I wanted to start this topic on Cessationist Theology vs Continuationist Theology. I also want to get a good view on this topic AS IT RELATES TO GOD GIVEN DREAMS AND VISIONS which is the ultimate goal topic of our TehillahDreams board. Anybody feel free to jump right in and give your opinion on this topic.
The first thing we need to do is define some terms. Cessationism is the view that the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit such as tongues and prophecy and healing have ceased being practiced early on in church history and actually stopped being used after the Apostles of the 1st century church died. The opposite view is Continuationism which is the view that the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit have been available for use by the church ever since Pentecost. For the most part many of the more traditional hard line denomionational churches of today believe in Cessationism in different varing degrees while the charasmatic/pentecostal churches of today believe in Continuationism in different varing degrees. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are listed in 1 Corthians 12:1-11, Ephesians 4:7-13 (gifts used for building the Church in leadership), and Romans 12:3-8.
Most of the information I found on the internet on this topic is very shallow and seems to focus in on the Holy Spirit given gift of tongues as an arguing point of controversy. So, I want to start simplistically at the other end of the gifts spectrum for now.... lets start with healing. First Question... Can/does God still Heal today? If cessationist theology is correct then God does not move in healing today. So why even in the most traditional denomionational churches do we still pray for the sick to be healed? If God will not heal today, then why pray for it as it is a waste of time? How big and powerful is God? God created the heavens and the earth, he dramatically delivered the nation of Israel from the slavery of the Egyptians, He parted the Red Sea.....etc... yet we think he cannot heal a simple disease or sickness? The Bible shows many examples of healing in both the Old Testament and New Testament, one of my favorite verses on it is in Psalm 103 "Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;" We sometimes forget that healing is second on the list right after salvation! I choose to believe that my God is a healing God, even today. The bottom line is that if you say to yourself long enough "I don't believe that God does X today." Why are we not supprised that we never (except on very rare occassions that are complete surprise miracle situations) see God do X when we pray. If we take the alternate approach of believing in faith that God can and does do X. We take God out of the small box we had him in and we allow him to be free to work through our lives.
Lets move forward some to God given dreams/visions. Question two... Can/does God still speak to us today? Does He speak through our dreams and or visions? There are many examples of God given dreams and visions in both the Old Testament and New Testaments. How does cessationism affect this form of Holy Spirit communication today?
in Christ,
Cessationism vs Continuationism
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zadokpriest
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Can/does God still Heal today? If cessationist theology is correct then God does not move in healing today. So why even in the most traditional denomionational churches do we still pray for the sick to be healed? If God will not heal today, then why pray for it as it is a waste of time? How big and powerful is God?
A few months ago the Father was wanting me to minister to an elderly lady (80 years old) who has outlived many of her children (she had 6 children also her husband is dead)
she has become bitter towards church, people and Jesus as evidence by her own words.
The Lord wanting to show His love toward her through me, used me to catch her one day as she fainted.
Then another day the Lord caused a pain to come over my entire body while I was sleeping one night- He said this was how her body felt (it was very painful especially on the back)
I was able to use that knowledge to minister to her physical needs by placing a small amount of pressure on her back the next time I saw her
Then, there was a cyst on my right cheek that had been there for a few months. She commented on it and asked why did I have it?
(I presume she was questioning why hadn't the Lord healed me, as if to say if He is so powerful why do you still have that cyst?)
One week later an invisible laser came upon my cheek, heated up the cyst (Felt VERY hot- it was as if the Lord was boiling the cyst from the inside) the cyst came to a head and all I had to do was poke it a little with a needle and the cyst contents came out.
Also just as a sidenote: This was the exact same kind of cyst that I had on my cheek a few years earlier, but I had to have a dermatologist perform surgery to relieve it.
Needless to say, After I saw that my cheek was healed, I ran to tell the elderly lady and she was SHOCKED! She believes God is with me and has even began discussing Jesus with me alot more!
SO----- I believe that God can do anything! Especially if it will bring someone else to faith in HIM!!!!!
THIS IS A TRUE AND LIVING TESTIMONY FROM THIS YEAR!
