Read part one or you will miss a bunch, because I am not really reiterating anything!

Jesus taught that lawlessness would increase as His coming draws near, but that should be for the world and not the church! (Matthew 24:12, 37-30) Jesus is not coming back for a morally corrupt church! No!

He has given Himself so that He can present the church as His radiant bride, unstained, unwrinkled, and unblemished—completely free from all impurity—holy and innocent before Him. (Ephesians 5:27 The Voice)

Four things are required for moral purity:

1. The desire and willingness to obey moral commands to please the Lord.

This anointing and fire of the Spirit isn’t yet found everywhere because many churches have never experienced it or deny it completely. One good thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has done for the Body of Christ is to point out the difference between weak and gutless churches, and those that will go on for God in the power of the Spirit, regardless of circumstance or the attempt of governments to shut down churches. Right now, and since about April of 2020, a purging and a sifting has been going on! After this whole mess blows over completely, watch what happens. Many churches will never again reopen their doors even though some of them had thousands of people attending their services. They were dead (or nearly dead) before the so-called pandemic (non-pandemic) broke out and they are completely dead now. Only those that mean business with God, even unto death if necessary (Revelation 12:11), will be the ones that that overcome and will show and demonstrate the presence and power of God. Yes, it clear in the book of Revelation, and we are fast approaching the fulfilment of all things written there. There is a whole lot of sifting and shaking going on! Frankly, it will only increase from here on out till the coming of the Lord. A distinct difference will be seen between the righteous and unrighteous, between the holy and profane. (Malachi 3:16-18; Ezekiel 44:23) Get used to it!

Is the Church supposed to ignore behavioral problems and only deal with heart issues? Let us dive back into this important and timely subject. Let’s settle this once and for all.

The apostle Peter taught:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth” (1 Peter 1:14-17 NASB).

According to Peter, external conduct and behavior are essential for all that call God their Father. Holy behavior is demanded and required! God will impartially judge everyone’s work. “You shall be holy for I am holy” refers to holy behavior. It does not refer to positional or received holiness, but to one’s external lifestyle. “Be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy,” should answer this forever, but there is much more in the New Testament on this subject.

Does the New Testament exalt “heart issues” and minimize external lifestyle? Only someone that has not read the New Testament, or is blinded by a doctrine of demons, could come to that conclusion.

Behavioral issues are discussed in every book of the New Testament! Let’s look at a few representative examples from First Corinthians.

1. Chapter 5 addresses the incestuous relationship a man was having with his father’s wife (5:1-5). That is behavioral any way you slice it!

Then, after discussing hair, Paul shifts the conversation to a rebuke against people causing divisions in the church of Corinth by eating and others getting drunk (1 Corinthians 11:21, 22)! Could you imagine some people coming to church to stuff their faces and get stumbling, bumbling drunk? Sorry, but you don’t get drunk on grape juice. Do you mean to tell me that alcohol was allowed in the church services? That will blow some traditional, religious, evangelical circuits! Read the text and note that Paul says if you are going to drink (not get drunk because drunkenness is a sin), do it at home for goodness sake! So, drinking fermented grape juice at home was OK in Paul’s view as long you did not get drunk! See also Galatians 5:19-21 where the practice of drunkenness is mentioned as keeping a person from inheriting the kingdom of God. Paul never condemned drinking a fermented beverage with alcohol content at home.  

Do you think Jesus ate the Passover with grape juice and not fermented wine? Think again. According to Jewish tradition, the Passover Seder (order of service and retelling of the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt- (Haggadah) was celebrated with 4 cups of wine (not grape juice)[1], each with at least 3.3 oz. of, you guessed it, fermented, alcohol containing, WINE! I don’t keep wine at home, so don’t get bent out of shape here, though I could, and it would be fine, but I don’t, but I could, but, it is really none of your business! I just had to throw that in there! Haha!

The first miracle was Jesus turning water into wine (not grape juice) for a wedding feast! God’s miracle-working power made fermented wine containing alcohol!

I understand many are intolerant of anything fermented or with alcohol content in evangelical Christianity. I also understand that if someone had substance abuse problems (or demons) because of alcohol then they should always and forever abstain from it. My issue against most evangelical thoughts and beliefs on the subject is when they make it a sin if someone has a cold beer with their pizza, and THAT is not right. Personally, I like a cold soda with my pizza! For Christians, honestly, if you must do it, refrain from doing it in public so as not to offend other believers that are weak or even to give the appearance of evil before anybody saved or unsaved. (Romans 14:21, 1Thesaalonians 5:22)

Anyway, enough of that, but I enjoy busting silly traditional views on the subject. Sometimes, I wonder if some people can even read. Quit judging those that do and those that do not! Read Romans 14 and get over it!

Behavior, oh behavior, you continue to appear, and we were just looking at one of the books of the New Testament! Behavior and behavioral issues are found in EVERY New Testament book!

How readest thou? That is good, centuries old, KJV!

1. Chapter 14:40 summarizes Paul’s correction of abuses in spiritual manifestations that were happening at this church. All things were to be done decently and in order. That is behavior baby!

Ephesians chapters 4 through 6 deal with behaviors or what you do in your body. 

Colossians chapter 3 deals with behaviors, and so does First Thessalonians 4 and 5!

The apostle Peter deals with behaving right in First Peter 1:14-17, as we saw above. He teaches the correct behavior for husband and wife in First Peter 3:1-7. He again deals with behaviors in 3:10-12, 16, 4:1-5, and Second Peter 2:6-9.

What about the apostle John? Read these short five chapters and identify all the places he refers to your behavior. He deals with the confession of sins, the lust of the flesh and eyes, the pride of life, practice of sin or righteousness, a love demonstrated in deed and truth, keeping the commandments, etc. All of these, and more deal with moral behavior. 

Jude 1:7, 8, 15, and 16 deals with, yep, behaviors!

How about the book of Revelation, penned by John, the apostle? Read chapters 2 and 3 and see how many things come up in the words of Jesus concerning behavior. At no time does Jesus say, “I know your heart issues, motivations, intentions, or desires!” No! He repeatedly says, “I know your works.” Of course, the Lord knows everything about a human being because nothing can be hidden from Him, whether in the thoughts or our actions (Hebrews 4:11-14). He has and will address evil thoughts on certain occasions (Matthew 9:4; 12:25).[2]

The focus of Jesus in Revelation was on: “I know your works” (Rev. 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8, 15), “you need to repent of her (Jezebel’s) works” (Rev. 2:22), and “I will give to each one according to your works” (Rev. 2:23). He addressed their works (actions or deeds) continuously in those chapters, but that is not all. See also Rev. 2:26; 3:2. If you study the rest of the book, you will see works mentioned. (Rev. 14:13; 16:11; 18:6; 20:12, 13). Behaviors or works are mentioned fourteen times! [3]

Need I go on? Behavior issues are dealt with in every epistle! Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John all deal with behavioral issues.

It is too bad Paul didn't know that he only needed to deal with the heart issues and not all that behavioral stuff! Sarcasm here! Yes, it is necessary at this point for the benefit of those that still cannot see the abundant emphasis on behavioral issues in the New Testament.

So, should we now think that dealing with behaviors is to be minimized? Should we deal only with "heart issues" as a priority?

Disobedience to God’s moral commandments is at the root of all behavioral issues. We must impose, require, demand, and teach obedience to God and His moral commandments as the standard we are to follow in our churches. Period!

It is tragic. Many churches concentrate on being blessed, delivered, redeemed, dealing with bad circumstances, your self-esteem and vision, healing, giving, gifts and fruit of the Spirit, end time prophecy, etc. Some teach about resisting worry, but what about fleeing from fornication? Teaching on kindness is good, but what about training to live a holy life? Some want to be motivated into success as Christian business owners, but what about encouraging people into strong moral principles? That is a real “life” coach! Some teach on forgiveness and faith, but what about teaching on resisting covetousness, idolatry, adultery, lying, and theft? The way things are happening in Christianity, and the perversions we are seeing proliferating among churches, we need a major shift to an emphasis on Biblical moral principles. What about the subjects of dedication, faithfulness, consecration, obedience and loyalty to God and His moral commandments, humility, repentance, and the fear of the Lord?

To concentrate only on the redemptive work of Jesus and its benefits, without also teaching about the moral conduct required by the Lord, will severely weaken a church. A church that learns about their “rights and privileges in Christ,” but doesn’t hear much (if at all) about moral responsibilities, will consistently experience immorality in its ranks. Churches that preach the benefits without the emphasis of moral requirements are severely curtailing spiritual growth. We are seeing the fruits of decades of this kind of teaching and preaching sweeping through the Church right now! Sin, darkness, perversion, and all kinds of evil are constantly seen and reported from many sectors of the Christian church. Many emphasize a “bless me” gospel with little to no importance given to moral behavior according to God’s Word. Christian morality has been relegated to a backburner, and in some churches, morality equals bondage! That has to change, or the vicious cycle of the practice of sin and wickedness will continue and even increase.  

I believe in and preach and teach often on the redemptive work of Jesus and all its mighty benefits, BUT I also emphasize the moral side of the covenant! We cannot preach redemption without also teaching the moral responsibility of the saints!

For the world preaching is different. We should only preach redemption to them in the Blood and sacrifice of Jesus. Moral principles are useless for the ungodly as far as making it into the kingdom of God and going to heaven! The ungodly must first receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. For the believer both are absolutely essential. Let's get our doctrine straight!  

