No Plans Tonight?

Come out and hear the Curtis Duncan Project at the BRDhouse coffee house in Englewood. 8ish-10ish?

Wow

I just...well...untitled

Help My Unbelief

Now for a little burden-shifting.

It has been stated a number of times in this discussion that all a Christian has to do to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to believe and seek, and perhaps tarry. Here, then, is the catch-22 in which I find myself: I simply don’t believe.

Let me clarify my unbelief. I do believe that the first generation of saints received the baptism almost exactly as my pneumatic brothers have described it: it appears to have been frequently experienced subsequent to conversion; it appears to have been universally given to all who were converted; it appears to have been invariably accompanied by supernatural manifestations. No problem there.

I do not deny the possibility that God still does such things; I do not even deny the possibility that God could some day do so to me. But what I do not believe, and what it seems I would be required to believe if I were to receive the blessing, is that God will do so to me.

What is the cause for my unbelief? I do not believe that faith is effectual unless it is based upon the explicit promises of God. And though I see, for example, that God universally promises salvation to all who put their faith in Christ, though I see that he universally promises that as many as die in Christ will be raised with him, I have yet to see where he universally promises that all who are converted will experience this supernaturally-manifested baptism of the Holy Spirit.

I cannot receive, you say, until I believe God's promise. I cannot believe, I say, until I have heard his promise.

Help my unbelief.

Another Question for Pastor E

What do the scriptures teach to be the necessary and sufficient conditions for receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

In other words, how would you finish this statement: In the New Testament, a person was baptized in the Holy Spirit if and only if...

Canoe Trip '07

Concession #1 (The Last, of Course)

The term apostle is used in scripture to refer to more than just the Twelve and Paul.

It is most certainly applied to Barnabas (Acts 14:4,14).

It is most probably applied to James (Gal. 1:19) Silvanus, and Timothy (I Thess. 2:6).

It may be applied to Andronicus and Juni(us)(as)(a) (Rom 16:7)

Several possible explanations and implications bouncing around in my head. But for now, I’ll just let the fact stand.