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Volume 14, Issue 3 May/June 2010 Glad Tidings But when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak; and he will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13

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Glad Tidings

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Page 1: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

Volume 14, Issue 3 May/June 2010

Glad Tidings

But when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak; and he will disclose to you what is to come.

John 16:13

Page 2: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

2

Glad Tidings Glad Tidings Glad Tidings Glad Tidings is published six times per year by

Living Hope International

Ministries

458 Old Niskayuna Road,

Latham, New York 12110 USA

Office 518.785.8888

Fax 518.785.1990

E-mail [email protected]

Website www.kingdomready.org

Glad Tidings is mailed free

to anyone who requests it.

Scriptures are taken from the

New American Standard Bible

unless otherwise noted.

mark these

important dates

on your

calendar!!

Glad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad Tidings

May/June 2010

Something to Consider ....................... p. 3

by Vince Finnegan

Holy Spirit ............................................ p. 4

by John Cortright

Speaking In Tongues .......................... p. 8

by Vince Finnegan

Knowing The Distinguishing Difference

In a Name ............................................. p. 9

by Angela Moore

Demonology IV ................................ ... p.12

by Vince Finnegan

Congo Connection .............................. p. 14

by Richard and Cheryl Elton

May 23rd

Pentecost Celebration

_____________________________________

June 27th - July 3rd

Family Camp 2010 at Silver Bay

_____________________________________

July 4th - 10th

UUUUntried PPPPassage Week (UP)

_____________________________________

July 25th - 30th

Teen Camp 2010 at Silver Bay

Page 3: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

3

S pring is always a great time to focus on the topic of the holy spirit because the feast of

Pentecost, which followed our Lord’s ascension, was the first outpouring of the holy spirit

for the Church. This year, we celebrate Pentecost on May 23. A select few in the Old

Testament received the spirit, but it was nothing like that which came on Pentecost. During our

Lord’s teaching at the last supper, he placed great emphasis on the spirit of truth that was to come

after he ascended. He called it “another helper,” which implies that the holy spirit will replace him

who served as their helper. The holy spirit is the replacement for Christ himself on earth! He

actually said that it was better for his disciples that he would go away so that the spirit could

come. Some of the other things he said about the spirit that glorious night are following.

The spirit of truth helps the disciple very similar to the way Jesus did before his ascension. It will

be with his disciples until the end of the age and equip the believers to be just like Jesus. The spirit

enables Jesus to nurture each disciple as a father does his children. The oneness relationship with

God, Christ, and the believer is available and understood by means of the holy spirit. The spirit of

truth is a teacher of all things and a reminder of the things Jesus taught. Christ is now in each

person who has spirit which enables him to teach his disciples more effectively than when he was

here on earth. It convicts people concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. The holy spirit has

no separate will or personality; rather, it serves as a means for Jesus to communicate with and

empower his disciples. It guides the believer into all the truth, and the spirit always brings glory to

Christ and God.

To gain a comprehensive understanding about the holy spirit, a complete study of John 13-17 as

well as the book of Acts will be helpful.

In this issue of Glad Tidings, John Cortright’s article on the holy spirit is featured along with an

article on speaking in tongues. We have a class on CDs available in the bookstore on the same

subject, and soon a book will be released also. �

God Bless You,

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

Pentecost

and Spirit

Page 4: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

4

T here is much theology

today regarding the

holy spirit. Some teach that

the holy spirit is God Himself,

one part of a three part

Godhead. Other groups teach

that this anointing of the holy

spirit which occurred in the

first century was only

temporary until the written

Word of God was completed.

Yet, other groups put

tremendous emphasis on the

holy spirit and exalt its

importance beyond its biblical

significance.

Genesis 1:1-2

“In the beginning God created

the heavens and the earth.

The earth was formless and

void, and darkness was over

the surface of the deep, and

the Spirit of God was moving

over the surface of the

waters.”

The spirit of God has existed

since the beginning. It is God’s

spirit. This is God’s nature. It

is His influence.

John 4:24

"God is spirit, and those who

worship Him must worship in

spirit and truth."

God is spirit. He dwells in the

spiritual – a realm outside of

the natural.

What is spirit? The Hebrew

word for spirit is ruwach. This

word is translated “spirit” 232

times in the KJV. It is

translated into many other

English words as well. Besides

the word “spirit,” in the KJV it

is translated “wind” 92 times

and “breath” 27 times. These

are different uses of this one

Hebrew word ruwach. The

spirit of God is not breath. It’s

not wind. Yet, there are

similarities to breath, wind,

and spirit. What is wind?

Where does it come from?

Where does it go? What gives

a soul life? Breath! Can you

take a human body into a

laboratory and find the breath

of that body? When a person

dies, what’s missing? Where

does the soul go?

