Trust in God

Enoch trusted God.  He was taken into heaven and never died.

Noah trusted God.  He and his family were the only survivors when God destroyed the world in a great flood.

Abraham trusted God.  He was given a child though his wife was barren, and he became the father of many nations.

Jacob trusted God.  He saw angels ascending and descending a ladder between heaven and earth.

Joseph trusted God.  He went from being in prison to ruling over Egypt in one day.

Moses trusted God.  He parted the Red Sea with his staff, and left Egypt utterly defeated.

Joshua trusted God.  The walls of Jericho came crumbling down.

Gideon trusted God.  He defeated armies of tens of thousands with only 300 men.

Hannah trusted God.  Though barren, God gave her a son, and he became the prophet and leader of all Israel.

David trusted God.  As a boy he slew a giant, and he became the greatest king in Israel's history.

Elijah trusted God.  He called fire down from heaven and slew the prophets of Baal.

Elisha trusted God.  An entire army of Syria was struck with blindness, and he led the blind army into Israel's capital.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego trusted God.  They walked with the Son of God in a blazing furnace.

Daniel trusted God.  He interpreted the king's dreams and was raised to ruler over Babylon and chief of wise men.

Esther trusted God.  She became queen of Persia and saved her people from annihilation.

Jesus trusted God.  He turned water into wine, drove out evil spirits, brought in huge catches of fish, fasted for 40 days, resisted Satan's temptation, opposed the religious rulers of that time, fed 5,000 with only five loaves of bread and two fish, walked on water, healed a woman of her bleeding condition, raised three people from the dead, calmed storms, brought money out of a fish's mouth, withered a fig tree, restored a withered hand, gave sight to the blind, gave hearing to the deaf, healed a servant from miles away, healed lepers, caused a paralytic to carry his mat, saved an adulterous woman from death, predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, taught with the greatest wisdom the world has ever seen, let Himself suffer and be hung on a cross to atone for the sin of all mankind, rose from the dead, appeared to many people after having resurrected, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

And Jesus said, "whoever believes in Me will do the works I have done, and he will do greater works than these."

The story has just begun.  My message to you is simple: Trust in God.  There are many things yet to happen.  God is still writing an epic novel, and you, Christian, are in it.

What is Communion?

Communion is something I greatly emphasize.  If you don't know already, I believe every church should observe Communion every Sunday.  To explain my reasons for thinking that, I should explain what Communion is; and a few things Communion is not.

A tangible act
Communion gives action to our faith.  The Christian faith is not some empty profession of faith.  We don't just say we believe in Christ and sing a few songs.  There are many acts the Christian should be involved in.  Some are acts that help people.  And a few are even ritual acts.  There's nothing wrong with that.  In our culture we tend to steer away from ritual.  At least we won't call it ritual, but if we're honest, everyone has rituals.  Its just that most of our rituals are subconscious things we do every day; we don't call it ritual, but it is.  Communion is a religious ritual with much meaning for our lives.  Its way more beneficial than all the subconscious secular rituals people perform every day.

An act of remembrance
"Do this in remembrance of Me".  Jesus tells us exactly what Communion is for.  Its to remind us of the sacrifice Jesus gave on the cross.  Its to remind us of our need of that sacrifice.  Unless we are in the "flesh" and "blood" of Christ, there's no life in us.  That flesh and blood symbolize the spiritual life of God.  Lest we forget the flesh and blood of Christ, we eat and drink symbols of that flesh and blood.  What an intimate commemoration of the greatest sacrifice ever given!  Not just a thought in our mind or a song on our lips, but bread and wine (grapejuice) that touch the lips and stir up the mind.

An act of worship
Every Sunday Christians sing songs to praise Jesus.  But Jesus did not say "sing songs in remembrance of Me".  Its good that we sing songs, since its written that everyone have a hymn ready for the gathering of saints, and we know the very first Christians sang in hymns every Sunday morning to worship Christ, who rose from the grave Sunday morning.  But if its good to sing songs, how much better is it to commemorate the sacrifice of Christ, which He actually did say "Do this in remembrance of Me"?

An act of obedience
Communion is not merely a tradition.  It is a tradition, going all the way back to the apostles.  But its not merely a tradition.  The Roman Catholic Church did not give us Communion.  In fact, Catholics do not observe Communion (I'll say more about that elsewhere).  Don't let anyone confuse Communion with Catholicism, or say that its merely tradition.  Christ Himself commanded it.  He was eager to eat the Last Supper with his disciples.  He was eager to break bread and say "take it, eat".  He was eager to say "This is my blood, poured out for many".  He proclaimed what was already determined, and how He would save all mankind from sin.  This was no small thing.   

An act of unity
When we observe Communion, its something we all do together.  I know there's many Christians in different time zones; the point is not that we all do it at the same time necessarily.  But we all do gather on Sunday morning, and we all do commemorate our Lord in Communion.  It is something we do together.  It is something that brings us together.  Even with so many denominations, observing the Lord's Supper is something we do agree on.  Sadly, some have neglected the Lord's Supper.  But for those that do commemorate it, it is done as one body.  The entire church as a whole observes it.  Its not an individual thing, its a churchwide thing.

