revelation was finished by the apostle John, tongues ceased.

3. Proof of salvation is by our works and not by signs ( James 2:14-19)

4. Tongues was never received after baptism, but after receiving the Holy Spirit ( Acts 10:44-48, Acts 19:6)

a. After receiving the Holy Ghost they would speak in tongues, it was not when they were baptized.

5. Tongues are not necessary ( 1 Corinthians 14:19)

As clearly seen, tongues were merely a sign for the Jews that was used by Spirit filled Christians which was done away with after scripture was completed; not proof of salvation. Salvation is completely through Christ and Christ alone. Romans 5:8, 6:23, 10:9, 10:23, and John 14:6. You don't need tongues to tell you that you are saved, you need the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

If you would like more elaboration, just respond back to this with your questions.

Dear S. Spencer. While I agree that Paul prior to conversion did not understand the gospel and the spiritual things of God in Christ, I disagree with you about his natural abilities. He was a very intelligent man prior to his conversion with many skills and abilities that God used after his conversion in Paul's ministry in addition to giving Paul spiritual knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of the gospel after conversion.

I don't think Paul is meaning in the verses you quoted that he was illiterate, nor unskilled with language or reason prior to conversion. He was indicating that intelligence, oratory and linguistic skills, skill at reasoning were not profitable towards salvation.

God causes some people to be born with exceptional abilities that He intends to use for His kingdom once a person is converted. Paul was one such person who had extraordinary skills. I happen to have two sons that are in the "gifted" range intellectually. These exceptional intellectual abilities were not aquired as they grew. They were born this way. It was evident early in infancy in their problem solving skills and early language acquisition. There are a number of people in in my family that are such. My uncle was a mechanical genius. These abilities are given by God and are not to be denigrated, but acknowledged as good. However, no amount of 'giftedness' ensures salvation nor brings them to salvation. My uncle was a Mormon until his death. Salvation is a work of God. But once one is saved, these exceptional abilities can be well used for kingdom purposes, as Paul's were so used. We have his writings compiled to make up most of the New Testament epistles that include the majority of doctrines of the Christian faith taught and expounded upon for good reason. He was chosen for this and gifted for this work innately and with spiritual gifts after conversion. God used both ways to equip Paul for the work He had predestined for him to do.

Hi Gigi.

Yes God blessed the Apostles, including Paul with wisdom of words, But until AFTER they were converted!

Paul in his "Natural mind/ Wisdom persecuted Christians and did not understand the things of God.

Listen to Paul in his own words.

1 Timothy 1:13-14.

Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I DID IT IGNORANTLY IN UNBELIEF.

And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ.

Paul said he did it "IGNORANTLY IN UNBELIEF!! That wasn't a blessing.

Here again.

1 Corinthians 2:4.

1 Corinthians 2:6

1 Corinthians 2:12.

1 Corinthians 2:14-15.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31.For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

That no flesh should glory in his presence.

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

God bless.

Hello Jema,

Paul was indeed richly blessed. He was given revelation on these things when He was in Arabia for 3 years where Christ appeared to Him and taught him these things.

Paul was a very learned man, being taught by Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin when Paul was growing up. He also was given a mind that could reason well, gain expertise in using language to explain knowledge ot others and a gift oratory finesse in addressing crowds effectively. God had blessed him with these talents and when he was converted and filled with the Holy Spirit, God used these talents along with spiritual gifts to be an effective and forceful witness to those he was given to speak concerning the gospel and Jesus Christ.

How blessed we are of God through His work in Paul.

Hello Texsis,

We are asked to seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness that comes from faith in Jesus. This is our priority as believers. We can know that the Lord will certainly lead us in our daily walk.

As for being saved, this is not based on speaking in tongues, but on faith in Jesus. Any and all who place their faith and trust in Him to save us are saved by his grace freely bestowed upon us.