The spirit of God is outside of

the five senses. You can’t see

it; you can’t feel it; you can’t

smell it; you can’t hear it; and

you can’t taste it. It is outside

of the natural realm. In order

to see, taste, touch, feel, or

hear the spirit of God, it must

come into manifestation. It

must be evidenced in the

realm of the senses. Without

the spirit of God, man is left to

his own devices. He is blinded

by the spiritual realm around

him, and he cannot know the

things of God.

I Corinthians 2:12-14

“Now we have received, not

the spirit of the world, but the

Spirit who is from God, so that

we may know the things freely

given to us by God,

which things we also speak,

not in words taught by human

wisdom, but in those taught by

the Spirit, combining spiritual

thoughts with spiritual words.

But a natural man does not

accept the things of the Spirit

of God, for they are

foolishness to him; and he

cannot understand them,

because they are spiritually

appraised.”

Throughout the Scriptures,

when men became filled with

the spirit of God, they had the

influence of God upon their

lives. With the spirit of God,

they had great insight and

wisdom. They received

supernatural power, and by

the spirit, they spoke the Word

of God.

It was the spirit of God that

gave Joseph the insight to

interpret Pharoah’s dream and

inform him of what would

happen in the future.

Genesis 41:38-39

“Then Pharaoh said to his

servants, ‘Can we find a man

like this, in whom is a divine

spirit?’

So Pharaoh said to Joseph,

‘Since God has informed you

of all this, there is no one so

discerning and wise as you

(Continued on page 5)

Holy Spirit by John Cortright

Page 5: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

5

are.’”

With the spirit of God upon

him, the man Bezalel had the

wisdom to build the

tabernacle.

Exodus 31:3

“I have filled him [Bezalel] with

the Spirit of God in wisdom, in

understanding, in knowledge,

and in all kinds of

craftsmanship,”

The judges of Israel were able

to rule properly with the spirit

of God.

Judges 3:10a

“The Spirit of the LORD came

upon him [Othniel], and he

judged Israel.”

It was not his hair, but rather

the spirit of God upon him,

that gave Samson his great

strength.

Judges 14:6a

“The Spirit of the LORD came

upon him [Samson] mightily,

so that he tore him as one

tears a young goat though he

had nothing in his hand;”

When the spirit of God came

upon King Saul, he prophesied.

1 Samuel 10:10

“When they came to the hill

there, behold, a group of

prophets met him; and the

Spirit of God came upon him

mightily, so that he prophesied

among them.”

After David was anointed, the

spirit of God came upon him.

This enabled him to be king of

Israel

1 Samuel 16:13a

“Then Samuel took the horn of

oil and anointed him in the

midst of his brothers; and the

Spirit of the LORD came

mightily upon David from that

day forward.”

It was by the spirit of God that

David spoke the words we now

have recorded in the Psalms.

2 Samuel 23:1-2

“Now these are the last words

of David. David the son of

Jesse declares, The man who

was raised on high declares,

The anointed of the God of

Jacob, And the sweet psalmist

of Israel,

The Spirit of the LORD spoke

by me, And His word was on

my tongue.”

Through the spirit of God,

Micah the prophet was filled

with power, giving him

courage and insight to discern

truth from error and to stand

against the false prophets of

his time.

Micah 3:5-8

“Thus says the LORD

concerning the prophets who

lead my people astray; When

they have something to bite

with their teeth, They cry,

‘Peace,’ But against him who

puts nothing in their mouths

They declare holy war.

Therefore it will be night for

you – without vision, And

darkness for you – without

divination. The sun will go

down on the prophets, And

the day will become dark over

them.

The seers will be ashamed And

the diviners will be

embarrassed. Indeed, they will

all cover their mouths Because

there is no answer from God.

On the other hand I am filled

(Continued from page 4)

(Continued on page 6)

Page 6: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

6

with power – With the Spirit of

the LORD – And with justice

and courage To make known

to Jacob his rebellious act,

Even to Israel his sin.”

Also, it was the anointing of

the holy spirit that gave Jesus

the power to heal all that

were oppressed by the devil.

Acts 10:38

“You know of Jesus of

Nazareth, how God anointed

Him with the Holy Spirit and

with power, and how He went

about doing good and healing

all who were oppressed by the

devil, for God was with Him.”

In the Old Testament, the

spirit was available to a limited

few only. Prophets, kings,

priests, judges of Israel, and

certain others received this

special anointing from God.

However, God desired a day

when all of His people would

be filled with the spirit of God.

When Moses led the people

out of Israel, at the first, he

was the only one with the

spirit of God and was bearing

the burden of the people.

However, Moses prayed to

God for help, and then God

placed His spirit upon 70

elders in Israel.

Numbers 11:24-29

“So Moses went out and told

the people the words of the

LORD. Also, he gathered

seventy men of the elders of

the people, and stationed

them around the tent.