NOTES:

[1] Drinking of wine symbolized gladness and joy, and the four cups were sort of a “toast” corresponding to the four deliverance statements of Exodus 6:6-7. See “To Be A Jew,” page 231, by Hayim Halevy Donin. This book is a good resource for getting a handle on Jewish practice. What many don’t understand is that Jewish orthodox and conservative practice has changed little in 2000 years. Most of what Jews practice in their feast and festivals today was already practiced before the initial compendium of Jewish oral law was written down in Mishnah (c. 200 A. D.)  and later discussed among the rabbis in the Talmud (c. 500 A. D.). That is an amazing revelation because we don’t have to go far to sit with Jesus during the Passover meal. We know what they ate, drank, and the story they read of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, and the blessings spoken as they retold the story. We know about the 5th cup left un-drunk at the head of the table. It was called the cup of Elijah reserved for the Messiah because Elijah was to come before the Messiah showed up. “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:20 NET) There is no question in my mind that this final cup Jesus raised was the cup reserved for Messiah! It was a miracle that no one wound up in the floor overwhelmed by it all!

[2] According to Matthew 15:19, “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,” and so on. Peter rebuked the new convert named Simon (Acts 8:13) because he allowed wickedness, bitterness, and the bondage of iniquity to reenter his heart. It caused his heart not to be right before the Lord! Do you mean that it is possible to have your spirit defiled by wickedness after you are birthed of the Spirit or “born again?” See Acts 8:20-23. Peter rebuked Simon for the wickedness he displayed with the ungodly offer to pay money for the authority to lay hands on people, so they receive the Holy Spirit. Peter called it the evil “intention of your (Simon’s) heart.” The intention of his heart was displayed by his action. Peter called the wickedness displayed, the intention of the heart. There is a close parallel between intention, thought, and desire of the heart and the action. These cannot be separated too far because what you intend is what you will do, and what you do is what you intended. The only thing that interferes with this connection is when a person that intends to do evil stops the process by repentance. This verse tells us what to do when the spirit or body are defiled by sin: “Therefore, since we have these promises (see 2 Cor. 6:14-18), dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the body and the spirit, and thus accomplish holiness out of reverence for God (2 Corinthians 7:1).

[3] Based, again, on Matthew 15:19, it would be foolish to say that Jesus rarely dealt with behavioral issues. What does, “do not sin anymore” (John 5:14), and “from now on sin no more” (John 8:11) mean? Jesus instructed them that they keep their behavior according to God’s commandments. Jesus mentioned the commandments “you shall not murder;” “you shall not commit adultery;” “you shall not steal;” “you shall not bear false witness;” “honor your father and mother;” and “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:18, 19 NASB). That all started with a question and the answer of the Master concerning what to do if you want to enter into (eternal) life. Jesus responds with that it was necessary to keep (obey) the commandments. To be complete, Jesus said that the questioner had to walk away from possessions that possessed him, selling them, and giving the proceeds to the poor, and following Jesus! That is what we are taught in shortened form in Revelation 14:12 and 12:17. What about the teaching of Jesus on adultery, murder, fornication, and divorce? (See Matthew 5:21-32.) There are other references in the words of Jesus, but these should suffice.

Some deny the importance of dealing with behavioral issues in our churches because these are “external.” Does this mean that we are to ignore external behaviors and not bring correction or rebuke? Some say that if you deal with the heart, then the external behavioral issues will go away.

What is at the heart of all behavioral issues? Is it a lack of understanding grace, God’s love, the sacrifice of Jesus, etc.? Is it a lack of a revelation of Jesus? Is it a lack of revelation knowledge? I have heard many reasons for why people engage in immoral activities, but the most prominent one is “heart issues.”

To begin, many completely overlook the huge amount of verses in the New Testament that deal with; you guessed it, behavioral problems. We will look at some of them later.

Does the Lord deal with behaviors? Does the Lord deal with the exterior, or is He only looking at the internal, the heart?

People are quick to quote the statement the Lord made concerning His choice for a king. Usually, the second part of the verse is quoted. It states God doesn’t look at the appearance but at the heart. Because this verse is quoted partially almost every time I have ever seen it in print or heard someone quote it, many strange ideas have developed around it. Look closely at the verse:

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Donʼt be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NET).

What happened here? God sent Samuel to Jesse’s house to anoint one of his sons to be the next king over Israel. God warned Samuel not to look at the physical appearance and think that height was a qualification necessary for a king. He already had that experience with Saul. Saul was head and shoulders taller than anyone in Israel. The Lord needed for him to forget that, and make the right choice. The next king was to be the youngest son of Jesse, a ruddy (maybe red hair and fair skin with freckles) sheepherder!

The outward appearance that the Lord was referring to had everything to do with height and physical appearance. It was not an excuse for overlooking evil actions or sin. “The Lord looks at the heart” had NOTHING to do with dismissing sin and unrighteous acts in the body because those are external or of the flesh. 

God was not telling Samuel that if outwardly the one anointed for king was sinning, that He would look beyond that external evil and see something good in the heart. That would be utterly absurd! But, that has been what I have heard people say about backsliders living a sinful lifestyle. They say, “Oh, even though he or she is backslid, the Lord knows his or her heart, and they will be OK if they die in their sin.” Some say it differently, but it all boils down to providing an excuse for people’s sins.

I heard the above said by prominent ministers after the singer Whitney Houston died tragically. She died because of alcohol abuse and a drug overdose, and then drowned in her own bathtub. Those are the tragic facts! Whitney Houston was living in fornication, and yet many sought to excuse her sinful lifestyle. “Whitney knew Jesus as a child,” according to one respected prophet, so all their sins would be overlooked “because it was all external” and “God knew Whitney Houston’s heart.” I take issue with those highly ignorant statements because they violate a plethora of Scriptures!

Some think that the Lord will overlook and ignore what people do in their bodies as Christians, even if it is contrary to God’s moral commandments. No, He won’t ignore it!

The wicked man is so arrogant he always thinks, “God won’t hold me accountable; he doesn’t care.” (Psalms 10:4 NET)

To believe that God doesn’t hold us accountable for sin in the body is equivalent to the way a wicked and arrogant person thinks.

Paul had a vastly different view than is often expressed in modern namby-pamby, sugar coated, spineless, sissified, marshmallow, cotton-candy, Christianity. The descriptors are to make sure you got what kind of Christianity I am referring to, one that is totally different than BIBLE Christianity! Here we go.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them … Therefore, God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason, God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless. Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. …And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! He will reward each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness. There will be affliction and distress on everyone who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. (Romans 1:18, 19, 24-32, 2:3-9 NET)

Can some people that deny Christian accountability for their sin and evil deeds even read? God's wrath is revealed from Heaven against ALL unrighteousness, and that includes Christian unrighteousness! Paul, the great apostle of, as some say PURE GRACE, wrote that! The only way out of judgment is through humility and repentance where we as Christians confess our sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing from UNRIGHTEOUSNESS through the blood of Jesus. See 1 John 1:7-10, 2:1-3.

How readest thou? 

We will all have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of what we did in our bodies. 

In time we will all stand in judgment before the throne of the Anointed, the Liberating King, to receive what is just for our conduct (whether it be good or bad) while we lived in this temporary body. (2 Corinthians 5:10 VOICE)

The Lord will not ask you on that day what you really had in your heart as good intentions, but He will ask about what you DID in your body. Paul wrote that verse by the Spirit of the Lord.

Before David was anointed to be king, the reprobate King Saul reigned over Israel. Why did God want Saul removed from office? Was it because God looked at His heart and saw something evil there even though externally he may have been all right? No! The reason Saul lost his place and anointing to be king was because of his disobedience to God’s commandment. That is what made his heart unfit.

Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:13, 14 NASB).

Why did Saul lose the kingdom? Saul acted foolishly when he disobeyed the commandment of God. The condition of Saul’s heart was demonstrated by his actions, so God sought for a man that would have a right heart before Him by DOING His commandments.

Closely read this next paragraph.

Who is the person after God’s own heart? The one that obeys God’s commands is the person after His heart! God was looking for that. Obedience was what God saw in the heart of David. God saw that David would be obedient to Him. Obedience from the heart was what Saul lacked when he disobeyed the Lord.

One more point: One cannot have obedience in the heart and disobedience in one’s actions. That is a fallacy! If you disobey God, it is because you decided to disobey from the heart. If you obey the Lord, it is because you decided to obey the Lord from the heart. The determining factor of your heart is whether you obey or not. A heart after God obeys Him. A heart that is not after God disobeys Him!

Then Samuel said, “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as a king” (1 Samuel 15:22, 23 NET).

Obedience or disobedience to God’s commandments is what determines the condition of the heart after you come to Christ. Christ made it all right in you when you first came to Him. He put in you the will and desire to obey the Lord (Philippians 2:12, 13). Now it is your obedience or disobedience that will dictate the condition of your heart in Christ.  You don’t think so? Remember what God said through Samuel? Disobedience leads to rebellion, and rebellion is as the sin of divination. There is also involved presumption, which is like the evil of idolatry. Each of these will contaminate the heart or spirit with filthiness that must be cleansed.  Look at Second Corinthians 6:14-18 through 7:1!

So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. …But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out- he will be blessed in what he does (James 1:21, 22, 25 NET).

James was teaching the brethren in Christ that the way this works is to:

1. Put away all filth and evil excess. That means that you become obedient to the negative commandments of Scripture. When I refer to negative commandments, I am not saying they are “negative” in the bad sense of the word, but that they are commandments that contain a prohibition against an evil action or deed. Everywhere the Word commands you NOT TO DO something; you obey it. For examples: “You will not murder,” nor covet, nor commit adultery, are some of the “negative” or the “do not” type commandments we must obey. (See Romans 13:9, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; Galatians 5:19-21, etc.