An act of evangelism
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. 1Corinthians 11:26 ..  Communion is a way of speaking the gospel.  Its a way to bring attention to the cross.  Its a point of teaching as well.  Consider the children.. they ask: why do we do this?  That's the perfect opportunity for teaching the children what Communion is all about.

A spiritual act
Communion is spiritual.  The bread is not literally the body of Christ, and the grapejuice is not literally the blood of Christ.  But the bread and the grapejuice are not merely symbols either.  To think that they are merely symbols, that's almost as wrong as the Catholic belief in Transubstantiation.  Communion does have spiritual value.  A person is infused with the Spirit of God by partaking of the Lord's Table.  How so?  By calling to mind the sacrifice of Christ.  By worship.  By obedience to His command.  By everything that I have mentioned thusfar, and possibly things I haven't mentioned.  The observance of Communion goes well beyond the symbolic.  It is nourishment for the soul.  If you don't understand what I mean, spend three months at a church that faithfully observes Communion every Sunday.  Maybe you grew up in a church that neglected Communion.  Maybe it never caught on with you.  That's because you never really observed Communion.  Faithfully observe Communion for at least three months, then you'll understand what I mean when I say it is a spiritual act.

Now let me just say one thing that Communion is not.  As I already alluded to, Communion is not the Catholic Eucharist.  The Catholic Eucharist can best be described as food sacrificed to idols.  The Catholic Augustine, who modern-day Catholics like to quote, even made this point.  When Jesus said "unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (John 6:53), He did not literally mean His flesh and blood.  That would be cannibalism.  Jesus is not talking about literal flesh and blood; Jesus is spiritual.  How do I know this?  While He was speaking to the same crowd of people, just moments later, He said "The Spirit is the One who gives life.  The flesh doesn't help at all.  The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life."  Now if the Catholics believe that they are literally eating the flesh and blood of Jesus, by Jesus' own words, that does them no good (even if Transubstantiation were true).  The "flesh counts for nothing", so we cannot have life in us by eating His flesh.  Then How?  The "Spirit gives life".  It is not the actual bread and wine (grapejuice) that give life; it is the act that gives life, because the act is spiritual.  Just as Jesus said "My words are spirit and life", so too the act, which Christ gave to us, is spiritual and life-giving.  Not the bread, not the wine, and certainly not Transubstantiation.  This false doctrine from the Roman Catholic Church is a hideous misunderstanding of Christ's words.

Three Jerusalems

Pre-Millennial Jerusalem
Millennial Jerusalem
The New Jerusalem

To describe these, my reasoning requires that I go in reverse order.  I have listed these in chronological order, in which the present Jerusalem is pre-millennial, and the furthest into the future is New Jerusalem.  However, I will start with the furthest into the future, the New Jerusalem, because it will explain the existence of both prior Jerusalems, and that will help us to understand what God is doing today.

The New Jerusalem: In a word, this is heaven.  In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, in which future events are predicted, God tells us that there will be a new Heaven, a new Earth and a new Jerusalem.  To reinforce this, in the prophet Isaiah, God already spoke of new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 66:22).  So what is the new Heaven, new Earth, new Jerusalem?  I don't know.  But what is clear, it will be new.  It will be totally different than the earth today.  The heavens will be totally different.  And the city itself will be unlike anything we have ever seen.  It is for that reason that I have no idea what it will be like.  I do know that the dimensions of the city have it being huge.  As wide as it is long, and as high as it is wide, it is either a cube or a pyramid, and its base is over half the size of the lower 48 States.  Consider, that is a city, not a country, the size of a large country, which would reach into space if it were located on this earth.  So I think its very fitting, if there's going to be a new heavenly city of that size, there must be a new earth.  If that city were on this earth, it would be very disproportional (the mass of it would distort the earth's rotation).  I am speaking speculatively, and I have no idea what I'm talking about, but it seems to me that the new earth would have to be at least 100 times larger than the present earth just to accommodate such a city.  The thing is, I have no idea if the language in Revelation is even talking about physical size.  It may be talking about something entirely different.  This should be enough to have you awe-struck like I am.  I would assume, as much as I have already assumed, that the size of the city would only be eclipsed by the glory of the city.  God Himself, in His heavenly glory, will reign inside the city.  I would guess the reason we do not have more detail than this in the book of Revelation is given to the fact that human words cannot do it justice.

