Strange Fire

This week has seen the Strange Fire Conference in the United States hosted by John MacArthur, a conference accusing those in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement of being in error, of wrongly dividing Scripture and encouraging experiences and ministries that are false and so leading the church of God astray.

The big questions being asked and answered are, should people be experiencing the baptism in the Spirit today? Should they prophesy and speak in tongues today? Should we lay hands on the sick and expect healing today? All answered in the negative, because it is argued Scripture says so, and they want those who believe otherwise to know and be corrected.

The fact is, it doesn’t, you have to draw lines where there are non, read things into rather than out of Scripture. Yes they may call Calvin to their defense, but please Calvin’s word doesn’t have the same authority as Scripture. And yes they may call the lack of such experiences at some periods in church history as evidence, but that is not to argue from Scripture, but experience or the lack of it.

I was brought up a cessationist, I know the arguments, I encountered Pentecostals, was impacted by their life and witness. They spoke in tongues and believed God heals today. I wrestled with the Scriptures. Was encouraged to believe that it was of the devil. But I had never seen such devotion and passion for Jesus, such a desire to know him and witness to him, such passion in worship and prayer, and no they weren’t speaking in tongues all the time and neither were they swinging from the chandeliers!

Yes, frequently the stories and objections were based on hearsay, frequently generalisations – yes there are some that do the movement no good, but please that applies across the whole church. Such arguments are false and misleading and sadly this seems to be the approach of this conference.

Praise God I came to see that I was reading Scripture through the lens of my own tradition, and my, how tradition can be blinding. Praise God for the witness of those I encountered. And oh, I wanted God, not just words. I wanted reality, not just form. Praise God I met him, I was powerfully baptised in the Spirit and suddenly my Christian life took on a whole new dynamic, a dynamic that was rooted in Scripture itself.

Are you quenching the Spirit?

In the last post we looked at the baptism and fullness of the Spirit, in this one we are asking the question, are you quenching the Spirit?

A quick glance over the New Testament very quickly reveals the dynamic of a God who was present with his people, present in person and present in power. The writers describe his coming and activity in a a variety of ways – wind, fire, falling upon, different languages, prophecy… God wasn’t simply a creed, information in a Book, but One who was present to his people in a very real, personal, and powerful way in their lives, meetings and ministry.

I wonder when you read the story do you see it as something that simply belongs to the birth of the church, a bygone day, never to be repeated? If so you are quenching the Spirit. As Peter said the ‘promise is for you and your children, and to all who are far off, everyone who the Lord calls to himself’  (Acts 2:39). No cessation but a glorious promise for all God’s people through every generation and in every land.

Maybe you think you are not good enough and so ruling yourself out, if so you are quenching the Spirit. Peter said the promise was for all God’s people, and it was never about you being good enough – Jesus is our claim on the promise! Peter said, ‘repent and be baptised …. and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 2:38). He is a gift, not a reward, and you need Him, now.

On the other hand maybe you have known something of the Spirit, yes you had a real encounter, knew what it was to move in the things of the Spirit, but today you are empty, dry….. Let me assure you God doesn’t want you to stay that way, the enemy does. Perhaps it was sin, if so Jesus has paid the price, seek his forgiveness and cleansing, and come and receive again.

On the other hand it might have been a bad experience in church that has caused hurt and disillusionment, and today you are quenching the Spirit. Whatever your circumstance (and I’ve been there) it’s the enemy who wants you to remain that way and thereby rob you of God’s presence and power in your life today. You will need to go to God and pray it out. You will need to forgive those who’ve offended you – the Holy Spirit who is already with you can help you in that. Invite his presence, seek his help, come and be released and be filled again.

Maybe you think the Spirit is for today, just not things like tongues, prophecy, manifestations…. if so you are quenching the Spirit. The promise was never divided up and apportioned differently to following generations. The Spirit is God present to his people in glorious fullness and as such he loves to distribute gifts that reveal to us the heart and purposes of God.

