Morning Moments

Let's take a look today at the account of Paul's experience at Philippi, which was not a mercantile city, but a Roman Province.  There had to be ten Jewish men to have a synagogue and from the account there obviously were not that number of Jewish men there so the Jewish women met "down by the riverside".  Consider:

(16:11) Then, setting sail from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, (12) and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for a number of days. (13) On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. (14) A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul. (15) After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. (16) Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit of prediction. She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. (17) As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.” (18) And she did this for many days. But Paul was greatly aggravated and turning to the spirit, said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away. (19) When her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. (20) Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews (21) and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.” (22) Then the mob joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. (23) After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. (24) Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks. (25) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (26) Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. (27) When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped. (28) But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because all of us are here!” (29) Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. (30) Then he escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (31) So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (32) Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. (33) He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. (34) He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had believed God with his entire household.

In this text we see three conversions: 1) Lydia of Thyatira, who worshiped God, 2) a young slave girl who was demon possessed, and 3) the Philippian jailer.  OBVIOUSLY, they were ALL baptized into the Body of Christ because one cannot get into Christ OR SAVED any other way, but NONE is found to have had this "Pentecostal" experience or even the "Cornelius" experience.

Our "Charismatic" friends would have us believe that they would HAVE to have this "Spirit Baptism with the evidence of speaking in tongues at some later time in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but the Bible teaches NO SUCH THING!  "He that will (chooses to) be ignorant, let him be ignorant still" the Scripture says.  But when your "experience" is more important than what the Word of God teaches, I have a problem with your experience, OR at least what you call it!

If you have to work it up, pray it down, push it out, rather than simply trusting God for it, I doubt it!  NO GOOD THING WILL HE WITHHOLD FROM THEM THAT WALK UPRIGHTLY!

NO where in the Scripture are we ever told to SEEK to speak in tongues!  It is a spiritual gift that GOD gives ACCORDING TO HIS WILL!  Furthermore, we are told to SEEK to PROPHECY!

The only "church" in the New Testament to have the "tongues" problem was called CARNAL and was filled with schisms, divisions, and party spirits.  HONEST TO GOD, IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOUR CHURCH?

We are told to "work at keeping the unity of the Spirit" not to create a "divisive spirit" over spiritual gifts.  I could cover every passage in the New Testament on this subject but there is really no use.  I have found that most people have their minds made up already, and most on both sides are not open to honest and proper exegesis of the texts.

In any event, I pray that the texts we have covered help somebody.

BLESSINGS!