Are these compatible with the message of Jesus or do they oppose each other? The book of Revelation teaches that ‘children’ of God are those that “keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony about Jesus” (Rev. 12:17 NET). Who are the real saints, meaning those called out by God to live holy lives? The book of Revelation says, “Those who obey God’s commandments and hold to their faith in Jesus” (Rev. 14:12 NET).

Peter taught that if we address God as our Father, we should remember that He judges each one according to their behavior, not according to intentions, desires, or motivations of the heart.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth” (1 Peter 1:14-17 NASB).

Living out the message, being obedient to the Lord, and being holy in all our behavior, is living in the reverential fear of the Lord. (See also Second Corinthians 7:1.) There is no such thing as fearing the Lord in your heart but doing evil or sin externally. To sin is to walk away from the fear of the Lord, even if it is for a moment.

Notice again that judgment is not be based on the intentions or motivations of the heart. To say that your heart was right though you did wrong will not matter.

There is an exception to the above. If you did something wrong but were ignorant of the truth in the matter, God will correct and instruct you to get you out, and keep you from sinning against Him.

God did that with Abimelech in Genesis 20:1-7. Abimelech took Sara to be his wife. He believed her to be Abraham’s sister. Abimelech did not know Abraham and Sarah lied about their marriage relationship. God intervened and told Abimelech he was a dead man because he was planning to take another man’s wife. Abimelech was innocent and had integrity in the matter, and the Lord came to him in a dream to stop him from sinning.

The difference is that if you know what you are doing is wrong, and yet do it, you will be held responsible and accountable for your actions. Not doing the right thing when you know it is right is a sin.

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:17 NASB)

The only way out of this mess is repentance and confession of our sins before the Lord. He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness! See First John 1:9. Thank God for the Blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7)!

There is more to say about this, and I trust you will be looking for Part 2 of this message!

Grace And Commandments: Do They Oppose Each Other?

I trust you will hear the recoded message AND read this document. You need this information in your heart so you are not led astray by strange doctrines that have found their way into numerous churches and ministries. Those that require ritual commandment keeping of Christians, and those that deny keeping moral commandments in Christendom are all in for an eye-opening experience! We base it ALL on the clear teaching of God's Word, mainly from the Apostle Paul. So get informed and get grounded in Scripture in this 62-page mini-book. It's free of charge. In it is vital information that every Christian should know and understand. Why do so many err along these lines? They don't know the Scriptures or have only heard out-of-context verses quoted to them. Both are very bad for a Christian. We must know the Word in its context! That is the ONLY way to stay out of error. The more you know Scripture the lees you will be deceived. That is the "why" of this study.

Here is the link to the most recent revised copy in English:

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/398pmd/Did_the_Grace_of_God_Cancel_Biblical_Commandments_REV_2018.pdf

Be mightily blessed!

Dan A. Rodriguez

Spanish language text and download link are after the following excerpt in English from the PDF doc.

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Part 1: Why Force the Gentiles to Live like Jews?

Why do we need a message like this today? Look around and note the modern teachings spreading among the churches. There are those that emphasize we should keep Sabbath days, feasts and festivals, laws concerning foods, and other ritual laws of Israel. On the other hand, there are ministers, churches, and books that insist that we are not under any law and that we should not obey Old Testament commandments.

to live like Jews?” (Galatians 2:14 NET) These Jewish believers were also “trying to 

Look at other translations of Galatians 2:16:

In Spanish, there is one well-known version that states, “Why do you coerce the 

Paul reveals his teaching and thinking on the subject with this statement. In the apostle’s doctrine there was a clear distinction between what was a necessary for the gentiles converted to Christ and what was the practice of Judaism. This will all make sense soon, but here is what I am asking: Should Christians today be under obligation to keep Sabbath days, feasts (Pentecost, Day of Atonement, Passover, Tabernacles, etc.), use prayer shawls, phylacteries, practice circumcision, and should they maintain kosher in their homes by distinguishing between clean and unclean foods? In other words, should we feel under obligation to keep and obey ritual-ceremonial laws given to Israel?

Do I have to tell you that there is much confusion on this subject in Christianity? The Body of Christ (the Church) needs a Biblical perspective and not a traditional or modern interpretation of the subject. Our opinions and doctrines are worthless in this respect. We need to see it in the Scripture and then abide by its instruction. That is my only purpose in this treatise. If you are a Jewish believer in Jesus, or if you are a Christian with no Jewish background, you really need to read these articles. They will answer many questions. What was happening among the Galatians? Among other things, Jewish believers were insisting that male gentile converts to Christ needed to be circumcised. To receive circumcision for a Jew indicated that he entered into the covenant of God with Abraham and his descendants, and that he was to submit to the laws given by God at Sinai exclusively for the nation of Israel. Paul understood that no gentile converts to the Lord Jesus needed physical circumcision to enter into a relationship with God. To attempt to enter into a relationship with God via circumcision, after entering into covenant via faith in Jesus, was to deny and reject what was already received. Look at Galatians 5:1-12, 6:12-15.

Circumcision was not the only part of Israelite ceremonial-ritual laws that were not to be demanded of gentiles converted to Christ.

But now you know the true God. Really, though, it is God who knows you. So why do you turn back to the same kind of weak and useless rules you followed? Do you want to be slaves to those things again? It worries me that you follow teachings about special days, months, seasons, and years. I fear that my work for you has been wasted (Galatians 4:9-11 ERV).

The Expanded Bible translates and states about these verses in Galatians 4:9-11: But now you know the true God. Really, it is God who knows you. So do [L how can] you turn back to those weak and [bankrupt; L poor] [or spiritual forces; or elementary principles/powers; v. 3] you followed before? Do you want to be subject to those things again? You still follow teachings about [are observing/keeping] special days, months, seasons, and years [C probably Jewish Sabbaths and festivals, which Paul’s opponents claimed must be observed to be saved].

These Galatian gentile converts to Jesus were being influenced and then submitting to what the Jewish believers wanted to impose upon them, but Paul firmly opposed these demands. How could Christians from a gentile background turn back to these ritual-ceremonial commandments that had to do with keeping or observing special days like the Sabbath, months (new moons), seasons, and years. These words,“months, seasons and years,” were most likely referring to the feasts and festivals of Israel like the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), Tabernacles (Succoth), Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot), New Year (Rosh Hashanah), and others. For gentiles converted to the Lord, these ceremonial-ritual commandments to observe certain rituals during these times of the year had little if any significance. Gentiles were pagan idolaters, ignorant, and completely unaccustomed to Jewish rituals or ceremonies. They were not raised in them nor taught them from an early age as was customary among the Jews. For gentiles converted to the Lord, these rituals were weak and made them slaves to a system of sacrifice and ritual meant only for Israel. Read the previous paragraph again, and get these truths into your heart. Paul was not sent as an apostle to the Jews, but to the gentiles (Rom.  11:13). He emphasized that Christians from a gentile background were not under obligation to ritual-ceremonial laws because they were only applicable to the nation of Israel. That is THE truth of the matter, but further explanation is necessary to avoid any misunderstandings. By the end of these articles there should be NO doubt in your thinking about this subject.

The Temporary Nature of Ritual Ceremonial Laws

The other side to this is much more important. It is the fact that with the coming and sacrifice of Jesus came an eternal fulfillment of all ritual-ceremonial laws that began at Sinai and ended with the coming of the Christ (Messiah). The ceremonial-ritual law was a temporary measure instituted by God UNTIL the manifestation and sacrifice of the Messiah. This was Paul’s teaching on the subject of Galatians 3:16-25. Please read it carefully, but note what else Paul taught about it.

So do not let anyone criticize you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating Jewish holidays and feasts or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these were only temporary rules that ended when Christ came.  They were only shadows of the real thing of Christ himself (Colossians 2:16, 16 TLV).

I don’t know how much clearer a verse could possibly be! You would need demonic deception to misunderstand this! The apostle taught that all ritual-ceremonial laws given to Moses at Sinai, those such as Jewish holidays and feasts, new moon ceremonies, or Sabbaths were temporary rules. That means that there would be a time coming when these would no longer be demanded. They ceased being an obligation with the coming of Jesus. These ritual ceremonies were the shadow of someone greater to come, and His Name is Jesus! These ritual-ceremonial aspects of law were the shadow of the eternal (the real) that came through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

When the Lord Jesus Christ suffered death and shed His blood for us, He fulfilled the Passover lamb sacrifice. (See 1 Cor. 5:7.) He offered one sacrifice that never needs to be repeated again. It was an eternal sacrifice and redemption! (See Hebrews 9:9-15.) There never needs to be another blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin. His sacrifice dealt with the sin problem once and for all (for those that believe in Him and receive His sacrifice). Jesus was the fulfillment of every sacrifice and burnt offering offered by the priesthood of Israel. This is the great theme of Hebrews chapters 7 through 10.

Jesus was made the eternal High Priest, not according to the order of Aaron, but according to that of Melchizedek (Hebrews 6:20-7:28).

Christ was the last sacrifice and spotless Lamb offered up once for us (1 Peter 1:19). Again, His sacrifice fulfilled the shadow, which was all related to the Temple, priesthood, and the sacrifices.

Now the church, the Body of Christ, and the individual believer, come to be God’s Temple (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19; Eph. 2:21).

We become a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices under Jesus the High Priest. (1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 13:15) We do not offer the blood and bodies of ritually slaughtered innocent animals for the forgiveness of sins.

Today, if we sin, we have the Blood of Jesus to wipe away our sins. We acknowledge or confess our sins, receive forgiveness, and are cleansed from all unrighteousness because of the Blood of Jesus that was shed for us (1 John 1:7-10).

