The Remnant Church?

[RosaVera]

Acts 8:9-25
New King James Version (NKJV)

The Sorcerer’s Profession of Faith
9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

The Sorcerer’s Sin
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

24 Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”

25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

Thanks ... what i really like about this story of Simon is that in the end he sees that he is saying and doing the wrong things which does not please God, and he asks Peter to pray for him so that he would not perish... it also gives us a guide to when the end times comes, actually even today, good people, naive in their ways, may follow the wrong prophets or the anti-Christ ...

The way to know if a church is preaching the Gospel of the Lord is with prayer, opening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and reading and reading and reading the Holy Scriptures... with knowledge comes discernment whether a church is true or false, and with knowledge we can fight evil. God bless you and hope you will find a church that will help you ...

 

[LysanderShapiro]

I love history myself and it is very useful ..

Rev Harlot - Rome vs Jerusalem

There NEVER was "5 KINGDOMS WHO WERE" (7 hills/kingdoms) ruling over Rome (Revelations authored in 95 AD).. thus scripture cannot be talking about Rome as the "HARLOT" .. however in Ezekiel chapter 16 you will see God calls JERUSALEM the "HARLOT" 19 times and many many more times refers to JERUSALEM as LEWD, ADULTROUS AND ABOMINOUS ..

ROME had 4 eras at the time of Revelations authoring:
prehistoric (??? BC - 800 BC)
Etruscan (800 BC - 500 BC)
Greek (333 BC - 300 BC)
Roman (63 BC - 476 AD)
(the prehistoric era was before Rome existed and thus not relevant)

thus Rome at the time of authoring had only 2 that were (not 5) and 1 that was ..

This has been the subject of much debate.

 

[ixoye_8]

Rosa .. indeed, knowledge, wisdom and discernment are powerful tools for the Christian .. but I find it interesting you saying "fight evil" ..

cause and effect .. if you are "building up" the Godly, the result is evil is defeated ..
I can't find one instance in the NT that refutes that ..
even Paul when followed by the demon possessed woman that told futures .. restored her when she became disruptive ..

we are not to seek out evil to destroy it, but rather to dispatch it when it is blocking our work of "building up" .. if the Apostles saw a demon possessed person, who needed God, indeed they would need to cast out that demon in order to bring them to God ..

my feeling is satan would like nothing better then to keep God's workers busy fighting evil, and less time bringing the Good News of Salvation .. in other words, neutralize your progress of "building up" ..

 

[RosaVera]

Rosa .. indeed, knowledge, wisdom and discernment are powerful tools for the Christian .. but I find it interesting you saying "fight evil" ..

cause and effect .. if you are "building up" the Godly, the result is evil is defeated ..
I can't find one instance in the NT that refutes that ..
even Paul when followed by the demon possessed woman that told futures .. restored her when she became disruptive ..

we are not to seek out evil to destroy it, but rather to dispatch it when it is blocking our work of "building up" .. if the Apostles saw a demon possessed person, who needed God, indeed they would need to cast out that demon in order to bring them to God ..

my feeling is satan would like nothing better then to keep God's workers busy fighting evil, and less time bringing the Good News of Salvation .. in other words, neutralize your progress of "building up" ..

Right IXOYE... i should have said as a means to protect ourselves from evil and banish it, like you said we can't fight evil but evil does not have to lodge with us but we can expel it ...

 

[dUmPsTeR]

bar Jesus or Simon the mageuō never started a church ..
nor the Romans, as Roman Christians of the 1st century were adherents of the Apostolic church Peter and Paul started ..
and the Harlot of Revelations is Jerusalem ..

nor is an apostasy a reference to true believers, but rather a lack of them .. hence when they are removed along with "he who now restrains" ..

I'm curious how you feel about this, or any others here in the forums.

The evidence of Irenaeus, who was in Rome some ten or fifteen years after Justin, is equally striking. Irenaeus writes at some length about Simon. He describes the rudimentary gnosticism of his teaching, and, like Justin, he mentions the tradition that an image was erected by Claudius Caesar to his honour in the figure of Jupiter, which the people worshipped, and he speaks of him as the father of all heretics.141141Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. (Library of Ante-Nicene Fathers, tr. by Keble), p. 68; Irenaeus speaks of the Simonians as an existing sect, i. 33. Even these testimonies to the still living fame of Simon, as a religious leader whose lofty pretensions and skilful charlatanry had made a deep impression at Rome and elsewhere, do not stand alone. The discovery in the middle of the last century of a MS. at Mount Athos containing a Iarge part of the ‘Philosophumena' or ‘Refutation of all Heresies' by Hippolytus, the learned bishop of Portus, has thrown much fresh light upon Simon and his teaching.