Then the

LORD came

down in the

cloud and

spoke to him;

and He took

of the Spirit

who was

upon him and

placed Him

upon the

seventy elders. And when the

Spirit rested upon them, they

prophesied. But they did not

do it again.

But two men had remained in

the camp; the name of one

was Eldad and the name of the

other Medad. And the Spirit

rested upon them (now they

were among those who had

been registered, but had not

gone out to the tent), and they

prophesied in the camp.

So a young man ran and told

Moses and said, ‘Eldad and

Medad are prophesying in the

camp.’

Then Joshua the son of Nun,

the attendant of Moses from

his youth, said, ‘Moses, my

lord, restrain them.’

But Moses said to him, ‘Are

you jealous for my sake?

Would that all the LORD'S

people were prophets, that

the LORD would put His Spirit

upon them!’”

The prophet Joel spoke of a

day in the future when the

spirit would be poured out on

all flesh, not on just the

prophets and a select few, but

rather on all of God’s people.

Joel 2:28-29

“It will come about after this

That I will pour out My Spirit

on all mankind; And your sons

and daughters will prophesy,

Your old men will dream

dreams, Your young men will

see visions.

Even on the male and female

servants I will pour out My

Spirit in those days.”

After his resurrection, Jesus

spoke about the promise of

the father, the baptism of the

holy spirit.

Luke 24:49

“And behold, I am sending

forth the promise of My

Father upon you; but you are

to stay in the city until you are

clothed with power from on

high."

Acts 1:4-5

“Gathering them together, He

commanded them not to leave

Jerusalem, but to wait for

what the Father had promised,

‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of

from Me;

for John baptized with water,

but you will be baptized with

the Holy Spirit not many days

from now.’"

(Continued from page 5)

(Continued on page 7)

Holy Spirit Continued. . .

Page 7: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

7

With this promise from the

Father, they would be clothed

with power from on high. The

disciples would be baptized,

immersed with the holy spirit.

Jesus continued speaking

before his ascension about

the power of the holy spirit

that was coming.

Acts 1:8

“’but you will receive power

when the Holy Spirit has

come upon you; and you

shall be My witnesses both

in Jerusalem, and in all Judea

and Samaria, and even to

the remotest part of the

earth.’"

These are the last words

recorded before Jesus’

ascension. After saying this,

he ascended to the right hand

of God. Next time he comes

back, he will be coming to rule

over the kingdoms of the

earth. Until that time, we

have been given the promise

of the Father, the baptism of

the holy spirit. Also now with

the holy spirit, we are

empowered to be witnesses

for Jesus Christ to the

uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 2:1-4

“When the day of Pentecost

had come, they were all

together in one place.

And suddenly there came from

heaven a noise like a violent

rushing wind, and it filled the

whole house where they were

sitting.

And there appeared to them

tongues as of fire distributing

themselves, and they rested

on each one of them.

And they were all filled with

the Holy Spirit and began to

speak with other tongues, as

the Spirit was giving them

utterance.”

This is the record of the day of

Pentecost. It was on this day,

ten days after the ascension,

that this promise of the father

was first fulfilled. On this day,

the disciples were filled with

the holy spirit, and they spoke

in tongues. They brought

forth a manifestation of the

spirit of God within them.

The precedent set here in

chapter two can be seen

throughout the book of Acts.

When the gospel was

preached and when people

believed, they were filled with

the holy spirit and manifested.

You cannot see spirit. You

can, however, see its

manifestation.

After this event, Peter stood

up with the eleven and

declared an amazing truth.

Acts 2:14-21

“But Peter, taking his stand

with the eleven, raised his

voice and declared to them:

‘Men of Judea and all you who

live in Jerusalem, let this be

known to you and give heed to

my words.

‘For these men are not drunk,

as you suppose, for it is only

the third hour of the day;

but this is what was spoken of

through the prophet Joel:

'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST

DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL

POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON

ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR

SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS

SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR

YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE

VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN

SHALL DREAM DREAMS;

EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES,

BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I

WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR

FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they

shall prophesy.

'AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS

IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS

ON THE EARTH BELOW,

BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR

OF SMOKE.

'THE SUN WILL BE TURNED

INTO DARKNESS AND THE

MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE

THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS

DAY OF THE LORD SHALL

COME.

'AND IT SHALL BE THAT

EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON

THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL

BE SAVED.’”

Peter declared, “This is what

was spoken by the prophet

Joel.” A little more than 50

days earlier, Peter was afraid

(Continued from page 6)

(Continued on page 9)

“Here in the last days of this age, before the kingdom of God be-gins, we have been given an enablement of the spirit.”

Page 8: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

8

Speaking In Tongues

By Vince Finnegan

T hree of the most signifi-

cant events in the devel-

opment of the early

Church are marked with the

manifestation of speaking in

tongues. The first is the com-

mencement of the Church on the

day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:4 KJV

“They were all filled with the Holy

Ghost, and began to speak with

other tongues, as the Spirit gave

them utterance.”

