DISCOURSE WITH BEN
The following is a discourse in a series of letters with Ben. There is much light for all to glean from our exchange. Only our response to his questions appear. Hopefully by reading this you will gain greater insight into the "GOOD NEWS" and what God is doing on behalf of our FAMILY.
July 31, 1994
Dear Ben,
I am sorry it took so long for me to respond to your letters. As you know I did two letters in a very short time. And a very short vacation was on the agenda for me. I went to Indiana and visited with my family. It was refreshing to get away from work and visit with friends. I came away with a greater sense of family in that there is a need to instill this concept of FAMILY in the minds of so many. Men cannot feel a family relationship with all human beings in the world. This non-sensitivity is a problem for human beings on this earth. This makes man's inhumanity to man easy to accomplish and it comes from our lack of love for one another. "All men are brothers" becomes empty words academically expressed from time to time. But I am not that way. FAMILY means so much to me. And FAMILY is all men on earth's surface, the entire Heavenly Hosts including those babies still in God's nursery that only God can see. We need to learn to love ALL these as we do our own selves.
While on vacation I responded to your letters.
7-29-94
Never forget the purpose of God. He is a Father/Teacher who is raising a FAMILY. He teaches by comparison and contrast and precept and example. The "example" aspect is where men on the earth-stage catch a problem. And the first children were on stage acting as "psychodrama" examples for the education benefit of many generations of brethren to come. So the Playwrite constructed a scene for Cain and Abel, an "example" for us to analyze and from which to learn positive lessons. The "precept" would come later via Moses. God does not need food. But in the scene the two brothers offered gifts to God from what they had. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd. Part of the script called for God to accept the lamb and refuse the wheat. The lamb would have a very significant symbolic meaning as men would learn later. Wheat also had a symbolic meaning that men would learn later. The lamb was a symbol for all men and also was the icon for Jesus Christ, who was to come much later. All men and Jesus would become sacrifices through the death mode. Enoch wrote: "When the Lord demands bread, or candles, or flesh (sc. cattle), or any other sacrifice, then that is nothing; but God demands pure hearts, and with all that only tests the heart of man," Secrets 45:3. What was in Cain's heart? Did he keep the best part of the wheat for himself or did he give the best part to God? God's own words to Cain were, "If you do well, you are accepted, but if not, sin is a demon crouching at the door ... " Cain's offering was rejected because demons had given him a problem with his "heart" or mental decision-making and God detected his inclination. As you know Lucifer and Babylon had overcome Adam and Eve. They were not going to give their children a break. Cain and Abel were also targets for attack. It was devils riding Cain who made him offer unacceptably. Those same evil spirits whispered words to cause Cain's jealousy and anger. They told him to hit Abel on the head very hard with a stone. Here is what we should learn. In a huge FAMILY setting, we all cannot win first place in a contest or game. Some of us must accept 2nd, 3rd, 4th place, and honorable mention. Some contestants also must accept no placement. We can say the incident between Cain and Abel was designed for a greater educational purpose. Those watching from above saw the devils on Cain plot the scheme and hatch it. They learned something about warfare and man's need to be aware of the invisible enemies, and that their anger at being kicked out of heaven is directed at them. Devils seek cause to provoke us into sinful acts. If God had accepted both sacrifices, angry devils would have found something else to cause disunity, envy, hatred, and murder. Men have killed other men over the affection of women. Whatever works to cause trouble, devils will "test" until they find it.
It is the Playwrite who creates the play with its scene and script. Keep in mind that at all times God is a Teacher -- not just continuing the education of His first family, but He was laying the groundwork for the education of remote generations to come. You and I are two such people chosen to learn while part of this last generation. So God allowed trouble to brew between the two brothers so that many other children could learn to avoid envy, anger, and murder. Devils instigate such negative behavior. Some of us will be selected for honors at certain times but most of us will not be selected and all of us cannot be selected at such times. But we must not get "bent out of shape" because of that. We must realize that there are billions and billions of children that God must deal with. We must learn great patience --- maybe millions of years worth of patience if we want a personal one on one visit with God! Eternity never ends and this is the way it is in our FAMILY. This scene with Cain and Abel did not make Abel "better" than Cain, but as stage actors those two were chosen to fill those roles in a didactic psychodrama.
