"Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days, there was no widespread revelation.
4 That the Lord called Samuel. And He answered, "here I am!"
Exodus 3:4
"So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "here I am"
Ok dear friends in the above 2passages,
Both these guys (and more others one can qoate) heard God speaking verbally to them.
While you & I dear mostly refere to the scriptures.
(I by no means doubt that God does talk to you verbally in your place of privacy)
I'm more interested in the differences here, between knowing His word (reading scriptures) versus knowing His voice (like the 2opening scriptures i've shared)
Your input ladies will really be appreciated by me.
You have so much to offer since I know very little about Him (God)
Sisygirl, this is your thread, you can take it in whatever direction you choose!
God's plan is for a child to have a father and a mother...there are distinct roles each play in the development of a child. �When one is missing or does not fulfill the role as a Christian, the child suffers.
Despite scientific advances, it still takes a man and a woman to create an embryo...the beginning of life when the sperm and egg unite.
The blessings and cursings come from the 'rank and order' of the family u it...remember the discussion on submission? �The man is the head of the household, traditionally the man had control of the family possessions, home, money, etc. �
Because of sin, the family order is affected...single moms, single dads, grandparents, aunts/uncles, step-parents, etc raising children because the mother and father won't, can't, or shouldn't do it. �And generally it takes 3-4 or more generations to break the patterns of destructive behavior. �And, as you pointed out, some lineages are so far removed from Christianity because of the horrific sins and the passing down of idolatry & other sinful behaviors.
Fortunately, the cycles can be broken...but it is extremely difficult as you are experiencing with your grandmother, father, and brother. �
The mother/child example of recognition is also seen in other bonds...for instance I am with my nephews a large amount of time...I recognize their cry/shout in a crowd and they know mine!
I will work on answering the question in your last post tomorrow...it's late here and will require some digging for the right verses to support the explanation.
Sisygirl, you asked "Since salvation comes up with the Holly spirit as a package...How then did people get saved before Christ?"
Even before Christ came, it was God's grace (giving us what we don't deserve...salvation) through faith...(because we believe what He said)
*****
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:it is the gift of God:�
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.�
*******
Hebrews 11 basically summarizes the 'how': �through faith in the promise of a coming Messiah, Redeemer. �Hebrews lists Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the results of faith from Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, etc. It's often referred to as the 'Faith Hall of Fame'.
******
Hebrews 11:13�These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:39�And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:�
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
*****
Job 19:25�For I know that my redeemer liveth,�and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
******
Job is believed to be the oldest book of the Bible...and he knew a Redeemer was promised. �His dialog with God is recorded...and provides many scientific facts that it took years for humans to 'prove'.
*******
Salvation is taught throughout the Old Testament....you can see where they called unto the Lord to be saved based on the teachings passed down from the beginning of creation...
*******
1 Chronicles 16:34�O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good;�for his mercy endureth for ever.
35 And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation,�and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen,�that we may give thanks to thy holy name,�and glory in thy praise.
36 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. �And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.
�******
Psalms 78:35�And they remembered that God was their rock,�and the high God their redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth,�and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not right with him,�neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not:�yea, many a time turned he his anger away,�and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 For he remembered that they were but flesh;�a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
******
Even in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit didn't come until after Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension back into Heaven. �
*****
John 14:26�But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
******
Not that the Holy Spirit wasn't 'in the picture' throughout time, the working of the Holy Spirit within Christians became evident after Christ ascended based on the account in Acts 1.
******
Acts 1:4�And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.�
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.�
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?�
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.�
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Which i'm very glad off. Being honest as happy as I am of Michael getting married, was a little worried of whom am I gonna be relating with online since he's already not as available as he was back then. Which makes perfect sense since he's about to be the man of the house. Priorities are different now. Micheal gets to the very botton of things, he hardly pass through the surface of matters. Didn't always agree with him, didn't even argue for that matter though he's level of depth has made a mark in me.
You too lady seem to be making your mark in me and therefore putting me at easy knowing there's a ladyfriend whose so deep in God's matters. I'm so hungry for the truth which is very rare these days, so if there's just one friend who still stands for the truth
She's worth holding onn to.