On the other hand maybe you are a ‘Word’ person, that’s where it’s at. You know the Word through and through, you are sound in doctrine, but you wouldn’t go near the things of the Spirit, if so you are quenching the Spirit.  Now I love the Word, I believe in sound doctrine, but with all respect Jesus didn’t promise a Book, but a Person – Holy Spirit (remember the early church didn’t have access to the Bibles we do for many years). As someone who loves the Word I know that it is something I can hide behind, and it can easily be all about my mind, whereas the Spirit is about a Person, a Presence, a relationship. We are called to be people of the Word and Spirit, to be filled with then both (Ephesians 5:18 and Colossians 3:16), and no they are not saying the same thing.

Maybe it’s your personality, you say it’s just not me, I’m quiet, reserved (so was I!) – then you are quenching the Spirit. They are arguments that relate to the flesh, the fallen world, but now we are new creations in Christ and the presence of his Spirit can not only transform our lives but personalities as well. Maybe God has given you a word, but your shyness, your fear, has held you back. Don’t allow it to, life in the Spirit involves stepping out in faith – trust God and step out allowing his Spirit to work through you and bring his word to others and a greater flow in your life.

Maybe you fear allowing him to work in your church, your meetings are not like those in the New Testament, everything is held tight,  everything is predictable, then you are quenching the Spirit. The church is meant to be the temple of the living God, the dwelling place of God by the Spirit, the place of his presence and activity and therefore full of his life, love and power.

The Spirit has been given, have you received him?

The Spirit has been given, will you allow him to work in and through you in his own wonderful ways?

Be encouraged, God is for you, and he wants you to know the fullness of His Spirit, the promise of His presence and power is for you. Don’t quench him any longer but come and be filled, and who knows what God will do in and through your life and church!!

A Spirit-filled Life

A Spirit-filled life

Our tendency in the West is to make everything a matter of the mind, and therefore a matter of comprehension, rationalism, security and safety that manifests itself in utter predictability.

I find myself wondering why some want to say that to be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with the Word as what Paul says in Ephesians 5:18 “be filled with the Spirit” and Collossians 3:16 “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…” are one and the same thing. Are they really?

There may be parallels, but they are not the same.

Christianity was never meant to be about a mere intellectualism – a rational comprehension to a certain number of facts faithfully believed. Now please don’t hear me wrong or read the wrong thing into this the Word is vitally important, studying it is important, without it we have no sure foundation or compass, but are we really hearing what it saying when we say that both the texts above are one and the same thing?

Christianity is about a spiritual dynamic….

To be a Christian is to be born from above, of the Spirit (John 3).

To be a Christian is to be possessed by God – without him dwelling in us we are not Christians (check out Romans 8).

To be a Christian is to know the Spirit witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God (Romans 8).

To be a Christian is to experience the love of God being poured into our lives by the Spirit.

To be a Christian is to be sealed by the Spirit.

To be a Christian is to know the Spirit giving us access to the Father.

To be a Christian is to know real fellowship with God by and in the Spirit.

To be a Christian is to know righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

To be a Christian is to know that I am joined to the body of Christ – a dynamic living community who corporately experience the presence of God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22)

To be a Christian is to be led by the Spirit – a supernatural dynamic of relationship with God.

To be a Christian is to know that I am not limited to my ability to comprehend the text as God is able to reveal and teach me by his Spirit (Ephesians 1:17).

To be a Christian is to know the power of the Spirit enabling us to live brand new lives.

To be a Christian is to know that when we fall short the Spirit will also convict us of sin.

To be a Christian is to know the Spirit continually pointing us to Christ.

To be a Christian is to know that we can also quench the Spirit as he seeks to work through our lives.

To be a Christian is to know that whatever our creation gifts maybe we are not limited to or by them as he gives gifts of the Spirit.

To be a Christian is to know that the Spirit can give us songs in the night.

To be a Christian is know the power of God’s Spirit taking us beyond our fears and limitations to do things way beyond us.

To be a Christian is to know that in my weakness in prayer his Spirit comes through.

To be a Christian is to be open to dreams and visions and prophecy and miracles and tongues and interpretation.

To be a Christian is to be able to hear God speaking to us in a way we understand.

To be a Christian is know that I need to be filled and filled again (Ephesians 5:18).