Have you heard that we should learn more about our Hebrew roots?

Some Christians insist that believers should observe the feasts and festivals of Israel, and especially Sabbath days, because Christ is found in all of them, and He was their fulfillment. Yes, we can all benefit from learning about feasts, festivals, and Sabbath days, and we can see the shadow of Messiah clearly expressed in them. Yes, there are important truths that can be learned by studying the Hebrew roots of Christianity in the first century.

There are words and verses in the New Testament that are misunderstood and generally misinterpreted when looked at in English or from the Greek. These can ONLY be properly understood when you look at the Hebrew- Jewish background of the first century.

To give you one powerful example, take the related words faith and believe. These words came into the Greek New Testament from the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture used by all the original writers of the New Testament. Neither of the words faith or believe have anything to do with “beliefs” as such. When used in reference to God they are better understood by the words trust, faithfulness, loyalty, steadfastness, firmness, obedience, and yielding to Him and His Word. To believe on Jesus is not a belief system you embrace. It means that you yield and humble yourself to who Jesus is (He becomes your Lord) and to what He has done for you (His sacrifice), and that you become His faithful, loyal, and steadfast follower. Much error has developed and been propagated by churches because of not understanding these BASIC truths, easily understood when proper research is done into the background and usage of these words in Hebrew!

I recognize the importance of studying the Hebrew roots of first century Christianity and have been a student since 1985. Here’s my point: you can learn much about the Hebrew-Jewish background of Christianity without feeling obligated to observe the feasts, festivals, Sabbath days, and dietary laws (keeping kosher) as practiced in Judaism.

Another point to keep in mind is that for the apostle Paul and the early church there was a vast difference between ceremonial-ritual laws meant only for Israel, and moral laws or commandments that apply to everybody, Jew or Gentile. We will look at this in some detail.

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Download the rest of this powerfully revealing mini book using this link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/398pmd/Did_the_Grace_of_God_Cancel_Biblical_Commandments_REV_2018.pdf  Be blessed!

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En  Español es más corto pero aún muy jugoso: 

Este estudio en Español de 26 páginas en formato PDF es sumamente importante porque hay aquellos que enseñan hoy que todos los creyentes están bajo obligación guardar el Sábado, las fiestas (Pentecostés, Día de Expiación, Pascua, Tabernáculos, etc.), la circuncisión, y que deben guardar leyes acerca de comidas limpias e inmundas. En otras palabras, enseñan que todos los creyentes deben guardar leyes rituales-ceremoniales que Dios le dio a Israel. 

Debemos mirar esto de las escrituras y así eliminar cualquier duda. Hay mucha confusión entre cristianos sobre este tema. Y muchos creyentes, que no sienten el deseo ni la obligación de guardar ningún acto ritual judío, no saben como explicarle a otros porque no tienen la necesidad guardar estos actos rituales-ceremoniales. Por eso este estudio, para que obtengas conocimiento claro sobre este tema desde la perspectiva Bíblica. 

Este artículo es con el propósito de mostrar lo que Pablo y los apóstoles establecieron como necesario para las iglesias. Acuérdate de esto y lee el documento en su totalidad para que veas que yo no tengo ningún deseo de condenar a nadie. Pero si voy a decirle aquí al principio, y es que no estoy de acuerdo con que ningún creyente en Cristo practique el judaísmo. Debe ser obvio porque, generalmente hablando, el judaísmo niega a Jesucristo y su su obra redentora. Eso dicho, para los judíos mesiánicos, ustedes no practican el judaísmo tradicional porque son creyentes en Jesucristo, aun con guardar sábado, y practicar otras cosas del judaísmo. Lo siento si piensas distinto a eso. Permite las escrituras.

Pero hay otra consideración: cuantas iglesias mesiánicas echan fuera demonios, predican el evangelio para que personas vengan a Cristo, reciban el bautismo en el Espíritu Santo y las lenguas, e imponen manos sobre los enfermos para sanidad? Si no lo están haciendo entonces son iglesias o "sinagogas" que no siguen el patrón del libro de los Hechos, por ejemplo 1:8, 2:38, 19:1-20, y la gran comisión en Marcos 16:15-20. Y que de todas las iglesias "cristianas" que están muertas o cerca de la muerte y no tienen el fuego del Espíritu Santo para llevar a cabo esta gran comisión de Cristo y cumplir con el ejemplo del libro de los Hechos? Son iglesias que tienen una forma de piedad pero niegan el poder de Dios. (2 Timoteo 3:7)

Mi pregunta inicial en este documento es la misma que hizo Pablo acerca de los gentiles que se convertían a Dios: 

“¿Por que obligas a los gentiles a vivir como judíos?” (Gálatas 2:14 LBLA).

Vamos a contestar esta y muchas otras preguntas con la Palabra de Dios. Mi deseo profundo es que seas enriquecido en tu conocimiento y que seas liberado de tradiciones y errores que esclavizan a muchos creyentes.

Usa este eslabón para español. 

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/c3nmd5/La_Diferencia_Entre_Mandamientos_Rituales_y_Morales_y_La_Responsabilidad_del_Creyente_Conforme_a_Las_Ep_stolas_Apost_licas.pdf

Son amados,

Dan A. Rodriguez

Part 2!

Make sure you hear the preceding Part 1.

Preaching, teaching, and more is here on what the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead means according to the Scripture. What better way to celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus than this? Study and pray over these truths about the sacrifice of Jesus so they become a reality in you. This is the GREATEST heroic story ever told! It makes all the supposed super heroes invented by men look lame and pathetically weak! There is NONE to compare to what Jesus did to the devil and his hordes! Here you have it in Spanish and in English. 

The recorded message is in Spanish in two parts. This is Part Two. I pray that it will be a shocking and eye-opening message for all my Spanish listeners. It is a message of deliverance, salvation, and God's power to do the impossible. Be blessed!

Este es el segundo mensaje ungido sobre lo que pasó durante los tres días y noches entre cuando Jesucristo murió en la cruz y cuando fue resucitado de los muertos. Algunos de los puntos mas importantes son acerca de la resurrección doble de Jesús (la espiritual y la física de la tumba), la palabra profética de tres días o el tercer día, el día en que el Padre inauguró a Su Hijo y le llamó Dios, el significado del Nombre de Jesús, el sentido de “Consumado es,” cuando fue que Jesús venció a Satanás e hizo espectáculo público de el, y mucho mas. No te pierdas estos poderosos mensajes que transformarán tu vida.  

Gratis: Documento portátil (PDF) 

Después de oír el mensaje, vas a querer leer el libro publicado en el 2014 con 291 páginas sobre este tema. Nuestra redención en Cristo se establece con muchas escrituras. Si esto fuera solo una "revelación" personal sin fundamento, eso sería un error gigantesco. Pero esto no es "interpretación" privada que carece de fundamento sólido en las Palabra de Dios. Se prueba una y otras vez usando las mismas palabras de Jesús, Pablo, Pedro, Juan, y los profetas del Antiguo Testamento como David, Isaías, y Jonás. Este es mensaje transformador y que SIEMPRE te llevará a victoria en Cristo Jesús. ¡Aquí está! ¡Prepárate para una aventura en la Palabra de Dios que nunca te dejará igual! El PDF, igual que el impreso, es mi libro de 291 páginas publicado en el 2013-2014. En sus páginas encontrarás un lujo de detalles sobre el gran sacrificio de Jesucristo, porque fue necesario, y porque sufrió por 3 días y 3 noches en el corazón de la tierra (Mateo 12:40, Hechos 2:27, 31). También hay incluidos capítulos sobre el bautismo en el Espíritu Santo y las lenguas, y como recibir sanidad. No te pierdas este libro repleto de escrituras sobre estos temas.

Cuando el Señor me empezó a mostrar estas verdades acerca del sacrificio de Jesucristo en el 1976, nunca pensé que este mensaje correría a través del mundo. En el 1977 y 1978 publiqué el mensaje en ingles y luego en español. Eran libros de 89 y 132 páginas. ¡El Señor me ha dado mas! Oye este mensaje grabado abajo que resume el tema poderosamente.

Después de oír el mensaje, vas a querer leer el libro publicado en el 2014 con 291 páginas con el mismo titulo de este mensaje y este tema.  Usa este eslabón para verlo. Nuestra redención en Cristo se establece con muchas escrituras. Si esto fuera solo una "revelación" personal sin fundamento, eso sería un error gigantesco. Pero esto no es "interpretación" privada que carece de fundamento sólido en las Palabra de Dios. Se prueba una y otras vez usando las mismas palabras de Jesús, Pablo, Pedro, Juan, y los profetas del Antiguo Testamento como David, Isaías, y Jonás. Este es mensaje transformador y que SIEMPRE te llevará a victoria en Cristo Jesús. ¡Aquí está! ¡Prepárate para una aventura en la Palabra de Dios que nunca te dejará igual! 

El PDF, igual que el impreso, es mi libro de 291 páginas publicado en el 2014.

No te pierdas esta oportunidad de descargar este libro ungido. 

_________________

In English, though a little shorter at 243 pages, free download:

Download it freely in English here.

This newer English version was published in 2010.

Be mightily blessed! 

Preaching, teaching, and more is here on what the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead means according to the Scripture. What better way to celebrate the resurrection than this, getting in you the truths about the sacrifice of Jesus for you and me?

The recorded message is in Spanish in two parts. This is part one. I pray that it will be a shocking and eye-opening message for all my Spanish listeners. It is a message of deliverance, salvation, and God's power to do the impossible. Be blessed!

