Charismatic Bible Studies - 2 Peter 1:1-4, Part 2

[RandyK]

I think so too. My prayer is for greater manifestations of the Spirit to all the more draw those who desire the gifts, and even the greater gifts. The trouble is you can't wait for someone else to come along and do so, so you realize that He's actually waiting on you to get more serious about, praying, fasting, and beseeching Him for the power to come down.

But I agree with you. I think there is great potential, it's just a matter of are we serious enough to see His glory be made manifest.

Oh believe me I want to see God's magnificent Presence appear before me and declare He loves me! And I'm willing to share that love with the world when given opportunity within the constraints of my abilities and God's will.

We're on the same page brother... Praying...

 

[Hidden In Him]

Never gave any answers, so let me take a crack at it.

2. Have you ever heard preaching on how we are being transformed from glory to glory, and what are your thoughts on the things mentioned in the study? Do you believe this can relate to Christ manifesting Himself through you in spiritual gifts?

1. I'm sure others - especially Pentecostals - may have preached it, but I've not heard it anywhere, let alone on this text. What I have heard a lot of are messages and teachings on how not to be prideful. I understand that we should never take glory upon ourselves, but what about when the Lord glorifies Himself through us? The Lord has built a conqueror's mentality into me over the years of being a Christian, and I simply cannot relate to language that suggests we are all worms and capable of nothing good, and everything is going to H in a handbag, and then the Lord finally returns. Too many verses and passages like those mentioned in this study that suggest they had a different mentality than that; the mentality of overcomers.

 

[Hidden In Him]

3. What gifts do you feel you have walked in before, and would help you most in leading a virtuous life?

You know, I actually intended to ask the question: What manifestations of the Spirit have helped you the most with sanctification; i.e. Spirit-led prayer, Spirit-filled worship, Divine revelation and study of the word, Spirit-led ministry, etc.

JLB Angelina RandyK hawkman

If that were the question (and I think I will change it now), what would your answers be? For me, ministry and the word are the two biggest helps. If I could be engaged in those 24/7 I don't think I would ever sin another day in my life. If only the mind never got tired.

 

[Hidden In Him]

4. What would you say to those who have not walked in any gifts yet, but believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Simple: Ask the Lord to send you a dream, and then seek Him in prayer for the interpretation. If necessary, seek out an interpreter for help on it. Dreams are the simplest, easiest way to receive from the Spirit of God, IMO. Anyone can, from youngest to oldest, which is why I think they will help form the backbone of prophetic ministry in the end-times.

 

[Hidden In Him]

5. How important do you believe the teaching on Hell is where sanctification is concerned?

Another question I could have packaged better, but the fear of God is spoken of throughout the Old Testament as one of the biggest deterrents of sin. I recall the times that I have gotten deeply embedded in reading testimonies of those who went to Hell that I wanted absolutely zero to do with sin. I have sometimes prayed that I would be chosen to receive a vision and see it for myself, but those things are for the Lord to decide, not me.

 

[RandyK]

You know, I actually intended to ask the question: What manifestations of the Spirit have helped you the most with sanctification; i.e. Spirit-led prayer, Spirit-filled worship, Divine revelation and study of the word, Spirit-led ministry, etc.

JLB Angelina RandyK hawkman

If that were the question (and I think I will change it now), what would your answers be? For me, ministry and the word are the two biggest helps. If I could be engaged in those 24/7 I don't think I would ever sin another day in my life. If only the mind never got tired.

For me, the biggest thing is just learning that anything apart from God's will is a complete waste of time. I don't mean that it's wrong to engage in meaningless entertainment, or even idleness. What I mean is that when I learned that nothing I *do* has any value unless God goes with me, then my life changed and continues to change.

I simply learn to wait on God like fish wait to be fed. When you're hungry nothing else matters--you just wait on God to show up in some way to validate your plans or to initiate your plans.

But knowing that God's showing up makes a difference means that my expectation is that the supernatural must be in evidence--not just to be entertained by miracles or to validate my life as a "prophet." No, when God shows up people are stirred to want the same think I want. They need to see God respond when they respond to Him.

God's manifestation takes place in many forms, and we should want them all. No sense limiting our experience with God. He has an unlimited supply.

