="GodspromisesRyes"]
Peoples faith can be built by by hearing the word of God coupled with testimonies of other people. Some people get saved just hearing the gospel with the testimony of beleivers given at what God has done for them.
Salavation is through faith in Christ, through hearing the word of God, not through personal testimony and or the witnessing of miracles. Even the testimony of an Angel can not lead a man to Christ. Angels do not even have the privaledge of leading a man to Christ. Of course another persons testimony can open the door to an oppotunity to share the gospel (the word of God), but the testimony is not what saves. You may find me a little pedantic on this point, but we must be clear on this.
Many people witnessed the miracles of Christ first hand and did not receive salvation, even deciples who walked with him for years.
here is my question:Should we believe the word of the saints and their testimonies?
Biblical saints we read of in scripture, is obviously in the word of God, and yes we believe it only because of its power to convert and because
we know it is true.
Should we believe a travelling man who comes to us telling of us stories of miracles in a far off distant land? Thats up to you, but I don't put my faith in any stories like this.
It is very sad to me that other christians can so easily call other the brethern liars when they glorify God with their testimonies Now we may say to ourselves " i didnt call them a liar" but if we hear their testimony and disbelieve them in our hearts- then on top of that speak that to others to put disbelief in their hearts we are really calling them liars.We overcome by the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony but yet the brethern arent believeing each other?Our testimony is stronger to satan than to our brother in Christ? whaaaa?
We are not expected or required to believe
anything that is outside of the word of God any more than we are expected to believe every word out of the mouth of our pastors. Your point is not really a valid point at all. In fact we are intsructed to test and examine the spirit and fruits of men. This does not mean we accuse an individual of lieing.
(and no one is talking about believing benny hinn, we are talking about believing the witnesses of faithful people who love the Lord)
Well you contradict yourself there brother.
Also setting up the idea that we need to SHOW proof(usually scientific or medical) of these things is in no way a biblical standard but a worldly one. The word of a believer who speaks as the oracles of God and gives glory to God in testimonies of His love and power and who is not making money on it, should be stronger to us than them having physical proof that the world would consider proof.
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If what you say is corrrect here, then you are opening the door wide open for the benny Hinns of this word to rape and pilage. We rely on the word of God - end of story, not fresh revelations of someone speaking the oracles of God, Does this mean we can not be edified and encouraged by what God is doing in the lives of our brothers and sisters, off course not.
Some of us do not even go to the world for help, so how and why would we have a doctors proof? And above C gave testimony where doctors where there and still that wasnt counted as proof.We should be making sure that our ways are biblical.
Exactly. Im not sure why you are so opposed to what I am saying, What exactly it it that I have said that irks you so?
The whole bible is testimonies of saints and what God did in their lives,- we are not any differnt- we are living epistles- living testimonies of the greatness of God.
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The bible is also full of instances where God dealt differntly with men than in the way he is dealing with us now. Many Christians today think they can and do have the powers that the appostles had during the beginning of the church age. We are told in scripture these things will come to an end, and they have come to an end. And yet there are people standing up in churches around the word claiming they have the gift of prophesy and are delivering "fresh words" form the Lord, usually regurgitated scripture if your lucky ? Frankly, Im so glad I don't have to put up with that any more on Sunday morning any more. Been there - done that!
PS. I put it it to you that if God was going to pull of a miracle in Cornelius's church, he would not have required the assitance of two doctors. Did God use the education of Doctors to resusitate this person? Possibly. Ungodly men are being saved in hospitals every day with the miracle of modern day medicine, remember that. I dont hear of Christians who claim to have the gift of healing going into hospitals and raising the dead and healing the sick though.
A bit of balance and descernment is required, other wise there is a risk of getting caught up in hype and going to seed on something, and the next thing you'll be doing is rolling around in the isles at church laughing like a lunatic thinking that it's a fresh falling of the fire of the spirit.
And a final word of warning. Satan will deceive the whole world when he weilds his abilty and power to perfrom
miracles.