Having said the above
Allow me please to warn you that this conversation may not be coming to an end anytime soon by the look of things. One passage shared leads to onother question while answering the current question.
Just wanna give a heartfilled word of appreciation dear for time taken in writting back and seaching scriptures. That consumes time
The verses shared especially from the New Testament reminds me of my early days with Christ. Was given a list of memory verses that kept me revived and were a conerstone of my relationship with God.
As I warned you on my previous reply of verses that trigure more questions as answering current questions, I have more question that just came up.
My first question as moving forth is:
Ephesians 2:9
"Not of works, lest any man should boast."
As I understand this line, i'm missing a little something though.
Salvation is free (which I understand)
God speaks of works though inorder for one to rest in His kingdom.
Hebrews 4
"Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 4 ....For God rested on the seventh day from all His words.
In summary of this passage reading from verse 1 and the intire chapter 4, we are told that we gonna rest from our works like God rested from His own works..... Its now a question of grace and works inorder to rest in His kingdom.
Can you help clarify or combine the two
Onother one is found in the book of Daniel 10
Since before Christ,
The Holly Spirit wasn't evident through mankind.
Has the existence of the Holly Spirit changed the following?
"2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. 4 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, 5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Up-haz! 9Yet I heard a sound of his words.... 11 And said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, 12 From the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard... 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days,....
Since we now are prevelaged to have the Holly Spirit interceeding for us, as says the book of Romans,
Are our prayer answers still withstood as it happened with Daniel's for twenty-one days
"I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" Job 19:25
Is he speaking of the second return of Christ Teach?
That's amazing,
Considering that Christ hadn't come at all in Job's days.
This must really be piling judgement to those who choose not to believe in God after Christ.
Can I ask you this again: (you don't have to write back right away dear)
When Moses, before leaving Egypt with the children of Israel, as they were given instructions by God
On what to do with the blood, so they don't get their first borns killed too when the angel comes by night to kill all first borns in Egypt.
Was that blood representing Jesus' mark of the seal in advance (that I confused the Holly communion with on my last massage to you about the question of the blood at large)?
Just trying to understand how did they relate to God before Christ, taking from passages you've shared.
Sisygirl, looks like you asked 3 additional questions...so I'll take them 1 at a time.
You asked about Hebrews 4 and the example of God's rest on the 7th day and His promise to those who believe to enter into His rest.
Because chapter 4 starts with a therefore 'Let us therefore...' means we have to look to the chapter before it...in chapter 3, the account is given of the Israelites roaming in the wilderness for 40 years and never entering into the Promised Land...why couldn't they enter in? �Because of unbelief.
*****
Hebrews 3:19�So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
*****
So in chapter 4, we see that the gospel was preached those who had faith believed it and those who did not have faith in what they heard the gospel was not profitable (didn't lead them to salvation)
******
Hebrews 4:2�For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
******
For those who believe the gospel, that Jesus died for their sins and put their faith in the finished work of Jesus, which was God's plan from the beginning, they will enter into Heaven, the ultimate resting place.
While we are on earth, we are to serve God in whatever capacity we can, work to bring others to relieve the free gift of salvation.
Some of us that are saved at a young age may work for 50, 60, 70, years; some may be saved later in life and only work for 20 or 30 years; others may be saved late in life or die soon after being saved. �If they are saved, they will enter into the promised rest. (see Matthew 20 for the story of the workers).
We can rest assured that once we are saved we have the gift of eternal life, even if we sin again.
******
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
�The Holy Spirit was evident in the Old Testament, but was manifested/observed differently, not the in-dwelling as we experience when we get saved since Christ's ascension into heaven.
****
Genesis 1:1�In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.�
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.�
*****
Genesis 6:3�And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
*****
Genesis 41:38�And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
*****
Exodus 31:3�And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
****
Judges 6:34�But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.
*****
These are just a few examples of references to the Holy Spirit.
In Daniel 10-12, the account is of angels visiting with Daniel. �The angel in chapter 10 was detained, delayed in reaching Daniel by what was most likely an evil angel or demon.
Our prayers could be hindered for a variety of reasons...usually because of sin in our lives that affect our relationship/communication with God. � It could be because God's messenger is detained (an angel or another human). �
