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I love this. Thank you for sharing, with examples to highlight the power and purpose of the slides.

Hi John Calvin Hall, were you using the BibleScreen app? If so, on Windows or iOS? The BibleScreen app isn't supported anymore, unfortunately. You can receive the Verse of the Day via email if you'd like though: https://www.logos.com/verse-of-the-day

Hi Keith. Thankyou for that article. I have a question about the 'Word being the Sword of the Spirit' if that's ok? I'm not sure quite what your trying to communicate here to be honest. You write "Paul told the Ephesians the sword of the Spirit “is the Word of God,” which actually probably does not refer to the entirety of the Bible (though it is surely not excluded!), but to specific sayings of God, especially the gospel. Are you saying the the 'Sword of the Spirit' being the 'Word of God' is not the vast majority of Scripture, rather the Gospels and specific sayings that God has made are? Or is it someone hearing from God directly, like Moses or Jesus did? Or are you saying it is both? Thanks heaps Shan

Thanks for the bit about the sword of the Spirit-revealing the truth about God, us, and others, and showing us who we really are and what we have in Christ. It is the truth we know that sets us free.

I like David Digas interpretation on this

In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul address gifting by the Spirit of God. It is interesting to note that in 1 Corinthians 12:10 it is the not the "gift of tongues" but the gift of "diverse tongues". In Acts 2:38, Peter told the crowd if they repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus, they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, not the gift of tongues. The gift of the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues is not the same as the gift of "diverse tongues". In Acts 10:45-48, the Gentiles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit not the "gift of tongues" though they spoke in tongues. The same for Acts 19:6. The disciples of John received the gift of the Holy Spirit and not the gift of tongues. While both involve speaking in an unknown language(s), tongues, one is the gift of "diverse tongues" the other is the "gift of the Holy Spirit" with tongues apparently as evidence. Jesus alludes to this in John 3:8 when He refers to a sound that those that are born of the Spirit will make. In John 3 the subject is being born again which comes from believing in Jesus.  The word "sound", in verse 8, is Greek phone which according to BDAG includes "Of the sound caused by spoken words".  According to Vine’s it is a voice that is heard.   On Pentecost, the sound of wind was indeed heard in the upper room, but not by the crowd. They heard the sound of voices (tongues)made by those filled with Holy Spirit. Because of traditions of men, Matt. 15:3-9, many people do not expect to speak in tongues and therefore since there is no expectation there is no faith to do so [Hebrews 11:6].  Because they do not believe, have no expectation, to be baptized with the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues they don’t.  This is what happened in Topeka KS, in 1901.  As I have read, the students that stayed during Christmas break were praying to receive the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues and did.  They were seeking this Pentecostal experience and in seeking they received.   Jesus said to ask, seek, and knock in Matthew 7:7-11 in referring to gifts.  I teach people to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the expectation they will speak in tongues and over the past 39 years of doing this, I have personally witness them speaking in tongues as they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit like in Acts.

I think Ryan Litton did a very good job addressing this topic. His idea that the gift of interpretation of tongues involves a miracle of hearing, however, strikes me as odd. It may be that the gift operates in that manner for some people, but I've never heard of it working that way. Rather, I think that people with the gift of interpretation normally hear a message spoken in tongues the same way everyone else does. They don't hear the message with understanding. Instead, the Holy Spirit imparts the meaning of the spoken message inwardly, in the same fashion that He imparts a prophetic utterance, a word of knowledge, or a word of wisdom. And that impartation may accompany the message in tongues or it may be given after the fact. A person who does not have the gift of interpretation of tongues may nevertheless pray after a message in tongues has been given that God will give him/her the interpretation and God may do so. If the interpretation is not received until after the message in tongues has been spoken, the interpretation obviously does not involve a miracle of hearing.

Thanks for that Hugo. I read that three times. So to grow in faith, we need to be reading the Bible and believing what we read? Is that what your saying, or am I missing the core of your message. Thanks. Ashtray

Thanks. Yes, to be convinced about what we already got. It’s not so much about try to get something, but see and understand what we already have. That’s why Paul pray like this. Faith is nothing we try to produce from our self, or just because we heard it one time some places or like trying to fart out faith in our life. It’s produced as we read and feed ourself up on the word, topic we need to grow on. Then we are going to reach that climax where we are going to enter the place where we are convinced without any stress and cramps. It’s just natural, and very strong.

As I see it. To read a few words here and there is not enough. We want that words to impact in a such way that it became one with us, it becomes us. And yes, the Holy Spirit lives and dwell in us. We are not alone

Interesting article. I would like to see something about what some of our messianic brothers have been talking about as God's Complex or Compound Unity, as opposed to a Trinity.

Roger, I would argue a couple of points that you made. In a highly symbolic genre like apocalyptic, is it not possible that the Holy Spirit would be characterized by the attributes of God? Jesus is characterized by a Lion and a Lamb, we have Locusts symbolizing multiple different things, dragons which clearly aren't dragons, etc... Does it seem so far fetched to have the Holy Spirit described as such? Additionally, when you say that the Holy Spirit "being equal with God, does not serve God," is Jesus not equal with God and yet serves Him? Doesn't he come to do the will of the Father? Does Jesus not say that the Father will send the Holy Spirit to be with believers? This is all in the service of the Father. I'm not ultimately saying that this has to be the Holy Spirit, but I don't know that the Holy Spirit interpretation is as objectionable as you argue.

There are certainly many ways to speculate. Good points. It shows it’s best to not be dogmatic. We see through a glass darkly. Thanks for sharing.

Grace and peace to you from... this introduction is used throughout New Testament, ascribing them to the Lord - there are no examples I am aware of where angels are shown as ones from whom grace and peace come to believers