Cuando el Señor me empezó a mostrar estas verdades acerca del sacrificio de Jesucristo en el 1976, nunca pensé que este mensaje correría a través del mundo. En el 1977 y 1978 publiqué el mensaje en ingles y luego en español. Eran libros de 89 y 132 páginas. ¡El Señor me ha dado mas! Oye este mensaje grabado abajo que resume el tema poderosamente.

Despues de oir el mensaje, vas a querer leer el libro publicado en el 2014 con 291 páginas con el mismo titulo de este mensaje y este tema.  Usa este eslabón para verlo. Nuestra redención en Cristo se establece con muchas escrituras. Si esto fuera solo una "revelación" personal sin fundamento, eso sería un error gigantesco. Pero esto no es "interpretación" privada que carece de fundamento sólido en las Palabra de Dios. Se prueba una y otras vez usando las mismas palabras de Jesús, Pablo, Pedro, Juan, y los profetas del Antiguo Testamento como David, Isaías, y Jonás. Este es mensaje transformador y que SIEMPRE te llevará a victoria en Cristo Jesús. ¡Aquí está! ¡Prepárate para una aventura en la Palabra de Dios que nunca te dejará igual! 

El PDF, igual que el impreso, es mi libro de 291 páginas publicado en el 2014.

No te pierdas esta oportunidad de descargar este libro ungido. 

In English, though a little shorter at 243 pages, free download:

Download it freely in English here. 

For the last few years, I have published this message around this time. I usually wait until after Christmas because Three Kings Day will be celebrated soon by most Latin people. I trust this will bring light to you today in Jesus' Name!

When I was raised in Puerto Rico in the 60's, we celebrated Christmas, but "Reyes" or "Kings" was THE celebration of when the three Kings or Magi came to worship Jesus. The night before Three Kings day celebrations on January 6 were special nights. Children all over the island would leave grass out (generally with a manger built or prepared for the occasion) to feed the camels of the Three Kings, and they in turn would leave presents. Many times, Reyes was a much bigger celebration than Christmas. We loved Reyes! 

As you grow up, and begin to follow Jesus, you learn a few things if you will study. For example, the names and the numbers of the wise men that came from the East are never mentioned in the New Testament. Not only that, the word translated as wise men (magoi) is not the Greek word for kings (basileon)! Oops! So much for the tradition of the Three Gentile Kings that came to worship baby Jesus, all based on human invention. None of it is Scriptural! 

The above may be disconcerting for the unlearned, but the truth will not oppress you. The truth of God's Word will make you free from the traditions of men, if you will allow it. (John 8:32) Here comes much food for thought. 

The Wise Men that Came to See Jesus were Magi - Astrologers?

Does anybody but me have a problem with the tradition that the wise men were astrologers of the Magi caste from Babylon? I hope not. For many years, as a Christian, that “scratched” at me on the inside.

We know from Scripture how much God despises all the pagan practices of idolatry that include sorcery (deals with potions and spells), witchcraft (those that cast spells-incantations and curses and invoke (evil) spirits to get their will done), necromancers (those that attempt to speak to the dead, mediums), soothsayers (fortune tellers, and that includes the Ouija boards of today, tarot cards, divination, psychics), spiritists (those that channel evil spirits to tell your fortune), and astrologers (those that tell of events past, present, and future by “reading” the stars and planets). Here are a few verses of Scripture that put in view God’s perspective:

Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:31 NLT)

I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community. (Lev. 20:6 NLT)

Men and women among you who act as mediums or who consult the spirits of the dead must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of a capital offense. (Lev. 20:27 NLT)

And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead… The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things. (Deuteronomy 18:10-11, 14 NLT)

Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the LORD’s sight, arousing his anger. (2 Kings 21:6 NLT)

God calls these practices evil and wicked in the sight of the Lord, arousing His anger, spiritual prostitution, and a capital offense. He is the same today. He has never changed His mind on the subject. (Malachi 3:6)

Here is one portion in the Scripture that specifically referred to the astrologers of Babylon (Isaiah 47:1-5), the very caste that the wise men that came to worship Jesus were supposed to belong to! 

So, disaster will overtake you, and you won’t be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won’t be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will strike you suddenly, one for which you are not prepared. “Now use your magical charms! Use the spells you have worked at all these years! Maybe they will do you some good. Maybe they can make someone afraid of you. All the advice you receive has made you tired. Where are all your astrologers, those stargazers who make predictions each month? Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds. But they are like straw burning in a fire; they cannot save themselves from the flame.” (Isaiah 47:11-14 NLT)

God mocks them! They cannot save themselves from the flame! Destruction was coming to them for their evil and wicked practices.

Yes, these calamities will come upon you, despite all your witchcraft and magic. “You felt secure in your wickedness. ‘No one sees me,’ you said. But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray, and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’ So, disaster will overtake you, and you won’t be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won’t be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will strike you suddenly, one for which you are not prepared. (Isaiah 47:9-11 NLT)

There are a few references in the New Testament to witchcraft, fortune-tellers, and those practicing the magic arts. The stories of the woman with the evil spirit (spirit of divination) and practiced fortune-telling (which was cast out by Paul- Acts 16:16-18), and Bar-Jesus the magician-astrologer (Acts 13:6-11). Paul called him “full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness!” That, my brethren, is the Holy Spirit’s take on all that practice such things, because it was the Holy Spirit that anointed Paul to then speak a command to blind the sorcerer! 

Also, the Apostle Paul mentions sorcery as a desire of the sinful nature, and the fact that those practicing it will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 TLV) 

In Revelation, it is written that after devastating plagues hit many parts of the earth: 

But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21 NLT)

One more to clench the nail on the back of the board: 

But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Rev. 21:8 NLT)

Those Scriptural references just threw off for me all the connection of the wise men to the caste of Magi from Babylon, but let’s read the New Testament text, and move on from there.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men (Gr. magoi) from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:1, 2 NKJV-parenthesis are my addition)

The star that they saw related to the King of the Jews was prophesied by none other than Balaam in his fourth prophecy. (Numbers 24:15-19) Balaam is a whole other problem, but I will summarize it here the best I can. Balaam was a backslid prophet and became a “prophet for hire.” Balaam would bless or curse people for a price. Do we have similar “prophets” today? A few of those covetous and likeminded prophets are roaming around today among Christians. Who are they? They are those that for a fee will send you a personal “prophetic word.” The more money you send, the more personal the “word” will be. They are in the same category as Balaam was, a conniving and money hungry swindler! 

Because Balaam was backslid, he was a false prophet whose teaching was despised by the Lord Jesus. The Lord denounced those who followed the doctrine of Balaam because it led to eating things sacrificed to idols and to committing sexual immorality. (See Revelation 2:14, Numbers 31:16.) Yet, in all the prophet’s madness, the Spirit of the Lord spoke through Balaam’s mouth, and a grand prophetic word from the Lord came forth about the future King-Messiah. 

You may be wondering how could God possibly use a “false prophet” to bring a real word from the Lord? He anointed a heathen king to help Israel. His name was Cyrus! (See Isaiah 43:1-10, Ezra 1). There are numerous examples in the Scripture of the Lord using pagans for his purposes. So, in the case of Balaam, the Lord anointed him to speak prophetically on a certain occasion. That does not mean he was right or accepted before the Lord, but that God used him on a selected occasion to express a prophetic utterance from the Lord. 

Here is the prophetic Word that the wise men followed into Israel in search of the King-Messiah. 

…The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, and the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened; The utterance of him who hears the words of God and has the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open: I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel… (Numbers 24:15-17 NKJV)

The wise men saw the star rising out of Jacob or Israel and followed it from the East. Their point of origin was in the East, presumably from Babylon. Why Babylon? The word used for “wise men” is the Greek word magos (magoi- in the plural form indicating more than one “wise man”). In Spanish, no bones are made about it, and the three kings are called the three magician kings, "los tres Reyes magos." That is really a mess in my estimation, but the tradition runs deep.

The Complete Word Study dictionary of the Bible (coded to Strong’s Concordance numbers) indicates (G3097) that the word magoi is of foreign origin from the Hebrew (H7248); a Magian, that is, Oriental scientist; by implication a magician: - sorcerer, wise man. 

Notice what Thayer’s Greek- English Lexicon says about the same word: the name given by the Babylonians, Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreter of dreams, augers, soothsayers, sorcerers, etc. It goes on to say that the oriental wise men (astrologers) who, having discovered by the rising of the remarkable star that the Messiah had just been born, and that therefore thy came to Jerusalem to worship him. (1)

The acclaimed and scholarly Bauer’s “A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature” (BDAG) basically says the same thing as the other two dictionaries mentioned above. So, there is a case for the magoi(plural)- wise men to have been of this caste of astrologer-soothsayers. 

There is also the fact that magos was used referring to the false prophet Elymas (Bar-Jesus) in Acts 13:8. Also, God has at times used the ungodly for His purposes. Yet, all that doesn’t sit right with my spirit and the witness of the Holy Spirit concerning the story of the wise men that visited Jesus. Could there have been something else going on that has been ignored for centuries? In my heart, to believe that the magoi that visited Jesus were soothsayers- astrologers sounds like this: 

“Wait a minute! Do you mean to tell me that astrologers and soothsayers (practitioners of witchcraft or wizardry) came to worship the Messiah because they saw the star of the Messiah-King manifested in the sky? How did they know anything about that prophetic word in Number 24:17 and that it was a messianic word from the Lord? Does that sound right to you? Do you mean to tell me that Joseph and Mary (strict Jewish followers of Torah) would have received heathens from hell that were astrologers, soothsayers, and served false gods? Would they have received myrrh, frankincense, and gold from these pagans?” Knowing something about Judaism in the first century, I would have to say emphatically, “No way!” 

