Gospel telepathy?

[Gregory Thompson]

Well, we simply disagree. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Shavuot (Pentecost) nearly 2000 years ago does not mean nobody had God's Holy Spirit before then. It means that a work was about to take place and God was filling His people to prepare them for that work. But we can go back to the building of the Tabernacle to see men given the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task before them. We have a Psalm where (David apparently) cries out that God not take His Holy Spirit from him. Brother... go read 2 Cor. 1:22 and 5:5. We don't have 'all we will have' in the form of the Holy Spirit... we have a deposit or down payment toward more. That is exactly what those two verses are saying.

And none of that changes my point... we don't have "more grace" today and they had "more law" back then. God does not change, He is consistent... He has ALWAYS been a God of grace starting with even creating us for He created us knowing we would fall.

Being born again is central to Christianity and God's mandate right now, the OT people could not be born again, therefore we have more grace.

 

[Alittlereality]

Have you ever read about Brain Computer Interface, Artificial Telepathy?
H.a.a.r.p?

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Have you ever read about Brain Computer Interface, Artificial Telepathy?
H.a.a.r.p?

Oh that stuff, when computers try to connect with a human brain remotely there is A LOT of static and it generates a headache.

 

[JoeP222w]

Anyone finding themselves ministering in an area where they interact with people's thoughts and through spiritual demonstration end up proclaiming the gospel?

Anyone who does is acting in a completely unbiblical way, never endorsed or commanded by God.

 

[Ken Rank]

Being born again is central to Christianity and God's mandate right now, the OT people could not be born again, therefore we have more grace.

"Born again" is a term that is present in many Jewish writings prior to the NT. But, that is a whole separate thread and topic. Bottom line... God does not change. Any doctrine we develop that causes Him to not remain consistent in terms of character is faulty. We don't have more grace today... God created the plan back to Him before Adam was even created. Would you care for the two witnesses to this truth?

 

[unfinishedclay]

Hi Michael, if a believer is so connected to Jesus Christ, abiding in Him in his/her life, that person can be so in-tune with the Lord that what he/or she typically hears/senses would not be the spirit of another person but the Spirit of God Himself. The Lord gives direction and even experience to that believer for a specific ministry. So the cause of any experience is not the persons connecting but the connection between God and thr believer whom He will use.

An example that i can think of is when Peter was given a vision from God and told to eat locusts handed to him from heaven. Its in Acts. Peter wouldnt eat it saying he eats nothing unclean. Jesus said, "Don't call what i have cleaned unclean." After finally seeing the uneaten locusts taken back out of his presence, Peter was sought by Cornelius' men to summon Peter to minister to them per the Lord's directive. And we can read the rest in Acts. (Another thread brought this history to mind)

Many various experiences happen as any of us abide in Christ. We are so connected and in tune with Him, we become effective for others for God's glory. There is no labeling the experiences like these besides very simple terms of being a believer. Otherwise some could glory in being super spiritual and spiritually superior. That's not what God wants for us. "Gospel telepathy" takes focus off of Christ in many ways. If you throw away all distractions like that, you can truly appreciate the simplicity in the fact that we as believers can be as believers in Acts. To be a believer for them and many Christians in countries where great persecution occurs, supernatural experience from God is simple, common experience of a believer submitted to Christ. It's nothing that causes us to say "woe...did you see that gospel telepathy?" But instead we say, "woe...look at what Jesus did...again."

I hope that makes sense. I like a lot of us do understand there is amazing experience in Jesus Christ. He wants us to keep Him as that focus.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Anyone finding themselves ministering in an area where they interact with people's thoughts and through spiritual demonstration end up proclaiming the gospel?

...What?

 

[Jennifer Rothnie]

I'm really concerned about the flavor of bitterness I've noticed in your posts, but I'll leave that to God to deal with. It's his department.

There is no 'flavor of bitterness' there in Brinny's post, rather a passion for God's word and truth and a genuine concern. I would caution you if you believe you have the spiritual gift of discernment between spirits that you might need to be testing what you perceive to be true more closely - it might not be coming from God even if you feel an emotion strongly or keenly. One of the best tests for spiritual gifts is to check with other believers who know you and ask them what they think your gifts are, and always double check perceived knowledge, insight, prophecy etc. to make sure it lines up with reality. Don't look for vague coincidences and ascribe those to spiritual activity.

Also, God will never ask us to confess sins on behalf of strangers. We aren't the High priest or King that prays for the sins of the people - Christ is. We don't take on other people's sins - Christ was the offering for that. We don't take on infirmity to heal others - Christ bore the iniquity of us all to bring healing.