God was not negligent to inform Israel about His disdain for human sacrifice. Indeed one of the things Moses taught Israel is that because of human sacrifice and other wicked practices God was displacing the nations of Palestine and giving their land to them. Joshua also stressed that Israel avoid the works of those nations and obey the laws God gave Moses for their benefit. Jephthah was not an ignorant man. He knew the history of Israel from his words to the king of Ammon. God let Jephthah become a judge of Israel and win a victory for a reason. In those days the children of prostitutes were despised. They did not know that God is the Father/Creator of ALL babies no matter how they come or the circumstances by which they come. He is the "Husbandman" who plants the "GOOD SEED" in the clay (womb) of the (prostitute portion) of the "field". Sin is always a demon. God can exercise His authority to teach any time He pleases even if men are ignorant and cannot grasp the depth of what He is showing. In the day of Jephthah, the use of him illustrated that God is the Father of Jephthah even though men "judged by appearance and after the flesh" in those days, and his earthly mother was a harlot. You cannot expect the devil to stay out of any matter. You do not offer up your child to God as a burnt offering. Isaac and Abraham taught us that. Jephthah was not ignorant of this. What happened is that Jephthah's daughter was "sacrificed" much in the same way as the "Nazarite" is sacrificed to serve God by a vow. Samuel was such a special person given to God by Hannah. But these are not burnt by natural fire. It is the "fire" of the Holy Spirit which eventually engulfs them. Jephthah's daughter was not placed on a man-made altar, nor was that kind of burning ever part of the plan. She could not be a Nazarite because they are males, but she could have served the priests in some capacity, Judges 11:38-40.
7-30-94
Now... God is still a Teacher educating His upper student body which continually renews itself and augments itself on a daily basis. Men are USED on the earth-stage in psychodramas which the upper students must analyze and interpret in their perfection classes. The positive side of what they see must be assessed and instilled in them. Keep in mind that they can see and hear devils on us plot, conspire, and hatch wicked devices one on one or in concert with demons on others around us. Men acting on the earth stage cannot see this, since we are the didactic subjects of scrutiny in these "exercises". Our guardian angels attempt to move us to the right, while the devils on us push us to the left, the direction of evil and punishment. Whatever the outcome may be, the new student BODY must learn the value of "good". At the same time the loathsomeness of evil is stressed in their minds. Evil is simply not a part of our created nature and such behavior must not be repeated "upstairs".
It is not correct or proper to label God as 'guilty' of anything because we cannot see the 'big picture'. You must see it and understand it if you are to assess God's works accurately. As Creator-Teacher-God, he USES children below on stage in educational skits to teach His upper student audience higher 'perfection'. We have been informed of this part of the education scheme, that WATCHING occurs. "We are spectacles to men and angels" as Paul wrote and we may become a "proverb, an instruction, and a by-word" in a didactic sense. If the Playwrite constructs a play with some negative acts to be avoided in it, the actors in those roles should not castigate Him because of the script and the scene. Once the play is over, the actors come out of their clay costumes and rise up to become who they really are. "Reality" occurs on Heaven-side. On stage God uses the negative (kingdom of darkness) to supply the contrast to His "goodness". Devils do provide negative emphasis which makes the "good" appear exceedingly "good" and desirable when in contrast with countering wickedness. As an example, think of God as a Science Teacher. In a certain test or experiment He adds sulfuric acid (Hitler and his demons) to a compound (Europe). Heat, boiling, and gas erupts (all hell breaks loose). New compounds and by-products result, meaning many children were reaped shortening time and the whole world learned a lesson about hatred and demagoguery that they will not soon forget. The United Nations is created to help avoid future human disasters. You call that "shit-disturbing". But what you understand and how much you grasp depends upon the level of your perspective and the angle (angel) providing your view, and also whether or not your approach is to seek light or an attempt by certain short, naked midgets to judge and condemn the Science Teacher! These "shorties" traveling down reproach avenue wearing no clothes love to counsel errors and present queries to the mind in a veiled attempt to slander and malign God.