Many supernatural things hap-

pened on that day, such as a noise

as if a violent rushing wind filled

the temple area and tongues of

fire distributing themselves on

each one of the apostles; but the

thing which God used to mark the

importance of this great event

was speaking in tongues. The

multitudes that gathered after the

original outpouring were amazed

and perplexed because of the

speaking in tongues, not anything

else. God’s stamp which signified

the beginning of the Church was

speaking in tongues.

The second occurrence pertains

to the inclusion of the Gentiles

and is recorded in Acts 10 and 11.

Peter received instruction by the

spirit to go to the house of Corne-

lius, the centurion. Peter had a

problem with this command be-

cause, as a Jew, he was restricted

from associating with Gentiles.

Starting with Abraham, Gods’

chosen people were limited pri-

marily to Israel and not the Gen-

tiles. However, after Christ as-

cended, Gods’ call expanded to

include the entire world. Peter

went to Cornelius’ house and

spoke the gospel, which everyone

present readily received. They all

spoke in tongues.

Acts 10:44-46

“While Peter was still speaking

these words, the Holy Spirit fell

upon all those who were listening

to the message.

All the circumcised believers who

came with Peter were amazed,

because the gift of the Holy Spirit

had been poured out on the Gen-

tiles also. For they were hearing

them speaking with tongues and

exalting God. “

The apostles and brethren in

Judea heard that Peter had been

with the Gentiles, so they called

him in question. When Peter and

the Jews who were with him ex-

plained that the Gentiles spoke in

tongues, all doubts regarding

their acceptance were elimi-

nated. The tongues proved to

be the undeniable proof that

God accepted the Gentiles as

believers.

The third incident took place

at Ephesus. Paul taught the

disciples about the baptism in

the name of the Lord Jesus,

after which they spoke in

tongues.

Acts 19:6 and 7

“And when Paul had laid his

hands upon them, the Holy Spirit

came on them, and they began

speaking with tongues and

prophesying.

There were in all about twelve

men.”

Starting with this event and these

original 12 men at Ephesus,

within two years and three

months, “all who lived in Asia

heard the word of the Lord, both

Jews and Greeks.” A complete

transformation of their society

took place.

Acts 19:19 and 20 KJV

“Many of them also which used

curious arts brought their books

together, and burned them before

all men: and they counted the

price of them, and found it fifty

thousand pieces of silver.

So mightily grew the word of God

and prevailed.“

Each of these three events was

vital to the rise and expansion of

the Christian Church, and God

marked each with the manifesta-

tion of speaking in tongues. Ap-

parently, this evidence of the

spirit was very common among

the believers in the first century.

When Paul wrote to the Corin-

thians, he gave instruction on

how to operate this manifestation

properly in the Church. It seems

everyone there spoke in tongues

but did not understand the cor-

rect utilization in the Church.

1 Corinthians 12 -14 provides

much information about this

manifestation and reveals that

every believer can speak in

tongues. �

In

Page 9: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

9

M any Christians

probably never

give this a second

thought, but this is a little pet

peeve of mine. It’s the co-

mingling of who God is, versus

His Son. You see, God

(YAHWEH) is God, and His Son

is Jesus. You might think this is

very clear, but it can get pretty

muddled at times, when God

Himself exalted His Son Jesus

and “bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). So, in some

cases, God has given Jesus HIS

Name, and with it, all the author-

ity, power, and glory that comes

with such an amazing association!

Yet, I find that the Scriptures are

still very plain who is who, and

some names that are God’s tech-

nically do not belong to Jesus. Let

me give you a few examples, so

that you follow what I’m trying to

say here!

GOD ONLY Names:

1. YHWH This is God’s official,

real, personal name. Jesus is never

called YHWH in the Bible. Not

once. It belongs to God alone.

2. ADONAI This is the Hebrew

word for Lord and is translated as

such but is never attributed to Je-

sus. Not once. It belongs to God

alone. Now Jesus has his own

Lord Messiah title. That is

“adoni.” This adoni word for Lord

is never used for God because it is

a human title. Jesus makes it very

clear in Mark 12:29 where he is

quoting the shema from Deuteron-

omy 6:4, “The LORD our God is

one Lord.” God is called “Lord,”

and Jesus is called “Lord,” which

obviously makes two Lords, but

only one of those Lords is God.

God is not adoni Messiah.

3. “Who Is and Who Was and

Who Is To Come” This is a title

that is used of God alone. If you

read through the book of Revela-

tion, it is always used in reference

to God and never Jesus. Not once

is it used of Jesus. Why? Because

it speaks of God’s eternal exis-

tence. He has always existed and

never had a beginning. Jesus did.