Entire document here- http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edmundson/church.vi.html

An interesting read that I am trying to wrap my simple mind around.

Edit: added 'curious' in my first line.

 

[dUmPsTeR]

Thanks ... what i really like about this story of Simon is that in the end he sees that he is saying and doing the wrong things which does not please God, and he asks Peter to pray for him so that he would not perish... it also gives us a guide to when the end times comes, actually even today, good people, naive in their ways, may follow the wrong prophets or the anti-Christ ...

The way to know if a church is preaching the Gospel of the Lord is with prayer, opening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and reading and reading and reading the Holy Scriptures... with knowledge comes discernment whether a church is true or false, and with knowledge we can fight evil. God bless you and hope you will find a church that will help you ...

I like how you see the good in this scripture, and I am glad you are here Rosa.

It comes to my recollection how God and Jesus are referred to as Male, but wisdom in the scriptures is referred to as female. Have you ever noticed that?

Yes, my search for a church is not an easy one, because I seek a church that honors the Sabbath on Saturday, but I'm not a Jehovah witness. I consider myself a Sabbatarian. My next efforts will be to study Seventh Day Adventist, and their beliefs. Kind of a strange thing recently transpired in my life. I had gone a long while being alone, or with out a female companion. I had had several long term relationships in my past, all ending somewhat tragically. Probably in part because I wasn't adhering to the teaching of the bible.

Anyhow, to make a short story longer, I prayed to God that He would help me find a good, bible believing woman. That recently happened. (Thank you Almighty God, YHWH) This new lady in my life took me to dinner at some dear friends of hers and we shared a meal, and a great time.

As we sat down to the meal, the lady of the house asked me to say the blessing, and I gratefully reciprocated.

Later, as we were watching television, we came across a show that had evil undertones. The lady of the house spoke up, and asked, why does such evil transpire? I answered her and said, to distract people away from God.

After our visit, this lady that I share time with told me that her friend is a Seventh Day Adventist. Coincidence, I'm not sure yet. As I mentioned, my search and seeking ever continues.

I hope this wasn't too far off topic.

 

[ixoye_8]

hi dUmPsTeR ..
give me a chance to review your link ..
I see you are a student of ancient Greek .. as to sophia being a fem noun, there is no real significance in that .. as it is derived from the male verb sophos ..

the only difference is one showing action (male) the other inaction (fem) in the ancient Greek, the word caring the greater power is always given the male attribute (genitive case) ..

 

[MichaelH]

I like how you see the good in this scripture, and I am glad you are here Rosa.

It comes to my recollection how God and Jesus are referred to as Male, but wisdom in the scriptures is referred to as female. Have you ever noticed that?

.

I have read where some think the Holy Spirit is the Female side of God. You know comforter and such. So wisdom from the Holy Spirit might be considered a she. I personally don't care either way.

Mike.

 

[ixoye_8]

ccel.org is a good resource and one I use ..

I think the piece made good points, but I think may have been overstated .. as Simon the Magus was indeed a thorn to the foundation of the church, and as such viewed with contempt as a hindrance, a statue of him (if it was) does not add any validity of a later formidable sect, as erecting statues was as common as a street sign is today (note Paul making mention of that) .. my opinion is the early church did view him as a problem, but in actuality was no more of a problem then the Jews themselves .. what is note worthy but was excluded, is Claudius did expel the Jews from Rome .. hence I doubt the statue had the Caesars blessing, nor did the Christians or any other sect either, but were merely tolerated most of the time ..

may God bless you ..

 

[LysanderShapiro]

There are about 33,000 denominations, but only 1 church founded by Christ. All claim to have the right interpretation of the Bible, all claim to be lead by the Holy Spirit.

What do you think is the first step in order to find the church founded by our Lord himself?

 

[ixoye_8]

I have read where some think the Holy Spirit is the Female side of God. You know comforter and such. So wisdom from the Holy Spirit might be considered a she. I personally don't care either way.

Mike.

that is an Arian gnostic teaching .. you should care ..
those who follow it are in fact Arian, which the early Church fathers actually did have a problem with .. I suggest you read up on them ..

 

[LysanderShapiro]

that is an Arian gnostic teaching .. you should care ..

Interesting considering is today is the feast day of St. Nicholas. He punched Arius in the face for his heresies of Arian gnostic teaching.

 

[ixoye_8]

There are about 33,000 denominations, but only 1 church founded by Christ. All claim to have the right interpretation of the Bible, all claim to be lead by the Holy Spirit.