The first foreign dignitaries to visit the child Jesus were magicians (wizards) and astrologers from Babylon? Yuk! The idea makes me throw up a little in my mouth because I know all those other Scriptures that I gave you above, where God rejects (and detests, hates) all forms of witchcraft and sorcery, including astrology! Scripture should be primarily interpreted with other Scripture. I think the story of the wise has been interpreted without reference to other Scripture that should have made us reassess our conclusions. That time is here and now!

If these magoi were pagan devils, they would never have been received by Joseph or Mary or anybody of the Jewish faith that was present that day. Jews had strict laws concerning receiving pagans into their home or going to visit pagans and coming under their roof. It was considered a violation of the law of Moses and ritual impurity. Jews did not associate with pagans!

Did you know that Jesus’ first followers and converts after the day of Pentecost were ONLY Jews and their half-brothers, the Samaritans? There were no Gentiles among the believers for at least ten years after Pentecost. Read Acts chapters 2-10 as a reference. It took a supernatural vision coming to the apostle Peter in Acts 10 to open the way for salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit to be preached to the Gentiles. Until then, it was taken for granted that association with the Gentiles was verboten, and the gospel message was only for Jews. 

Again, there was a separation of the Jews from pagans until salvation and the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and all his house as Peter preached to them. (Acts 10). 

Ok, if the magoi couldn’t have been pagan, astrologer, devil worshippers that came to worship the King-Messiah, and I have presented Scriptural evidence that would contradict the notion that they were, what and who were they, and can it be proven? 

Do you remember that I stated above that The Complete Word Study dictionary of the Bible says (G3097) that "the word is of foreign origin from the Hebrew (H7248)"? 

H7248 in Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew- English Lexicon gives us these foreign words, and I transliterate them from Hebrew, rab-saris(H7249) and rab-mag. (2) The words are of Assyrian or Babylonian influence and “titles of As. -Bab. officers (that) are prob. loan words in Hebrew.” (3) Rab-mag could be a chief soothsayer (and I think that is the point that confused scholars), but BDB states this is equal to rab-mugi (chief of princes). OK, that gets me thinking in another direction, so here we go! BDB further states that rab-sarisis usually in Babylon chief of eunuchs, but it is equal to rabu-saresi, chief of the heads (the principal men). So, both titles could refer to government dignitaries that had little to nothing to do with astrology-sorcery.

Hmm! Are you beginning to get some light about this?

Chief of eunuchs (rab-saris) was also a minister or officer of the state, such as a general, governor, or prince. See the reference to the master or prince of eunuchs (sar-saris) (4) responsible for teaching a few selected children of Israel in all the learning and the tongue of Babylon. They, and Daniel was among them, were to be skillful in all wisdom, cunning in knowledge, and understanding science. (See Daniel 1:1-21.)

From that alone, we could surmise that the magoi from the East that came to visit Jesus could have been governmental leaders like the Hebrews that were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and later exalted to governmental positions overseeing his realm.

Do you remember that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream he refused to tell the magicians and sorcerers? He wanted someone to tell him the dream AND the interpretation. God gave Daniel the dream and its interpretation, something only God could do. With that supernatural event, proving that Jehovah God was the one and only true God, Nebuchadnezzar exalted Daniel and made him chief (rab) of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. (Daniel 2:48)

It would make perfect sense that these magoi from the East were Hebrew dignitaries from the eastern lands where Babylon and many other cities existed during the time of Jesus. That could satisfy our search. 

Did you know that there was a robust Hebrew or Jewish presence in those towns and cities of the East?

Though the info is relatively sparse compared to other timeframes, some kings, queens, and whole areas seemed to have converted to Judaism. See references to the conversion to Judaism from paganism of the Adiabene kingdom in the first century. In the account of the ancient historian Josephus in his writings the Antiquities of the Jews (Book XX: Chapter 2), it shows that there was a substantial Jewish population in the kingdom. It led to the establishment of a prominent rabbinic academy in Arbela. 

There were Jews in many cities of the Parthian (Arcesid) empire. One prominent city with many Jews was Babylon. We know that not all Jews left Babylon after the return to the land of Israel under Ezra and Nehemiah. Synagogues and academies were established in many cities under the Parthian and Armenian Empires. This trend of an increasing Jewish population in the Eastern lands continued for centuries. The largest rabbinical academies were in the East. I am emphasizing this because students of the Scripture in rabbinic schools would have read and understood the prophetic Word about the star of the Messiah-King rising out of the land of Israel. It would have signaled the coming of this Anointed one, and the Jews would have sent their most able and learned leaders to investigate the matter. 

Now, that makes complete sense to me, especially when you begin to see that the title rab was given to especially gifted rabbinic leaders or chiefs. Rab was the title of the Babylonian sages who taught in the Babylonian Jewish academies. The titles "Rabban" and "Rabbi" (the root word being rab) are first mentioned in first through fifth century Jewish literature in the Mishnah and the Talmud. The term was first used in the Mishnah for Rabban Gamaliel the elder, Rabban Simeon his son, and Rabban Johanan ben Zakkai, all of whom were patriarchs or presidents of the Sanhedrin in the first century. 

The word rabbi occurs fifteen times in the New Testament (in the NKJV) speaking about Jesus or others. Jesus was called rabbi in the first century, or I would say, THE Greatest of the Great Rabbis! That is important because, again, the root word of rabbi is rab.

All that leads me to believe that the magoi were not devil worshipping astrologers, but they were the most honored Jewish religious leaders from the East that knew the prophetic Scripture and came to worship the King-Messiah Jesus! Now that agrees with my heart in the Holy Spirit! That I can believe! I can now understand how the strict Jewish family of Jesus and all the Jews of Bethlehem saw nothing wrong with visiting Jewish religious leaders from the East worshipping the King-Messiah. It was all good! 

Be blessed!

Notes:

IN THE PODCAST IS A POWERFUL MESSAGE OF WHY WE ALL NEED JESUS IN OUR LIVES. 

The purpose of this article is to build faith, dispel unbelief, and prepare anybody to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and tongues. Many will receive from the Lord when their particular question is answered. Others will receive as they begin to see this awesome truth in the Word. Others will receive as they hear the teaching. Get ready to receive the moment you begin to hear and receive the Word! Jesus is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit and He is ready today to baptize you in His Spirit!  

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the next step when you come to Jesus and make Him Lord of your life. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the entrance into the supernatural manifestations of God. People without this glorious baptism will NEVER make it in these final hours of the church upon the earth. There is too much to do, and it will take POWER to do it! There are billions that are hell bound that have to be reached. There are sick people all around us that need God's healing power. There are people bound by addictions, perversions, and all forms of darkness that need the delivering power of God. How are these things to come to the billions that need it? It will come about on earth by the hands, words, and actions of believers empowered by the Holy Spirit! (Acts 1:8, 2:1-4; 10:44-46; 19:1-20; Mark 16:15-20; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; 14:1-5, 14, 18, 39)

If you are satisfied with the new birth and think that is all God has for you, then you are missing a powerful blessing promised by the Lord to all believers. God has much for you! The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the manifestation of speaking in other tongues, is what opens the door to infinite possibilities with God. We will show you what the Bible says about it, and then it will be up to you to receive this glorious experience. 

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues as of fire splitting off (into individual fires); and these sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:3, 4)

The apostles and all the people that gathered (120 individuals) had already received the Holy Spirit into their lives and hearts. They had already been regenerated and received Jesus as their Lord before Acts 2:4. Can we prove this?

The doors were shut where the disciples were gathered... Jesus came and stood in the middle of them, and said to them, “Peace (shalom) to you!” And after He said that, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw it was the Lord! Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As My Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:19-22)

Notice that they received the Holy Spirit at this time. This was before Jesus ascended visibly into heaven. They received the Spirit of Christ as it says in Romans 8:9-11, and the Holy Spirit came inside them, and they were born of the Spirit. Yet, Jesus explained to them that something else was needed from the Holy Spirit to empower them and propel them into the supernatural things of God. Right before His ascension into heaven He said:

I send the promise of My father on you. But stay in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49) 

Jesus was saying that receiving the Holy Spirit inside of them (the new birth) was not all that there was to the promise of the Father. God had more in mind for His people. God wanted more for them than only an internal and personal experience with God. Power would come from on high to rest on His people. It would be a glorious external manifestation worn like a coat or a suit of clothes. 

The one believing in me as the Scripture said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. But He said this concerning the Spirit that those that believe in Him were about to receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:38, 39)

Note that Jesus said that the one that already believed, trusted in, and become faithful to the Lord, was to have something else from the Spirit of God. These verses speak of another experience with the Holy Spirit, one where from your belly flow rivers of living water. The rivers of water speak of this mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said this of the mighty experience with the Holy Spirit they were to receive. When He breathed on them they were birthed from above, but nothing happened externally in their lives until Acts 2:4. 

Miraculous power from on High 

There was no real show of God's power to the entire world until Acts 2 and beyond. They were good "Christians" but with no evidence to demonstrate to the world about the reality, not just the words, of their God. 

...But you will receive (miraculous) power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Do you see the reference here to the Holy Spirit coming upon you? This is saying the same thing as Luke 24:49. It is a being clothed upon with the power of the Holy Spirit. What is the purpose of this empowering? The purpose was so we would be witnesses to the world. The word witness means one that comes with clear and irrefutable evidence of what they are saying. Jesus told us what we would be doing with this power, and this is exactly what we see the apostles and disciples doing after the Acts 2:4 experience of receiving this power upon their lives. 

