Wrong Gospel, Wrong jesus

Wrong Gospel, Wrong jesus

We have probably read this passage so many times. Perhaps we've overlooked it. Maybe we didn't realise the contradiction in this passage. But it contains an important truth for us who share the Gospel in the streets.

Yet 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐦. They said, “𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, will He do 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 than this man has done?” - John 7:31

The people who believed in Jesus said these words, "When the Christ appears..."

This is ridiculous when you would have expected them to believe that Jesus is the Christ. Apparently, they believed in Jesus, but didn't believe that He is the Christ.

Signs and wonders led these people to believe in Jesus, without believing that He is the Christ. 

Similarly, if you think that ministering healing, signs and wonders in the streets, and leading people to pray the sinner's prayer gets them born again, you are naive.

If you don't share the clear Gospel of The Kingdom, they will not have a clear knowledge of who Christ is. Without clarity, they WILL believe in the jesus you preach, but they are not believing in the true God Jesus Christ.

They will be like these people, "Yes, I believe in jesus! Oh but when the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these?"

Wrong Gospel, wrong jesus. Period.

Why Christians SHOULD Judge

Why Christians SHOULD Judge

1) Jesus is the Judge (2 Tim 4:1)

- Since we are to follow Jesus (Matt 16:24; 1 Peter 2:21) and manifest Him (Col 1:27), we should judge.

2) Jesus judges

- As I hear, 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞, and My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. - Jn 5:30

- We judge, because He does

3) We judge NOT according to the flesh/human standards

- No longer, then, 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬. - 2 Cor 5:16 GNT

- If we don't judge by human standards, then 𝐰𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭/𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝

4) We judge by people's fruits

- Therefore 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 you will know them. - Matt 7:20

5) Jesus told us to judge with right judgment

- Do not judge by appearances, but 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. - Jn 7:24

- This corresponds to 1 Samuel 16:7. We don't judge by outward appearance. 𝐖𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ---- 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 (𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝); 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭; 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭.

6) Jesus told us to judge our own issue, before we judge others with regards to the SAME issue. He did NOT say that you should not judge

- Judge not, that you be not judged... first take the log out of your own eye, and 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞. - Matt 7:1-5

7) We will judge the new world

- Or do you not know that 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝? - 1 Cor 6:2

- We will judge angels (1 Cor 6:3) and the new world. What happens now is the practice period. We start judging on this present world.

The next time when you hear a Christian or preacher says, "We should not judge anyone", please correct him/her because it's not true according to the Word of God.

Changing The Approach for Young People

When one guy got his lower spine straightened and healed, his friend requested for his knee to be healed. But he couldn't test it as he would need to be sprinting up and down for a distance. It might not be appropriate as he was wearing jeans and people were walking up and down the bridge.

We did readings on him. Sometimes we get the name of the person. Sometimes it's vague. So we said that we saw the name with the letter 'R', he said, "Yes that's my name!" After the readings, he went to pull two more friends over for readings.

One of his friends came with fresh blisters at the back of both her heel areas. She wore a new pair of shoes. She got healed and exclaimed, "What the hell! What the hell! I didn't even expect it. I'm not even kidding. What the hell!"

On hearing that, the male friend whose knee was prayed for ignored the flow of people and disregarded the fact that he was wearing jeans. He started to sprint up and down the Clarke Quay area to test his healing. He was overjoyed.

A lady came with her family and she said, "I would like to ask questions about my career." We replied, "Don't tell us anything. You just take a seat."

After reading her, her SIL was exhilarated. She was read. Her husband, who insisted that he didn't want to be read, came back to be read.

One by one, those who initially appeared to be resistant and reluctant to be read surrendered to the goodness and grace of God, and took the step of faith to be read.

We had a lady who had her mail read. She was so excited that she became our saleswoman. She started to call out to the people around, "Guys, you should come and try this!"

Soon there was a queue.

People are hungry for spiritual things. Especially the younger generation. Maybe we should change the way we preach to them because preaching is not always about using the traditional pulpit. In fact, they might switch off when it's a one-way top down approach.

The world is changing. If we still stick to the old approach, we will lose the young people.

Gather OR Scatter?

Every year, by His grace, I get a better understanding of His Kingdom. I hope I did.

