REPLY TO THE MAN WHO WOULD BE CHRISTIAN..
Dear Sir;
Since you cut off our conversation that night, maybe this written version will lead you to see –that what you are missing in your Christian life - is the most wonderful thing in this world. That is ‘Christ in you’ the ‘hope of Glory’ and the POWER that represents.
The post I wrote is ‘not about you’. It’s about you and everyone like you who are not only bereft of the spirit’s enablements– but want no one else to have them either.
What irks this writer is what irks the Lord – who died and rose again to create a Church that hell would not prevail against,. Yet, here it is, doing a good job of annulling that claim. Because the power that Christ left his disciples, is not only ignored by most ministers- it is even denied by them, effectively robbing Christ’s Church – and teaching for doctrine the commandments and traditions of men.
Our conversation the other night illuminated this century’s old problem of carnal Christians, who refuse to receive, and then object to anyone receiving those things that God made available. For you the Bible is a product for a fabulously wealthy few. Had you represented yourself as a merchant and not a Bible researcher - I’d have had nothing to say.
But we discussed Scripture. Then when you heard things you are unfamiliar with, you rebuked me rudely and hung up.
My answer was not as unkind as you were. Because if you will finally consider what I am saying – you TOO might receive those spiritual things that you lack., and find out what pure joy is. You may even return to thank me. (It has happened.)
Yes! my post agrees with you; satan uses hucksters like Paula White and Kenneth Copeland. et al - to bastardize and corrupt the things of God. As the title asks – does the fact of his antichrist discount the true Christ? Satan has his own version of everything.. angels, a false prophet, a christ -including the resurrection of his christ after he is killed, the communion service, and the church service too including his ‘speaking in tongues’. (Though frankly, for someone spirit filled it’s easy to distinguish his parodies from the true.)
That men can begin well, get baptized and speak in tongues, but turn- from the truth to devils – happens. This is the topic of grave warnings in the New Testament.
And in the Old Testament it is witnessed in the life of Solomon. But that still does not discount the truth Solomon began with. It does not claim that Solomon did not ‘begin well’. Nor can this discredit manifestations of holy spirit used by apostates and retrobates.
I also loved the ministry of R.C. Sproul, had the greatest respect for him. I loved David Wilkerson too. Though these ministers like many others - and like you - had blind spots. The vast majority of Christiandom- Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Orthodox etc, do not obey the commandments of the Lord. They have the ‘traditions of men’ for doctrine - which is what also separates them one from each other. For when men are walking by the SPIRIT - they are all in accord.
I have dear friends who are Russian Orthodox. They’ve had family members die of things that Christ cured me of – which things he has cured others of through my prayers. THIS failure to believe what Christ did -and still does- is the tragedy of Christianity today - from man’s unbelief.
In John 14:12 Jesus commanded us to duplicate his works. Healing is one of his works. Mr. Jeffcoat - Have you laid your hands on the sick and seen them recover? (Not a rhetorical question. I’d be interested to know.)
Sickness plagued Pastor David Wilkerson. There was a lot of sickness in his family, but he believed God only to a point. On the other hand the great man of God - John Lake - also had a family plagued by sickness. But Lake, BELIEVED GOD. He believed the Scriptures concerning sickness, and believed the Lord’s commandments;
Accordingly Lake got spirit baptized and developed his Spiritual enablements - and went on to heal so many people on different continents, that the White House Health Executive of his day – Margaret Rutherford – named his home in Portland, Oregon ‘the healthiest city in the United States’.
IMAGINE how many people came to Christ on the different continents because of this one man’s obedience.
Of the 9 manifestations- healing is just one. Tongues is another. It is listed first probably because it is usually the FIRST thing a baptized saint does. It was tongues that convinced Peter and the Jews that the Gentiles had also received the ‘gift of holy spirit’. (Acts 10 & 11)
Paul did not say that tongues is only ever in the languages of men. If that were true, why would there be a manifestation called ‘Interpretation’?
In fact speaking of speaking in tongues Paul said:
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God.
FOR NO MAN UNDERSTANDETH.. I Corinthians 14:2
If no man’ understandeth’ sir, I submit the speaker is not speaking the languages of men.
Paul did not say that tongues is always only useful when an interpreter is present. (Are you now agreeing that tongues is valid?).
He said that in reference to church gatherings -where others are present – that tongues should be interpreted into THE LANGUAGE OF MEN,
Because without the interpretation NO ONE UNDERSTANDS!
Because the value or benefit is ONLY for the person speaking.
VIZ:
‘He that speaketh in an unknown (!) tongue edifieth himself.’
and..
I WOULD that ye ALL spake with tongues, ..
but IN THE CHURCH .. interpret –
so that the Church may also be edified.
I Corinthians 14:4,5
When I speak in tongues privately, as I do for hours each day, I don’t understand my words. Else I could possibly ‘edit’ them, and it would not be ‘speaking by the spirit of God’. It would be speaking by Victoria Bingham.
The manifestation of tongues benefits only the speaker SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE most of the time - being in the language of angels - it is not understood.
Tongues is designed for us to BUILD ourselves up spiritually. So mostly speaking in tongues is done when we are alone.
I go on 1 to 2 hour prayer walks daily, speaking in tongues at least half of the time, and have heard my same spiritual language with some beautiful phrases since the 1970s. How do you suppose I can remember it?
God gave tongues as:
‘Perfect prayer’,
To build ourselves up spiritually in our most holy faith – speaking by the spirit of God TO GOD –
To speaking to GOD divine secrets.