 

[chihwahli]

bible does not tell anything about telepathy. not even anything close. the reason is clear: God does not force people to do His bidding. God also does not tell things to manipulate you. He is honest but tactical and loving. Telepathy as used in movies and by occult , is interacting with objects and manipulating people's mind through thoughts. manipulation is not a holy thing. star wars movies shows it as a power of the good, but that is wrong. you must have heard about demonic worshippers who go out in their Astral form and manipulate people... feeding negative thoughts to them. demonic forces and people who join them want only 1 thing. make people suffer, kill them as as son as possible, make people do wrong unblibical things so that people get into the deadly sinfully stranglehold of death. so that more and more get pulled down to hell with the devil. to protect one selves: bible the helm of salvation. God has thought of everything. So go put your helm of salvation on !

 

[Ματθαίος]

Anyone finding themselves ministering in an area where they interact with people's thoughts and through spiritual demonstration end up proclaiming the gospel?

Wow... sound like some kind of sophisticated shamanic magic

 

[faroukfarouk]

Hi Michael, if a believer is so connected to Jesus Christ, abiding in Him in his/her life, that person can be so in-tune with the Lord that what he/or she typically hears/senses would not be the spirit of another person but the Spirit of God Himself. The Lord gives direction and even experience to that believer for a specific ministry. So the cause of any experience is not the persons connecting but the connection between God and thr believer whom He will use.

An example that i can think of is when Peter was given a vision from God and told to eat locusts handed to him from heaven. Its in Acts. Peter wouldnt eat it saying he eats nothing unclean. Jesus said, "Don't call what i have cleaned unclean." After finally seeing the uneaten locusts taken back out of his presence, Peter was sought by Cornelius' men to summon Peter to minister to them per the Lord's directive. And we can read the rest in Acts. (Another thread brought this history to mind)

Many various experiences happen as any of us abide in Christ. We are so connected and in tune with Him, we become effective for others for God's glory. There is no labeling the experiences like these besides very simple terms of being a believer. Otherwise some could glory in being super spiritual and spiritually superior. That's not what God wants for us. "Gospel telepathy" takes focus off of Christ in many ways. If you throw away all distractions like that, you can truly appreciate the simplicity in the fact that we as believers can be as believers in Acts. To be a believer for them and many Christians in countries where great persecution occurs, supernatural experience from God is simple, common experience of a believer submitted to Christ. It's nothing that causes us to say "woe...did you see that gospel telepathy?" But instead we say, "woe...look at what Jesus did...again."

I hope that makes sense. I like a lot of us do understand there is amazing experience in Jesus Christ. He wants us to keep Him as that focus.

Also, I think that the very witness of the Holy Spirit to the Scriptures He inspired gives understanding and guidance to the reader. "The entrance of Thy Word giveth light" (Psalm 119.130). (I wouldn't call it telepathy, though.)

In fact my wife and I are currently going through Psalm 119 together.

 

[Jennifer Rothnie]

Yeah, it was good during worship, but then after God lit everyone up, their sins started all rising up too, and still one body at that point, used to mess me up for the week, so made church pointless for a time. I asked for it to be removed, but ended up confessing the sins instead and found following the scriptural pattern seems to be working at the moment. Whatever it is, it's definitely a maturity of something, but I'm still immature.

I would caution you to be on guard against any spiritual-seeming experience that keeps you from meeting regularly with other believers (Heb 10:25), makes you feel like you (and not Jesus!) bear the sins of others (II Cor 5:25, Is 53:6), and tries to make you think that the correct way to deal with another person's sin is to confess it yourself vs. gently admonish them. No amount of confessing a sin on behalf of another will edify the church, whereas spiritual gifts are for the spiritual edification of the church.

The greatest tests for any possible spiritual gift in our own lives are: Does it line up with scripture or contradict it? Does it edify the church? Has it been confirmed by other believers?

How do I know what gifts God gave me?

 

[faroukfarouk]

I would caution you to be on guard against any spiritual-seeming experience that keeps you from meeting regularly with other believers (Heb 10:25), makes you feel like you (and not Jesus!) bear the sins of others (II Cor 5:25, Is 53:6), and tries to make you think that the correct way to deal with another person's sin is to confess it yourself vs. gently admonish them. No amount of confessing a sin on behalf of another will edify the church, whereas spiritual gifts are for the spiritual edification of the church.

The greatest tests for any possible spiritual gift in our own lives are: Does it line up with scripture or contradict it? Does it edify the church? Has it been confirmed by other believers?

How do I know what gifts God gave me?

Yes, the witness of Scripture is the key, hopefully underpinned by fellowship with other Christians also.