He was born, begotten, or created

in the womb of Mary by God’s

supernatural power, the Holy

Spirit. In Psalms 2:7, God prophe-

sies of Jesus’ birth, “Today, I

have begotten you.” This cannot

be said of God, who always was

and is and is to come. The Bible

keeps this distinction throughout.

You will not find this name attrib-

uted to Jesus.

4. Heavenly Father This is a title

that only God uses, never Jesus.

Jesus is not the Father. There is

only “one God and Father of all

who is over all and through all

and in all” (Ephesians 4:6). There

is only one God, and He is the

Father. “Now to the King eternal,

immortal, invisible, the only God,

be honor and glory forever and

ever. Amen” (I Timothy 1:17).

Also, in Galatians 1:1, “Paul, an

apostle, (not sent from men, nor

through the agency of man, but

through Jesus Christ AND God

the Father, who raised him from

the dead.)”

5. Ancient of Days I love this

title and the word picture it gives

us in Daniel 7:13-14 of God giv-

ing His Kingdom and dominion to

Jesus. “And behold, with the (Continued on page 10)

Knowing the Distinguishing Difference In a Name By Angela Moore

even to acknowledge that he

knew Jesus and denied him

openly. Now, on Pentecost, he

stood up in Jerusalem and boldly

declared the truth. This was a

fulfillment of the prophecy in

Joel. Here in the last days of this

age, before the Kingdom of God

begins, we have been given an

enablement of the spirit.

Acts 2:38-39

“Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and

each of you be baptized in the

name of Jesus Christ for the

forgiveness of your sins; and you

will receive the gift of the Holy

Spirit.

‘For the promise is for you and

your children and for all who are

far off, as many as the Lord our

God will call to Himself.’”

This is the requirement: repent

and be baptized in the name of

Jesus Christ, and you will receive

the gift of the holy spirit. This

promise of the Father was not

limited to only the people that

were present on that day. But it

was for them, their children, and

for all who are afar off, as many

as the Lord our God will call.

Since Pentecost, whosoever will

call upon the LORD will be saved

and can be baptized in the holy

spirit. �

(Continued from page 7)

Holy Spirit Continued. . .

Page 10: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

10

clouds of heaven One like a Son

of Man was coming, and He

came up to the Ancient of Days

and was presented before Him.

And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom, That all

the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting

dominion Which will not pass

away; and his kingdom is one

which will not be destroyed.”

6. “I AM WHO I AM” This is

the name God told Moses in

Exodus 3:14 at the burning bush.

The Hebrew transliteration is

“Hayah,” meaning to exist or

perhaps, “I am He who exists”

which is “Ego eimi ho on” as in the Septuagint. Jesus is never

called this. Some people intro-

duce confusion here, when they

refer to John 8:28, 58 while they

are discussing who Jesus is. But,

Jesus is merely answering, “Yes,

I am he, the Messiah” in these

passages, which is also the same

as John 4:25-26; John 8:24, 28. It

is accurately translated from

“ego eimi” – I am he. If Jesus

were claiming to be God with the

official name “I AM,” it would

be from the original “ego eimi ho hown,” which it is not. It does

not help when some translations

capitalize this “I AM” or leave

off the word “he” to distort and

mislead people of the true mean-

ing of what Jesus was saying. “I

AM WHO I AM” is the Al-

mighty God’s name, only, con-

sistently throughout the entire

Scriptures.

JESUS’ Names (that God does

not ever use for Himself):

1. Messiah; Christ; Anointed

One Some mistakenly believe

that in the name “Jesus Christ,”

that “Christ” is Jesus’ last name

or that it was used for Jesus

alone. Not so. “Christ” is a ge-

neric title for the anointed king.

Many were called “Messiah” or

“Christ” in the Bible. Jesus, how-

ever, is THE Messiah − the one

who will sit on the throne of

David for eternity. You could

say that he’s special!

2. Son of Man Jesus claimed

this title for himself, actually

more than the Son of God title.

Son of Man was a reference to

Old Testament prophecy. This

title is never used in reference to

God.

3. Son of God This is a title that

is used for only two men in the

Bible − Jesus and Adam. In Luke

3:38, Adam, too, is called “the

Son of God.” This is a little clue

into Jesus and Adam sharing the

distinctive trait of being uniquely

created by God. No one else can

claim this title, although in a

more generic sense, we, too, be-

come the “sons of God” when

we are adopted into the family of

God as co-heirs with Jesus

(Galatians 3:26).

4. Mediator God is never the

mediator. Only Jesus is the me-

diator between God and man, as

is found in I Timothy 2:5, “For

there is one God, and one media-

tor also between God and men,

the man Christ Jesus.”

5. High Priest God is not a

priest unto Himself. Jesus is the

High Priest, serving God as indi-

cated in Hebrews 3:1-3, “Jesus,

the Apostle and High Priest of

our confession.

He was faithful to God who ap-

pointed him, as Moses also was

in all his house.