All generations were not informed of the details of God's PLAN during their lifetime on earth. Because this is the END, we have an advantage. The pieces of the WORD PUZZLE came down in different generations and in different places on the earth. You and I have access to what has accumulated throughout time and we have it translated and at our fingertips on our computers. We have been taught of His FAMILY PLAN and His chosen methods and techniques employed to teach such a huge number of children. The earth could not have held and supported our massive numbers at once. We had to be sent down in 'generations' for kindergarten training. We have been told that we would be "sacrificed" for the education benefit of the generation preceding us. We know this earth-phase is only the first step, a launching pad into eternal life for all generations, Romans 8:18-22,38-39. We tend to make too much of a "big deal" out of the events in our stage-role, the script, and scene as if it is everything ... so important! ... when it really is stage FICTION. Our life now is the "fantasy". Our life to come is the true reality. Up above is where we can see our true spirit faces in a mirror and learn our true identity and hear the sound of our unique names for the first time! Our stage life even if it lasts for 100 years is a "little deal" which amounts to only a fraction of a second on an eternal time scale. Therefore the PLAN is to erase the memory of this time and its events that men keep recording in history books so that it can never come to mind. When this world burns, the history books will go with it. Now .. we all get a crown of thorns to wear and a cross to bear. Lucifer and Babylon will make certain that we all become their captives and that our earthly tenure is painful and troublesome. They have no intention of "letting" us rule over them. But the glory to come to those on earth will make our suffering and grief seem minuscule by comparison. I do not like the evil part of this. However the Creator chose this method, and we have no choice but to endure it until we are removed. God is the LAW and the SUPREME JUDGE. We must fix our minds to understand His purpose for creating us. I do not hate Him for using pain as a goad. I just do not like the pain. I do not resent Him for making a "devil". I just want to destroy the "devil"! Devils use pain as a weapon to torture us. But if you want to judge God and His decision-making, who's rules do you use? There are only two possible sources for such criteria. Who's rules do you choose?
Regarding Jesus, he had many centuries of observing Satan's style of warfare against men and firsthand experience with Lucifer's household before they got kicked out of Heaven. He watched the episodes of Adam, Job, Joseph, David and the prophets. He was quite familiar with Lucifer's techniques. Nothing that Satan did or tried to do "surprised" him. Keep in mind that Jesus in his role was not like us. There were differences. He could see and talk to demons in and on the people. He came down to be "sacrificed" and he expected to die according to prophecy. Jesus was not expecting "flowery beds of ease" because he chose to obey God. He knew there was a bitter cup for him to drink. He also informed us that there is a cross (whatever it consists of) for us who follow him, and what is done to him would also be done to his servants. Some preachers teach that when you repent and turn to Christ everything becomes blessings and roses. But that is a deceitful assertion devils have given some preachers to spread around. They like that concept so that when those Christian babes wake up to find that old rugged cross is not flowers and its heavy weight is not a bunch of blessings, they can cause disappointment, faithlessness, and anger at God! Jesus and I both teach that there is a WAR over our souls going on and men are captives in this war. Jesus never taught that if you turn to God the devil will be nice and God will not let Satan harm us. You used Joseph and Job in your analogy of a 'double cross'. That is interesting because Joseph told his brethren that God meant that his selling was to preserve their lives. He praised God in captivity. I see no evidence where he felt God had failed him! Weak knees and timid Christians take a different approach when the Dragon swats them or stomps them! Job also said, "Though He slays me, yet will I serve Him." He did not like what had happened to him. He maintained his innocence and did not "curse God and die" as his wife's demons suggested. I think if these men had to undergo the simple vibrations you and I feel from devils roaring around us, with these computers and modern conveniences that make our life so much easier than their lives were, they might think "our suffering" is a "cake walk" by comparison! We do not get killed or thrown into lions' dens because of our faith. But we do get attacked by invisible roaring lions. These may be defeated if we stay close to our guardian angels and obey them. We do not have to hide if we want to worship God. And no one stones me or jails me because I preach Jesus and say God is the Father of ALL MEN. We have it easy today!