As to speaking in tongues. Paul did say that they will cease ( 1 Cor. 13:8). This does not mean that tongues have necessarily ceased in this day, but perhaps so. We do not know the mind of God in this matter. he can do whatever He wills and bestow whatever gift He deems good and appropriate to any believer. But the Scripture do not declare that a person must speak in tongues to be truly saved. That doctrine is an addition to Scripture and should be discarded.

The important thing is that you have the true sign of conversion, the Holy Spirit dwelling in you Who helps you to believe and grow in faith and knowledge of God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, His Son.

Texsis, I will pray for you today.

Dear Heavenly Father, we come before You with humble and needy hearts asking for you to strengthen our faith in You, in Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit. We know that You all work together for good to to those who love You and who are called by You to believe and be saved. Refresh Texsis today in her heart, soul, mind, and body. Strengthen her faith today and bring her deep assurance of her present salvation and Your power to sustain her in faith forever. I ask You today to give Texsis discernment in these matters of b=salvation and speaking in tongues so that she will understand properly. We thank you for all the gifts You bestow upon believers for the edification of the body of Christ and teach each believer how to exercise the gift the Spirit has given to them. How gracious You are, Lord God. You have given us so much already, but we ask that You continue to bless us

David, I certainly will.

Dear Heavenly Father, David and his family need answers to requests made in prayer to You today, especially Jessica and Adam.

This is why we come to You because you alone are God and You alone have the power to answer all prayers in the best way. help David and Kristie today with all their needs and concerns. You know what they need before they even ask, thankfully. Ashley and Jessica need Your touch on their lives today. Help them to grow in faith and love for You and Your ways. Bless Adam in his work and family. Keep their marriage strong and centered on You. Bless the grandchildren in this family, leading them in the truth that is in You, Your son, and the Holy Spirit in Whom their is always agreement, harmony, and unity. May this family also live in agreement, harmony, and unity in Your truth and in faith in You. We ask these things of You, Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

1 Cor 14, about speaking in tongues..yet especially 2 & 9-14. Confuses me & I was told if we dont speak in tongues we are not truly save or going to heaven. * John 3 says 'if we believe in Him, will not perish but have everlasting life. Which is what I believe. Tho been doughting myself latly so if anyone can help, I'd be greatful. I also read tongues is a just speaking in Spanish or Latin not English, For those that dont speak in other tongues. So is that it & speaking in tongues just jibberish, or is it real?

Thanks Gasman for your reply; I'm glad that my answer to you might have been a little helpful. However, your question as to when does a human (whether still in embryonic form or after release from the womb) is equipped with a soul & spirit, can't really be answered irrefutably, simply because the Word is silent on it & very likely the medical profession will never admit it. Though some Scriptures might help us, such as Ecclesiastes 3:19-21; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59; James 2:26; and maybe others which seem to show both the importance & destination of the human spirit when the body dies. Then again, the word 'soul' is also used similarly: Matthew 10:28; Matthew 16:26; Revelation 6:9, which seems to further confuse this matter of distinction between soul & spirit. However, as man is made in his Creator's Image, I believe that he needs to be fully equipped with & reflect this fully formed creative work; hence the need for this three-fold aspect of his humanness.

Yet, as you wrote, "Our core values we know for sure but secondary issues we don't", which is what we need to emphasize & build up one another on, rather than on matters we know little or nothing about. Yet, it's always an interesting exercise to ponder even over such things. Blessings.

Hi again Jema.

I left out the most important aspect!

Even though the Apostles walked, saw, and heard Jesus in person, they couldn't perceive the spiritual truth.

They had to wait on the Holyspirit.

John 16:13-14.

Bless you

Hi Jema.

Thank you.

Paul git his revelation directly fron Christ! Galatians 1:11-12.

God bless.

Thank you, Chris. As the old guy said, " It was about as clear as mud in the past but now I am starting to see some light".

Just trying to work out the knicks in my thinking.

So at conception, when the seed and egg unites our physical body is form and our soul? Then or sometime after conception God puts a spirit/ life force in us?

