We have somehow come to the conclusion that by making or seeking signs and wonders that we will force God’s presence to be with us. We have bought into the mind set that God only shows up in the revival meetings where the signs and wonders are evident. The rest of the time we are in the desert just playing church. I remember going to tent meetings in my home town when I was 16. Our church was all exited about these revival meetings. When the preacher asked for those who wanted more of the Holy Spirit I went up to receive. People were falling over in the Spirit, when the preacher got to me he started pushing really hard on my head. Pushing me back he told me to stand up straight close my eyes and put my arms up. And then with his other hand he hit the hand on my head and knocked me down. The guy catching me said “praise God” while I said “ouch”. I had experienced being “slain” or knocked over by the power of the Spirit before. This was nothing like that, as soon as I hit the ground, I was angry, how could someone try to manipulate the experience of God’s presence? I left the tent meeting that night disappointed that someone would try to create an experience and then tell me that it was God’s presence at work. I am not against signs and wonders. I have prayed and seen a girl healed of cancer, I prayed for a baby that was supposed to die, who is now four years old. This has nothing to do with my ability to create signs and wonders but the fact that I got a front row seat to see God intervene.
We need to teach the presence of God at all times. We need to teach the Elijah experience from
1 Kings 19
11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the
presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the
mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the
earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the
fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
We name our youth ministries Fire ______, or ________ wind, or we talk about the power of God that is like an earthquake and shakes us. I think a number of our youth ministries should be called the James Bond Martini. “Shaken not stirred” Our kids are shaken by the power of God but not stirred to action and living it out. To me the idea that God is in the gentle whisper is much more comforting than being in the fire, wind or earthquake. It means that God is with me all the time, not just in church or “Revival Meetings”. That God doesn’t just live at YC and Camp. But that he is with me at all times.
We need to teach that tongues are a gift of the Holy Spirit not the Holy Spirit. We need to teach that signs and wonders, tongues and miracles are not the purpose of the Holy Spirit but a result of his presence. That this presence is about living in the Spirit.
Life by the Spirit – Galatians 5
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and
you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature
desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the
sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what
you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,
fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness,
orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this
will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ
Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we
live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become
conceited, provoking and envying each other.
That the Holy Spirit empowers us to live as witnesses who possess;
A transforming love to a world that hates. A love that is defined in 1 Corinthians 13.
1 Corinthians 13
Love
1If I speak in the tongues[a]
of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a
clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries
and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not
love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body
to the flames,[b]
but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It
does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does
not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always
trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where
there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be
stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and
we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned
like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see
but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know
in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now
these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Joy speaks of hope and happiness in the midst of misery.
The peace of God, it calms our minds but also allows us to live in peaceful relationships.
Patience is the ability to put up with people even when tired. To be “slow to anger” Joel 2:13
Kindness is mirroring the kindness that God shows to man.
Goodness the primary function of goodness is found in generosity.
Faithfulness is dependable it is a measure of our character.
“Gentleness describes the person who is so much in control of himself that he is always angry at the right time and never angry at the wrong time” (Aristotle)
Self-Control is the quality that gives victory over fleshly desires.
This is what discipleship is. We have for too long neglected true Spiritual formations. We have allowed people to believe that the Holy Spirit magically makes us super Christians.
1 comment:
Excellent discertation on Pentacostalism. As someone that has grown up in a Pentacostal church for most of my life, I have felt the inadequacy and the "what's wrong with me?" that I experienced after going forward to receive "the gift". I came away not having the speaking gift and still, to this day, have not had that experience. Yet I very much identify with Pentacostals. I have experienced some phenominal Godly people who "get it". I have also experienced those very narrow focused Pentacostals who almost infer that there is something wrong with your salvation if you do not have the "speaking gift". A very prominant Pentacostal minister said to me that "in the great freight train of being filled with the Holy Spirit, some Pentacostals place too much emphasis on the toot of the whistle". As someone who experienced the "shame" of not being so blessed with "tongues", I made it a point of finding out as much as I could on the subject of "the gifts of the Spirit". What I realized, was that the Pentacostal church that I attended did a poor job of explaining a sound "Doctrine of the Holy Spirit", and what "being filled" really meant and how it should be manifested in our everyday lives. I have two books in my possession that should be required reading for every person that calls themselves Pentacostal or for that person who is searching for that "extra" in their personal walk with God. These two books are not authored by a Pentacostal preacher, but go into such detail with such clarity that there is no doubt, in my mind, that one who is searching will find these two books of immense value. The titles are "Joy Unspeakable" and "The Sovereign Spirit" by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
I am blessed by your blog. God bless you and your young family.
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