shaunaduty

I think that in addition to unbelief that tongues are spoken in this age, people who do it loudly in corporate worship with no interpretation given add to the confusion and unbelief. People also give it different names, like prayer language, which can be confusing. I do speak in tongues in private worship and silently or in a whisper when I'm in corporate worship. Tongues are not understood by our human consciousness, but they verify my spirit in community with heaven, if that makes sense. Earth is not my final destination, and my body and conscious mind are but a shell I'm using while here. My soul is eternal. This sounds supernatural because it is! Just look at a body in a coffin, and you'll know the corpse is a shell; the soul is not there. It makes sense to me, then, that the soul can praise and pray in languages not known to the human mind, when the soul commutnes with what is in heaven--its home.

Jesus is God. He never sinned, thus he is righteous. His love and death for us, to cover us with his blood so that we may approach the throne of grace with confidence, is unfathomably more than any one of us deserves. Jesus fills the gap. He is the bridge by which all men must enter God's presence. He obviously loves us so much, and he advocates for mankind at the throne of God.

This is hard. I would say "especially in our time," but the reality is, obedience to governments, especially in areas of morality, has always been difficult for people, particularly believers. I have a drawing that I add to occasionally. It's "God bless my home, the USA" with cultural sins named all around it. The first that comes to mind for me is gender confusion in our children. It is culturally acceptable now for individuals to be sensually sinful from a very tender age. We cannot expect a non-Christian culture to be any different, without God. It is horribly sad, and I have no doubt God's anger is stoked, to see sexual immorality being presented to children as acceptable. I say, forgive us, Lord! Forgive the faithful for not doing more to battle te enemy in this, while loving people as you do. We loved and accepted sin instead of leading questioners to you, and now we are reaping that reward: our most vulnerable in society, young children, walking into the arms of sin and rebuking your Law, your good and perfect will that yield the blessings our nation has reaped in the past. Give us the boldness of Jesus, without fear Of course there's so much more we've failed in. So much more Satan is smiling about. But God wins in the end. If we rise to love without judging, but with saying, "Jesus loves you and I love you. Period. God's Law says this is a sin. I must stand by that, friend. Let me tell you about my loving God. If you are (or become) a follower of Jesus, then you can question Him directly for answers. I'll be here to help if you need me." We must pay our taxes, giving to Caesar what is Cesar's. We must know that God raises up leaders and dethroned them, as well. But we have the vote in America, and while its integrity is sometimes very questionable, we must continue to vote, to elect Christian leaders, to pray fervently and without ceasing for our current leadership, that our nation's morality will be restored from the President to the youth. It is our responsibility to love, pray, and DO what we can, within the boundaries of God's law and when man's law is not in conflict with God's Law, then we should obey the law of the land to honor God's will.

Why do you think Jesus caused her the embarrassment of having to tell her story openly? Is it embarrassing to share a testimony? Yes, at first. To admit guilt, even if it's not your fault, is embarrassing. But her admission of her condition (and uncleanliness): Was a testimony to anyone around, just as our testimony to Christians and unbelievers can have a significant impact on their spirit. Gave opportunity for Jesus to validate her experience and credit it to her faith in him, so there could be no incorrect spiritual assumptions about the event. Revealed that everyone who'd touched her or her clothing (even those who were unaware) were "unclean" now. Even Jesus (not possible). It makes me think, if I were there, I'd start to wonder how anyone was ever truly clean, because so many factors in daily life could make one unclean. We now know, only Jesus makes us clean -- as he did for this woman -- and we all come to his throne dirty and ashamed. Perhaps this seed was planted in the minds of one or more witnesses. All things work together for good, for we who love the Lord. What could be interpreted as being "called out" by Jesus -- a potentially embarrassing moment of shame and guilt -- was surely for the good of the healed woman, for Christ's ministry, and many who witnessed the event. Thank you so much for your time and commitment to this teaching ministry, Pastor Ralph. God bless you and the work of your hands! Shauna Duty Roanoke, TX