When you say "often very debatable" are you saying that this subject is debatable among honest Christians or we may never know for sure or both?

Our core values we know for sure but secondary issues we don't.

Thanks a bunch for reponding. Until He returns.

Gasman

Does anybody on this site think that God would come to this earth as Jesus Christ in a flesh body ( Jn 1:1,14) and not have His Words documented, or written down in a book exactly as He wanted them written for the Lastdays generation?

( 2 Tim 2:15) "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed ((rightly dividing the word of truth))". This verse tells us to rightly divide the word of truth, we do have the word of truth to study today according to this verse, Right?

( Rom 10:17) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing ((by the word of God)) Again, we have the Word of God today, Right?

( Jn 17:17) "Sanctify them through thy truth: ((thy word is truth)) ( Jn 8:31-32) v31 "If ye continue in my word" v32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free". ( Jn 14:6) ( Jn 14:23-24)

( Jn 3:34-35) v34 "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God"

( Mt 4:4) "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by ((every word)) that proceedeth out of the mouth of God".

( Prov 30:5-6) v5 "Every word of God is pure" v6 "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar".

The word (pure) is #2889; it means clean, to be pure, sound, unadulterated, uncontaminated.

The KJB tells us in ( 2 Cor 2:17) "For we are not as many, which (corrupt) the word of God" The word (corrupt) is #2585; it means to adulterate.

The niv says in ( 2 Cor 2:17) "Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God". The niv's words are adulterated, contaminated, not sound, they are being found a liar.

( Jer 23:36) The word (perverted) is #2015; it means to change, overturn, pervert, change.

All modern version bibles have changed, perverted the Words of the living God.

The KJB ( Ps 12:6-7) v6 "The words of the LORD are (pure) words" v7 "thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever"

The niv says in ps, 12:7 "O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever" WOW

( Isa 55:11) ( 1 Cor 1:10)

Trust the KJB only!

Blessings.

Hi guys and thanks so much for your both excellent replies to me , I enjoyed and appreciated them both . The thing that puzzles me is : 'promised before the world began' , where did Paul get this specific information from at that time ? I guess Paul was wise for his time , we know because we have the full Bible , old and new and we can discern the big picture . We can recognise that it was God's perpose all along , to creat a people who would love Him and want to be with Him , where and how did Paul find this out ? Can we find scripture that Paul would have had access to that would point him in this direction ? We get all of our info from the Bible so where did Paul learn this from ? It must be that Paul was well blessed in understanding , wisdom and God's Holy Spirit , that he was able to discern this without the benefit of the new testament writings . Thanks again for the pearls :) .

Amen Brother Jesse.

"the book of Acts is the Acts of Jesus Christ, by His Spirit, through the apostles".

Well stated Brother.

I'm just about caught up, I'm at 1 Corinthians!

I don't get to read daily as some of you.

I'm enjoying the outlines

God bless.

YHWH is renewing the Sinai covenant with this new generation, laying down to them the law by which they are to live and how they are to worship and serve Him in the land they are about to enter that they will receive by His promise. This new generation cannot ride in on the vows made by their parents/grandparent. They will need to be instructed as their parents/grandparents were at Sinai and give assent to the covenant as their predecessors did. They cannot go into the promised land on what was vowed by others. They will need to make their own vows to YHWH at this crucial time,

In a sense, this mirrors our own conversions. We cannot become right with God based on our parents' conversion experiences. We each are to be individually called and drawn by the Holy Spirit, regenerated, and brought to faith by God in the same way as all who have been converted before us.

Also, we cannot piggy back of the faith of our parents in being in a right relationship with God. We are to make use of the faith availed to us by the Holy Spirit to believe of our own volition and commitment to Him. No one else can believe for us but ourselves. No one else can be converted for us.

I am glad that God works in and with us individually in coming to Him and sustaining us in our faith and life in Christ. It is a personal experience and journey that is done within the family of God, the body of Christ, but we must have a faith of our own and a relationship with our Lord personally as we are fitted into the body of Christ for eternity.