For he has been counted worthy

of more glory than Moses.”

6. The firstborn of all creation This title is found in Colossians

1:15. How can Jesus be called

the ‘firstborn of all creation’

when Adam was first? The an-

swer is found a little further

down in Colossians 1:18, “He is

the beginning, the firstborn from

the dead, so that he, himself,

might come to have first place in

everything.” Just as I Corinthians

15:20 explains, “Christ has been

raised from the dead, the first

fruits of those who are asleep.”

This man, Jesus, was the first to

die and be raised from the dead

to immortality. This catapults

him into the seat of the firstborn

son, with all the rights, blessings,

privileges, and promises that a

father could bestow upon his

firstborn. Revelation 1:5 states

this, “Jesus Christ, the faithful

witness, the firstborn of the dead,

and the ruler of the kings of the

earth.”

7. Lamb of God Only Jesus is

the sacrificial, spotless lamb that

was provided to take the sins of

the world away by his blood.

This title is never given to ad-

(Continued from page 9)

(Continued on page 11)

Knowing the Distinguishing Difference In a Name Continued. . .

Page 11: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

11

dress the Almighty God.

Names that are God’s, but can

legitimately be attributed to

Jesus also The following names are titles

for God, but also names that He

shares with His Son, since He

has exalted him and given him

these names:

1. Savior Now many wonder,

how can we have two saviors?

We only believe in one God.

Why should we believe in two

saviors? How can that be? It’s

very easy to explain! God saved

us through His Son. John 3:17

tells us, “For God did not send

the Son into the world to judge

the world, but that the world

might be saved through him.”

2. Redeemer This is the same

type of situation. God is the ulti-

mate Redeemer of my sins. He

redeemed me through Jesus.

This makes Jesus my Redeemer

also. Both can be called this title,

and there is no problem that

arises because of it. Here it is in

Scripture: Job 19:25 “And as for

me, I know that my Redeemer

lives, and at the last He will take

His stand on the earth.” This is a

reference to God. God redeemed

us through Jesus, shown in Luke

1:68 as the angel speaks to

Zacharias: “Blessed be the

LORD God of Israel, for He has

visited us and accomplished re-

demption for His people.” How

did God accomplish this? By

begetting His Son, supernatu-

rally, in the womb of Mary. If

you look up this title/name, you

will find it not called of Christ in

the New Testament, although it

states a few times how he

“redeemed” us, such as in Gala-

tians 3:13. Therefore, it would

be totally acceptable and bibli-

cally accurate to call Jesus your

Redeemer.

3. God When I write this word,

I am using the generic form of

“God” as in elohim or theos. To

my understanding, this word is

attributed to Jesus only twice in

the New Testament and is never

referring to the “Almighty

LORD God, Yahweh,” but used

in the more generic fashion that

was also used in reference to

angels, Moses, and judges. One

such instance is Thomas, after he

sees the resurrected Jesus, he

exclaims, “My Lord and My

God.” He is not saying here that

Jesus is the one LORD GOD,

YHWH, but in fact, reinforcing

that Jesus is the Lord Messiah

and has been elevated to take on

such a high honor as “Theos” or

“God.” This reference has dis-

turbed many who have studied

this; yet, it needn’t confuse us.

The New Testament writers take

great care in distinguishing who

they are addressing in their writ-

ings when talking about God

(our Heavenly Father) and Jesus,

His Son. John 17:3 KJV makes

this very clear: “And this is eter-

nal life, that they may know

Thee, the only true God, and

Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast

sent.”

4. “The Alpha and the Omega” This is the first and last letter of

the Greek Alphabet and is attrib-

uted to God in Revelation and to

Jesus, also. In Revelation 1:8, it

is God’s title, “I am the Alpha

and the Omega, says the Lord

God, “who is and who was and

who is to come, the Almighty.”

And also God, in Revelation

21:6, “It is done. I am the Alpha

and the Omega, the beginning

and the end.” But then attributed

to Jesus in Revelation 22:13, “I

am the Alpha and the Omega,

the first and the last, the begin-

ning and the end.” This title has

clearly been given to Jesus, and

he can claim it as the beginning

of the new creation, the firstborn

from the dead, and the last

Adam. It is God’s title, for God

truly was in the beginning of all

creation, and He will finally

dwell with mankind in the end,

when the earth is restored and

sin and death are removed by

Jesus and then God will be all in

all.

5. Judge God will judge all

mankind at the end through His

Messiah, Jesus.

6. King of Kings Both can wear

this title, but ultimately God is

the one in authority, and Jesus

submits to His rule and reign as

the ultimate King of Kings (I

Corinthians 15).

Jesus says in Revelation 3:11-

12, “I am coming quickly; hold

fast what you have, in order that

no one take your crown. He who

overcomes, I will make him a

pillar in the temple of My God,

and he will not go out from it

(Continued from page 10)

(Continued on page 13)

Knowing the Distinguishing Difference In a Name Continued. . .