His word was in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I was weary of holding it in
& indeed, I could not----Jeremiah 20:9
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Lord is my Shepherd
a fire shut up in my bones.
I was weary of holding it in
& indeed, I could not----Jeremiah 20:9
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Lord is my Shepherd
Also I wanted to add this testimony about the quote above:AS IT RELATES TO GOD GIVEN DREAMS AND VISIONS
The same 80 year old woman lost one of her sons last year (to sorosis of the liver)
I knew her son (my pastor welcomed him into my church!)
and the week before he had died
I had a dream that I saw him on a swing with a little blonde haired girl-
(I perceived her to be 7 years old.) They were swinging together peacefully
The day after the dream, I told him about the dream and he didn't say much except for "I wonder who the girl was that I was sitting with!" or something to that effect.
Anyways
The night he died, his mother (the 80 year old woman) came down to my house to break the news to me (that he had just died).
I began crying with her and then asked her if her son had mentioned the dream to her.
She said no, so I told her the dream.
After I told her the dream she asked me
"Didn't you have a stillborn baby girl 7 years ago?"
I cried even more because it was then I realized the 7 year old girl was my daughter and that it was my daughter that would be welcoming the old lady's son into paradise!
My daughter was happy swinging with her son, and guess what? I have a stronger bond with the 80 year old woman than I ever thought possible!
Isn't God amazing?
His word was in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I was weary of holding it in
& indeed, I could not----Jeremiah 20:9
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Lord is my Shepherd
a fire shut up in my bones.
I was weary of holding it in
& indeed, I could not----Jeremiah 20:9
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Lord is my Shepherd
I used to be a cessationist! But, praise God, no more!
My eyes were opened a year and a half ago when I got the Holy Spirit. I began studying from an open minded perspective instead of the way I had been taught and quickly realized I had some things wrong.
To answer your first question...Yes, God still heals today! I had a short leg that I had known about since high school. I saw a video on youtube of someone saying "In Jesus name, leg grow." and a leg grew. So, I went into my bedroom, held my feet up and sure enough, my left leg was abut 1/4 to 1/2 inch shorter than the right. So I said, "In Jesus' name leg grow." And right in front of my eyes my left leg shot out, in a split second, even with the other one. I checked just about every day for several weeks, and it never changed from being the same length.
Your second question - Yes, God does speak to us today, in every way imaginable! The first thing I heard (spoken to my mind) was, "Speak to them about me." When I was eating lunch alone at Wendy's and glanced at an elderly couple. Turns out they had forsaken God when a preacher had preached a message that offended the woman.
I am striving to learn more and exercise what I learn so that I can have a closer walk and hear him better and all the time. I do get a lot of dreams, but I'm still growing in interpretation. I am so excited about my God, no longer do I pray "long distance" prayers, I know he is with me everywhere I go.
btw - I have had the privilege of commanding around 20 short legs to grow and other various physical ailments to heal. I don't see everyone healed, but I expect to. We now have a small group of about 14 ppl at church who believe in the HS being a helper for today. This is a cessationist church, we (my husband is the minister) fully expect to have to move sometime this year...but I am not worried, God is in control, He has a plan.
Thanks for starting this discussion!
Blessings!
Mary
My eyes were opened a year and a half ago when I got the Holy Spirit. I began studying from an open minded perspective instead of the way I had been taught and quickly realized I had some things wrong.
To answer your first question...Yes, God still heals today! I had a short leg that I had known about since high school. I saw a video on youtube of someone saying "In Jesus name, leg grow." and a leg grew. So, I went into my bedroom, held my feet up and sure enough, my left leg was abut 1/4 to 1/2 inch shorter than the right. So I said, "In Jesus' name leg grow." And right in front of my eyes my left leg shot out, in a split second, even with the other one. I checked just about every day for several weeks, and it never changed from being the same length.
Your second question - Yes, God does speak to us today, in every way imaginable! The first thing I heard (spoken to my mind) was, "Speak to them about me." When I was eating lunch alone at Wendy's and glanced at an elderly couple. Turns out they had forsaken God when a preacher had preached a message that offended the woman.