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to everybody. The ones believing, and those being immersed will be saved (delivered or made whole). And the ones that do not believe will be condemned (damned). And these signs (miraculous works of power) will accompany those believing: In My Name (dominion, authority, power) they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18)

Look at Acts 28:3-5 for an example of a serpent attacking Paul and he was supernaturally protected from its venom! The serpents and drinking deadly things by accident are a part of supernatural protection from harm. Take a look also at Psalms 91, the mighty protection Psalm, and notice how it totally agrees with this part in Mark 16:17 and 18. 

The above verses in Mark mean that when Jesus gave authority and power to heal the sick and cast out demons to His the apostles and to 70 other disciples, that it was localized, temporary, and unique to a limited group of his followers before the cross and the resurrection. (Luke 9:1, 10:1, 10; Matthew 10:1). It was not yet available to all His followers. After His resurrection, that power and authority was extended to ALL His followers! That means that you didn't need to be an apostle or prophet, or some especially selected disciple to walk in power to heal, deliver people, and have supernatural protection that can only be attributed to God. All God's people should be clothed with supernatural power. Each believer should speak in new tongues, cast out demons, and heal the sick in His Name. 

For those of you that fuss over Mark 16:8-20 because it is not found in two of the most ancient complete manuscripts (the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus), I have three words for you, "Get over it"! It is found in all other ancient New Testament manuscripts (hundreds), and it is clearly proven as a Bible truth in the book of Acts, 1 Corinthians chapters 12 through 14, and by numerous references in the New Testament. So, get over lame excuses for not being baptized in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues. That is one of Satan’s methods to keep you out of this glorious experience with God. Traditional ignorance, and a theological debate based in unbelief of anything supernatural, has kept many denominational churchgoers from getting in on these glorious truths.

God wants to clothe us with power to do signs and wonders in the Name of Jesus. He wants us to have not just words but power in demonstration in our lives. He is not only interested in the presentation of the Gospel to the world with words but with miraculous signs that no one can deny! (1 Corinthians 2:4) It starts with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. But He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He (Jesus) shall baptize (immerse) you with the Holy Spirit and with fire... (Matthew 3:11)

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is to come with "fire." That is that power that we have been talking about. It comes upon those that receive this gift of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. As the resurrected Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ is the One that personally baptizes you with the Holy Spirit and fire. He does that for all those that will receive this precious and very necessary gift. Did you connect fire here with the "fire" that showed up on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:3? You should!

Even Jesus did not begin His earthly ministry without the Holy Spirit empowering Him to do the miraculous. (Matthew 3:16) 

No miracles, healings, signs, or wonders were done until after He was empowered by the Holy Spirit for His ministry. Notice how He returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit after being clothed with this power from on High. (Luke 4:14) Then, and only then, did the miracles begin to happen. The Holy Spirit in power released the miraculous in His life. Even though Jesus came as God manifested in the flesh, (John 1:1, 14) without this special empowerment, He did not do even one miracle or healing. If Jesus needed the power of the Holy Spirit in His life, how much more do you and I need it! 

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power at the Jordan River. That was when the Holy Spirit came upon Him like a dove, and that was when His ministry began. No one should even think about beginning a ministry without the power of the Holy Spirit upon their lives! That is another subject.

Why all the Emphasis on Speaking in other Tongues? 

The first evidence that was manifest when the Holy Spirit and fire came on the 120 in the house where they were seated was speaking in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4) If this was the only place this happened, then maybe we would have to say that it was something special for them that day, but it was not unique to Acts 2:4.

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on all those hearing the word. And those of the circumcision, who believed (as many as came with Peter), were astonished because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the (non-Jewish or Gentile) nations also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.  (Acts 10:44-46)

This Baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire is here called a gift. In Luke 24:49 it was called the promise of the Father. It is the desire of the Father to grant this promise and gift to you right now. 

Much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask Him. (Luke 11:13)

It is a promise and a gift that is yours for the asking and the receiving. The Father will never turn down any born again believer from receiving. It is His perfect will that you receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with this initial evidence of speaking in other tongues.

Why do I say that speaking in another tongue is the initial evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit? I just gave you the second scriptural proof of this great truth in Acts 10:44-46. The people that came with Peter knew these people had received the same gift as they had in Acts 2:4 when they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

He (Paul) said to them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” And they said to him, “We have not heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Then to what were you baptized?” And they said, “To John's baptism.” And Paul said, “John truly baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in Him that was coming after him, on Jesus Christ. And hearing this, they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. And as Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:2-6)

This portion of Scripture makes some correction to traditional theology. Paul's question was pointed. "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?" He did not ask if they got the Holy Spirit when they believed, but since they believed. Paul believed that there was another Holy Spirit experience beyond the believing in Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit in the salvation experience. If you have doubts that they were already believers (born from above or born again), notice that when Paul told them about Jesus, they heard the Word, they believed on Him, and were baptized in water. They were born again before Paul laid his hands on them. The Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke with tongues. In this case, they even prophesied. There you have three places that clearly show that tongues were the initial evidence that the Holy Spirit had baptized or immersed them in His power and fire; Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, and 19:1-6.

The Supernatural Connected to the Natural

Praying in other tongues is supernatural and natural. Tongues come out of the human spirit as given by the Holy Spirit. That is the supernatural side. The words given by the Spirit and coming out of the human spirit must be formed by the tongue, given sound, and spoken by the mouth. That is the physical side.

The benefits of speaking and praying in other tongues are clearly taught in Scriptures, and in this audio message and article, we clearly present the facts that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking with tongues is for EVERY believer. The confusion comes in when people don’t understand the difference between tongues and interpretation of tongues as a manifestation of the Spirit used for ministering to others as the Lord wills (1st Corinthians 12:7-11, 28-30), and speaking and praying with tongues to edify yourself and to speak in mysteries to God whenever you want to (1st Cor. 14:2, 4, 14-17).

Let’s study it with some more details.

Some have thought that not everybody needs to speak in tongues when they get Spirit baptized because they think that Paul didn't speak in tongues. Wrong! Paul makes this statement: 

I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all. (1 Corinthians 14:18) 

Paul spoke in tongues frequently and consistently.

He also said: 

Do not forbid speaking in tongues. (1 Corinthians 14:39)

Again, Paul spoke in tongues frequently and consistently. He also commanded that Christians should not forbid speaking in tongues. Yet, most traditional, denominational churches (Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, and many others do exactly that! They forbid anyone from speaking in tongues, and are so traditionally brainwashed as to think that speaking or praying in tongues is of the devil! No, their refusal to believe the Scripture is of the devil! Tongues come from the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

The Power of Praying in Tongues

1. Speaking divine secrets

For the one speaking in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, for no one understands; he is speaking mysteries by the Spirit... If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels... (1st Corinthians 14:2, 13:1a NET)

You speak divine secrets before God in tongues.  Satan has no way of knowing what is happening or what is being said! You are speaking divine secrets or "divine code" that he cannot decipher. It is speaking to God and not to man. God understands them, though you and no one else around you may understand them. Speaking in tongues can be speaking supernaturally the tongues of men or angels, but spoken in a way that only the Lord understands.

2. The door into the spirit

If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive. 15 What should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing praises with my spirit, but I will also sing praises with my mind. (1st Corinthians 14:14, 15 NET)

Notice that praying in tongues means that you are praying in the spirit. You can't pray in the spirit in your understanding. Regardless of the fervency of prayer in the understanding, it is just that, prayer from your mind or understanding. Though you may frame the prayer in spiritual language according to the Scripture, it is still a prayer stated via the understanding. Though there is a spiritual element to prayer when it is according to the Word, it is still not full blown prayer in the spirit. Do you get that? Prayer in the Spirit is ONLY via tongues. 

Tongues open the door into the spirit, into the supernatural spiritual realm. Tongues come from the spirit man on the inside and not the mind or intellect. It bypasses intellect completely. That is why your understanding is unfruitful. Your head just doesn't get it or understand it! We are supposed to pray in the spirit (tongues) and in the understanding. The issue is that praying in the understanding is limited to what you know, which is very limited. Praying in the spirit is unlimited because one gets over into divine secrets when one is praying.

Praises can be sung in the spirit or in other tongues. Praising in the spirit with singing or in other tongues is also a very rich part of spiritual language. 

3. Praying the perfect will of God

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will. (Romans 8:26-27 NET)

When I do not know what or how to pray for as I should, I can depend on the Holy Spirit to give me words of the spirit that will pray out the perfect will of God for the saints, which are the children of God or the church. I can be praying for myself as a child of God or for others. That is what I do when I pray in tongues.

4. Building up the inner man

The one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. (1st Corinthians 14:4 NET)

Speaking in tongues edifies or builds up the inner man or spirit . We build up ourselves on our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit or in tongues. 

But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit. (Jude 1:20 Amplified)

We make progress as we pray in tongues and rise higher and higher like a building. That is the meaning of the original Greek word used here for "build". 

5. Access to wisdom

And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit]. (1 Corinthians 2:13 Amplified)

Human language is limited to the mind. Spiritual language that comes out of your spirit by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is the combination of spiritual truths with spiritual words.  Read the entire portion of Scripture  in 1st Corinthians 2:5-13. We have been granted powerful access to God's wisdom through the practice of praying in other tongues.

6. Spirit to spirit communication

God is a Spirit being (John 4:24). Tongues are your human spirit contacting God who is the Father of Spirits in a way that is pleasing to Him (Heb. 12:9; 1st Cor. 14:2). It is spiritual communication.

