Comments on: holy both in body and spirit http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/ Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:15:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Irma http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95562 Irma Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:18:20 +0000 http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95562 right-on ! right-on !

]]> By: Glen Galaxy http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95493 Glen Galaxy Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:43:25 +0000 http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95493 Oh yeah, I should mention that the sacking of Jerusalem was still a good 35 years off from Acts 4. Even more pressing was the intense persecution that was about to come on the brand new church in Jerusalem at the hands of people like Saul of Tarsus (Acts 7-9). The church then enjoyed a bit of a break from persecution (Acts 9.31), but Hebrews 10.32-34 characterizes the entirety of the Jerusalem church's "former days" (probably all of 35-50 AD) as days of intense persecution, including "the plundering of your possessions." Again, how awesome that believers who had wealth were led of the Lord to liquidate and give it right before the plundering really began. Oh yeah, I should mention that the sacking of Jerusalem was still a good 35 years off from Acts 4. Even more pressing was the intense persecution that was about to come on the brand new church in Jerusalem at the hands of people like Saul of Tarsus (Acts 7-9). The church then enjoyed a bit of a break from persecution (Acts 9.31), but Hebrews 10.32-34 characterizes the entirety of the Jerusalem church’s “former days” (probably all of 35-50 AD) as days of intense persecution, including “the plundering of your possessions.”

Again, how awesome that believers who had wealth were led of the Lord to liquidate and give it right before the plundering really began.

]]> By: Irma http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95459 Irma Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:30:05 +0000 http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95459 10-4 10-4

]]> By: Glen Galaxy http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95084 Glen Galaxy Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:21:07 +0000 http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95084 The believers were selling their properties and giving the proceeds to the church purely by the prompting of the Holy Ghost. Their motivation was from the heart - it was out of overwhelming gratitude to God that they were led to pour everything they had into the kingdom of God. If anything they were expecting the kingdom to be restored to Israel (Acts 1.6). We have no indication whatsoever that they were looking for or expecting the destruction of Jerusalem. After all, Jerusalem was the early church's home base. The church was almost exclusively Jewish, and very wary of including Gentiles at all until the end of Acts 15. Yet we now see that the Holy Ghost led them to liquidate everything they had just in time to seed the rapid growth of the gospel all over the earth before what Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24 was fulfilled! The believers were selling their properties and giving the proceeds to the church purely by the prompting of the Holy Ghost. Their motivation was from the heart - it was out of overwhelming gratitude to God that they were led to pour everything they had into the kingdom of God.

If anything they were expecting the kingdom to be restored to Israel (Acts 1.6). We have no indication whatsoever that they were looking for or expecting the destruction of Jerusalem. After all, Jerusalem was the early church’s home base. The church was almost exclusively Jewish, and very wary of including Gentiles at all until the end of Acts 15.

Yet we now see that the Holy Ghost led them to liquidate everything they had just in time to seed the rapid growth of the gospel all over the earth before what Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24 was fulfilled!

]]> By: Irma http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95059 Irma Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:09:09 +0000 http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-95059 That's pretty awesome... you know I never knew the reason for all of the believer's liquidating their properties because the Romans were going to take everything anyway. So was there "giving" really from the heart? Or just better to the church than to the Romans attitude? Was that going on back then? Maybe? That’s pretty awesome… you know I never knew the reason for all of the believer’s liquidating their properties because the Romans were going to take everything anyway. So was there “giving” really from the heart? Or just better to the church than to the Romans attitude? Was that going on back then? Maybe?