Millennial Jerusalem: We should ask ourselves, why is there a New Jerusalem?  Why Jerusalem?  It is because of precedent.  It is because God, from that point in the future (or eternity), has already established Jerusalem.  The New Jerusalem is not the Millennial Jerusalem, but it is called "New Jerusalem", and not another name, because of the Millennial Jerusalem, the Pre-Millennial Jerusalem, and the Jerusalem where both of the ancient temples were built.  It is called "New Jerusalem" because the saints have already been familiar with Jerusalem.  Maybe you are not familiar with Jerusalem, because it has only just recently been repopulated by God's people.  But some day in the future Jerusalem will play an important role in the life and faith of all Christians.  It is for that reason that God names His heavenly city "New Jerusalem", even though the New Jerusalem will be totally different than the city of today; even though its address will be different, its size different, and itself quite different.  The New Jerusalem is a different city entirely, but it is given the same name.  I mention that to explain what God is about to do.  I start with the distant future and work my way back.  The Millennial Jerusalem is not the present Jerusalem, but it is the same address, on the same earth.  The present Jerusalem (Pre-Millennial Jerusalem) is the seed of the Millennial Jerusalem.  So what is the Millennial Jerusalem exactly?  It is the capital of the world during the Millennial Reign of Christ.  Jesus will rule the world, literally, as the Bible says "with an iron scepter".  This means that His rule will be absolute and firm.  Christ will be supreme King of the world, and Revelation says that saints will rule with Him.  As I have studied Revelation, I have come to the conclusion that it is not -all- the saints, but a certain group of saints.  These are the saints that are martyred in the great tribulation period, which precedes the second coming of Christ.  They die because they refuse to receive the mark of the beast, or to obey the antichrist.  They remain faithful to Christ, and they are martyred in the tribulation.  It is specifically these people who rule with Christ.  Who do they rule over?  The nations.  You see, no where in Revelation does it say that -all- people will be killed in the tribulation and second coming.  Certainly the vast majority will.  Probably 99.999% of the world's population will be killed.  But I believe there will be a few survivors, even of the multitude that receive the mark of the beast.  And it is out these survivors that the nations are repopulated (with high birth rates and a thousand years, it won't be hard).  It is these nations, which come out of the few survivors, who are ruled over by Christ and the saints (martyrs of the tribulation).  Now the saints have already died, and since it is appointed for everyone to die once, and since they have already been resurrected and received their immortal bodies, they are immortal.  They live and rule for the entire 1,000 years.  But as for the nations, they are not immortal.  They are mortal humans, just like us today.  They are born, they live for a span of time, they die.  They are given opportunity to be saved, like you and me, but their salvation is not guaranteed, like the saints.  Consider Revelation 20:7-9: Who are these nations that Satan deceived?  Certainly not saints who have already died in Christ.  These verses require two classes of people on the earth at the time of the Millennial Reign: the saints, and the nations.  As for the Millennial Jerusalem, the way I imagine it, even though its not specifically written in Scripture, is that its made up entirely of saints.  Those who are not immortal saints (the nations) are not allowed in it.  Christ Himself is there.  The city is made glorious beyond compare.  It is heaven on earth.  It is truly a city of angels.  And to be the precursor of the New Jerusalem, it has to be extremely glorious (yet still not reaching the level of New Jerusalem).

Pre-Millennial Jerusalem: Working our way from the future to the present, we have come almost to the present.  The Pre-Millennial Jerusalem is the Jerusalem of today, but it is also a future Jerusalem.  The Jerusalem of today has a future - a bright future - even before the Millennial Reign.  God has only -just begun- to rebuild Jerusalem.  Believe me, the work that God is doing in Israel, God has only just begun to do it.  There's more to come, folks.  There's a lot more to come, even before Christ returns.  How could the Jerusalem of today be the precursor of the Millennial Jerusalem?  The Millennial Jerusalem is so much greater and more glorious than any city on the earth today.  The Pre-Millennial Jerusalem is the seed of it; it is -there- that Christ sets up His throne.  So you better believe that the restoration of Jerusalem has only just begun.  There will be a third temple built in the not so distant future.  Christians and Jews will be united in faith; Jews will come to know their Messiah Jesus.  Jerusalem will be established as the capital of all Christendom.  It will not be controversial, or a question as to whether Jerusalem is the capital of all Christendom, but all Christians will agree with it and know it as an unquestionable fact.  Is it like that today?  Of course not.  Believe me, things will change.  What you see today is only a pre-shadow of the future glory of Jerusalem.  The city will be made great.  God will make the city great.  It is because of that - because the saints already know of Jerusalem as the capital of all Christendom - that Christ makes Jerusalem His capital during the Millennial Reign.  Or maybe its the other way around: the Pre-Millennial Jerusalem will become the capital of all Christendom, because Christ has already decided to make Jerusalem His capital during the Millennial Reign.  And why was the temple built in Jerusalem?  Why was it rebuilt in Jerusalem?  Why can the third temple only be built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem?  Is it not because of Providence?  Because God has pre-ordained it...  He has a plan, and its a big plan.