Angels do want to help us when devils are deploying against us, but God sticks to each man's script. If a role calls for a man to triumph in a positive way, then the angels will be heard and obeyed. If a person's role is that of a "vessel for unclean use", then devils will be successful against that person a greater percentage of the time. The Teacher controls everything! The WAY of God is exactly the way we have described it. Use of comparison and contrast, and precept and example are integral parts of His methodology. Two invisible robot devils were created to serve as a source for contrast media. Devils double-cross and even triple-cross us, and always find a way to denigrate God and if possible to make us agree with it. The Author and Director cast us all in our parts, roles, scripts and scenes. In all matters He senses with us because our "life" and ability to sense and feel is a sharing of His sensory perceptions. We live within His life! No man suffers anything alone because God suffers sumultaneously with each man! The Almighty is GOD! He takes full responsibility for everything happening in Heaven, on earth, in the sea, and in the bottomless pit! Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 45:6-7, 47:6-7; Amos 3:6-7. This is His "stage" and His "play". We are His FAMILY and He is in total control of everything!
August 5, 1994
Dear Ben,
Jesus needed Peter to witness to the many people who were not aware of events going on in Palestine. Jesus ministered for about three years or so. And how big is that tiny area where he worked? There were millions of people all over earth's surface in that generation who had never heard of God or Jesus or Jews for that matter. They did not have CNN and satellite linkage for communication, no TV, no radio, nor daily newspapers with world-news coverage. Has our generation become spoiled and presumptuous? We have a very great advantage over the backward world of Jesus' generation. The whole area where Jesus circulated is much smaller than the state of Texas. How many people could have heard of Jesus, in a day when the civilized world communicated by human couriers on foot and horseback? Who could speak all the languages and dialects of men spread all over earth's surface to tell these people there was a man in Judea sent by God with a promise of immortality after death? There were no jet planes, and too many mariners were afraid to even try crossing the oceans for any reason! Jesus needed the disciples to tell his story two by two in regions where he could not possibly journey during his very limited tenure. Luke and others would record the witnesses' words to preserve these events as a historical record for the generations to come. Personally I am very glad they did it, even if some of the details are distorted or even lost. And yes Peter is an intermediary even as all witnesses are mediaries for the prosecution and defense in court cases. Judges and attorneys usually are not eyewitnesses. They need these "intermediaries" to provide them with leads and testimony to sort and find truth. Yes Jesus needed "reporters" to tell the story just like CNN needs them.
What was so important about Peter's witness? As you know Pharisees and Sadducees put out many false witnesses to counter the claim that a Son of God came down from heaven to give men immortality, and they like a bunch of jealous power-hungry stooges for devils killed him in reprisal. If you were a Chinese in the year 50 AD and Peter and Paul at different times happened to find you and tell you about Jesus, and let us say, a flunky for one the chief priests had also found you in between these two events and said Jesus was a rabble-rouser who spawned sedition, what would you think or who's witness might have more credence? With many liars set afoot, Jesus needed men like Peter to establish the record and provide some proof of its truth. Remember those disciples were given powers men do not truly have today .... for instance to raise the dead! I do not know one human being on earth's surface to whom God has granted such power to solidify faith in ignorant men. Peter and Paul had that remarkable power and more. We have the power of communication capability, almost instant access to the whole written record given throughout time, and that is a very awesome advantage to you and I. But I have more than mere "faith". God has personally manifested Himself to me and I was not stupid to resist or to doubt His presence. You see, He witnessed of Himself to me. That is why I am the way I am!
Peter witnessed what He heard Jesus and John the Baptist testify, the "gospel of repentance". It is one thing to be sorry for wrong-doing and it is another to teach that one's destiny is Heaven. Men were not aware of our enslavement to devils. Men doubt this today. They are still afraid of death, the "great unknown". Jesus' work was to alleviate such fear. So it was the whole ball of wax that all the disciples pushed. Jesus, repentance, salvation, and Heaven were all color themes of the same rainbow.
