AMEN,Brother,AMEN !!
Ed Hill,Sr


--- On Wed, 10/28/09, Jerry Lewis <jlew0@...> wrote:

> From: Jerry Lewis <jlew0@...>
> Subject: [PastorsForum] Fact: Tongues have ceased, signs and wonders ceased
> To: "PastorsForum" <pastorsforum@...>
> Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 12:37 PM
> 
> 
>  
>  
> 
> 
>  
> 
> I recently read a note
> from a pastor on a 
> forum where he tried to make his point by stating:
>  
>   
> “… it is the fact
> that:
> 1. tongues 
> have ceased
> 2. signs and wonders are for the Jews, not the Gentiles and
> 
> ceased along with the other gifts
> 
>  
>   
> My response:
> 
> 1) Facts are easily 
> established through empirical evidence, and there is no
> evidence to support this 
> supposition. 
> 
> Having read the Holy Bible and studied it extensively for 
> 38 years, I can state unequivocally that there is no verse
> in Holy Writ that 
> substantiates the claim that tongues have ceased. 
> 
> Also, having 
> experienced the grace and power of God for 38 years, I can
> testify of having 
> personally spoken in tongues, prayed in tongues, and sung
> in tongues every day 
> since I was filled with the Holy Spirit 38 years ago while
> driving in my red 
> Mustang. 
> 
> Not only that, I have often been used of the Lord in divers
> 
> kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues in public
> worship services. 
> 
> 
> Then too, I have heard hundreds of saints of God, from many
> different 
> denominations, including Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian,
> Lutheran, Church of 
> God, Assembly of God, Episcopalian, and many others, speak
> in tongues as the 
> Holy Spirit gave them the utterance. 
> 
> Speaking in tongues has been to me 
> a very rich and rewarding part of my devotional life. It is
> a flowing stream 
> that continues to bless me today.
> 
> Tongues have certainly NOT 
> ceased.
> 
> 2) There is no verse of Scripture that limits or restricts
> signs 
> and wonders for the Jews only. There is no verse that hints
> that signs and 
> wonders, or God’s healing gifts, will stop functioning.
> 
> God is a signs 
> and wonders God. God revealed Himself as “Jehovah
> Rapha” which is translated as 
> “I
> AM the LORD that 
> healeth thee,” or 
> “I
> AM the LORD thy 
> Healer” (Ex. 
> 15:26). He is NOT the “I WAS God,” He is the
> “I AM God.” He is not a 
> precious memory but a present day reality to those who
> trust Him and take Him at 
> His Word by believing His promises.
> 
> “And the LORD
> brought us forth out of 
> 
> 
>  Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an 
> outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with
> signs, and with wonders” 
> (Deut 
> 26:8).
> 
> Christ performed signs and 
> wonders as He ministered. His ministry was mostly to the
> Jews, yet there were 
> some non-Jews who were blessed by His healing grace. 
> 
> “Ye men of
> Israel, hear these words; 
> Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by
> miracles and wonders and 
> signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye
> yourselves also know” (Acts 
> 2:22).
> 
> Christ commissioned His 
> followers to take the gospel to all nations [to the
> Gentiles], saying, 
> “these signs shall
> follow 
> them that believe,” and, 
> “teaching them to
> observe 
> all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” 
> 
> “15 And he said
> unto them, Go ye into 
> all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 17
> And these signs shall 
> follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out
> devils; they shall 
> speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and
> if they drink any 
> deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands
> on the sick, and they 
> shall recover. 20 And they went forth, and preached
> everywhere, the Lord working 
> with them, and confirming the word with signs following.
> Amen. “Mark 
> 16:15, 17-18,
> 
> 20).
> 
> “Go ye
> therefore, and teach all 
> nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
> the Son, and of the 
> Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
> I have commanded you: 
> and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
> world. Amen. “ (Matt 
> 28:19-20).
> 
> The early church prayed that God 
> would grant them boldness and signs and wonders through
> healing the sick. 
> 
> 
> “
> … and grant 
> unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak
> thy word, 30 By 
> stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and
> wonders may be done by 
> the name of thy holy child Jesus” (Acts 
> 4:29-30).
> 
> When Philip preached Christ to 
> non-Jews in
>  Samaria , God wrought miracles, healings, signs 
> and wonders. These signs and wonders were pivotal in this
> great work of 
> evangelism in
>  Samaria . 
> 
> “Then Philip
> went down to the city of 
>  Samaria , and 
> preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord
> gave heed unto those 
> things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles
> which he did. For 
> unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many
> that were possessed 
> with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame,
> were healed. And 
> there was great joy in that city. Then Simon himself
> believed also: and when he 
> was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered,
> beholding the miracles and 
> signs which were done. (Acts 
> 8:5-8, 13).
> 
> As Paul preached in
>  Asia to both Jews and Gentiles, God granted signs and 
> wonders to be performed by them to aid their evangelistic
> ministry. 
> 
> 
> “Long time 
> therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which
> gave testimony unto the 
> word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done
> by their hands” (Acts 
> 14:3).
> 
> And then, Paul testified that 
> Christ worked through him to win GENTILES to the Lord, and
> that he FULLY 
> PREACHED THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST “Through mighty
> signs and wonders, by 
> the power of the Spirit of God.” 
> 
> “18 For I will
> not dare to speak of 
> any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to
> make the GENTILES 
> obedient, by word and deed, 19 THROUGH MIGHTY SIGNS AND
> WONDERS, BY THE POWER OF 
> THE SPIRIT OF GOD; so that from Jerusalem, and round about
> unto Illyricum, I 
> HAVE FULLY PREACHED THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.” (Rom 
> 15:18-19).
> 
> Actually, the Holy Scriptures 
> declare that God has “set” within the Church miracles,
> tongues, and gifts of 
> healings. As long as the church continues to operate, signs
> and wonders, 
> tongues, and healing will continue to function in the
> Lord’s church. Any church 
> that forbids signs and wonders, speaking in tongues, or
> God’s healing grace, is 
> in disobedience to the Word of God. 
> 
> “And God HATH
> SET some in the church, 
> first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,
> after that MIRACLES, 
> then GIFTS OF HEALINGS, helps, governments, DIVERSITIES OF
> TONGUES” (1 Cor 
> 12:28).
> 
> “Wherefore,
> brethren, covet to 
> prophesy, and FORBID NOT TO SPEAK WITH TONGUES” (1 Cor 
> 14:39).
> 
> I 
> love signs and wonders. I love the gospel of Christ. I love
> it when God 
> manifests His mighty power and sets the captives
> free!
>  
> Jesus is
> still the Healer and 
> Deliverer of His people.  He
> still 
> answers prayer. He still works miracles among the heathen,
> the lost, the 
> unsaved, as faithful ministers of the gospel proclaim the
> Living 
> Christ.
>  
> Jerry 
>   
> 
> To subscribe, send a message to:
> pastorsforum-join@...
> 
> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
> pastorsforum-unsubscribe@...
> 
> 
>  
>