I am striving to learn more and exercise what I learn so that I can have a closer walk and hear him better and all the time. I do get a lot of dreams, but I'm still growing in interpretation. I am so excited about my God, no longer do I pray "long distance" prayers, I know he is with me everywhere I go.
btw - I have had the privilege of commanding around 20 short legs to grow and other various physical ailments to heal. I don't see everyone healed, but I expect to. We now have a small group of about 14 ppl at church who believe in the HS being a helper for today. This is a cessationist church, we (my husband is the minister) fully expect to have to move sometime this year...but I am not worried, God is in control, He has a plan.
Thanks for starting this discussion!
Blessings!
Mary
It makes me giggle BJ.
If, as some would have us believe, that God does not do 'these things' today...
I have to ask? What on earth is the point../benefit in coming to Him and believing in Him? Why even believe for salvation? Did He do it once for all, way back then, and that was it? Nothing more?
I think of God as the same, yesterday, today and forevermore. As that is what He says about Himself. I suppose it boils down to, do we believe He is what and who He says He is?
On the other hand it is so sad that many cannot raise their sights to believe in all the neat and cool, good things He does in the life of the believer. (He is the God of the now.)
It would be so easy to just sit back inside oneself and not believe that God does anything anymore, but somehow? [giggle]
To those who CHOOSE to believe He doesn't...feel free...and to those who KNOW He does, BE FREE!
Just an opinion formed from first hand experience...lol!
If, as some would have us believe, that God does not do 'these things' today...
I have to ask? What on earth is the point../benefit in coming to Him and believing in Him? Why even believe for salvation? Did He do it once for all, way back then, and that was it? Nothing more?
I think of God as the same, yesterday, today and forevermore. As that is what He says about Himself. I suppose it boils down to, do we believe He is what and who He says He is?
On the other hand it is so sad that many cannot raise their sights to believe in all the neat and cool, good things He does in the life of the believer. (He is the God of the now.)
It would be so easy to just sit back inside oneself and not believe that God does anything anymore, but somehow? [giggle]
To those who CHOOSE to believe He doesn't...feel free...and to those who KNOW He does, BE FREE!
Just an opinion formed from first hand experience...lol!
Dear BJ,
You should see my facebook profile page. Someone took issue with a comment a friend made and there are now 55 comments on the discussion of whether or not healing is for today.
The discussion was less about whether healing ever happens (because even the cessationists agree that in His sovereign will God will sometimes (but rarely) will heal someone (but that it is usually through wisdom given to physicians and pharmacists). The issue was mostly about whether or not we should accept illness as sent by God to teach us a lesson, ( James says "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials") or whether healing is something Jesus wants his people to bring to the world. ("As the Father has sent me so send I you.")
The fun part was that at the beginning of this discussion my husband came down with a severe case of the flu. He said he was sicker than he could ever remember. Two friends told me to go pray for him -and I did, and the next day he was better and back at work. (I was really sick in bed myself for a week with the same bug the week before, so I know he wasn't kidding. I really should have gotten him to pray for me. duh.)
So there in the middle of a discussion on whether God heals, God healed, and do you know what? The person arguing most vehemently that healing is not meant for today didn't even acknowledge it. In fact he said he was very deeply offended by the arguments others offered and the implication that to not believe in healing was to have a form of godliness but deny it's power. He did give several examples of people not being healed (Tim's tummy for example) and verses about God teaching us through hardship. One verse he gave was:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (New International Version)
16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
A discussion is now continuing on my husband's fb page. He was musing on the scripture that talks about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit occurring in the context of Jesus being accused of healing someone by the power of Beelzebub. He wondered if labeling a miracle as being from satan when it is not is a much much more dangerous practice than letting something we don't understand go by.
Matt.12: 22Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29"Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
30"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Feathers have been ruffled.
He also mused on the fact that Judas Iscariot was also given the ability to heal. He wondered if the gifts are given to people not so much to put a stamp of approval on their doctrine or perfect character, but to show the goodness of God.
As I understand it, part of the background of the belief that the gifts ceased with the "coming of the perfect" (1Cor. 13), that is, the Bible, goes back to the Reformation. Some of the new Protestant movements had problems when miracles continued to occur in the Roman Catholic church. Since they assumed that miracles were a sign of approval of "right" doctrine, and those on the other side of the doctrinal fence were wrong, then miracles must be false and not to be trusted.