“. . .makes it quite “. . .makes it quite “. . .makes it quite “. . .makes it quite clear that we (you clear that we (you clear that we (you clear that we (you and I and Jesus) all and I and Jesus) all and I and Jesus) all and I and Jesus) all share and worship share and worship share and worship share and worship and adore the same and adore the same and adore the same and adore the same Almighty God”Almighty God”Almighty God”Almighty God”

Page 12: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

12

Demonology IV By Vince Finnegan

T he Old Testament has limited

information regarding the devil, de-

mons, and the entire spiritual realm.

The great patriarchs of our faith such

as Abraham, Moses, David, and the

prophets were engaged in the spiri-

tual warfare but did not seem to un-

derstand much about the subject.

The book of Job contains one of the

few occurrences that mention the

devil in the Old Testament. The first

chapter declares that the devil is the

cause of all Job’s suffering. From

chapter three through 32, Job and his

three friends discuss ad nauseam

why these terrible things happened to

Job. They considered every possibil-

ity imaginable; yet, no one made any

mention of the devil. Elihu brought

great insight to the conversation re-

corded in chapters 32-37, but he too

failed to say anything about the

devil. They did not know what we

now understand about the devil and

his evil ways. Trials and tribulations

besieged David constantly; yet, in all

his writings, he did not acknowledge

the adversary nor the spiritual realm.

Knowledge regarding this subject

apparently progressed with time, as

is common with many other areas of

knowledge. In the first century dur-

ing our Lord’s time on earth, many

people in Israel knew about demons

and their devastating, evil influences

upon people. Jesus fully understood

the spiritual realm and exposed it for

all to see. He was the first one to

confront demons and cast them out

of people. Before Jesus, the devil

operated in almost complete secrecy,

which is why the people of God in

the Old Testament times dealt with

wickedness in a completely different

fashion than Jesus commanded.

They killed the wicked! In the Ser-

mon on the Mount and the many

other teachings of our Lord, we are

commanded to handle evil entirely

differently. We now have a much

fuller understanding regarding these

matters and are equipped with the

holy spirit which truly empowers us

to deal with these things in a spiritual

manner.

On one occasion, the Pharisees asked

Jesus to show them a sign. Jesus re-

sponded with the following:

Matthew 12:39-45

“But He answered and said to them,

‘An evil and adulterous generation

craves for a sign; and yet no sign will

be given to it but the sign of Jonah

the prophet;

for just as Jonah was three days and

three nights in the belly of the sea

monster, so will the Son of Man be

three days and three nights in the

heart of the earth.

‘The men of Nineveh will stand up

with this generation at the judgment,

and will condemn it because they

repented at the preaching of Jonah;

and behold, something greater than

Jonah is here.

‘The Queen of the South will rise up

with this generation at the judgment

and will condemn it, because she

came from the ends of the earth to

hear the wisdom of Solomon; and

behold, something greater than Solo-

mon is here.

‘Now when the unclean spirit goes

out of a man, it passes through water-

less places seeking rest, and does not

find it.

‘Then it says, ‘I will return to my

house from which I came’; and when

it comes, it finds it unoccupied,

swept, and put in order.

‘Then it goes and takes along with it

seven other spirits more wicked than

itself, and they go in and live there;

and the last state of that man be-

comes worse than the first. That is

the way it will also be with this evil

generation.’”

So common was the understanding

about demons that he used it as a

comparative illustration to teach an-

other point. It will be worse for the

generation that rejects Jesus than a

person who has a devil spirit return-

ing with seven more wicked than the

first one.

We can also learn some other impor-

tant points from this discourse. De-

mons consider the people they in-

habit to be their home. They want a

place to live, and people are most

desirable. Evil spirits will be here

until the day they are locked in

chains and then thrown into the lake

of fire. In the meantime, they want to

inhabit people. If a demon is cast out

of a person, it can return if the person

does not do what is necessary to

close “the door” by which they enter.

Demons cannot just enter any person

they chose to inhabit. Individuals

must allow them to enter which may

happen when we have unresolved

emotional wounds or habitual sin.

We can allow demon occupation

without knowing we are doing so.

Casting unclean spirits out without

changing the mind may open the per-

son up to more problems with more

unclean spirits. The house cannot be

left empty, which means a lifestyle

change of putting on the new man is

necessary and not optional. �

Page 13: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

13

anymore; and I will write upon

him the name of My God, and

the name of the city of My

God, the new Jerusalem, which

comes down out of heaven

from My God, and My new

name.”

