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The dictionary states that to reconcile means to re-establish friendship between; to settle or resolve, as a dispute. The key to reconciliation is to effectively deal with the enmity, ill will, hatred, or hostility that caused the dispute, etc.
The enmity between man and God was sin. God took the initiative to remove this barrier through the means and agency of Jesus Christ, thus leaving man and God as friends once again.
We have received the ministry of reconciliation. That means we are in the ministry of reconciling people to God. Much of what people call the gospel today is actually alienating man from God. True, we need to show people their need for God to get them to receive His forgiveness and reconciliation, but the angry and bitter attitude some people...
This filling of the Holy Ghost is subsequent to the born-again experience.
Paul reveals in Rom. 10:9, that a person has to confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in his heart that Jesus was raised from the dead, before he can be saved.
It is possible to be saved, yet not have what Jesus said was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is now given freely and we don't have to tarry for His coming, we can receive salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the same time. However, it is not automatic. We must ask and believe for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, just as we believed for salvation.
Speaking in tongues is unique to the Church Age. This is because when a person speaks in...
John's baptism was a baptism with water unto repentance for the remission of sins. John preached that the Lamb of God came to take away the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29), but he didn't administer the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
However, both John the Baptist and Jesus prophesied the church age, when believers would be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, but it was not only for these few individuals. Peter said in Acts 2:39, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." This same power is available to all believers today.
The promise of the Spirit being poured out on "all flesh" is...
One of the great mistakes of the modern church is to think that evangelism is something done within the four walls of the church building. Acts 8:1-4 makes it apparent that evangelism was not done by the pastor or clergy but by believers that went everywhere preaching the Word (Acts 8:4).
Some methods of evangelism mentioned in scripture are: (1) House to house evangelism - "...and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" (Acts 5:42). (2) Personal one-on-one evangelism - Philip ministered to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-38), Paul to Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:7), Jesus to Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the thief on the cross, and others. There are around 35 such instances recorded in the Gospels alone. (3) Evangelism to large crowds - Peter ministered to the crowds in Jerusalem at...
Just as every sport has disputes that must be settled by the officials, the peace of God is the umpire that settles all disputes as to what the will of God is for our lives. We must learn to listen to and heed the peace of God in our hearts.
God's peace is something that every born-again believer has. It's a fruit of the Spirit. That peace is always umpiring; we just don't always pay attention. How many times have you acted contrary to the peace in your heart and afterwards, you experience disaster? You say, "I never did feel good about that." That was the peace of God umpiring, but we chose to play by our own rules.
There are some things we can do to facilitate the peace of God umpiring in our hearts. First, consider ALL the options. Many wrong...