Sanctification happens when we see how God responds to our waiting on Him. When He doesn't show up when I think He should I discover that it isn't my will that I need to be waiting for. When He doesn't bless something I want to do, I learn that waiting on God means I recognize when I need to turn in another direction.

In sum I learn to follow Him, in whatever direction He takes me. It's worth waiting for because the rewards are so amazing!

 

[RandyK]

Another question I could have packaged better, but the fear of God is spoken of throughout the Old Testament as one of the biggest deterrents of sin. I recall the times that I have gotten deeply embedded in reading testimonies of those who went to Hell that I wanted absolutely zero to do with sin. I have sometimes prayed that I would be chosen to receive a vision and see it for myself, but those things are for the Lord to decide, not me.

I've already experienced some of the things I "feared." God is untouched by our pleas and cries when we have deliberately walked in the wrong direction.

It may not even be completely our fault. God is simply uncompromising when it comes to His word, although His kindness is not abated necessarily.

It is scary to know God and not follow through with Him. It isn't Hell--it's just failure I'm afraid of. We should all be afraid to not follow through with the calling we've freely accepted.

 

[RandyK]

Simple: Ask the Lord to send you a dream, and then seek Him in prayer for the interpretation. If necessary, seek out an interpreter for help on it. Dreams are the simplest, easiest way to receive from the Spirit of God, IMO. Anyone can, from youngest to oldest, which is why I think they will help form the backbone of prophetic ministry in the end-times.

I'm not really an evangelist--more of a teacher. But on occasion, when I really, really discern somebody God loves and feel I must reach out to them, I will. On one such occasion this friend was blatantly pagan--to the point of mockery, and intellectual in orientation, being a reader in philosophy or false religion.

I wanted to ask him to simply ask God if He's real, and did approach him that way. But the thing that really touched him was emotional. He had a bed-ridden Mother, and lived in poverty with her. And he, I think, despised himself for his failure in life, to get a job, have a family, or help his Mother--I don't really know.

What I do know is what reached him was not really intellectual, although you could argue for that. It was emotional because he, like so many of us, were simply looking for something real that could help with the emotional pain. God provided that for him.

Another friend had been a goer to a somewhat liberal Christian church and was very loose morally with women. He paid no attention to whether they were married. He just complained that he could never find the "right woman."

I took a chance and told him God had chosen him to be saved (discernment), and encouraged him to take Christianity more seriously. Later, I discovered he did that very thing, becoming openly evangelistic in the work place. But he continued to struggle with women and with thoughts of suicde.

I recently saw him, and he seems like a truly changed man. He enjoys confidence and will, I think, solve many of his big problems.

Sometimes we have so little to do with helping others. We simply have to choose to do so if we really care and are given the opportunity. We may be the only person with enough guts to reach out to those who look so hostile to the Gospel. They are lambs on the inside, and we can truly appeal to that.

It is our *spiritual love* for them that matters--we must express it sometimes. That may open the door that's needed?

It is supernatural love that changes people. But everybody is different. Some people need to see lightning come down, or be healed. Some need to hear tongues interpreted in their own language, or words of supernatural knowledge about them.

God knows what people need, and we need to be sensitive to that. God moves when we obey His word to us.

 

[Angelina]

You know, I actually intended to ask the question: What manifestations of the Spirit have helped you the most with sanctification; i.e. Spirit-led prayer, Spirit-filled worship, Divine revelation and study of the word, Spirit-led ministry, etc.

Applying the word into situations and seeing that word become a reality. As an example, I can remember being a relatively new believer many decades ago, and I came home one day and encountered a demon in my lounge. This was no ordinary demon and possibly one of higher rank, and I felt fearful but stood my ground. The Lord spoke to me and came in a vision and said that he is standing in front of me and that demons can do nothing to me. Then he told me to command that demon to flee in Jesus name, so I did, and that demon left. It just showed me the power of the name of Jesus, and his word is greater than anything we can face. Later on, I got involved in deliverance ministry, which proved time and time again that his word is sure and true. Casting out demons in the authority of Jesus, in his name, and according to his word. Sanctification came through walking with God and the Lord allowing certain things to occur so that he could train me and I could trust in him and his word.