Hi Gasman. Yours are good questions & often very debatable when considering the construct of man & the Work of the Holy Spirit within Him or even, upon Him. Firstly, we do understand from the Word, that we are tripartite beings (i.e. composed of soul, spirit & body): 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The 'body' aspect we know, but it can be difficult to correctly understand the difference between the soul & spirit. So, if we take it as the soul being our mental, emotive powers & the spirit being the 'life force', all given by God so that can be living creatures able to experience all that God has given us & of course, our return of worship & thanks to our Creator, then we can somewhat understand how God's Spirit connects with us.

Only when a person has been born again by God's Spirit ( John 3:3), can that person be in a new revived position of receiving & giving communication to our Heavenly Father. God sends His Spirit to be with us & in us ( John 14:17), but His Spirit doesn't replace our spirit, nor does He overrule us to the extent that we cease to think & behave as ordinary people. So, when He ministers to us (whether in decision-making, personal conduct, in worship, in understanding the Word, etc.), it becomes our choice as to whether we allow His gentle & precise ministry to influence us or not. Sadly, we often allow carnal thoughts or pre-conceived ideas or beliefs to take precedent over His, much to our detriment. But when we are truly walking (& worshiping in the Spirit) - Galatians 5:16,25 - then we will truly know His Peace, that which 'surpasses all our understanding & inclinations' ( Philippians 4:7), joyfully allowing Him to lead us, especially in worship & in faith, for all we experience.

Your questions 'to which spirit'? Our spirit is never laid aside in the functioning of man - our faculties are always in force. It is how much we allow the Holy Spirit to take control in our lives, our worship, even 'wisdom in allowing others into our lives' ( Romans 8:1-28).

In this chapter, instructions are given about keeping of vows, the obligation of a father or husband if a woman under their headship makes a vow, of widows and divorced woman who have no man to be subject to.

Each of these situations has different instructions, but it is consistently emphasized that a woman is under the authority of her father or husband when it comes to making and keeping vows. It is not explained why the vows of women differs that those of men, but it does mention that women are to be subject to the man who has headship over her. Men do not have such limits as the woman. Whereas a woman's vows can be either affirmed and binding should the man agree or simply not give any response over time; or the woman's vow can be voided if the man speaks up to do so, then the woman is not bound t fulfill her oath.

Men, widows, and divorced women are commanded to keep the vows and oaths they swear to and not go back on them.

God take such oaths/vows seriously. The text do not speak about what the vows/oaths pertain to, but perhaps it relates to:

-vows made to God to set aside oneself, one's property, member of one's household for the Lord's work

-vows made to God concerning an offering or tithe

-vows made in a marriage

-vows made in business''

-vows made between brethren

While we expect to make good on all He has sworn to do and fulfill what He has promised. we often may make an oath or vow halfheartedly, disingenuously, deceitfully, or without any intention of fulfilling it. These sins are serious to the Lord as they have to do with being trustworthy and/or faithful; honest and/or sincere; fair and/or just.

The Israelites vowed to YHWH at Sinai to live by the covenant God had offered to them. They soon broke their vow over and over again up to this point in Numbers. In this chapter, YHWH continues to reiterate what was involved in the covenant at Sinai to this generation's parents and grandparents. Now it is their turn to hear the covenant from GOD

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CORINTHIANS (Part 7):

So, Paul introduces that as a gage. "Oh, is this guy super spiritual? Well, don't let him waltz across the stage here. What kind of hardships has he suffered for that spirituality, or for that understanding? And he says don't compare the preaching and how well the guy preached. In fact, Paul says he was not a good preacher. He was known to be very rude in speech, which basically means unschooled.

He had a monotone, and some even believed he stuttered. So, if you had to listen to that for a couple of hours, you would understand what Paul's trying to say.

