glad tidings: issue 14.3
DESCRIPTION
Glad TidingsTRANSCRIPT
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
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
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
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
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)
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. . .
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.”
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
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. . .
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. . .
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”
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. �
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.
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
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!
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���
Nonprofit Org.
US Postage
Paid
Latham, New York
Permit No. 128
458 Old Niskayuna Road
Latham, New York 12110 USA