Passion 4 Him

Few verses are more quoted than Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, lest ye be judged."   The verse is almost always misquoted and misused.   As far as I can tell, no English translation has the words in this fashion.   The King James Version says "Judge not, that ye be not judged."   While this made-up version says the same as the good English translations, the fact that we so continually misquote it is indicative of our misuse of it as well!   The verse is almost always quoted (or misquoted)   in a judgmental fashion, and with the understanding that the verse gives an absolute injunction against ever expressing a judgment. It is true, the words "Judge not" mean exactly what they say.   But is it absolute, as we hear others use it, or is there a context?   The answer to that question comes simply by looking to some other scriptures: ·         " "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but i...

Isaiah 14:12   How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 14:13   For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14:14   I will ascend above the heights of the cl...

Signs and miracles Charismatics believe that the miraculous sign gifts, including “faith healing,” are normative for today. Therefore, they believe that dramatic miracles are still occurring in the church. Historic Protestantism teaches that the sign gifts served a distinct purpose in the apostolic church—that of authenticating the apostles’ teachings. Once the Spirit-inspired teachings concerning the person and work of Christ were inscripturated, the sign gifts ceased, because they were no longer needed. To determine if the sign gifts are still normative, we must answer three questions: What is the purpose of the sign gifts? Did these gifts cease after the completion of the New Testament canon? Are the miracles that are supposedly occurring today the same as those that occurred in the days of Christ and the apostles? The Bible teaches that signs are public, visible, miraculous events. Their purpose was not to give believers exciting worship services  [39] or a won...