Now according to your knowledge 20 years ago which had not advanced past the degree of light held by the apostles two days (2000 yrs) ago, it is easy to see why Acts made logical sense to you. You and most Christians were "spinning wheels" on the same level at the bottom of the mountain and in the same position where the apostles had driven the car before they died. You were two-days behind the ever advancing lightning-speed of God's angelic chariot! God told us that in the END all mysteries would be revealed and things never before told would come to light, Isaiah 52:15, 64:4; Daniel 12:8-9. Much of what was truth then would turn to worms and some of their light would become darkness. That is what happens when the Great Light brightens up everything. Some of what Paul and Peter preached and believed would be revealed as "partial light", part right and part wrong. They were not blind, but they could not focus clearly. We have the advantage of spiritual eyeglasses, a great technological advance provided by the Holy Spirit! So what is the big deal? Isaiah 29:9-14,18-21, 30:26-30; Revelation 5:1-5, 10:7-11. More pieces of the WORD "puzzle" are at our disposal and available and accessible to average guys like you and I. (Some might question if you and I are "average" sons of God. Heavenly Watchers might do that! But to men down here, we are just like everyone else).
I like your evaluation about the light available two days ago and the tolerance of that light. God did make two Covenants with humanity symbolized by the smoking furnace Abraham saw and the bright lamp that moved between the sacrifices while he attempted to sleep. Some say the law of Moses is the furnace and the WORD-Jesus is the lamp. However there is a third Covenant, the greatest one, the final one, namely the Father Himself. He is the ONE with YOU and I NOW. That is why we are not like we used to be. I have changed and I am aware of it! Right now I do not belong here. My mind and my heart belong to another ONE and I feel "out of place" even though I look like an ordinary man!
August 10, 1994
Dear Ben,
God is not perturbed by our displays of anger. Another thing to consider is that He is so BIG we cannot really see all of Him at once. I would imagine His Head is proportionate to His size. It has to be very very large! He also probably has an encore planned. It will be interesting to discover what it is.
Angels are concerned about our suffering. They remember how they felt when they suffered on earth. They see the new ones coming upstairs complaining about what devils did to them and begging for revenge, Revelation 6:9-11. You are right, angels cannot help beyond what is allowable in a person's given role. But the fact is that they are able to help us some of the time. Personally I appreciate their help. God does not tell us everything at once. He is deliberate and time-releases knowledge and understanding. Consider this: Secrets 24:3 Hear, Enoch, and take in these my words, for not to my angels have I told my secret, and I have not told them their rise, nor my endless realm, nor have they understood my creating, 4 which I tell thee today. As you know many secrets were not to be revealed until the END. The fact that Satan is a sophisticated robot may be one of those astounding revelations saved for the END. I am the only one I know who teaches this reality. I am not so sure if the angels knew Lucifer is a sophisticated mechanical tool. God is responsible for everything. He creates situations from which He can teach and show relationships. Lucifer did cause a problem that demanded Gabriel's attention, Daniel 10:13. Gabriel did not get mad at God and tell Him to "cut the crap" with the monster. He handled the situation as a challenge and he met it successfully. If you pump iron, you cannot become powerful if you use only light weights. Power-muscle comes from exercise with heavy weights. Keep in mind that God is everywhere at once. The Inner Court is Heaven and the Outer Court is this earth where Job and the devil were both present during his ordeal. Here in the Outer Court God talked to both of them. The angels are aware that God is the power of everything, but they do not demand that He pull the plug on the robot. I do not demand that either. I complain and I ask, but I also realize that He is wiser than I am. This is His FAMILY that I love and I exist because I share in His life as a "cell" of His "substance". The Head always controls the body and it will not change because I do not like His chosen method of teaching us. It is a point of wisdom to realize that. What good did it do the ant who tried to push over the rubber-tree plant? He was determined, but he was limited in wisdom.
Angels are wise enough not to debate with a mechanical fool. Michael in "disputing about the body of Moses did not rail on Lucifer. He said, `The Lord rebuke you'." People enjoy victory in contests and defeating the devil is no less enjoyable. Sometimes it is very funny because devils get very upset when defeated and mocked. They react in a weird dramatic way. Mocking grins and boastful arrogance turns to tears, pouting, and shame. If you could see the dramatic transition their faces undergo, it would be very funny to you too! It's like a computer game or a Nintendo game. You can become addicted to blasting devils for the thrill of it!