 

[faroukfarouk]

In I Corinthians 12, Paul talks about discernment. I'm sure all of us who are in the spirit are able to discern a person's thoughts as God gives that revelation in discernment for His purpose. We certainly can't give credit to ourselves of being able to know what somebody is thinking and perceive that somebody has some hidden view about something. God gives that revelation - again for His own purpose.

Many times supernatural revelation is so simple and so momentary, we can often miss the fact that what we may perceive within a moment is actually through supernatural discernment (God revealing an issue to us.) This is how many of us are able to just look at a politician from a screen, for example, and determine what's wrong or right about him/her.

With that said, Jesus pointed out to Peter in John 21 that (in paraphrased summary) he needed to mind his own business being concerned with what John will do. "If I have him tarry until I come, what is that to you?" is what Jesus asked Peter. That question still applies to us today. Jesus will not reveal people's thoughts or hidden issues to us if the revelation is not for a specific purpose that glorifies God alone through salvation or some other ministry. That's incredibly intrusive and our God protects us from such intrusion.

Even if something is not specified in God's Word such as "trinity" or "rapture", the wording in the passages point to the term given to it in our language. Example: 1 John 5 explains that the Father, the Word (Who is Jesus), and the Holy Ghost are One. He said "these Three are One." And in our doctrine, such descriptions have been labeled as the "Trinity". It's as if saying the trinity is short for the purpose of condensing. Instead of saying "the Father, the Word (or Son), and the Holy Spirit" in a sentence, we reference them as the Trinity. Compare it to instead of referring to a unit in a sentence like "the father, the mother, and the children", we condense by saying "the family"

The word "telepathy" is a mystical and occult reference. It has no part - absolutely no part - with the Gospel at all.

I think you are also obliquely thinking about Hebrews 4.12 where it says the word is 'a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart'.

In the end the Word has a huge impact on how we discern.

 

[unfinishedclay]

I think you are also obliquely thinking about Hebrews 4.12 where it says the word is 'a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart'.

In the end the Word has a huge impact on how we discern.

Absolutely the Word is the Source of how we discern. And there are examples. In Galatians, Paul described his discernment of Peter's sudden distance of his newly converted Gentile brethreb on account of James and others as "dissimulation" (hypocrisy) from caring about approval. I know that seems too simple and obviouse. But there are other passages supporting discernment as a gift in addition to 1 Corinthians 12. And there is no discernemnt of some of the simplest things without Jesus. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Absolutely the Word is the Source of how we discern. And there are examples. In Galatians, Paul described his discernment of Peter's sudden distance of his newly converted Gentile brethreb on account of James and others as "dissimulation" (hypocrisy) from caring about approval. I know that seems too simple and obviouse. But there are other passages supporting discernment as a gift in addition to 1 Corinthians 12. And there is no discernemnt of some of the simplest things without Jesus. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

Yes, and the quote "Without Me ye can do nothing" is indeed pivotal.

 

[faroukfarouk]

PS: @unfinishedclay Galatians, which you mention, is an Epistle that some professing believers from a Messianic and/or Reformed background can sometimes find hard to follow, because there is a strong sense by which the believer is under the grace of God in the Gospel, rather than still under law, as they may have been taught to believe.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

"Born again" is a term that is present in many Jewish writings prior to the NT. But, that is a whole separate thread and topic. Bottom line... God does not change. Any doctrine we develop that causes Him to not remain consistent in terms of character is faulty. We don't have more grace today... God created the plan back to Him before Adam was even created. Would you care for the two witnesses to this truth?

But you're wrong. Start a new thread, let's discuss this there.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Dangerous prayers are indeed dangerous. I will continue to follow Jesus but I won't expect much fellowship from Christians, not that I won't stop trying.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I would caution you to be on guard against any spiritual-seeming experience that keeps you from meeting regularly with other believers (Heb 10:25), makes you feel like you (and not Jesus!) bear the sins of others (II Cor 5:25, Is 53:6), and tries to make you think that the correct way to deal with another person's sin is to confess it yourself vs. gently admonish them. No amount of confessing a sin on behalf of another will edify the church, whereas spiritual gifts are for the spiritual edification of the church.

The greatest tests for any possible spiritual gift in our own lives are: Does it line up with scripture or contradict it? Does it edify the church? Has it been confirmed by other believers?

How do I know what gifts God gave me?

Honestly, I begin my process against any spiritual happening as an atheist.
.
Proving spiritual experiences with scripture is stupid, God reminds us of scripture during these experiences so we know what to do next, those scriptures aren't meant to be as proof.
.
The gift is intercessory in nature so of course it is edifying. Gifts grow as we mature, and begin to resemble things that are not of this world, because they didn't come from this world, they came from God.
.
I pray everyone gets an upgrade soon, I look forward to seeing what it looks like and how the gospel's cause is furthered.