|
|
|
|
THEIR
APOLOGETIC The Following document is what is given out at the Grand Rapids Assembly of God. It was written by the Pastor's brother-in-law who attends a congregation undergoing revival in California. My refutation of his comments is in bold red type. Possibly download this for ease of reading. "I'M NOT SURE I LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON" The following was written by a layman and board member of an A. O. G. church where a recent spiritual revival has been accompanied by numerous manifestations that brought concern. His search for answers to his own questions and those of others drove him to his knees in prayer and to the Scriptures. What follows is his discovery. Perhaps as this new revival has begun, you have questioned some of the things God is doing in our midst. Perhaps you have even questioned if it is really God Who is doing it. That's perfectly understandable, especially for those who have never experienced, or been exposed to, powerful outpourings of the Holy Spirit as He deals with people's lives in a very dynamic way. 'Your questions and concerns are welcome! Certainly, no one wants to be involved in any activity that is ungodly or phony (or worse). And with the many counterfeit cults in our society - all of whom are making incredible claims and experiencing what may seem to be supernatural events - it is essential that we know we are involved in something truly Godly and Biblically sound. Your questions are to be commended, just as the Apostle Paul commended the Greeks in Berea for studying the Scriptures to determine if what he was claiming about Jesus was truly sound teaching (Acts 17:11). What is taking place at Foothill Community Church (and in many other church bodies throughout the country) is a true blessing from God, with unquestioned Biblical precedent. I pray this short paper will clear up any concerns or questions you may have. One of the reasons some people question a new and refreshing outpouring of God's power is that it is just different from that with which we have become "comfortable." When God's presence and manifestations are suddenly more evident and uncomfortable, some may naturally find that difficult to handle and may then find God's movement uncomfortable. I would urge those people to avoid putting human limitations on what God can do. He is the Sovereign Lord and can do as He will. The questions we must all address privately in our own hearts are, "Do I really want ALL that God has for me, even it if makes me initially uncomfortable? Or, do I want to remain at the level of relationship I am now? If God offers me more, am I willing to accept it or not?" These are very serious considerations! Let me offer a simple but, I pray, not inadequate example: I have children and grandchildren who all love Christmas morning. They are delighted and excited and filled with wonder and joy as they open their gifts. But, I have never had one of my kids say, "Dad, I have enough gifts; I don't want these other gifts I haven't opened." (If you're a parent, that's probably not happened to you either!) Yet, he could refuse them, and I would be foolish to try and force an unwanted gift on my child. Of course, he's still my child and I still love him more than I can describe, but I still wish he would have accepted more from me because I know it would bring more joy into his life. Much in the same way, our Heavenly Father has
wonderful gifts for us (Paul discusses them in detail in I Cor.
12-14). God will not force them upon us and we can refuse them.
And we can still remain his child. But we are only hurting
ourselves because we are rejecting a loving gift from a loving
Father Who only wants us to have more joy and peace and an even
closer relationship with Him. Other people are uncomfortable with powerful moves of God's Spirit because men have consistently sought to earn God's acceptance by their own performance. Men often come to think of their relationship with God only in terms of externals. They think that just by observing certain rules and regulations, or by performing certain rituals, or by dutifully speaking certain words, they can stay in favor with God. Sadly, many churches today are physically very comfortable and socially very friendly, but the worship of God is shallow and unfulfilling and void of God's presence. It's what is happening in the heart that is important to God. Through His prophets, the Lord sets us straight concerning this. Amos 5:21-23 tells us He despises, He hates our formal and ritualistic worship, our empty sacrifices, and our passionless singing. Isaiah 58:4-5 condemns mock solemnity. Jeremiah 7:4 speaks against lip-service devotion. That does not mean our worship must always be wild or emotional. In fact, the Apostle Paul frequently cautioned against excesses and loss of order in church services. However, the problems he counseled against were problems with man, not God or His Holy Spirit. God wants us to love Him "with all our heart and soul and mind" (Matt 22:37). Jesus said this is "the first and greatest commandment." In other words, we are to love and worship Him, and not just seek after an "experience." Having said that, however, we cannot ignore the fact that experiencing the spiritual reality of a divine encounter may have definite physiological consequences. God is Almighty God He is so awesome, so powerful, so incredibly wonderful, and so totally beyond our comprehension or ability to understand that to be in His holy presence or to be filled with His Spirit can be more than our bodies can bear in a "normal" sense. That's why spiritual gifts and divine encounters should not be pursued frivolously or lightly. Eph. 5:18 tells us to "be filled with the Spirit." The Greek verb is present tense, imperative mood, which means it is an ongoing command. Let me repeat that: First, it is ongoing: we are to be continually filled with the Spirit. Secondly, it is a command: the true servant of God has no option in this matter. However, the