I am serious Ben. We do have it easier than the older generations. We have flushing toilets and toilet paper. We do not have to go out in the bushes in the winter to relieve ourselves. You do not have to go hunting if you want meat for dinner. You can go to a supermarket and then pop your prepared meal in a microwave oven. No muss; no fuss. If you get a headache, you can take Tylenol. If you get appendicitis you can see a surgeon in a hospital and recover. Men died from simple things like polio just a few years ago. I can drive or fly wherever I want to go. If I lived in the early 1800's I would have to walk because horses and I cannot get it together. Want a drink of water? You can turn on a tap instead of walking a mile to the creek or winding a rope and bucket down a well. You have light at the flick of your finger whereas earlier men had to use dim candle light or smoky oil lamps. Are you hot? Then you can turn on your air conditioner. Bothered by flies or mosquitoes, you can use chemical sprays and zap lamps to get rid of them. You want the convenience of preserved food? You go to the fridge and warm up the leftovers and open canned goods. I contend that WE have it easier because of accumulated knowledge and technological "know-how". There are negatives that come with advances, even the same things you mentioned. Men like Daniel, David, Solomon, Abraham, Job had it easy to a certain extent because they were rich, and men served them and made life easier for them. But I also agree that we live a highly stressful life. I have learned to shut out much of the distractions. Nevertheless the WAR still goes on in the mind. Devils have not given us slack in that area regardless of the generation in which we live.
August 14, 1994
Dear Ben,
I find it interesting that you continue to be concerned about "sinking sand". What Paul and the apostles thought in their day is of lesser value now because of the WORD of God given to us in this END time, Isaiah 30:26; Daniel 12:8-9. What they thought in their time of dimness was sufferable for that period, Isaiah 9:1-2. But what we know today is superior to whatever they might have thought. It just might be better to focus your attention mainly on what we have been taught today. The WORD today has the impact that counts and the final authority from the Judge, II Esdras 7:[104]. What all builders have built is being tried by fire. We are burning some concepts the writers have built on the Christ-foundation. If it is imperfect it must be purged. For example, I simply reject the notion that "the Jews" are somehow superior to any human being you can pick, regardless as to how Paul, Peter, or Moses might have responded to my position in their day were it possible for me to put the same idea to them then. Their ignorance yesterday is no match for the true light today. They also reject their previous errors today even though it was passable for light in their earthly sojourn. Pondering their mental states then can only be an academic exercise. How do their mental differences and their degrees of understanding profit you today or expand your spiritual knowledge? Re-examining sinking sand over and over again leaves you at a spot two days (2000 yrs.) behind the locus of God's chariot at this moment.
1. Peter preached what he heard from his mentors emphasizing what he considered important for his audience. He was the end of the "favor the Jews" era. Paul was the bridge to the "favor all men equally" era, which we push today with brilliant expertise. Jesus was proof-positive that there is life after death and a "resurrection". The Pharisees taught a "resurrection only in the end of the world" and the Sadducees taught "there is no resurrection". It is against this sort of background that Paul in particular began to make waves. Tying resurrection and repentance into a package created a double motive for their audience to seek and achieve greater faith and better behavior. I am not so sure that the average Jew in Jeremiah's day was even aware of life after death for men in general. The prophets were special men and they were given such light in "covered" form. I think the concept of "our kingdom is Heaven" was foreign to them. They were still stuck mentally with the mote of earthly Jerusalem gouged in their eyes. The prophets too were stuck in that mire! You and I know that God's "promise land" is really "Heaven"! It is better not to criticize the earlier generations' lack of perfect understanding unless it will help elevate someone stuck on their lower level of faith. I just ignore their darkness and take their light, Matthew 13:45-48.
