Posts of irnawan silitonga RSSTue, 16 Dec 2025 13:41:58 GMTThe End-Time HarvestBy: Irnawan SilitongaMany Christians assume that the ‘end-time harvest’ refers to a massive harvest of souls at the end of the age, or a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon every soul. Some even boldly claim that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (in Jerusalem) will occur again, leading to teachings about a “third Pentecost.” All such concepts of the ‘end-time harvest’, although perhaps pleasing to the ears, are not what the Bible teaches us at all.The Bible teaches that the ‘end-time harvest’ is the harvesting of souls that have already matured. The Greek term ‘therizō’, which appears 21 times in the NT, is an agricultural term meaning the gathering of ripe fruits from a field. Likewise, the Greek term ‘synagō’, which appears 59 times in the NT, fundamentally means ‘to gather a yield’. When these two Greek verbs are applied to the church, the meaning becomes the harvesting of souls that have matured—souls that are ready to be gathered for the glory of God and for the purposes He has prepared beforehand.We will explain the end-time harvest by examining the three major Jewish feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. All three are connected to the theme of harvest. We will also examine Revelation chapter 14, which relates to the end-time harvest.In broad terms, the harvest of souls connected with the Passover feast consists of the Jews (in the Mosaic dispensation) who believed in Jesus and received the New Covenant mediated by Him. Of course, God also had mature souls in the Old Testament era—His chosen ones. Next, the harvest of souls tied to Pentecost involves all of God’s chosen people throughout the church age, who will be manifested at the end of the age (Romans 8:19–21). Finally, during the Feast of Tabernacles, all humanity will be harvested through the ministry of the sons of God, as described in Romans 8:19–21. Through this brief writing, we hope to understand the harvesting of souls that have matured for ... Read more

]]>Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:41:58 GMTWorshiping ElohimBy: Irnawan SilitongaWe will discuss briefly the meaning of worshiping Elohim. This theme is quite interesting because in the Christian world many discussions have been made about worship—various ways of worship, the condition of the heart of a worshiper, and so on. It is even emphasized that the primary purpose for which humans were created is to worship Elohim. Many Bible teachers also say that in heaven we will worship the Lord forever.Let us begin our discussion with the Hebrew and Greek terms that are often translated as worship. In the Old Testament, the term frequently translated as ‘worship/to worship’ is ‘shachah’, which means ‘to bow down’, and also ‘to humble oneself out of reverence’. There is also another Hebrew term, ‘abad’, which means ‘to serve’, and is sometimes also translated as ‘worship’.In the New Testament there are several Greek terms translated as ‘worship’, such as ‘latreuo’ and ‘sebomai’, but the one that appears most frequently and is translated ‘worship’ is ‘proskuneo’, which means ‘to bow down’. In the Septuagint, the Hebrew term ‘shachah’ is translated ‘proskuneo’. These two terms—‘shachah’ (Hebrew) and ‘proskuneo’ (Greek), both meaning ‘to bow down’—are what we will examine to build a true understanding of what it means to worship Elohim.To understand the meaning of a term, we need to look at the first occurrence of that term in Scripture. In hermeneutics, this principle is called ‘the principle of first mention’. This principle asserts that the first occurrence of a term in Scripture carries a meaning that remains consistent throughout the Bible. That first meaning must not be removed; any later meanings added through subsequent occurrences may only ‘add’ to that first meaning, not erase or replace it.The first appearance of the Hebrew term ‘shachah’ occurs in the story of Abraham offering Isaac (Genesis 22). Verse 5 states, “Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go ove... Read more

]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:07:24 GMTThe Kingdom of Heaven in the Epistle to the RomansBy: Irnawan SilitongaAt this time, we will discuss the Kingdom of Heaven as revealed in the Epistle to the Romans, written by Paul. Although the term ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ or ‘Kingdom of God’ appears only once in this letter, that does not mean Paul preached a different gospel from the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God. During his two years in Rome, Paul proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ in the house he rented for himself (Acts 28:31). Clearly, Paul preached only the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven throughout his ministry. Indeed, the Lord Jesus, John the Baptist, and all the apostles preached only one gospel — the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.Consider Romans 14:17, which says: “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (LITV). In this verse, Paul explicitly declares that the Kingdom of Heaven is not about external things such as food, drink, or other material matters. The Kingdom of Heaven consists of things within the heavenly dimension — matters of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.However, this does not mean that the heavenly dimension exists outside of us. Let us examine several verses. Ephesians 2:6 affirms, “And raised us up together, and seated us together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.” The phrase ‘seated us together in the heavenlies’ in the original text means ‘to cause us to sit together (with Christ) in the heavenly dimension’. This means that we are already in the heavenly dimension (seated with Christ) right now, even though we still live in physical bodies. Philippians 3:20 also declares, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” The phrase ‘from which also’ is translated from the Greek ‘ek hos’, meaning that ‘we are already in the heavenly dimension, and therefore we await the coming of the Lord ... Read more

]]>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 10:30:48 GMThttps://housechurch.org/view-post/the-community-of-the-kingdom-of-heaven

]]>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 12:43:14 GMTChurch OfficesBy: Irnawan SilitongaWhen we talk about positions or offices in the church, many Christians immediately think of titles such as senior pastor, synod chairman, or other positions within an organizational context. None of these exist in the Book of Acts. Yet most Christians—even those called Bible teachers—overlook the clear truth revealed in the Book of Acts.There are around seventy instances in Acts referring to the Holy Spirit—phrases such as “the Spirit said,” “the Holy Spirit forbade,” “filled with the Spirit,” “the Spirit’s prompting,” and so on. This fact clearly shows that the early church was led directly by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul, Philip the evangelist, Stephen, Ananias, and all the Lord’s witnesses were directly guided by the Spirit. There was no manager leading the church, making plans, organizing, directing, and controlling systems. The church’s movement and expansion were entirely governed by the Holy Spirit. This fact is easily seen even with a single reading of the Book of Acts.Although there were leaders such as Peter, John, Paul, and the elders, they held no authority ‘over’ the church. They were true servants—examples of how to serve and how to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Their leadership was not an organizational position but a ministry function.Let us now look at the Greek term EPISKOPE, which appears only once in Acts 1:20 (and four times in the New Testament). It is translated as ‘office’ in many Indonesian versions, and as oversight, place of leadership, or office in various English versions. However, by looking at the surrounding verses, we can understand the true meaning of EPISKOPE—it refers to the responsibility of serving as a witness of Christ’s resurrection (v. 22). Therefore, EPISKOPE refers to a ‘function’ or responsibility of ministry, not a position or title as in an organization.Next, let us consider the Indonesian words ‘penilik’ or ‘penatua’ (overseer or elder). These are t... Read more

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