Do you see how it works?  Jerusalem began as just an ancient city.  It was chosen by God, in His eternal plan, before Jerusalem ever existed, and by Providence it has become a major city.  In the future it will be the greatest city on earth.  Do you see the progress?  It starts small and works it way to be larger and greater.  It starts humble, but some day there will be a New Jerusalem, which will be anything but humble.  Its just the way God likes to do things I guess... consider the beginning of the Church - started small, but is now global.

Consider these things for yourself.  Read and study Scripture.  May God bless you, friends, and May He give us wisdom, because He is the only source of good wisdom and virtue.

The City of God

God is the creator of heaven and earth, and everything in them.  When He made man, He made him in his own image.  There is no other reason needed to love man.  It is the greatest virtue to love God.  And since man is made in the image of God, it is a virtue to love man.  That is the founding principle of the city of God: love.

The city of God is the Church of Christ Jesus.  It consists of all those who have the Spirit of God in them.  And all of them are spread throughout the world.  It does not have physical boundaries.  All those who accept Christ are welcome in it, and it matters not their nationality or background.  It is a city on a hill.  It is a hill which is called heaven.  By this you should understand that its a heavenly city, which is invisible.  It is unlike any other city, because you cannot point to it on the map.  Other cities are physical; this city is spiritual and heavenly.

There is only one way to enter the city of God.  It is a narrow gate; Christ is the gate.  If you accept the words of Jesus, which are written in the Bible, then you are welcomed in the city.  But if you choose to be ignorant of those words, or you choose not to accept them, or you pretend to accept them but ignore them, or in any way reject the words of Jesus, then you have no part in the city of God.  It is essential to be a disciple of Jesus to be a citizen of God's city.  And it is essential to read, to keep and follow the words of Jesus to be a disciple of His.  And this is not hard: contained in those words are the greatest wisdom to ever be present on earth.  Contained in those words are life, and love, and peace, and joy, and many good things.  It is no burden to keep the words of Jesus, but rather an invigorating enlightenment.

Don't collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  -Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21 (HCSB)

Citizens of the city of God do not have to worry, among other things, of their wealth.  Here on earth the rich make investments, put their wealth in banks, or vaults, or hard assets.  Whatever they may do, they have to worry about protecting their wealth.  It can be stolen, or the value of investments can diminish.  A Christian does not have to worry about it.  While a Christian may be poor here on earth, it doesn't make much difference.  The follower of Christ focuses on doing the will of God, which will earn him rewards in heaven.  For one thing, those rewards cannot be stolen or lost.  And their value can never diminish.  For another, the return on investment is so much greater.  People put in so much effort to make money here on earth.  With less difficulty, and a focus on doing what pleases God, rewards of much greater value can be obtained in heaven.  This is one of many principles which lead to the prosperous soul of the saint.  Specifically what I mean in peace in the soul; a knowledge that something far greater awaits us.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.  -Jesus in Matthew 6:33 (HCSB)

It doesn't matter if a Christian loses his job.  An injury.  An ailment.  A breakup.  Hardship.  Even death.  None of that matters.  A Christian is not called to seek the things of this world: fame, fortune, happiness.  Even sorrow, to the Christian, is a blessing.  And everything, even hardships, are worked out for the good.  So we don't worry about what might happen tomorrow.  For even the worst thing that could happen is no problem for the Christian.  Whether or not it can be overcome (with the power of God anything can be overcome), it doesn't matter, because the worst that can happen to any person is death, and death is the best passing for a Christian.  So the worst that happens for a Christian is passing from this earth to heaven.  If the worst case scenario is heaven, what is there to worry about?  Citizens of the city of God leap, and fly, and giggle, for the simple fact that they have nothing to worry about.  It is a city of children.  It is as a sandbox, filled with lighthearted laughter and fun.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.  Galatians 5:22 (HCSB)

What makes the city of God heaven?  It is the fruit of the Spirit.  In every citizen there is the Spirit of God.  And that Spirit manifests Himself in good works, good character, excellent virtue.  Its a pleasant thing rubbing shoulders with people of lovely character.  Yet, where we are now, its not always the case.  There are people filled with the Spirit, and there are people lacking the Spirit.  But God gives us the strength to love even our enemies, and to overlook an offense.  It is for the Christian to take the high road.  When someone wrongs us, we turn the other cheek.  It is no weakness, but rather a strength.  To be at peace, and to shrug our shoulders, when others would be enraged and act out of anger, it is a strength.  It is the anger and rage which is weakness.

At the center of the city is Truth.  The streets are illuminated with God's word.  The foundations are laid by knowledge.  The binding of the Bible holds together Christians, as it holds together pages.  The name of the city is written: the New Jerusalem.  It is for those who love truth to enter: "I am the way and the truth and the life," said Jesus.  "No one comes to the Father except through Me."

The Truth About Pentecostalism

In this note it is my prayer to expose the lies which distinguish modern day Pentecostalism.  You probably already know that Pentecostals are famous for speaking in tongues, healings and other "manifestations" of the Spirit.  This is their claim: The first time anyone "speaks in tongues", it is proof of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  So anyone that has never spoken in tongues has not received the Holy Spirit.  Along with that, they often claim miracles and healings, which happen during their services.  It is important for us to put every claim to the test; as John wrote, "test the spirits" (1John 4:1).  The central question is this: Do their beliefs and practices align with the Bible, or do they contradict the Bible?

