Featured Apostles, prophets and manifestations of the Holy Spirit

Lots of people are wrong about lots of things. The point should be that we don't just go with what our heroes and peers say, but we must determine for ourselves whether or not things are true.

 

THEN WHY IN THE WORLD HAVE WE GONE SIX PAGES OVER THIS?

This is essentially what I said in the other thread where this began, yet you refused to concede this point.

I have been writing from the beginning that I am talking about sign gifts and giftedness for ministry, not "offices." I specifically mentioned this in post #2 of this thread:

"You are confusing manifestations (“sign gifts”) of the Holy Spirit with an office. Gifts are given to all, while some are called into special roles (“offices”). In regard to the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, I believe these are different from “spiritual gifts” given elsewhere as a mode of service. Manifestations are enablings given, as needed, to believers in ministry activities."​

Why are you talking about the NAR movement? I haven't even mentioned them, nor have I even referenced their theology except, perhaps, in your imagination.

It's rather clear you either don't read what I write, or you are just so convinced I am wrong about everything you must always oppose me.

 

I believe you have been heavily influenced (and misled) by John Macarthur on this point. You have tied the sign gifts to apostles, when the biblical witness do NOT tie them to apostles. For MacArthur, it helps to do this so he can discredit so he can discredit the entire charismatic movement by claiming that God could only use the original Apostles as conduits of sign gifts.

Sign gifts (manifestations of the Holy Spirit) and biblical authorship are two completely different things.

 

Regarding Barnabas, some people (not me) believe that he wrote Hebrews, so we can't completely rule out Barnabas. Hebrews seems to be written by a Jewish person from Paul's circle, so Barnaba, Apollos, and Priscilla (my opinion), are the most popular contenders.

 

Paul did not "reveal" anything that was not based on the teachings of Jesus.

Paul was a disciple of Jesus, and his teachings must necessarily be read in light of the teachings of Jesus. Paul did not contradict Jesus, but fleshed out the implications of the teaching of Jesus for the churches, as well as help the early church understand Jesus in light of the Old Testament revelation.

Justification in Paul's gospel is exactly the same as it was in the message of Jesus. There is only one Gospel message, both for the Jew and the Greek. Everyone comes to God through Jesus, whether they knew His name or not. Abraham is saved on the basis of Christ and His redemption. As Paul noted, Abraham was saved through faith (Genesis 15:6 -- cited in Paul's teaching in Galatians 3 and Romans 4).

 

These assertions are completely wrong, yet you STILL don't get it.

God is still speaking today, but it is highly unlikely that there will be any additional scripture given today that all of Christendom will recognize and affirm. If that happens, we can reopen the discussion.

The apostolic and prophetic manifestations of the Spirit still occur today in the same way as in the Bible. I do not see any biblical evidence that there was ever a prophetic "office" in the church, and an apostle is what we call a missionary today. For that matter, I don't think there was an office of "evangelist" in the New Testament, although there were people then and now who were noted for their giftedness in this area -- "Philip the evangelist," referenced in Acts 21:8, actually held the office of deacon (as noted in that same verse) and had four daughters who were prophets. The four unmarried daughters didn't seem to hold an office, but they were well known for their giftedness.

 

Whoever wrote Hebrews was quite gifted in the natural sense as well as in inspiration. It has become one of my favorite New Testament books because of its richness.

 

Yes, as needed and according to the will of God.

The sign gifts are active today and are manifested as needed. Regarding "revelations," God still speaks to His people. I know there is a thread of Christendom who is fiercely opposed to that idea, but that does not change the reality of it.
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The "sign gifts" (aka, manifestations of the Holy Spirit) were never restricted to apostles of any age. The second post in this thread demonstrates this.