The beauty of this lesson is that

it makes it quite clear that we

(you and I and Jesus) all share

and worship and adore the

same Almighty God − Adonai

YHWH. It also makes very

clear that Jesus holds a special

position as the esteemed, ex-

alted firstborn Son of God, the

firstborn from the dead,

through whom God will judge

and rule as King, through whom He has redeemed and

saved us – through His obedi-

ent Son! Jesus came in the

name of His Father (John 5:43)

with all His authority and

power, as if he were God Him-

self. It didn’t mean that Jesus

WAS God, but he was the im-

age and reflection of God, and

Jesus had the power as if God

Himself were standing upon

the earth when he spoke and

performed miracles to the glory

of His God. And when we look

closely, we realize that we, too,

at the return of Christ and

through the establishment of

his coming Kingdom will be

exalted and given a new name,

just as God gave Jesus His

Name! What a glorious hope

we share as believers in the

name of Jesus.

So next time you hear a wor-

ship song on the radio or at

church or see a poster with all

the “Names of Christ” upon

it…, I want you to pause and

reflect on its Biblical accuracy

and realize that this sloppiness

by the authors of such material

muddles and clouds our real

hope as believers and obscures

who our God is and who our

Messiah is! There is magnifi-

cent beauty in knowing the

distinguishing differences in

a NAME.

Of course, there are many more names in the Scriptures that I did not include, because of time and length constraints. �

(Continued from page 11)

Knowing the Distinguish-ing Difference In a Name Continued. . .

GIFT OR MANIFESTATION

The gift of holy spirit was first given on Pentecost and is gra-

ciously bestowed upon every believer ever since. The manifesta-

tion of the spirit is the evidence in the senses realm of the gift.

1Corinthians 12 listed many of the manifestations – word of wis-

dom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, proph-

ecy, distinguishing of spirits, various kinds of tongues, and the

interpretation of tongues. All of these things are manifestation

of the same gift. If you have the spirit, you have the ability to op-

erate all of these manifestations and more. Failure to acknowl-

edge the difference between the gift and the manifestation of

the gift has hindered people from exercising their God given

power. If you have the gift, you are empowered to manifest it

forth in your life.

Page 14: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

14

C ommunicating with our brothers in the Congo can be chal-lenging since we speak different languages. Even a simple email exchange can take a week or more, as they don’t have the ease of internet access that we do and every email requires translating. Ive Carlo of Puerto Rico helps with the translations, and we are so thankful for her labor of love! In the past six months or more, God has provided some addi-tional help. Three wonderful Christian believers from - of all places - the Congo!, are now actively attending Living Hope Community Church in Latham. We are making occasional phone calls to Kennedy with their help in speaking to him in French. This assists greatly in exchang-ing information and finding out the current needs of the people in his church. Thank you Fran-cesca, Bernardo, and Lucia! New clothes for the children The 35 children being sponsored to attend school this year are

doing well in their studies, ac-cording to Kennedy and Kael. In January, we received a large donation from someone who asked to remain anonymous. The money was used specifically to buy new clothing for all the sponsored children in Kennedy’s fellowship. For many of the kids, their school uniforms are their best piece of clothing, and they end up wearing them everywhere. The uniforms were wearing out, and the children were in need of new clothes for everyday use. With the money, Kennedy bought new clothes and shoes, which was a great blessing to the children and their families. Zoe Church Rev. Kael of Zoe Church has organized an outreach program called Ministers of Reconciliation. People are committing to wit-ness and preach the gospel in the city of Kinshasa. Your prayers for open doors of outreach for these ambassadors

are appreciated. Living Hope International Ministries of the Congo Rev. Armel Ngo and his church have established fellowships in three additional cities in the Re-public of the Congo. In addition to the seven house churches in Brazzaville, believers are now meeting in Point-Noire, Dolisie, and Sibiti. He has been teaching the class on His Story - God’s Purpose for the Ages. The Way Restored Rev. Kennedy Kutukwa Nsilulu recently visited fellowships in the lower Congo region, known as Bas Congo. One of these cit-ies is Matadi, a major seaport at the mouth of the Congo River where there is a sizeable fellow-ship of saints. In April, Kennedy conducted a multi-day seminar with teach-ings on “Three Days and Three Nights of Prayer and Interces-sion.” Enjoy the photos and keep in your prayers our brothers and sisters in the Congo ! �

Congo Connection By Richard and Cheryl Elton

Page 15: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

15

1.

3.

2.

4.

1. Kennedy and some of the children with their new clothes.

2. The kids wanted to wear their new clothes right away.

3. Each child was recog-nized individually.

4. New clothes and shoes –

what a blessing!

Page 16: Glad Tidings: Issue 14.3

But I [Jesus] tell you the truth, But I [Jesus] tell you the truth, But I [Jesus] tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go it is to your advantage that I go it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, away; for if I do not go away, away; for if I do not go away, the Helper [the spirit of truth] the Helper [the spirit of truth] the Helper [the spirit of truth] will not come to you; but if I will not come to you; but if I will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. go, I will send Him to you. go, I will send Him to you.

���John 16:7John 16:7John 16:7���

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