This, plus the fact that the events that took place in Munster in Germany in the 1530's, where people, without discernment or being rooted in the Bible, went off the rails and proclaimed themselves prophets leading to almost a duplicate of the Branch Davidian disaster in Waco Texas, totally scared people. It was crazy and ended up in a slaughter. The reaction to this, in the Anabaptist movement, (the root of the Baptist, Mennonite and Evangelical Free and other streams) was to treat all manifestational gifts as unreliable and also led to teaching that the gifts had ceased.
We do have a tendency to head from one ditch to the other.
I will watch this thread with interest, since like Servant, I am in an environment where the miraculous gifts of the Spirit are viewed with suspicion. As for prophecy and dreams or words of knowledge and discernment of spirits --well, there is just no grid for it. The Bible is still revered, however --thank God, and we appeal to the written Word as our mandate, but as quietly and respectfully as possible. It also helps when people get healed right in front of them or someone has an accurate word of knowledge or was given inside info in a dream.
You should see my facebook profile page. Someone took issue with a comment a friend made and there are now 55 comments on the discussion of whether or not healing is for today.
The discussion was less about whether healing ever happens (because even the cessationists agree that in His sovereign will God will sometimes (but rarely) will heal someone (but that it is usually through wisdom given to physicians and pharmacists). The issue was mostly about whether or not we should accept illness as sent by God to teach us a lesson, ( James says "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials") or whether healing is something Jesus wants his people to bring to the world. ("As the Father has sent me so send I you.")
The fun part was that at the beginning of this discussion my husband came down with a severe case of the flu. He said he was sicker than he could ever remember. Two friends told me to go pray for him -and I did, and the next day he was better and back at work. (I was really sick in bed myself for a week with the same bug the week before, so I know he wasn't kidding. I really should have gotten him to pray for me. duh.)
So there in the middle of a discussion on whether God heals, God healed, and do you know what? The person arguing most vehemently that healing is not meant for today didn't even acknowledge it. In fact he said he was very deeply offended by the arguments others offered and the implication that to not believe in healing was to have a form of godliness but deny it's power. He did give several examples of people not being healed (Tim's tummy for example) and verses about God teaching us through hardship. One verse he gave was:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (New International Version)
16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
A discussion is now continuing on my husband's fb page. He was musing on the scripture that talks about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit occurring in the context of Jesus being accused of healing someone by the power of Beelzebub. He wondered if labeling a miracle as being from satan when it is not is a much much more dangerous practice than letting something we don't understand go by.
Matt.12: 22Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29"Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
30"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Feathers have been ruffled.
He also mused on the fact that Judas Iscariot was also given the ability to heal. He wondered if the gifts are given to people not so much to put a stamp of approval on their doctrine or perfect character, but to show the goodness of God.
As I understand it, part of the background of the belief that the gifts ceased with the "coming of the perfect" (1Cor. 13), that is, the Bible, goes back to the Reformation. Some of the new Protestant movements had problems when miracles continued to occur in the Roman Catholic church. Since they assumed that miracles were a sign of approval of "right" doctrine, and those on the other side of the doctrinal fence were wrong, then miracles must be false and not to be trusted.
This, plus the fact that the events that took place in Munster in Germany in the 1530's, where people, without discernment or being rooted in the Bible, went off the rails and proclaimed themselves prophets leading to almost a duplicate of the Branch Davidian disaster in Waco Texas, totally scared people. It was crazy and ended up in a slaughter. The reaction to this, in the Anabaptist movement, (the root of the Baptist, Mennonite and Evangelical Free and other streams) was to treat all manifestational gifts as unreliable and also led to teaching that the gifts had ceased.
We do have a tendency to head from one ditch to the other.
I will watch this thread with interest, since like Servant, I am in an environment where the miraculous gifts of the Spirit are viewed with suspicion. As for prophecy and dreams or words of knowledge and discernment of spirits --well, there is just no grid for it. The Bible is still revered, however --thank God, and we appeal to the written Word as our mandate, but as quietly and respectfully as possible. It also helps when people get healed right in front of them or someone has an accurate word of knowledge or was given inside info in a dream.