verb is also in the passive voice, which means it is not something we can do alone or through our own efforts. It is, rather, something done for us by God and to which we submit. Understanding this clearly will dismiss the criticism of some who want to believe this experience is something conjured up by human suggestion or emotional excitement. In fact, it is a responsibility of the pastors' and deacons' spiritual discernment to not allow false emotionalism to enter into sincere worship. Finally, let me address some of the most frequent physical manifestations you may encounter in a spiritual revival; namely, speaking in tongues, falling down involuntarily (being "slain in the Spirit"), trembling and shaking, etc. Of course, these are unnatural in a human, physical sense, and they may lead some to ask very sincerely held questions, but that is precisely what makes them supernatural and godly. /I assure you they are all sc,,'0turally sound In our literature rack is a brochure explaining in detail the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues as a physical manifestation of that Baptism. It is self-explanatory, so you can read it at your leisure if you have any questions on that subject. I will address here the other phenomena. Let me say first that I am not a deep theologian. There are, no doubt, many articles and explanations better than what is to follow. However, God makes these things simple enough for anyone with an open mind to understand, so I'm sure if you prayerfully consider this, then God will reveal His will to you. There are several incidents in the Bible which demonstrate that the immediate presence of God is more than the human body can physically stand. Moses was told a man would instantly die if he were to catch even a glimpse of God because man would not be able to stand His wonder and glory (Exodus. 33:18-23). It certainly makes sense, then, that we are not able to retain our "normal" control if permeated with God's Spirit or visited with His divine and holy presence. Dan. 10:4-11 describes an encounter with a
powerful angel. Daniel reported, "I had no strength left, my
face turned deathly pale, and I was helpless... I fell into a
deep sleep, my face to the ground." If the visible presence
of a heavenly being can do that, then, logically, does it not
seem reasonable that we would certainly have a physical reaction
to God the Holy Spirit Himself? There are several instances where the prophet
Ezekiel was in the presence of God-(Ezek. 3:22-24; 8:3; 43:1-5).
In these cases, Ezekiel usually found himself on his face and
able to get up only when raised up by the Lord. In Acts, we read of the Apostle Paul's encounter
with the Lord on the road to Damascus. In chapter nine and in
chapter twenty-two, we are told that when Jesus' glory surrounded
Paul, he "fell to the ground." The same Greek verb is
used in both cases and its literal meaning is an unintentional
fall. One of the most significant examples is in John
18:4-6, where we read of Jesus' arrest. When Jesus identified
Himself to the soldiers who were arresting Him, we're told they
"drew back and fell to the ground." These troops (who
were pagan unbelievers and only viewed Jesus as another criminal
to arrest) were involuntarily smitten by God's glory. His momentary unleashing of His inherent power as God. Even these ungodly men could not physically stand up in the presence of His holiness and glory. (John uses the same Greek verb used in Acts to describe Paul's encounter with Christ's glory.) Also in Acts, there are several instances of
believers being filled with the Holy Spirit. In most of these
instances, it says specifically they spoke in tongues. In one
instance where it does not specifically say that (Acts 8), we
know something physical happened because Simon the sorcerer
wanted to buy from the apostles the ability to cause it. In the
second chapter of Acts (on the Day of Pentecost), some in the
crowd thought the disciples were drunk when they were baptized in
the Holy Spirit. This cannot be just because the disciples were
speaking in tongues. We're told later the tongues were the
unlearned foreign languages of those in the crowd. The people
would not think a person drunk with wine just because that person
was speaking his language. No, there was obviously something
about the disciples' demeanor that made them appear out of
natural, sober control of their movements, and that was caused
solely by the Holy Spirit. Eph. 5:18 tells us to "not get
drunk on wine" but "instead be filled with the
Spirit." The
"drunken" issue: In Jerusalem there were multitudes
and if you have ELEVEN (not 120) men (who were NOT PRIESTS) stand
up and begin to LOUDLY proclaim God's glory in public the natural
response would be "they are drunk." Paul's statement in Eph. 5:18 should be obvious to even the casual reader (unless they have an agenda). Too much alcohol makes one LOOSE CONTROL. Paul says be filled with the Spirit and that condition is one of SUPREME SELF-CONTROL. He is making a CONTRAST. Being filled with the Spirit does not produce the same effects as alcohol. If it did people in the world would be flocking to the Church! Think about it. These "river" folks want to tie in the account in Acts and Eph. to explain why they have folks staggering around, unable to drive, totally out-of-control as being "filled with the Spirit." When the Holy Spirit is in control of a believers life there will be (1) great clarity of thought, (2) self-control, one of the Spirit's fruits, etc. . . not foolish behavior. Scripturally, there are many, many other examples
of the impact of the power of God's presence on people. In one
case, Daniel said, "While he was speaking to me, I was in a
deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and
raised me to my feet" (Dan. 8:18). At the end of this
visitation, Daniel "was exhausted and lay ill for several
days." Again, the overwhelming presence of God's holiness
was more than his physical body could stand (Dan. 8:27).