7. Praying without error, ignorance or unbelief

Since tongues bypasses your mind, this means that you can pray without error, ignorance, or unbelief when you pray in the Spirit (1st Cor. 14:14). Thank God! In Acts 2:4; they spoke in tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. It is the human spirit receiving unction to speak in an unknown language to the speaker. One Greek commentary says that they spoke as they were infused by the Holy Spirit to speak.

Some of these do overlap, but you can see that the Word of God has quite a bit to say about tongues, and that was only a superficial explanation.

Look at some words that will help you understand that this is all talking about this glorious experience.

The Holy Spirit coming upon you 

In Acts 2:4, it was the fire of the Holy Spirit sitting upon them. In Acts 1:8, it is the Holy Spirit coming upon them. In Acts 10:44-46 it was the Holy Spirit poured out on them. In Luke 24:49 it was them being clothed with power. In Acts 10:38, it was being anointed with the Holy Spirit. To "anoint" means to rub on (externally) or pour on.

In Matthew 3:11 it is called the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. "Baptism" means "immersion” into something else. For example "water baptism" means to be immersed in water. Sorry all you "sprinkling" folk, but you are mistaken.

When you first came to Jesus, you drank from the fountain of life and life got in you. Now you are being immersed in power, fire, and anointing, to carry out the great commission in Mark 16:15-20. The anointing, the fire, the Holy Spirit upon us is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.

If you are not in a church that lays hands on people to receive this gift, then you need to go somewhere else! They should at least pray for you so that the Holy Spirit comes on you just like He did in Acts 2, 10, and 19. Get ready to speak in a language that you do not know with your mind the moment they lay hands on you in faith, or pray for you that you receive this gift.

Speaking the words given to you by the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit will come on you and give you words to speak, but you must speak them out of your own mouth. The Spirit gave them the words but they had to do the speaking. Tongues are not the Holy Spirit speaking. The Holy Spirit does not, nor ever will, speak in tongues. He gives you the words so you can speak in tongues.

Notice these phrases in Acts: 

They... began to speak in other tongues... (Acts 2:4)

They heard them speak with tongues... (Acts 10:46)

They spoke with tongues... (Acts 19:6)

Therefore, the Holy Spirit will not force you to speak with tongues. He will not overpower your tongue and make you speak. It may actually feel like that at times, but it happened so strongly because YOU yielded to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not overpower your tongue and force you to speak if you resist Him. He will give you the ability to speak in tongues, but you must speak them out by faith. They may sound silly, ridiculous, and dumb. Tongues are not mental, so they do not make any sense to your mind. They will not sound necessarily intelligent. Get over that hump. According to 1 Cor. 14: 2 and verse 14, tongues will not make sense to you at all unless God gives you interpretation. From personal experience, I can tell you that many times you will not know what you are saying or for what you are praying. Don't get hung up here.

When you begin to speak in other tongues, at first, there may not be many words. Some people do receive what sounds like an entire language with many different words and variations. Others receive a sentence or two. Some may get a few words. It will greatly depend upon you and your receptiveness. If you have a strong yearning in you for this powerful experience with God, then most likely you will get more tongues than others will at first. Then, please don't stop praying in the tongues the Holy Spirit gives you. Pray in tongues every days and as often as you can. 

Turning tongues on when YOU will! 

Once you receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, you can turn tongues on and off anytime you want to. There is no need to wait on some special anointing or feeling to pray in tongues.

"I will pray in the spirit, (prayer in tongues- 1st Cor. 14:14), and I will pray in the understanding." (1st Corinthians 14:15)

Once you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, tongues can be exercised at will just like praying in your own language. Just like you can pray in English, you can also pray in tongues. Don't forget that.

After you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in tongues, here is Satan's #1 strategy to get you to stop. The devil may tell you that you made them up. Just rebuke his lies in Jesus' Name and begin to speak in tongues right in his face. He will absolutely hate every moment of it, and get out in one piece while he can!

Praying in the spirit- making progress

Once you receive, pray in tongues as often as you can, every single day of your life. As I mentioned earlier, the Amplified Bible in Jude 1:20 says that we make progress as we pray in Holy Spirit. That is exciting to know. The more I pray in tongues, the more progress in the Lord and in life I can make! No wonder Paul said he prayed in tongues more than all the Corinthians (1st Cor. 14:18).

Now, I am going to pray for you receive this wonderful gift of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues. The Father wants to give you this gift, and Jesus wants to baptize you right now in the Holy Spirit and fire!

Are you ready to receive right now?

Over the years, we have seen many thousands of people receive the Holy Spirit after they followed these simple instructions. You are no exception. When I finish praying, the Holy Spirit of God will come on you, and He will give you words in your mouth, and out of your innermost being will come a flow of unknown words to you. Speak them out by faith and enjoy it!

Now say this aloud:

“Father you said, “How much more will you give the Holy Spirit to them that ask you.” I ask you for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I receive this gift from you. Jesus said that these signs would follow the believers. He said that in His Name I would speak in tongues. I am a believer and I receive this mighty gift with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. The moment brother Dan prays for me, I will receive from the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit who is the Lord Jesus this power from on high with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.”

Now hush the English or any other known language. No more words in any known language for now and let me pray over you. 

“I pray for you now in the mighty Name of Jesus. Receive the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you. Receive the Holy Spirit in Jesus Name! Now begin to worship God in other tongues in Jesus Name!”

As soon as you read these words, throw your hands in the air in a receiving mode, open your mouth and speak whatever words the Holy Spirit is giving you right now. That's it. Begin to speak out those words by faith in Jesus' Name. Keep doing it. Relax in Him and in the tongues and let them flow out of you! 

All who read these words and follow these instructions will receive without exception and without any delay in Jesus Name!

The audio podcast strongly compliments the article. Don't miss it!

Did you know that one definition of doubt is hesitation?

As a practitioner of martial arts, I learned that hesitation in a self-defense situation could mean the difference between winning and losing the confrontation. In more deadly encounters, it is the difference between life and death.

In spiritual matters, when facing the enemy, hesitation can be detrimental, and in certain cases, it can be deadly. We do not face our enemy in our own name. We can only face our enemy, the devil and demons, in the name of Jesus. We should know that, but many are not too sure about their rights, privileges, and authority in Christ, so they face the enemy with hesitation. It takes understanding from God's Word, but once we have certain revelation and spiritual discernment, we must keep trusting God and practicing His Word until the hesitation is gone. The greatest thing that develops you is PRACTICE.

As a former instructor in martial arts and a martial arts school owner, I have some experience to draw from in this area. Students that were dedicated to practicing what they learned would advance quicker and have a higher score during testing than those that just practiced when they came to one class a week! 

Hmm... Have we ever seen that in churches? Those that make it their daily habit to practice what they heard and saw at church were the ones that grew in the Lord and produced some fruit. Those that their habit was to go to church once a week out of obligation but were not really practitioners or doers of the Word, saw little to no results. 

Practice does make perfect! Maturity comes through daily practice.  

It is not only knowing that in His Name we can lay hands on the sick and they will recover. It is by DOING the Word that hesitation leaves. The more you DO it, the less hesitation and the more confidence, assurance, and manifestation of real faith. Then you can’t slack off. You must practice and do some more! 

Learn the difference between faith and hesitation through this message. Be mightily blessed!

In this message, "Faith ALWAYS Agrees with God but Doubt Will Disagree" you will begin to see that doubt discriminates against God's Word. It disfavors, shows bias against, treats indifferently, and does not appreciate the value of God's Word. Doubt devaluates and misjudges the Word. It rejects and refuses to believe it. Faith is all the opposite of doubt! Faith highly favors and appreciates God's Word. It acknowledges the eternal truth and value of God's Word, and moves out in trust and faithfulness. Faith is willing to step out into the unknown and the void with trust in God and His precious Word. Doubt is fearful, afraid, and shrinks back, but faith is trusting and trustworthy, and moves on with God. Be blessed!  

Out of approximately 20 cases of INDIVIDUAL healings in the Gospel accounts, 12 of them emphasize the person's faith as being involved in their receiving their healing or miracle. Faith is essential to receiving from God. It is impossible to please God without the operation of faith! (Hebrews 11:6)

Based on Mark 11:23, many have developed the teaching of "you will have what you say." It is taught and seen all over the Bible. The life and death is in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21)

Mark 11:23 does say that one can have what they say, but that is not all it says. "Having what you say" needs to be qualified, and Jesus does that clearly in these verses (Mr. 11:22-26). The podcast message will clarify that in order to "have what you say", there must be NO DOUBT in your heart. That is a big one, but attainable in the Lord by anyone. 

The other thing that MUST be addressed is the heart or the spirit. Faith is ONLY of the heart and NEVER of the head or body. We look at some Scriptures that point out that the spirit is the heart of a person in Scripture. It is with the heart that one believes. (Romans 10:9, 10) 

You have your part to play. Jesus tells us that one must speak directly to something. It says nothing here (in this context) about talking to God concerning your mountain. No talk here about telling God about your problem. It does not teach us to ask God to remove it either. It instructs us in what we are to do because we trust and obey God, or have faith in Him and His Word (v. 22).

Verse 23 is not teaching us about prayer, though it can (an often does) overflow into prayer and forgiveness (v. 24, 25). It is teaching us about a command of faith coming from a place of fellowship and trust in God (v. 22).

Are you ready for this? I think you are or you would not be here.

Jesus practiced the truths presented by him in Mark 11:23 to speak to the woman bowed over for 18 years, the ten lepers, the blind, demon possessed, when commanding Peter to walk on the water, when catching fish in great numbers, converting the water into wine, speaking to the fig tree, and the list goes on.

Be mightily blessed!