For us to understand the New Testament, it is very important that we understand the One the New Testament was written about, namely, Jesus.  So it makes very good sense to start with the recorded words of Jesus.  And since the topic of discussion is the Holy Spirit, let us see what Jesus said concerning the Holy Spirit.

Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again.  The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.  -Jesus in John 3:6-8 (HCSB)

This is in the nighttime conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.  Jesus tells Nicodemus that anyone wanting to enter the kingdom of God must be born again, and then explains, born of the Holy Spirit.  He then adds the last line, which gives us insight into the working of the Holy Spirit.  It comes and goes as He pleases, and we do not know where its coming or where its going.  So we do not know who is born of the Spirit, or when they are born of the Spirit.  It is quite a mysterious thing.  He moves as He pleases; there is no rhyme or reason, and we cannot know where or when He moves.  Only at certain times, like at Pentecost, has the presence of God's Spirit been obvious.  Every other time it has been quite subtle and hard to detect.  Again, lets look at another one:

The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; no one will say, 'Look here!' or 'There!'  For you see, the kingdom of God is among you.  -Jesus in Luke 17:20-21 (HCSB)

This single verse refutes many claims, as the Catholics make, the Pentecostals and many others.  Many people like to think they know the coming of the kingdom.  But if it is not something observable, how can we know it?  And what is the kingdom of God among you?  Certainly the Holy Spirit in us; as Paul wrote, we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 6:19).  So we see the same concept here, the moving of the Holy Spirit is a mystery to us.  So how do we know who has the Holy Spirit and who does not?

Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.  You'll recognize them by their fruit.  Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit.  -Jesus in Matthew 7:15-17 (HCSB)

We can recognize whether someone has the Holy Spirit by the fruit of their lives.  Is that fruit speaking in tongues?  If it were real tongues, maybe so.  But no where does God's word deem tongues to be a necessary fruit of the Spirit.  What are fruits of the Spirit?  Galatians 5:22-23 (it ought to practically be memorized).  This is how we can know whether someone has the Holy Spirit or not.  As for the precise time someone receives the Holy Spirit, I believe Jesus' words prove that we cannot know that.  And nowhere in Scripture does it say anything about a particular time that a believer receives the Holy Spirit.  It is simply "as He pleases".

Now let us look at Pentecost, the namesake of Pentecostalism.  What is it?  It began long before the day when tongues of fire descended on the disciples.  The first day of Pentecost (also known as the Feast of Weeks) was the day Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments.  That day 3,000 Israelites were killed, because they had sinned by making a golden calf.  That was the Old Covenant.  The day the New Covenant was instituted on earth, 3,000 people were baptized and added to the church.  That day the disciples spoke in diverse languages.  How many disciples was it?  Luke already mentioned about 120 disciples (Acts 1:15).  The number that spoke in tongues was certainly more than the Twelve, and its uncertain whether the Twelve themselves actually spoke in tongues.  It was a sizable crowd.  Why did they speak in tongues?  There were Jews living in Jerusalem at that time, likely visiting for the feasts, from Passover to Pentecost, from many parts of the world.  They spoke many different languages.  They heard these disciples of Jesus speaking in their native language, and they knew that these men were not from their native lands (Acts 2:7).  So they knew that a miracle had happened.  How could many men be speaking in languages that we know that they don't know?  You see, it was a sign for those who did not believe.  Paul says the same thing (1Corintians 14:22).  There we find a contradiction between Pentecostalism and Pentecost.  Pentecostals speak in tongues as a sign to themselves that they have received the Holy Spirit and are saved.  At Pentecost, the disciples spoke in tongues as a sign to unbelievers.  There were 3,000 baptized and added to the church, yet Luke says nothing about them speaking in tongues.  If what the Pentecostals believe is true, would not the 3,000 also have spoken in tongues?

And what exactly were the "tongues"?  They were other languages.  This is clear by the fact that Jews who spoke other languages understood these Galileans.  Many translations will translate the Greek word as "tongues", because that was understood to mean languages.  Today, because of Pentecostalism, the word "tongues" has taken on a slightly different meaning.  We do not always expect it to be an actual language.  But if we understand how the apostles wrote the New Testament, it is clear that "tongues" is simply languages.  Do Pentecostals speak foreign languages when they "speak in tongues"?  To answer that you'll have to do your own research.  Visit a Pentecostal church and observe their speaking in tongues.  It should not be too hard to tell.  I may not be able to tell what language someone is speaking when they're speaking a foreign language, but I am able to tell whether they're actually speaking a language or just babbling.  A language has diverse sounds and distinct syllables.  What you will likely hear in a Pentecostal church is a repetitive sound.  Whatever it is, it is not another language.