I Corinthians 12:3 disagrees with you emphatically that tongues is of satan.
‘Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the spirit can curse Jesus,..’
The verse also points out the ONLY WAY to [really] say that Jesus is Lord is by SPEAKING in tongues.
‘…and no man can REALLY say that ‘Jesus is Lord’ EXCEPT by him speaking in tongues.’
If you are not speaking in tongues, most likely you are conversant with Jesus Christ. Do you have any idea what you are missing?
It is unlikely also that you heal anyone, receive revelations, do miracles or discern spiritually. (It’s clear you do not discern spiritually, because you called my tongue ‘of satan’)
FINALLY:
To deny the baptism and the manifestations is to write off the entire Book of Acts
Particularly
Acts 2 and 3;
Acts 10 and 11, where the only reason that Peter and the witnesses believed the Gentiles received holy spirit was that they SPOKE in tongues…
And most significantly - Acts 19, where saved believers were not baptized in holy spirit – Like so many Christians,.. they had never even ‘heard of it’. So Paul was sent to them to fix that situation. When he laid hands on them they received holy spirit – and SPOKE IN TONGUES.
Mr. Jeffcoat- with all due respect - in my 50 years of walking with Jesus Christ I have personally seen hundreds of people graduate from the same Bible class that God put me in in 1978 - of which ALL were baptized in holy spirit (myself included) and began speaking in tongues.
Today I know thousands of people who speak in tongues. Who speak beautiful languages.
I go on prayer walks daily, speaking the ‘Wonderful works of God’, and to God ‘divine secrets’. It is the spirit within that prays - choosing the words, saying things impossible for me to utter.
In order to dispense with the power Christ left us - one must throw away his final commandment to his disciples (that numbered only 120 – the proportion from the tens of thousands he ministered to matches the proportion of our day of disciples vs multitudes). Jesus commanded them to ‘stay in Jerusalem till they be filled with spirit – the comforter – power from on high – the spirit of truth which leads into all truth’.
Though the spirit has many names – it is ONE GIFT – the GIFT OF HOLY SPIRIT – given to them which ‘believe’.
If a person does not have the baptism, that’s why they are unable to talk to Jesus and get replies. Which act is what defines a disciple, according to Matthew 5:1 and all of chapter 13.
Jesus himself said the ‘secrets of the kingdom’ were meant ONLY For his disciples. Yet, disciples according to the whole book of Acts, Matthew 5:1, chapter 13 and other records, are those who talk to him. Since he is the same forever, that is still true today.
Disciples are those who ask at his mouth.
In 2020 I went to Jesus about the strange things coming out of China. I asked him - “What is this about?” He answered me - “It’s about control’. A reply that has never been refuted or improved upon.
Disciples are those who climb the mountain to be with him, and who get answers. And it is disciples who obey him and get the ‘holy spirit baptism’, that the Secrets of the Kingdom are given – and who will ‘see the Kingdom of God’. He speaks plainly to us.
A person may be ‘saved’, but that does not mean they are ‘born again’. The Lord himself warned Nicodemus (John 3:1-3) that without being ‘born again’, a man will not see the Kingdom of God.
Salvation and the spirit baptism are 2 different things. Otherwise, explain why a Jew, (Nicodemus) for whose people salvation dated back to Jacob, was ‘confused’ by the idea of a ‘new birth’. Because that new birth only began at Pentecost; And was initially only given to Jews -until Cornelius was the first Gentile household to receive and of whom they ALL SPOKE WITH TONGUES’.
Paul later said this new birth was ‘CHRIST IN US the HOPE OF GLORY’.
Peter later explained the new birth was ‘seed’- GODS SEED - that is ‘incorruptible.’
I don’t hold you in contempt, it’s the Kingdom of God that you are in contempt of, because you shut up the Kingdom of heaven against men – you will neither go in nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Jesus own words. You need to fix that. It is as simple as going to Jesus Christ right now and asking ‘IF THESE THINGS ARE SO’.
Years ago there was a Chinese woman from the persecuted church in China, in a Presbyterian Church I used to attend. Giving her a ride home to Maryland one day, I learned she was not born again and had never heard of it. On the 30 minute drive, I led Dani Hong into the new birth, baptized her in the holy spirit. Before she got out of my car, she was speaking in tongues.
In the 1980s my boss was Christopher Constantopoulous. A Greek man who was a 7th Day Adventist. They also deny the manifestations and the Power of the Holy Spirit. He took the Bible class in my apartment in 1986 that I’d taken in 1978, and with the other 11 students, Christopher was baptized in the holy spirit and began to speak in tongues.
Since then I have led hundreds into the baptism that Christ commanded us to get, and into the manifestation of speaking in tongues.
If you prefer a minister’s word on this, an excellent book on the subject was written by Dave Roberson – who began with Tongues and letting it build him up spiritually, went on to have a tremendous healing and evangelizing ministry. The book is called; “The Walk of the Spirit – the Walk of Power – The Vital Role of Praying in Tongues’.
I leave you with that verse again that warns us to not block the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ against ourselves or other men. The Book is completely clear – that we are to be ‘disciples’ and make ‘disciples of all men’. Which by definition is a man or woman that communicates with and obeys Jesus Christ.
I IMPLORE YOU to go to Jesus and ask him about the baptism and about tongues. It may be the beginning of the rest of your life.
In His Service,
Victoria Jean Christine Bingham