]]> By: Glen Galaxy http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-94969 Glen Galaxy Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:56:57 +0000 http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-94969 That's cuing directly off 1 Corinthians 7.26-30: I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is: Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess. We can see throughout the book of Acts how God used prophecy to direct strategic actions in the church. There are several excellent examples. One is at the end of Acts 4, where members of the church were liquidating their properties (which would very soon be worth nothing since the Romans were about to sack Jerusalem). Another is at the end of Acts 11, where Agabus prophesies a great famine; and the church gathered up in advance to help the believers in Judea. There are elements of 1 Corinthians 7.26-30 that speak to all believers for all time. We should always buy things knowing they're not ours to keep. Yet there was an incredibly strategic urgency that Paul spoke to the Corinthian church with, and it superseded other biblical commands (like "be fruitful and multiply," like "occupy til I come," like "he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord," etc.). It's very close to the situation in Jeremiah 45 in which Jeremiah told his protege Baruch "Do you seek great things for yourself? Don't seek them." None of us is to live seeking great things for himself; but to Baruch this meant far more than not being self-seeking. It meant that he probably should not even so much as buy property or get married. God had revealed to Jeremiah that the land would absolutely be devastated. So today, should believers own property? Yes. There is a standing order given by Jesus himself to gain by trading, to occupy til he comes - and all that we put our hands to is blessed so that we can be a blessing. Should believers get married and have children? Yes! God desires godly offspring today more than ever. Could God reveal something strategic to the church by prophecy that would specifically effect how we plan our families or do business or direct our investments or giving? Definitely. Just like the men of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12.32, we are to have an understanding of the times we live in, a divine discernment of exactly where the kingdom of God is to be focused this hour. This discernment, this spirit of prophecy, these words of knowledge - they always speak according to the Word, or they have no light in them. Notice that even though Paul told people it was not a good idea to get married during "this present distress," he specifically adds that those who do chose to marry (as God has commanded and blessed all throughout Scripture) are not sinning. Simple obedience to God's Word will absolutely work every time >> That’s cuing directly off 1 Corinthians 7.26-30: I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is: Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess.

We can see throughout the book of Acts how God used prophecy to direct strategic actions in the church. There are several excellent examples. One is at the end of Acts 4, where members of the church were liquidating their properties (which would very soon be worth nothing since the Romans were about to sack Jerusalem). Another is at the end of Acts 11, where Agabus prophesies a great famine; and the church gathered up in advance to help the believers in Judea.

There are elements of 1 Corinthians 7.26-30 that speak to all believers for all time. We should always buy things knowing they’re not ours to keep. Yet there was an incredibly strategic urgency that Paul spoke to the Corinthian church with, and it superseded other biblical commands (like “be fruitful and multiply,” like “occupy til I come,” like “he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord,” etc.). It’s very close to the situation in Jeremiah 45 in which Jeremiah told his protege Baruch “Do you seek great things for yourself? Don’t seek them.” None of us is to live seeking great things for himself; but to Baruch this meant far more than not being self-seeking. It meant that he probably should not even so much as buy property or get married. God had revealed to Jeremiah that the land would absolutely be devastated.

So today, should believers own property? Yes. There is a standing order given by Jesus himself to gain by trading, to occupy til he comes - and all that we put our hands to is blessed so that we can be a blessing. Should believers get married and have children? Yes! God desires godly offspring today more than ever. Could God reveal something strategic to the church by prophecy that would specifically effect how we plan our families or do business or direct our investments or giving? Definitely. Just like the men of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12.32, we are to have an understanding of the times we live in, a divine discernment of exactly where the kingdom of God is to be focused this hour.

This discernment, this spirit of prophecy, these words of knowledge - they always speak according to the Word, or they have no light in them. Notice that even though Paul told people it was not a good idea to get married during “this present distress,” he specifically adds that those who do chose to marry (as God has commanded and blessed all throughout Scripture) are not sinning. Simple obedience to God’s Word will absolutely work every time >>

]]> By: Irma http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-94844 Irma Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:16:36 +0000 http://souljunk.com/2008/07/14/holy-both-in-body-and-spirit/#comment-94844 The church was to be on absolute survival rations, so believers were to stay exactly where they were in life: being faithful to the responsibilities they already had, but not taking on new ones. That's interesting.... is there more on that thread? The church was to be on absolute survival rations, so believers were to stay exactly where they were in life: being faithful to the responsibilities they already had, but not taking on new ones.

That’s interesting…. is there more on that thread?

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