Does this mean that no one speaks in other languages by the Spirit anymore?  No, I don't think that's correct.  No where in Scripture are we led to think that the ability to speak languages was limited to the first century.  Only, we must test every claim.  Anytime God does something, Satan tries to counterfeit it.  Satan's counterfeit does not negate the power of God, but should cause us to question every time someone claims to do something miraculous.

What is the verdict?  The foundation of Christianity must be Christ.  We must know and understand His words.  If we do that, then we will be able to understand the apostles and the book of Acts.  But if we neglect the words of Christ, and we listen to the chatter out there in the world, then we are vulnerable to believing lies.  Suddenly a simple innocent verse like Acts 2:38 will take on meaning that it was never intended to have.  An event like Pentecost, which was certainly significant in church history, will be the foundation of our beliefs on salvation, when Christ is the only true foundation for salvation.  Compare baptism and tongues in Acts with everything Christ said in the gospels: What is the emphasis?  Does Peter or any of the apostles ever make it clear that baptism or tongues are essential to being saved?  Yet look at what Christ emphasizes, and what He ties to salvation:

He replied to them, "Who are My mother and My brothers?"  And looking about at those who were sitting in a circle around Him, He said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  Whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother."  Mark 3:33-35 (HCSB)

"This is the most important," Jesus answered: "'Listen Israel!  The Lord our God, the Lord is One.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  The second is: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  Mark 12:29-31 (HCSB)

"I assure you," He said, "unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child - this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me."  Matthew 18:3-5 (HCSB)

And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God, but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  -Jesus in Luke 12:8-9 (HCSB)

For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.  But if you don't forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.  -Jesus in Matthew 6:14-15 (HCSB)

And the King will answer them, 'I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.'  -Jesus in Matthew 25:40 (HCSB)

I give you a new commandment: Love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.  By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.  -Jesus in John 13:34-35 (HCSB)

The one from Matthew 25 is only one verse of the entire parable, in which Jesus separates sheep from goats, the saved from the damned.  The sheep help the helpless, and the goats do not help the helpless.  Jesus very bluntly ties this act or non-act to salvation, because He directly says that those who do it will go to heaven, and those who do not do it will be damned to hell.  If you read through the gospels, you will notice Jesus focus on things such as: Doing the will of God, keeping His word, acknowledging His name, forgiving others, having childlike qualities, and most prominently, Love.  Throughout all the gospels, Jesus is constantly hammering home the message of love.  It is the greatest commandment.  It is how we are known as Christ's disciples.  And its what the parable of sheep and goats in Matthew 25 is all about.  Paul says the same thing when he says "the greatest of these is love" (1Corinthians 13:13), even though its already abundantly established by Jesus.  If a person speaks in tongues, but doesn't have love, its worthless.  If a person does not speak in tongues, but does have love, he has all he needs.  Point is, the determining factor is not tongues or baptism or any other "sign".  The determining factor is love; its whether you have the fruit of the Spirit or not.

If that wasn't enough, let me drive one final nail in this Pentecostal coffin I'm making.  They say that everyone who has the Holy Spirit speaks in tongues.  Yet no where in Scripture is this taught.  And where Paul writes about speaking in tongues, he plainly refutes this idea.

Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all do miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in languages?  Do all interpret?  1Corinthians 12:29-30 (HCSB)

Paul is talking about parts of the body of Christ, and how each has a different function.  He is talking about different gifts and ministries in the church.  And he asks these rhetorical questions to which the obvious answer is no.  Of course not all are apostles.  Of course not all prophets.  And so forth.  He is making the point that we do not all have these gifts, but that we each have different gifts.  And look, what he includes in these rhetorical questions: Do all speak in languages?  Clearly, the answer is no.  Yet Pentecostals would have you believe that all who have the Holy Spirit do speak in languages.  I choose to go with Paul on that one.

Overcoming Evil with Good

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  Romans 12:21

The meaning of this verse is very simple and straightforward, and its very practical.  The practicality is found in Christ's teaching.  If we follow the teaching of Christ, we shall overcome evil with good.  Let me show some examples of this:

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  -Jesus in Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV)

Jesus talks about persecution.  Lets consider a mild form of persecution and how someone might overcome evil with good.  Lets say there are people who insult you and exclude you for whatever reason.  If you retaliate, and try to slander them back, it will likely cause them to persecute you more.  If you are a decent person, and you simply do nothing, it will dull their words considerably.  If you follow the teaching of Christ, doing something good for them like praying, it will make it that much harder for them to do the evil thing.  Lets say the persecution is worse, like physical abuse.  If your response to being abused is to show love to them, it will make it very hard for them to abuse you.  If you respond to evil with evil, in the mind of the person who is abusing you, they will feel some kind of justification.  That's not how they will feel if you respond with good.  If you treat someone good when they are treating you badly, they will feel rather rotten about treating you badly.  And its quite likely that they will stop doing the evil.  It is much harder to do evil to good and loving people.  It is harder to steal from someone who is very willing to give you the shirt off their back.

