Hi Sister, great to see you again and to have an opportunity to help you with this today!
I have read comments in various threads about apostles and prophets don't exist today. Also that the miracles that Jesus did and the apostles only happened back then. Then the comments that for the most part scriptures were pertaining to the Jews only. Oh and that God doesn't speak to us except through the Bible.
So here is my question: If the Bible only pertains to the Jews why read it if you are not a Jew? This also implies that the Bible is nothing more than a history book of the accounts of others lives.
The faith of Judaism is based upon the promise given to Father Abraham, that because of his virtuous faith, he received a blessing to become the "Father of nations". The basic virtues were that he knew God personally, that he believed God was able to do the impossible, that he was willing to obey God at the greatest personal cost, and that he was a man of righteous character.
The scriptures trace his genetic lineage from the ones who introduced sin to the world through to the Messiah Jesus Christ. It was due to an unfortunate truth that the human was so severely damaged and hindered by it's weakness (see Judges 1-2), that when Jesus came to fulfil Messianic prophecies, "He came to his own but his own did not receive him". Jesus did contend with them as long as it was possible, and it was not through His own fault that He was cut off (Daniel 9:26, Isaiah 53:8).
Remember these verses, how He contended with them until they were brought so low in their obstinance that they were driven to murder the holiest one in the name of God (John 5:43, Luke 13:34-35). It is because He already knew that the scriptures were indicating this (Isaiah 6:8-11), that He spoke of such a shift of power away from the ones who had lost the way (John 4:23, Matthew 9:36, Matthew 8:10-12, Matthew 21:43-44).
After the Jews had chosen this spirit (Mark 15:9-14, Matthew 27:25), they had chosen to set their hearts even against The Holy Spirit (whom their fathers had known, but of whom they had been corrupted and led astray by mingling with the pagan nations - the same that quickly overtook the Christians: 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1, John 12:35).
In this way, you can see that the kingdom of God that was transferred to Jesus (Hebrews 7:23-25) was coming in the world with the fullness of the power that Jesus had brought (Acts 4:33, Acts 1:7-8). This was only possible because of the faith that the disciples had, and the accuracy of their teaching so that they were exceedingly righteous in God's eyes - because the power of God goes toward the one who is righteous in the judgement (Matthew 5:20, consider Jeremiah 31:32 and James 4:4).
If miracles only occurred back then, why pray for a miracle? Why pray at all?
Because God does still want to do good in the world! .. but He is simply not glorified through the deeds of a great number of Christians these days, who have been compromised by false doctrines to indeed have greater unrighteousness in His eyes than the unbelievers.
Yet, His eternal Word remains unchanged, that is John 14:13 and John 12:28.
If apostles and prophets don't exist today why are we warned of "false prophets" (to me this implies there are prophets). If God doesn't speak to us, then how do we receive direction in our personal lives?
They do exist today, only that Christians who come under demonic possession through having believed false doctrines that put them in opposition with The Holy Spirit, have cut themselves off from Christ and they do not recognise the authority that Jesus Christ assigns personally (2 Peter 2:10). These ones have been lured and led astray by the deceitfulness of wealth (sown among thorns), wanting to be teachers of Torah but not knowing what they so confidently affirm! They shut out the ones coming into heaven, and themselves refuse to go in. This is all the way that Jesus spoke about the religios leaders in His day, because it is the same spirit at work in the sons of disobedience.
This is why He has said that a tree is known by it's fruit, and that St. Paul wrote "let them be anathema", "there is a sin leading to death that I say you should not pray about".
My point in all this is I am tired of the continual debate trying to minimize the Power of the Living Word in our lives. By faith I believe He talks to me and I hear His voice. By faith I believe that I can pray and whatever I have need of when I pray in Jesus name it is answered. By faith I believe I serve the same God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and that He is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever. By faith I believe the Word of God is a Living Word and that it applies to me as well as it did to those in the Bible. By faith I believe that all things are possible with God and that He intended for All Teachings to Be Continued throughout eternity.
Yes, it is tiring! .. do you remember though that Jesus told parables about keeping the lamps full and about making sure that we are not found sleeping when He arrives? .. yes, these are dark times, the times after which the world had rejected the light and groans in anticipation of the revelation of the sons of God.
Okay, I am just frustrated with the reasoning of people who argue that the Bible, (in part) is not applicable to us today .
Pay no mind to the apostates, they are of their father the devil. He was a murderer since the beginning and there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native tongue, because he is the father of it.
Therefore thus says Adonai:
“If you return, I will restore you,
you will stand before Me.
If you extract the precious from the worthless,
you will be as My mouth.
Let them turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.