There is ONE important aspect that I discovered.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓.

Regardless of our differences, opinions, perspectives, etc, the moment when anyone chooses to walk away from true Kingdom-minded people, he has chosen to scatter and he does not understand the Kingdom.

Over the past decade, I have encountered pastors, leaders, friends, etc. who talk/preach about the Kingdom, but do not understand the Kingdom.

It doesn't matter how much you think you know or how much you preach about the Kingdom. The moment you separate is the revelation that you don't comprehend the Kingdom.

Double Shalom

Shalom Shalom

I shared in a blog post about how resting destroys satan's works.

https://wilsonbarnabashealingmiracles.blogspot.com/2024/06/resting-destroys-satans-works-part-one.html

When you have peace, you rest. Jesus rested in the boat while the disciples wrestled in the storm. The reason Jesus had to wake up and rebuke the storm is for the sake of His disciples who were crumbling in fear.

I can comprehend that Jesus got up and rebuked the storm. I can imagine myself doing that. It's possible. Afterall, being awake and taking authority over something is not that difficult.

But what is beyond my comprehension is Him sleeping in the boat, while a perfect storm was present. Yes, we can talk about it. We can preach about it. But the heart of the matter is, "Can we DO it?"

Mark 4:37 says that the waves rushed into the boat and the water was filling the boat.

Yet the peace within Jesus is untouchable. The waves could not touch Him. He didn't need to wake up from His sleep to release that peace into the atmosphere. There was NO NEED to calm the storm and waves.

I can imagine the water and the waves surrounding Him, moving along the perimeter of His body as He was sleeping, BUT they could not touch Him. That's the kind of peace that surpasses ALL understanding.

I have been meditating on this for the past few days. It's still beyond comprehension. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?

If I were Him, I could hear the waves, the storm and perhaps the lightning. By the way, I'm a light sleeper. I could feel the whole boat in turbulence. How could I still sleep?

Mark 4:38 says that He was sleeping in the stern of the boat. The stern is meant for steering the boat, for stability and for navigation. For Jesus to sleep there, it speaks of His complete dominance, because the King of peace reigns over all.

But what kind of peace is that? It is beyond the shalom we say and know.

Isaiah 26:3 - You keep Him in (shalom) (shalom) 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, because He trusts in you.

This is a double shalom. He was sleeping there with His mind stayed on God. The word 'stayed' means 'to rest' in Hebrew. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩.

As a father, I can recall times when baby J rested on my chest (bosom) to sleep. The world around him didn't matter. It's a kind of rest that trusts in the father's love. This produces double shalom.

Yes. I can talk about this. I can preach about this. But as I'm meditating on it, I wonder how to live this out. Because I'm jealous or rather, zealous for such Word-reality.

Part 2 - Sinner's Prayer Or Born Again

Part 2 - Sinner's Prayer Or Born Again

In Part 1, I shared that if we lead people to say/pray the sinner's prayer after the benefits (miracles/healing), they would perish without knowing Jesus, but if we share the Gospel of the Kingdom, they will get born again and receive eternal life.

Jesus said it to the Jews in John 6.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. - John 6:27

He further explained and drew the parallelism of this context with the patriarchs. They saw and experienced the miracle. They ate the supernatural gift of manna in the wilderness. Yet they died.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. - John 6:48-50

This is why Jesus talked about working for the food that endures to eternal life (Jn 6:27) --- through believing (v29).

Don't confuse getting people to say/pray the sinner's prayer with getting them to be born again. They are not the same, unless you preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, so that they work for the food that endures to eternal life.

Sinner's Prayer OR Born Again?

Sinner's Prayer OR Born Again?

Do not confuse getting people to say/pray the sinner's prayer with getting people to be born again. They are not the same if we don't understand the Gospel of the Kingdom.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking Me, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. - John 6:26-27

The people desired Jesus, NOT because they saw the 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦, but because they were 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. In other words, they purely wanted the temporal satisfaction/benefits WITHOUT submitting to His Kingdom.

Jesus told them not to go after the benefits as they would perish, but to go after Him (true food) who gives eternal life.

