Acts 13:48 is one of the most quoted verses ultra-Calvinists hire in their attempt to hide and mask Christ’s clear teaching to trust and believe in Him to be forgiven of God
I found on Facebook zillions of sarcasm about the born-again experience. Someone said it was demonic. He cited the extra-biblical Pentecostal experience where the congregants fell to the floor and did crazy things. But it is not the born-again experience we are examining here.
Our Lord sealed off the depth of this psalm, “written about Me.” (See Luke 24:44). As with other Scriptures, Psalm 23 earns our sacred spiritual care.
The power of the Christian message is proven in godless Iran and China. Research shows the growth of secret Christian churches in these countries. It is just incredible.
I am always supporting Pentecostalism, for God honors it by saving the lost through this persuasion as well. Who am I to judge what God has used for the salvation of souls? After Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for speaking in tongues like fools, he said “do not forbid to speak in tongues.” (1 Cor. 14:39) True, we cannot fathom the “fine prints” in God’s words most of the time. But the extreme Pentecostalism is just far-off; studying and exposing it is always beneficial for real Christianity that is committed to the truth. It is the very core topic of this humble work.
I heard few preachers in my life as a Christian who introduced the importance of their sermon by announcing their efforts and the many hours of research they spent in the preparation of their message. After listening, however, we were like dogs on famine mood — learning nothing (no real spiritual encouragement and revival) from the so-called “message from God.” We all need the power of the Holy Spirit, taught the Holy Scriptures, before we can be effective witnesses of our Lord Jesus Christ. The temptation of most public speakers, they be pastors or not, is to deliver a discourse that is acceptable and pleasing to the ears of their listeners, both politically correct and worthy of the audience’s hurrahs. Witnessing for Christ Jesus, however, is a field requiring Christ’s assistance through the Holy Spirit. It is the only proven method to make the poor and unschooled Peter to become an Apostle, preacher, and one of the writers of the New Testament. It was clearly taught in Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” One research shows, for example, that hundreds of the descendants of the man of God, Jonathan Edwards, also became preachers and workers of the Lord’s Church. The Spirit-filled witnesses of Christ have impacted real Christianity for thousands of years more than the PowerPoint and Internet-assisted Bible scholars and authors of Christian books of today’s generation.