What do you think is the first step in order to find the church founded by our Lord himself?

now that is a pickle .. 33,000 denominations all claim to be lead by the Holy Spirit ..
(you know what that means)
I don't believe any one denomination, and all denominations are ..
those that teach the Gospel of Salvation as given by the Apostles are ..
doctrinal differences are all a matter of mans theo logia (reasoning) and as such are not HS inspired .. BUT .. that would not exclude you from the Covenant of Love that Jesus brought ..

pick any denomination you want .. as long as it does not alter the Gospel of Salvation .. and abide in His love, of God and treat your neighbor as you would yourself, and you are part "the church" .. I maintain there are those who are, and are not in all denominations ..

to me arguing which is the right denomination is like the Apostles arguing who was the greatest ..

 

[Glomung]

The Holy Spirit does not reside in any church or institution, the Holy Spirit
resides in people.

 

[MichaelH]

that is an Arian gnostic teaching .. you should care ..
those who follow it are in fact Arian, which the early Church fathers actually did have a problem with .. I suggest you read up on them ..

OK, I did not know that. Since I can't prove by scriptures using Hebrew or Greek a gender then I just marked it off as interesting. I try not to get wrapped up in things that is not relevant to someone getting free. Also when you hear just one side of the case without having studied it out yourself, it can make sense because you don't have the other half of the argument.

Thank you for sharing that.

 

[ixoye_8]

The Holy Spirit does not reside in any church or institution, the Holy Spirit
resides in people.

AMEN

 

[ixoye_8]

OK, I did not know that. Since I can't prove by scriptures using Hebrew or Greek a gender then I just marked it off as interesting. I try not to get wrapped up in things that is not relevant to someone getting free. Also when you hear just one side of the case without having studied it out yourself, it can make sense because you don't have the other half of the argument.

hi Mike .. in the ancient Greek genitive case does not mean gender .. so sophia (fem) or sophos (male) really are not applying a gender ..
Thank you for sharing that.

 

[ixoye_8]

OK, I did not know that. Since I can't prove by scriptures using Hebrew or Greek a gender then I just marked it off as interesting. I try not to get wrapped up in things that is not relevant to someone getting free. Also when you hear just one side of the case without having studied it out yourself, it can make sense because you don't have the other half of the argument.

hi Mike .. in the ancient Greek genitive case does not mean gender .. so sophia (fem) or sophos (male) really are not applying a gender ..
Thank you for sharing that.

 

[MichaelH]

hi Mike .. in the ancient Greek genitive case does not mean gender .. so sophia (fem) or sophos (male) really are not applying a gender ...

Right, the Greek has a Male, Female and neuter noun. Female nouns just can't define their place without the Article or male noun.

Faith is a Female noun but can't tell us faith in what or how much faith. Apostasia is a Female noun but can't tell us what it departed from. So I understands. It sort of can get confusing when we try to understand Greek with English thinking. Apostasy means to depart from the truth, Apostasia being a female noun can't tell us that, but would need a Greek Verb like
Parapiptō Which is an actual action to deflect from what is true. (Apostatize)



That could be why I never came to any conclusion, but If you say the Holy Spirit is a He, then I can just take your word on that and not have to set aside time to figure it out on my own. This is why we have the body of Christ and I have others help to get things figured out.

Your the blessed.

 

[ixoye_8]

That could be why I never came to any conclusion, but If you say the Holy Spirit is a He, then I can just take your word on that and not have to set aside time to figure it out on my own. This is why we have the body of Christ and I have others help to get things figured out.

Your the blessed.

you continue to surprise me in your abilities ..
I never said God has a gender (perhaps genderless) .. I said that view was Arian (and a fallen fem God at that) .. scripture difinaely uses "pater", and of course Jesus was born male and even after ascension uses "son" .. as to the HS, "ekeinos" can be translated either way .. but is rendered "he" .. I have always had the feeling God being spirit, used gender for mans limited understanding, for our benefit, perhaps to portray an authoritative role ..

so perhaps if you wish to ask, God may tell you ..

God bless you ..

That could be why I never came to any conclusion, but If you say the Holy Spirit is a He, then I can just take your word on that and not have to set aside time to figure it out on my own. This is why we have the body of Christ and I have others help to get things figured out.

Your the blessed.

you continue to surprise me in your abilities ..
I never said God has a gender (perhaps genderless) .. I said that view was Arian (and a fallen fem God at that) .. scripture difinaely uses "pater", and of course Jesus was born male and even after ascension uses "son" .. as to the HS, "ekeinos" can be translated either way .. but is rendered "he" .. I have always had the feeling God being spirit, used gender for mans limited understanding, for our benefit, perhaps to portray an authoritative role ..

so perhaps if you wish to ask, God may tell you ..

God bless you ..