When we get people to say/pray the sinner's prayer after healing/miracles, we are getting them to go after the food that perishes instead of the food that endures to eternal life. That is not Christianity, but sensuality. Most believers are still doing that, because they follow man's tradition instead of Jesus' approach.

On the other hand, when we preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and His Kingship, when people respond and give their lives to the King, they are truly born again and receive the food that endures to eternal life.

Don't confuse the name of professed Christians with Christianity. They are not the same. Don't confuse sinner's prayer with being born again. They are not the same either.

Holy Communion

Holy Communion

The evangelicals view Holy Communion as a symbolic act. It's for remembrance (1 Cor 11:24-26).

The Lutherans and Methodists view Holy Communion as a spiritual act with the real presence of Christ. It's a sacrament (Matt 16:26-29; 1 Cor 11:27-32). The Lutherans believe in sacramental union where Christ is present with the elements.

The Catholics view Holy Communion as both spiritual and physical acts. We call it transubstantiation, where the bread and wine become the literal body and blood of Christ (John 6:51-56).

Personally, I believe in all of them. All are correct in their beliefs. All can be found in Scriptures.

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh... Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. -John 6:51-56

What is important is what we do during the Holy Communion. In a church service setting, Holy Communion is often rushed through without much consideration.

In the early Church, Eucharist (aka Holy Communion) was the central act of worship. The breaking of bread and the sharing of wine was central. Not your songs of worship, not your pulpit preaching.

It has since evolved to our modern church service setting.

Therefore, we need to do Holy Communion outside of the church service setting. Among a community or home group. Because it has been watered down so much into a small segment of a service.

In Communion, we must both celebrate and appropriate what Christ did with His body and blood, without which, we cannot receive the full benefits of the Cross. The 'zoe' life of God is in His body and the redemptive power of God is through His blood.

The true fellowship (koinonia - shared participation) of Christ with fellow believers doesn't happen at a coffee session or makan places. It happens through Communion.

At Communion, we individually and corporately participate in the life, sacrifice, death, resurrection and hope of Christ. It is not a 5 or 10 minutes' Scripture reading and eating/drinking. If we include prayer and meditation of the Body and Blood, it can take a long time.

Because we do not want to go through the motions. We want to release faith and appropriate what He has done. This is the moment where healing and health are released, providence, peace and goodness are released, and power over sins and divine protection are released.

While it is not the same as the Passover meal, parallelism can be drawn from it. The Israelites experienced amazing benefits of the Passover as they put their faith in God.

Let's take Holy Communion more seriously and restore it to its place.

What Do You Believe? Healing or Healed?

Jesus did not just remove sin from us. He removed us from sin.

If He merely did the former (1), we only received forgiveness. But we remain in the position of sin. We stay as sinners. And we continue to be bound by sin.

But Jesus also did the latter (2), so that we received Righteousness. We were removed from the position of sin. We have become the Righteousness of God. And we are free from sin.

In the same way, Jesus did not just remove sickness from us. He removed us from sickness.

If He merely did the former (1), we only received healing. But we remain in the position of sickness. We continue to get sick and need healing again and again.

But Jesus also did the latter (2), so that we received health. We were removed from the position of sickness. We have become the Healed of God. And we are free from sickness and disease.

The reason why we only experience (1) is because we don't believe (2). When we believe (2), our experience will line up eventually.

You Are Not Just Healed. You Are The Healed

You Are Not Just Healed. You Are The Healed

Salvation is not just about going heaven. It is about having heaven in you.

Salvation is not about a location. It's about a position. You are not just saved. You are the 'Saved' of the Lord. You are the redeemed one.

And if we understand that salvation includes 'healed, delivered, protected, preserved, made whole, kept safe and sound', then we will realise that healing is not an event, but a position.

He Himself bore our sin in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His stripes, you WERE healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

Jesus became sin (2 Cor 5:21) and died to sin (Rom 6:5, 10) so that we might die to sin (Rom 6:11) and become righteous in Him (2 Cor 5:21). 

"By His stripes, you WERE healed." In the Greek, the tense used for the verb 'healed' is considered without regard for past, present, or future time.

In Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah prophesied "By His stripes, we ARE healed". In the Hebrew, the type used for the word 'healed' is perfect (qatal), which is considered as a single event.