...that I might know Him...
Charys, I too have had a similar discussion going on my facebook profile page! lol It has just pretty much ended a couple of days ago, because my husband refused to participate anymore. It's really strange being on the opposite end of the discussion than I used to be on, though so much better. It finally came down to the fact that I told my friend that his "implication" reasoning could not be tested and my understanding could. I told him that I could "prove" what I believed and he couldn't. I tried to do all this in the most loving way I could. They kept avoiding my questions and just giving me more and more to answer. Unfortunately, I don't feel like I got far, but I pray that there were those who only read the discussion who could see the Truth as well as the biases and slants and that I would answer their questions with Bible and they seemed to mostly use "inference".
In fact, something very interesting, one of the men said:
1) Agreed that inference does not equal scripture. But, inference is the means by which we know what scripture says, means, and how to think, speak, and live.
From his statement, here's my logic (inference):
Since Scripture cannot be broken (Jn 10.35),
and inference does not equal scripture,
Therefore inference can be broken.
I didn't post "my logic" above, it was for my information. Just thought I would share! I'm sure this conversation has begun to have it's effect on some of our "conservative" brethren. We will probably be "labeled" soon among the "brotherhood". So be it...they did worse to Jesus and the prophets.
Blessings,
Mary
In fact, something very interesting, one of the men said:
1) Agreed that inference does not equal scripture. But, inference is the means by which we know what scripture says, means, and how to think, speak, and live.
From his statement, here's my logic (inference):
Since Scripture cannot be broken (Jn 10.35),
and inference does not equal scripture,
Therefore inference can be broken.
I didn't post "my logic" above, it was for my information. Just thought I would share! I'm sure this conversation has begun to have it's effect on some of our "conservative" brethren. We will probably be "labeled" soon among the "brotherhood". So be it...they did worse to Jesus and the prophets.
Blessings,
Mary
Hi servant,
As one person who commented on my facebook said (paraphrasing very loosely here) "Show me the money." People who are arguing are not usually listening, except for flaws in your argument they can exploit. I don't know now if my facebook discussion actually accomplished anything except to draw some lines in the sand. They need to see the stuff. We can discuss theory forever.
A couple of years ago I was praying about whether or not to teach Vacation Bible School. I just assumed I would. But I had a dream in which I was told to jump off a school bus because there was something wrong with the wheels. Everyone in the dream was mad at me for jumping off.
Since I was praying specifically about teaching children that summer I understood this dream to be about VBS. I told the director that I felt the Lord wanted me not to volunteer. That was an act of faith and obedience for me since I hadn't really based a lot of decisions on dreams before. They were disappointed with me.
Two days before VBS a family in our church was involved in a tragic accident in which their son was killed. Something went wrong with the wheels of their vehicle and it rolled. We were all hurting with them, of course. The grandmother and the mother were team teaching a large class and obviously they could not do it. I happened to be free so I could take over the whole thing for them with less than 24 hours notice. If I had been teaching the class I originally intended to I would not have been able to do that. (After I said I wouldn't be teaching they found an enthusiastic volunteer from another church.) When I told one of the leaders why I happened to be free, that I had a dream about a school bus, and not staying on because there was something wrong with the wheels, she covered her ears and ran away saying, "You're freaking me out, You're freaking me out."
After a few incidents like that she has stopped covering her ears.
It's scary to tell people you think the Lord is telling you things. Most of them will write you off as nuts, (some have used the word "heretical" and "deceived") but not all. Some people even tell me their dreams now.
As one person who commented on my facebook said (paraphrasing very loosely here) "Show me the money." People who are arguing are not usually listening, except for flaws in your argument they can exploit. I don't know now if my facebook discussion actually accomplished anything except to draw some lines in the sand. They need to see the stuff. We can discuss theory forever.
A couple of years ago I was praying about whether or not to teach Vacation Bible School. I just assumed I would. But I had a dream in which I was told to jump off a school bus because there was something wrong with the wheels. Everyone in the dream was mad at me for jumping off.
