After watching a hundred BAD reports showing Pentecostals as hillbillies and illiterate ignoramuses I was glad to see a pretty well balanced report from Nightline last night. You can look at it online here.
The question I find myself answering is why do you Pentecostals keep talking about and even seemingly pushing the whole Tongues thing? We don't think we are. What we hope will happen is others will discover this amazing gift and enter into it. This dimension has so transformed so many of us that its hard not to enthuse and encourage others in it. It's so real and tangible.
I sent out notice to about a hundred people about last night's program. I got some blowback. I plan to be respectful but I will publicly answer the blowback because what was said must be answered. Even if you didn't send me an angry email in response the blowback existed. That will be another post
The essence of the blowback is: We accept that for some this gift is important, but we want you to go back to the cave you came from and leave us alone. We're happy living in our unchallenging and unchallenged spiritual apathy.
I will not embarrass the man who sent this but I will take on the whole issue in another post.
He was really put out by my contention that a Ministry Leader is less effective without the gift of the Holy Spirit than with it. He said I thought I was superior to him. NO, I'm not. The Gift is. I am not the Gift. Show me two people with equal intellect and training, one Baptised in the Holy Ghost, one not, Place them both in spiritual leadership. There is absolutely NO CONTEST. The man full of the Holy Ghost will be the superior leader every time. The problem is we have people who end up in leadership because of the spiritual gifting they have without the intellect or training. The gift makes up the difference. But they are like the disciples, ignorant fishermen. God's best might have been to have Gamaliel and Nicodemus full of the Holy Ghost leading. I'm talking about apples for apples here.
He suggested I read a "Respected" charismatic theologian like Gordon Fee for balance in this area. I have and did. So I reviewed his missives on the issue of Spirit Filled Leadership. Fee says, "The biblical view is less authority-driven and more Spirit-driven. Human nature loves to ask the question, who's in charge around here? But Spirit-gifting leads to a more creative environment - so the Spirit can use people to minister in love." The Priority Of Spirit-Gifting For Church Ministry (Gordon Fee)
I don't like using other people's books and opinions to prove a point about scripture when scripture is best at proving itself. It's not that hard if you hear the voice of the Spirit instructing you. Bookstores exist to give a second rate voice to a silent Spirit of God in non-charismatic people. I submit it would be better NOT to read the book and have the Spirit of God instruct you. He's better at it.
I recommend you watch the video. I recommend you think about it. God has so much more for you. You are stepping over one of the great gateway gifts purchased at the cross FOR YOU. Isn't it worth taking another look at?
4 comments:
You can't unilaterally equate the indwelling of the Holy Spirit with the gift of tongues.
Brother Aaron,
Now that you have said that I MUST make the full equation. I hope you won't be disgusted or angry. In fact the fullness of the Holy Spirit (Baptism of the Holy Ghost) IS and ONLY CAN BE evidenced by the Gift of Tounges.
I will make my point not in a comment box but in a full post. I respect and even admire your depth of Spiritual dimension so greatly that Nothing less would be appropriate.
Please ask, debate, give chapter and verse, demonstrate by the word of God where I am wrong. I think you may have been specifically qualified to hear and debate what the Spirit has to say about this subject. This has been taught so wrong so long in seminaries and mainline denominations that its time for some truth serum.
I am open to debate, in fact, if you or anyone you know who is as good as you wants to guest post an opposing view (you must follow the 20 rules of debate I posted earlier) then I would love to lay out what the word says about all this. I will faithfully and unedited post any contra opinions that aren't redundant or that don't violate the 20 rules.
One caution. I have little interest in what some scholar said about this from some college or book he wrote. EVERYTHING I will use in my thesis will be purely from the word of God.
Put on your seat belt Aaron and anyone else prepared for truth. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. Let's just see how far that rabbit trail goes.
I'm going to believe for the Spirit of Revelation to come over readers of what should be a rich discussion.
I can sum this up in a word -FEAR. Not knowing, being afraid of letting go, being afraid of releasing everything that is within me to use for the glory of God and His Kingdom, etc...
Courage is fear that has said it's prayers.
Wow - if I didn't have the Holy Ghost inside me, I couldn't do anything. Period. Actually, I don't anyways. It's He who is within me that does it all.
Why is it people are always afraid of truth? I'm so glad I have it. Give us MORE truth (and I mean the Word).
Life is so much easier and fulfilling when I'm not controling it - and it's ALL due to having the Holy Ghost within me. Simple and true.
Ben
I'm not in a debate or following any 20 rules of debate, but I have a comment. The Word says, "now there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.....to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good......all these (gifts, maifestations?) are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, JUST AS HE DETERMINES." "Are all apostles....are all, etc.... Do all speak in tongues?" In New Test. Greek, when the question is prefaced by "mee"(pronounced 'may')
then the expected anser is negative. The answer to all those short questions in 1 Cor. 12:29-30 is "NO". "Do all speak in tongues"? NO. That is the answer of the Word of God. And now I will show you the most excellent way...read 1 Corinth. 13 If one desires the FULLNESS of the Holy Spirit I guess he/she in his/her own person would have to own ALL the listed gifts of the Spirit which are found in the Bible....1 Corinthians, Ephesians 4, Ro.12; 1 Peter 4,etc..
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