While Isaiah was pointing to the specific event of Jesus' whipping that brought us physical healing, Peter pointed us to the reality that His whipping delivered the whole timeless position of healing to us.

In other words, as born again believers, we no longer get healed as an event. We were healed (past, present & future) as a position. We have become the 'healed' of the Lord.

If you are the redeemed of God, hell cannot touch you. For you have been delivered from that kingdom (Col 1:13a). You can no longer go to hell.

Therefore, if you are the healed of God, sickness cannot touch you. For you have been transferred to the Kingdom of Righteousness (Col 1:13b). You can no longer be sick.

Healing is no longer an event for you, unless you are not born again. Once you are born again, healing is a position for you. This means that you are the HEALED of God, and you permanently walk in that healed position where no sickness or disease can enter your body.

Eat Into Health

Eat Into Health 

A man without Christ was able to eat his way into health. He knew that faith in God surpasses what he eats.

“Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. - Daniel 1:12-15

The king's food during the Babylonian period was likely unclean according to the Law of Moses. One of the reasons the Law was given to the Jews is to set apart the nation of Israel from all other nations; to reveal the holiness of God.

Daniel was resolved to keep the Law (Daniel 1:8) by not eating the king's food. He put his faith in God, trusting that by eating vegetables, he and his friends would appear stronger, healthier and 'fatter in flesh' than all others.

The word 'fatter' in Hebrew means 'fat, or plump and healthier'. In the ancient Hebrew culture, fatness was a sign of blessing and prosperity. It was the mark of divine favour. Fattened animals were always selected to be offered to the Lord as offerings.

In the natural, if you only eat the 'seed of the ground' aka vegetables, you will not be fattened. Unless you are a cow.

But Daniel, by entrusting himself to God, walked in the supernatural at the end of 10 days. He didn't let what he ate affect his body. He let faith in God affect his body.

We are talking about a man without Christ. Today, you and I are in a far more superior covenant because of Christ. Avoiding this food and that food, getting obsessed with supplements and fearful of preservatives can only do this much to your body. In fact, it can make your body worse if the motivation is fear. Because fear always steals, kills and destroys.

Everything can be eaten when we eat in faith, entrusting ourselves to God. Because our body was bought at a price (1 Cor 6:20). It's not what you eat that defiles you (Matt 15:11; Christ came); every food can be good (1 Tim 4:4); preservatives cannot hurt you (Luke 10:19). God has all these covered, knowing the fallen world (1 John 4:4; 5:4).

I know alot of us experience the negative effects of eating unhealthily as we grow older. This is because our mind has been subconsciously filled with that idea given by older people and medical personnel. But your experience cannot change the Word. So it's better to let the Word change your experience by renewing your mind.

Therefore, the rule of the thumb is this:

If you cannot eat in faith, avoid it.

If you can eat in faith, eat it.

Your health doesn't come by you eating or not eating, but by faith in Him.

Warfare Victory

Warfare Victory 

The enemy finds opportune time to war against the Kingdom of God. Since you are in Christ, you become the target. But the more you think it's about you, the more you can't see victory.

The war is not against you, but against the Kingdom of God. The enemy wants to make it personal so that you get affected and even discouraged. In other words, he will make the events/incidents personal to you, so that you forget about the Kingdom.

I'm going to start something in a day. I have committed to it.

Last night, all of a sudden, I felt a very familiar and sharp pain at the back near my pelvic. I could hardly get up from my bed to go to the bathroom.

My first thought was, "This is not possible. Because I was already healed so many years ago."

The next immediate thought was, "There is nothing new under the sun. The enemy can't stop me."

I didn't rebuke the enemy. I didn't command him to leave. I simply submitted to God and thanked Him.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. - James 4:7

You don't resist the devil by resisting him. You submit to God. The power to resist comes from your submission to who God is.

I fell asleep and had a dream. In the dream, I was witnessing to two staff at Starbucks, through healing and word of knowledge. Then I was sharing my healing testimony and the Gospel of the Kingdom to one of them.

I woke up from my sleep. All the symptoms disappeared. I just shook my butt (against the devil) in front of my wife as I shared with her what happened. And I reminded her, "Warfare is real. We don't take life as it is."