2. It was not God's plan to have Jesus do more than he did. God could have allowed Jesus to speak to every man's mind from above just as the "Holy Ghost" did to the crowd gathered at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. He does not have to have human microphones, but He likes to use them since men tend to believe men whom they can see and they tend to place their trust in other men. Men who repent are grateful to God for "saving" them and forgiving them freely. They want to repay Him in some way for granting them mercy. It is human nature to want to help our fellowman if we think he is in some kind of jeopardy. Devils have told us that most men will be burned with them. God makes use of grateful "helpers trying to save their brethren" to help spread His fame and His name! This is the meaning of the analogy where Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of an ass and her colt, Isaiah 32:20. He accommodates us and lets us in our own way of thinking repay Him in a small way. Our tendency to do this reflects the love-nature that is really part of our true character. However God does not manifest Himself to many. This allows devils an opportunity to spoil the truth and use these men who have good intentions. Other devils are adept at denying anything and everything about God. Keep in mind that devils have continued to reproduce their offsprings and many generations of devils were not around when and where God manifested Himself powerfully. The men who worked those powerful works went up long ago. Who will bear witness to the truth of what is written? Preaching also served to announce the remote possibility of salvation to these younger devils and proffered them an opportunity to escape the condemnation of their parents. (But they all proved to be backward, incorrigible robots). So men became preachers for several reasons in God's scheme of things and He did not send most of them! They have "preached salvation to the spirits in prison" not previously condemned with their forefathers!
3. The term "Holy Spirit" is really a reference term for any angel or virtue who helps, teaches, or guides you rightly. Since they generally do not identify themselves by name, we say we are led by the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. God gives His upper sons and daughters commands concerning us informing them what they can say to enlighten us and help us in our daily trials. If one says, "God is leading me" or "the Holy Spirit is leading me", there is no difference. God is the source of all power and He has empowered devils to serve as sources for all negative works and all negative scripts. God is also the power of lions, eagles, killer-whales, snails, and Kentucky Fried Chicken shop workers. He is also the power of hurricanes, earthquakes, and snowstorms.
4. It is good for every servant to know that God cares. If God is seen to intervene personally on one's behalf, the person helped has his faith and trust strengthened. His love for God also increases dramatically. "Miracles" are not the panacea or the clincher some might think they are. They can only speak so many silent words. Many people are not very perceptive and may miss the point behind these events. But spoken words can convey every concept that a "miracle" scenario cannot convey or translate. Words can give proper explanations and promote a greater degree of understanding. That is the value of preaching and writing. There are many so-called miracle working televangelists doing their thing on this very day. Check these words: Matthew 24:[24] For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect Revelation 13: [11] And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. [12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.[13] And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, [14] And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast. A wise man will do well to view "miracle workers" with much skepticism. Demons empower so many of them in these things including those speaking in tongues! So why seek God in "miracles" under these conditions set and fixed for the END? What are those who seek these televangelists really seeing and learning? Can they see the Beast who is invisible to them or the demons on them who make them worship the Beast? I do not accept nor believe "their gospel".
5. I really cannot see a "difference" in how Christ is preached. Jesus is a kaleidoscopic symbol with many color-faces like a polished diamond. Sometimes men focus on different aspects of the glory given to him. The disciples were confused at times and thought Jesus, the man they knew, was God. It is because God used Jesus as a personal microphone on many occasions. Check this wording: John 14:[8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. [9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? [10] Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.[11] Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. They did not know that God can use anyone He wants as a microphone. But Balaam's ass taught me a lesson. Pentecost also taught me something about what God can and does do from time to time. The disciples' confusion is understandable. God is so much bigger than Christ. Jesus came in His name and glory as a role-player acting the glory of the Father. The Father also spoke through Him. But Jesus himself said he is the "son of God" and pointed men to our "Father which is in Heaven". Somewhere and somehow Paul could not separate the two beings. To him they were "one", but today we understand how the concept of oneness applies. Jesus is clothed in all prophecies pertaining to him including those in Psalms, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Enoch, Ezra, the Revelation, and the "GOOD NEWS". I see no problem with Peter and Paul growing from spiritual babes into men of God! It is written: Proverbs 4:[18] But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. You seem to have detected that these men were "talented", a bit heavier with light later than when they struggled to walk initially as babes. They changed. They grew! Now look at us 2000 years later. I preach a Jesus like the one they knew, but one more encompassing, ALL absorbing, one who can truly give rest from human efforts to evangelize the world for whatever reasons .... yet he is one of many sons. I do not diminish his glory. Our perspective and focus today sees him clearly as he is and it enhances our understanding of what Jesus means to all. But the Jesus I preach is also different from the Christ the apostles knew on earth and very different from the Jesus preached by ministers today.
Glorify God!
"GOOD NEWS"
God did it!