Bewitched by Christians!
Galatians was written because Jewish Christians who were still in bondage to the Old Testament Law circulated among Gentile Christians and started telling them they needed to go back to the roots of the Jewish faith and become circumcised and obey the Mosaic Law.
This bothered Paul greatly because he was hounded by these people in Acts 15:1-2, where
Hi ____,
I think your first question was about
Sometimes people will ask this not stopping to think through the question before they ask: Remember that the context of every New Testament letter from Matthew to the Revelation is the home. These letters were sent to people sitting in living rooms all over the Roman Empire. The auditorium style ‘church’ that we see today didn’t come about for some 300 years.
That means that all the teaching about the 5-fold within the context of the auditorium style church, is out of context and inconsistent with the teachings of the New Testament. We’ve been raised to think of the 5-fold as being seen in conferences, or during an altar call, or with a ‘big’ ministry, and that these gifts are therefore rather rare and small in number in the body of Christ. But that understanding is totally wrong.
Paul practiced and taught about ‘the 5-fold’ within the context of homes – in Corinthians he is writing (initially) to Crispus and Justus and saved Greeks meeting in Justus’ home (Acts 18:7) – so when we read I Corinthians 12 and 14, about the gifts of the Spirit, the context was these things operating in his and other homes when believers got together.
When we read of the ’5-fold’ in Ephesians, we know that Paul went ‘house to house’ (Acts 20:20) and that his close friends Aquila and Priscilla were one of those houses who hosted the believers for ‘church’. (I Cor 16:19, I Corinthians being written from Ephesus, I Cor 16:8)
“…for the work of the ministry for the perfecting of the saints” in Ephesians 4:11-13 was originally written to people meeting in Aquila and Priscilla’s home and others all over Ephesus and the province of Asia, not to some auditorium ‘church’ where 1 gift (pastor) was elevated above the rest.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and individual parts in that body. And God has set some in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, and after that miracles, gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings and all speak with tongues that needs to be interpreted? Desire the best gifts, but I will show you a more excellent way.” I Corinthians 12: 27-31
This is totally within the context of (Justus’) home and other homes in and
Too religious
Paul, in Athens standing upon Mars Hill, looking uphill towards the
Hi ____,
Thanks for writing – the lady who walks in late is wrong, and is in fact moved by a wrong spirit.
I’ve seen this many times, (if coming in late isn’t just a matter of disorganization in their lives) people with demonic or emotional or turmoil in their private lives are often influenced this way – they come in late on purpose (whether the spirit makes them do that or some emotional issue that opens the door, but they come in late to draw attention to themselves)
Sometimes there is spiritual pride involving putting a wall up so people see a facade, like they are someone people should see as mature and a leader – when in fact they are more immature than most or all those around. Sometimes it’s for protection so they won’t get hurt, etc…
And in a home meeting, sometimes it’s from a person who likes to be in charge but can’t be, so they draw attention to themselves. Either way, she is being critical and trying to be in charge and have influence, whether there is a demonic root or just immaturity, you would know better.
It also speaks to her lack of basic social graces that she cannot enter a room while others are worshipping and quietly take her place and join in – you need to ask her if when she comes in late, if she can just quietly join in so as not to disrupt others, and when worship is over it’s over, and no commentary is needed.
Either she will be teachable and apologize for disrupting, or she will be offended and not return – her decision and not your fault either way, but basic social skills say you don’t come in late, and if you do you don’t become critical of that which you weren’t a part of at the start…basic social skills learned in kindergarten, which she either lacks or knowingly violates so she can have attention and influence.
Worship:
In the Greek, the word worship is: ‘proskuneo’. The word ‘pros’ means towards, and the word ‘kuneo’ means kiss. Literally then, worship is (context John 4:23-24) “a kiss towards the Father” in spirit and truth.
‘spirit’ in this setting means from one’s innermost being – from our spirit, our deepest part.
‘truth’ here means ‘purity’, pure motives, singular in focus.
Putting it together if we were there when Jesus first spoke those words to the woman at the well, He said this in John 4:23-24:
“But the hour is coming and now is, when the true covenant kissers in adoration
Path or formula
I’ve been thinking about how the Lord planted a garden and then put man in it, and only gave him 1 rule. One. Uno. Un. Eins. Live in the garden, eat of any of hundreds or
Hi all, especially to our brethren in Eastern Europe – greetings in the Lord Jesus! I hope the study below will give you peace. First some scripture and then some teaching.
Hebrews 6:1-2 tells us of the foundational doctrines of our faith:
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go onto maturity; not laying again the foundation of: Repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement.”
Notice that there
In “I Corinthians 14:26-33″, remember they are meeting in Gaius Justus’ house, a Roman convert to Judaism and then Christianity. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue is mentioned as joining them along with many Jewish converts, and Corinth is a Greek city with many Greek converts. All 3 cultures are meeting together under one roof as Paul writes his first letter to the Corinthians. Also remember that historically, Jewish women in the synagogues were seated to the side behind a lattice work, and not allowed to participate at all. (Acts 18: 1-8)
“What then, brethren, is the right course? When you meet together each one has a hymn, a teaching, a disclosure of special knowledge or information (revelation), an utterance in a tongue or an interpretation of it (gifts of the Spirit), But let everything be constructive and edifying and for the good of all.” v26
This establishes the context. Anything that happens will fall under these 4 categories: Worship/prayer, teaching, revelation, gifts of the Spirit. The subject is order and how to meet for the good of all.
“If some speak in an unknown tongue, let the number be limited to two or at the most three, and each one taking his turn, and let one interpret and explain what is said.”
The first house church is actually the Garden of Eden, where you have Adam, Eve, and the Lord (where 2-3 are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them).
Genesis 18:17-19 the Lord reveals His plans to Abraham based on the quality of his family (home) spiritual life, showing us as in the Garden of Eden, revelation from the Lord flows first and best in the home: “Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do…for I know him, that he will command his household and children after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord…”
Much of Jesus’ miracles and ministry were done in a home, from his first miracle changing water into wine, to meeting with the disciples gathered in a home behind locked doors on the day of his resurrection, to the day of Pentecost taking place in a home.
“And they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house.” (Acts 2:46)
This is the only reference to Christians meeting in the temple after Pentecost. The temple area had ‘porches’ that could hold 20-50 people, which Jesus used to teach in the temple in the gospels. Going to the temple to learn of Christ in them lasted about 18 months, for Acts 18:1 tells us persecution was so intense from Saul of Tarsus that all the disciples moved out of Jerusalem except the apostles.
After that 18 month ‘transition time’ from temple to homes, we never again see believers going back to the temple for instruction. Today we often see people taking 18-24 months to transition from a temple mentality to home based context of the New Testament, just as they did here in Acts 2:46.
“And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared to you in the way as you came, has sent me that you might receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 9:17
And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting…and I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing…” Acts 10:30
“And when he considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.” Acts 12:12
Here is a listing of house churches in the epistles. When you read the letters of the New Testament, remember those letters were delivered to the homes of these people and then