He was not a good speaker. But he says I might be rude in speech, but not in knowledge. So, he says that's what I'll compare with anybody. Let's see if they line up with the truth, not whether they have a charismatic personality, or they are able to preach or not!

Next, I will share my introduction to Galatians with you. God Bless!!!

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CORINTHIANS (Part 6):

CHAPTERS 8 AND 9: The discussion about the collection.

Remember in Chapter 16 of 1 Corinthians, Paul said that on the first day of the week, bring the money together every time you gather together, for a collection for the poor saints back in Jerusalem. So, he's going to discuss that. And he's going to give us more of the principles of giving, more than he did in his first letter.

CHAPTERS 10 THROUGH 13: The defense of Paul's ministry.

What Paul does, is he basically says, "Well, if I'm an apostle, and they are super apostles, then let's compare suffering." It was never how many people were saved or how many people you have preached to. It was how much you suffered for Christ while you are serving.

And he says, "Do any of these false teachers, have they ever suffered for Christ's sake?" Everywhere they went, they taught the people how to make them comfortable. And Paul is going to share with us the physical suffering that he had to go through, and suffering spiritually.

That is because God revealed to him special revelation. He was caught up into the third heaven, and because of that, because he saw things that he could not repeat for us down here, he was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him. He actually experienced health problems because of the revelation that God gave to him, in order for him to keep his flesh under.

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CORINTHIANS (Part 5):

V: THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF THE CHURCH IN CORINTH:

The spiritual condition of the church and leadership in Corinth was given to us back in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 where he says, "I brethren, when I was with you, I could not speak unto you as to spiritual, but as to carnal, people who function according to the human and have no spiritual growth, so when I was first with you, I fed you as babes in Christ, and I fed you with milk, not with meat. For hitherto, you were not able to bear it, now you are neither able to bear it."

When Paul wrote that, it was approximately five years since he has been there. So, he says five years ago when I was with you, I fed you with milk because you were just babes in Christ. But now five years later, you should be able to start handling some solid food. But you're still babes. You're still carnal. And he used a Greek word to show that it's abnormal.

There's a normal carnality and there's abnormal. If you are young in the Lord, then it's normal. That is the word SARKINOS. But as you grow in the Lord, you should be ready to handle solid food. If not, that is an abnormal carnal, and that is SARKIKOS. So, there was a carnal fleshy condition, not only in the congregation, but in the leadership.

VI: SECTION OUTLINE OF 2 CORINTHIANS:

There are only three sections.

CHAPTERS 1 THROUGH 7: The description of ministry.

Notice it doesn't say the ministry. This is all ministry. And Paul is going to present that all believers have a ministry. And he's going to describe it for us. And you can see just by that first section that if Paul describes ministry for them, they're going to be comparing what Paul says with the false teachers that are in town.

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CORINTHIANS (Part 4):

IV: HOW IT WAS PREPARED:

1 Corinthians 5:9 indicates that there was a letter prior to 1 Corinthians. Some believe there were actually four letters. But only two were found. 2 Corinthians was written after Titus returned with the news of the church in Corinth. Paul was in Ephesus when the house of Chloe came across over to Ephesus and told Paul what was going on.

So, Paul sent back what we have as 1 Corinthians back to Corinth. But then Paul waited to hear back from them about the response. Well, none of the group, Chloe or anyone came back. So, Paul traveled up, and we read about Troas, which is just north of Ephesus. And he's going to tell them that the Lord gave him an open door to minister there.

And he was waiting for Titus to return. He sent Titus to say I haven't heard anything, what's going on? Paul said you go over there and find out what's going on. And I'm going to go to Troas and minister, and I'll be there, and you come and bring me word.

Well, while he was in Troas, Titus never showed up. So, Paul comes back across and he's going to be frantically making his way down looking for Titus. And Titus meets up with him and tells him what's going on and about the false teachers that had come in.

And that's what prompted Paul to write 1 Corinthians. So, he hears from Titus, he hears what's going on, and he sends this letter to them about false teachers and false teaching.