Since I was praying specifically about teaching children that summer I understood this dream to be about VBS. I told the director that I felt the Lord wanted me not to volunteer. That was an act of faith and obedience for me since I hadn't really based a lot of decisions on dreams before. They were disappointed with me.
Two days before VBS a family in our church was involved in a tragic accident in which their son was killed. Something went wrong with the wheels of their vehicle and it rolled. We were all hurting with them, of course. The grandmother and the mother were team teaching a large class and obviously they could not do it. I happened to be free so I could take over the whole thing for them with less than 24 hours notice. If I had been teaching the class I originally intended to I would not have been able to do that. (After I said I wouldn't be teaching they found an enthusiastic volunteer from another church.) When I told one of the leaders why I happened to be free, that I had a dream about a school bus, and not staying on because there was something wrong with the wheels, she covered her ears and ran away saying, "You're freaking me out, You're freaking me out."
After a few incidents like that she has stopped covering her ears.
It's scary to tell people you think the Lord is telling you things. Most of them will write you off as nuts, (some have used the word "heretical" and "deceived") but not all. Some people even tell me their dreams now.
...that I might know Him...
A quick search shows 98 instances of the word DREAM in the NIV from Genesis to Jude. The word VISION in the NIV shows 102 instances from Genesis to Revelation. The words dream or vision show up in 26 out of 66 books of the Bible with the most references of both words being used in the book of Daniel.Charys wrote:How many references are there to God communicating through dreams in the Bible anyway?
In other words, how much of the Bible do we have to ignore, if God does not use dreams?
in Christ,
In answer to the question of God healing today, I want to say that I
KNOW He does. By knowledge, I am not talking about book learning or
doctrinal dogma, I am talking about experience.
I recieved a major healing, restoring my life back to me. So personally, I know God heals.
I have laid hands on many sick people and seen them recover.
I have seen God creatively restore many missing body parts, parts
that have been surgically removed. I have seen God heal incurable diseases in a moment.
In the simplest of terms, Cessasionist Theology is based upon the idea that God is distant and remote,
not that involved in humanity today.
I cannot accept that a God who loved me before I accepted Him so much that He would send His Son to die for me
while I cursed and despised Him would choose to remain distant
and aloof after I found Him.
jeff
KNOW He does. By knowledge, I am not talking about book learning or
doctrinal dogma, I am talking about experience.
I recieved a major healing, restoring my life back to me. So personally, I know God heals.
I have laid hands on many sick people and seen them recover.
I have seen God creatively restore many missing body parts, parts
that have been surgically removed. I have seen God heal incurable diseases in a moment.
In the simplest of terms, Cessasionist Theology is based upon the idea that God is distant and remote,
not that involved in humanity today.
I cannot accept that a God who loved me before I accepted Him so much that He would send His Son to die for me
while I cursed and despised Him would choose to remain distant
and aloof after I found Him.
jeff
Jeff, awesome!
Your comments are really along the line of what I meant when I told my friends on Face Book that I could prove what I believed, but they couldn't. See my faith by my works so to speak...
I have seen my short leg grow, right in front of my eyes, and I have "spoken to" about 20 other ppls' short legs and seen God grow them as well. I keep laying hands on the sick and many recover, but not all at this point. I believe they will... Do you have any "pointers"? Or a link to some teachings that have helped you? I am still new to most of this and welcome knowledge, wisdom, understanding. I believe my daughter and I have the "gift of healing" as we were prophesied has having such and I believe it!
Thank you,
Mary
Your comments are really along the line of what I meant when I told my friends on Face Book that I could prove what I believed, but they couldn't. See my faith by my works so to speak...
I have seen my short leg grow, right in front of my eyes, and I have "spoken to" about 20 other ppls' short legs and seen God grow them as well. I keep laying hands on the sick and many recover, but not all at this point. I believe they will... Do you have any "pointers"? Or a link to some teachings that have helped you? I am still new to most of this and welcome knowledge, wisdom, understanding. I believe my daughter and I have the "gift of healing" as we were prophesied has having such and I believe it!
Thank you,
Mary