And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.  -Jesus in Matthew 5:40-41 (ESV)

Going the extra mile is how someone overcomes evil with good.  There are people who will do bad things.  There are people who will steal and cheat and abuse.  But the only way to overcome that evil is with good.  To the one that steals, we give to him.  If I give food and drink to the guy that stole my ipod, or whatever it may be, I am making it very hard for him to steal again.  I am, in some sense, restoring his love for humanity.  He might steal out of some hatred of people.  He might think all people are evil and therefore deserve evil done to them.  But will it be so easy for him to do evil to someone who does good to him?  His conscience would eat him up.  So if I do good to him, whether he has or might be about to do evil to me, it will greatly lessen the likelihood that he does the evil.

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil.  But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  -Jesus in Matthew 5:39 (ESV)

Now there might be some cynical skeptic out there that thinks it will never work.  He thinks that I can do all the good I want to for the thief or the persecutor, and it won't make any difference.  He assumes that an evil man will always be an evil man, and therefore my efforts are fruitless.  But even if he is right, I should still do these things.  I should still give to the one who takes, turn the cheek and pray for the persecutor.  Why?  Because nothing in this world is mine anyway.  Why does a person refuse to turn the other cheek or give his cloak away?  Because he protecting himself and his possessions.  But to be a follower of Christ the first condition is to give up everything, to pick up your cross daily.  Already I have, as a Christian, decided that my possessions mean nothing, that my life belongs to Christ.  In other words, I have nothing to protect.  Even if my following Christ's commands does not yield good fruit in other people, I should still do it, because Christ commanded it.  Yet I do believe that following Christ's commands will yield good fruit in others.

I am getting at a fundamental principle.  It is much easier for a man to be evil when he is surrounded by evil.  If people do evil to him, he will see no problem in doing evil to them.  If people set an example of evil, he will likely follow it.  He sees evil, he hears evil, he receives evil, and he is likely to do evil.  Where does the evil end and the good begin?  With Christ.  Reverse the scenario.  Is it easy for an evil man to do evil to someone who does him good?  It is much harder.  It is much harder for a man to do evil when he is surrounded by good.   He will not want to hurt someone, because the people he comes into contact with are always helping him.  Even if he were inclined to evil, he still would not want to do evil, because he loves the people who are always doing him good.  So the good has overcome the evil.  This is what we are commanded to do.  Whether someone does us evil or not, we must always do people good.  By responding to evil with good we overcome evil with good.

The Help and Hindrance of Law

If a law restrains evil, it is a good thing.  If the law against murder is enforced, it will limit, to a greater or lesser extent, the occurrence of murder.  The point of laws is to restrain evil, unless its the law that forces payment of taxes or other such laws, which facilitate government.  Not every law is good, but the assumption is that the concept of law itself is based on good intentions.  When God gave a written law on Mount Sinai, it was to prevent the Israelites from idolatry, blasphemy, murder, theft, deceit, other such things, and to compel them to honor the Sabbath, honor father and mother, have a standard of cleanliness, and other such things.  The law represents a certain standard.  It is a line that must not be crossed, and there is a punishment for crossing the line.  That is how the law operates.  It punishes anything below the line; it does not require anything above the line.  And societies have operated by law for several thousands of years.

We know that the Old Testament is a system of laws.  We know that that's how the Israelites operated.  But we also know that Christ introduced something new.  Most Christians are not fully aware of what Christ introduced.  We have a vague idea that freedom is associated with the New Testament.  But most Christians do not clearly understand the fundamental difference between the Old Testament and its system of laws and the New Testament and its system of freedom.  First, let me prove that Christians are free from the OT law, since not everyone is convinced of that.  There are many verses I could share; I will share just a couple.  Jesus makes it plain that He is doing something new when He declares all foods clean, flatly contradicting the OT kosher laws.

And He said to them, "Are you also as lacking in understanding?  Don't you realize that nothing going into a man from the outside can defile him?  For it doesn't go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated." (As a result, He made all foods clean.)  Mark 7:18-19 (HCSB)

He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:14 (HCSB)

Jesus came and erased the OT law, but does that mean that there is no Christian law?  The Christian law is very different from the OT law.  It is a law in a completely different sense.  It is an internal law, not an external law.  An external law is the speed limit.  An external law is the Ten Commandments.  An external law is the regulations of the sacrificial system.  An external law is specific, because it must tell you specifically what to do and what not to do.  An internal law is something that is held in the heart.  If the internal law is written down, its not written down with specifics, unless its specific examples to illustrate the point.  An internal law is what we might call an 'ideal'.

"Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days" - the LORD's declaration.  "I will place My law within them and write it on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be My people.  Jeremiah 31:33 (HCSB)

What is the law written on the heart?  It is a much higher ideal.  Whereas a traditional law is a certain standard, and it doesn't require anything more than the standard, the law that is written on the heart is an infinitely high standard.  No matter how well a person is doing, he can do better.  With a law, lets say the law "Do not covet", once the law is met - a person does not covet - there is nothing else required.  But now, consider all that is required of this standard:

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  -Jesus in Matthew 5:48 (HCSB)

When is the standard of the higher ideal met?  At what point does "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" not require anything more?  Our heavenly Father is infinitely perfect, so to be perfect as He is perfect requires infinite perfection from us.  It is an ideal, not a law.  It is not a law in the traditional sense of law - a law written on paper.  It is a law written on the heart.  It is a much higher ideal, which drives us to a much higher level of righteousness.  The Israelite under the OT law only had to not covet, not murder, not lie, and other such things.  Once he met the standard of the law, he did not have to do anything more.  The Christian is commanded to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.  There is no written law for the Christian.  Why would that be?  A written law, such as the Israelite had, would be a hindrance to the higher ideal.  Anytime there is the presence of a law, whoever the law applies to will look at that law as his standard of good conduct.  If the OT law were still in effect for Christians, Christians would do what the law requires, as best they could, and do no more.  Even if the higher ideal were present, the old law would be a distraction.  The law, which had been a help in that it restrained evil, would then be a hindrance in that it restrains good.  To prevent the OT law from restraining the good, which is a result of the higher ideal, the OT law had to be abolished.  It was abolished at the cross.  In its place was put something much much better.

I already made mention of the higher ideal, that is, the teaching of Jesus Christ.  I summed it up with the words "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect", but there are many other words of Jesus that confirm this higher ideal.  His commands, which are open-ended like "love your neighbor as yourself", are endless.  We are endlessly in a debt of love towards one another, as Paul writes.  Then we ask this question, how are we to obey the higher ideal?  If the Israelites are constantly falling short of the OT law, how are Christians going to live up to a higher standard?  In the external Christ gives us the commands/teaching.  Internally He gives us the Holy Spirit.  He purified us by His blood to make us acceptable vessel for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the power which enables us to live up to the higher standard.  That is very much the new thing that Jesus did on the cross.  That is the new thing of Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit is the law written on the heart.

One thing we should notice about Christ is that He really cares about the progress a person is making.  If a person is righteous but they are heading in the wrong direction, that person is rebuked by Christ (see church in Ephesus, Revelation 2:1-7).  If a person is sinful but they are heading in the right direction, that person is justified before God (see the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector, Luke 18:9-14).  The trajectory that a person is on makes a very big difference.  If a person is righteous, but they are heading in a downward trajectory, that is worse than the sinner who is on an upward trajectory.  The lost sheep is celebrated when he is found more than the 99 that were never lost... the lost coin the same, and the prodigal son.

Now if trajectory is really important, then the law is not enough to save a person.  The law does not have the ability to sustain a person on an upward trajectory.  The higher ideal does, but the law does not.  The law can restrain evil, but it cannot lead to heaven.  If a person never murders because of the law, it makes him less evil than he might have been, but it does not make him a son of God.  He has met a certain standard, but there he is, simply not a murderer.  He is stagnant at the level he is at; he is not progressing any higher, not becoming any more righteous.  In fact, since he trusts in the law and bases his life upon it, he will refuse to be any more righteous, because he has already met the requirement of the law.  In effect, the law restrains the evil of the sinful nature (he does not murder), but it also restrains the good of the divine nature (he does nothing any more righteous than not murdering).  In order for the divine nature - the Holy Spirit - to produce good works it must be free from the law.  That is why the New Testament talks about freedom.  That is why James mentions the "perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25).  If a person lives by the divine nature, he has zero need for a law.  He does not have to be told not to murder, because murder is the furthest thing from his mind; it is contrary to his nature.  For the person that is born of the Holy Spirit, who has that divine nature, a law does not, and cannot, make him any more righteous.  Instead it becomes a hindrance.  This is why Christ's law is not a law.  It is a higher ideal; it is commands that require discernment to obey: commands like "love one another".  He does not say how we are to love one another, He simply says to do it.  We are left to answer the question of how, and it is the Holy Spirit that answers the question for us, or to be more precise, gives us the wisdom to know the answer in each unique situation.  This is why the apostles say that the law of Christ is to love.  It is such an open-ended statement, it cannot be considered a law, not in the traditional sense of a law.  It is a higher ideal, a perfect ideal, which has no end in meeting its requirement.  Its the only kind of law that can continuously keep us on the upward trajectory.

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come, He answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; no one will say, 'Look here!' or 'There!' For you see, the kingdom of God is among you."  Luke 17:20-21  (HCSB)

The kingdom has been coming to the earth; it has been forcefully advancing since the days of John the Baptist.  Today, though its not obvious to most people, the kingdom of God is bursting forth all over the world.  Its bursting forth inside of people.  Now is the time.  Fan the flame of the Holy Spirit.  Give full expression to your faith.  Now is the time!