The kingdom of darkness wars against the Kingdom of God. You and I happen to stand in the way. But do not take it personal. Submit to God as His Kingdom is way bigger and way more powerful, compared to the minions.

If you get hit, you advance the Kingdom harder. You don't draw back or waste time resisting the devil. Because submitting to God will automatically cause him to flee.

The Interpretation of Tongues Part 2

The Interpretation of Tongues Part 2

Have you seen churches where one 'appointed' person (or two) would always release the interpretation of tongues during or after the worship segment?

While we should applaud the practice of releasing the prophetic to encourage, edify and bring comfort to the Body of Christ, having one or two appointed ones will develop spiritual pride, because it makes the rest seem unable to do so.

The manifestation of the Spirit is meant for ALL believers. If we don't empower believers, they don't become sons. They remain as slaves.

For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged... - 1 Cor 14:31

The Corinthian church was baby Christians according to apostle Paul. They were carnal and not mature believers. Yet most of them moved in the gifts of the Spirit, including speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues. You can't be prideful in the area of the gifts of the Spirit IF everyone is able to do so. You are not special.

In a church setting, how do you know if someone interprets the tongues correctly? By having people (the Body of Christ) confirm it.

If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. - 1 Cor 14:27-29

Since there needs to be proper order in a church setting, each time when (public) speaking in tongues is involved, let two or three speak in tongues, one person at a time, and let the Body of Christ interpret.

'...two or three prophets speak, and the others judge...'

By the count of two or three witnesses, a matter is established (2 Cor 13:1). This also works when (public) speaking in tongues is not in a church setting.

If there is no interpretation, according to verse 28, the person is to stop (public) speaking in tongues but he is allowed to speak to himself and to God (private tongues).

The interpretation of tongues is simple and it should be encouraged in the church. With two or three witnesses, you can confirm the message of the tongues.

The Interpretation of Tongues Part 1

The Interpretation of Tongues Part 1

Most of us pray in tongues but we seldom interpret the tongues as we think that it is either difficult or not possible.

But apostle Paul made it simple for us in his words. He wrote that the interpretation of tongues is as good as prophesying (1 Cor 14:4-5, 12-13).

In other words, interpreting tongues is similar to receiving a prophetic word from God. To put it more practically and in an extremely simple way, the way you prophesy is the way you interpret tongues.

Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also... (1 Cor 14:13-15)

The word 'unfruitful' in Greek is 'akarpos', which means 'any thought that is not born of faith'. Any decision that is not born of faith is fruitless.

When you pray in tongues, you are making a decision to yield your tongue to the Holy Spirit aka God. In other words, when you pray in tongues, you are in faith.

But you are NOT yielding your mind to God. This is why your mind is fruitless. Your mind can wander as those thoughts are not born of faith.

To interpret the tongues, you need to make the decision to yield your mind to God. In other words, you operate by faith to receive thoughts/images/words/visions from God the SAME WAY you prophesy.

Remember: Interpretation of tongues is NOT translation. It doesn't mean that you translate word by word. In other words, you can pray in tongues for 5 minutes and you get one simple message (prophetic word) out of it.

When you understand this, you will get extremely excited to pray in tongues all over again.

Rekindle this gift of the Holy Spirit that God has freely given to every believer.

Reproducing The Works

I shared the science of the power of memory with my son. He was exhilarated. He went to tell his mum.

Then he went to his room and did what I shared.

He simply recalled the memory when he first did it. The 20 cents got stuck.

Then he did the $1. It's still stuck there since yesterday.

If it's based on anointing, you need a certain man of God to do the job.

If it's based on principles, everyone can do it.

I am convinced that preaching from the pulpit probably moves only 5% of people into doing.

But if we demonstrate what we teach, we move a much greater percentage of people into reproducing the same works.

Jesus demonstrated His works to His disciples. He empowered them speedily. Because what you first caught in your memory will form the neural firing patterns needed for the next encounter when you recall back what was done the first time.

To disciple people, it takes demonstration, not preaching. This is why discipleship doesn't take place in a church service.

Perhaps, instead of spending hours and hours preparing a sermon every week that produces little result, we should spend hours and hours demonstrating so that it produces more fruit.