Describing another vision, Daniel reported he was
"helpless" and added, "My strength is gone and I
can hardly breathe" (Dan. 10:16-17). In II Chron. 5, there
is a description of God's glory filling the newly-completed
Temple. It says, "The priests could not perform their
service ... for the glory of the Lord filled the Temple"
(v.14). In Rev. 1:18, the Apostle John (who 60 years earlier had
been one of Jesus' best friends) saw the now-exalted Christ in
His glory and "fell at His feet as though dead." Other physical manifestations - all with Scriptural precedent - can include shaking, trembling, or jerking. In Jer. 23:9, it says, "My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine, because of the Lord and His holy words." Other examples of trembling are in Habakkuk 3:16 and Psalm 114:7. Paul describes the deep groanings of intercessory
prayer in Rom. 8:26 and in Gal 4:17. Ezra and Nehemiah describe
prayers filled with heavy weeping and deep bowing in the Lord's
presence (Ezra 10:1; Neh. 1:4). Similar descriptions are in
Psalms 35:13-14 and 126:5-6, and in Joel 2:12. The reaction we may have to being overcome by the
Lord's presence is not humanly predictable. His ways are not our
ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Is. 55:9). The
physical reaction to being touched by God's power can be as loud
as holy laughter (Ps. 126:2-3) or it can be as quiet as just
being still and solemn in His awesome presence (Ps. 27:14,31:7,
and 131:2). There can also be incredibly supernatural
consequences to our natural bodies. For example, in I Kings 18,
we read of the prophet Elijah's confrontation with King Ahab and
his 450 pagan prophets of Baal. This was an all-day-long
incident. After the very hard labor of building a stone altar,
digging a large trench, carrying wood, butchering a bull,
offering sacrifice and prayer, and seizing and killing the false
prophets, we're told Elijah then climbed to the top of Mount
Carmel, which is nearly", 1800 feet above sea level. I'm
sure we would all have to agree that Elijah must have been pretty
weary by this point in the day. Yet, we are told in verse 46,
that the "power of the Lord God" came upon Elijah and
he then "ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel." Let
me be sure you understand that: After what would be a physically
exhausting day for any man, Elijah then ran well over 2O miles,
and did so faster than Ahab could cover that distance in a chariot! Additionally, there are many incidents in the
Bible in which dead people were miraculously brought back to
life. As Christians read these accounts, they are blessed by the
knowledge that God is all-powerful and has total control over our
bodies. He is the sole Source and Creator of life and can do
whatever He will with the atoms and molecules of our physical
bodies, even if it is to re-create them out of nothing or to put
life back into them! Yet, some of these same Christians who
readily accept God's ability and power to raise the dead or to
supernaturally empower Elijah to run after a full day's labor) a
marathon faster than a horse, are now hesitant to accept that
God's power would merely knock someone off their feet! The simple, bottom line when considering all that
is happening in our church is to remember that a thing is either
godly or it is not. If it is not godly, there will be no good
fruit and it will quickly wither, we have seen much good
fruit already in the changed lives, tremendous testimonies, and
increased devotion, praise, and worship in the lives of those
involved in this revival. As Gamaliel said in Acts S, "Let
them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will
be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to
overthrow them, or else you may even be found fighting against
God." Also, if you believe these occasional
manifestations are not godly, then you are also forced to accept
that all these testimonies are false, that all those who are
being saved are really not being saved, that all the pastor and
deacons unanimously deceived, and that people can sin sincerely worship and praise God while simultaneously allowing Satan to
manipulate them. (In I Kings 17:24, just before the story about
Elijah on Mount Carmel, we are told of Elijah's prayer which brought a woman's son back to life. The woman's response was,
"Now I know you are a man of God and that the word of the
Lord in your mouth is truth.") There are many here who have testified
publicly they went to the altar skeptically, determined they
"won't fall down," and then did so
involuntarily, some unable to move or arise for an
hour or more. To doubt this, you must either believe they are
lying or have only experienced a false emotional experience. Can
a person tearfully praise God one moment and then bow to demonic
influence the next? Does it seem reasonable that a person would
do that? Jesus Himself told us we cannot serve two masters. The Bible itself gives us a test for the genuineness of any move of the Spirit. In I In 4:1-3, it says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this, you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God." If you have a real question about whether someone
manifesting a spiritual gift or falling under the Spirit's power
is operating under a true godly Spirit, then follow john's
admonition! Ask that person if he or she believes Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, Who came in the flesh, was crucified as
our sacrifice for sin, and rose from the dead victorious over
death and sin. If they answer," No!", then you are
witnessing a satanic counterfeit. If they answer,
"Yes!", then you are witnessing a true movement of
God's supernatural power and must then make a very serious
decision about how much of God you want in your life. We cannot put the Almighty God of the universe in
a comfortable box. God will be God and do as He pleases. And if
He is mercifully and graciously choosing to allow His Spirit to
bless us, we can only plead, "More, Lord, more!" The recent belief system among Charismatic extremists is that God is doing a "new thing" that is without precedent. The only way they can attempt to defend these manifestations is by pulling texts from the O.T. out of context. Or trying to use a few texts in Acts and try to make them normative for the Church. Some now in the Prophetic Movement use John's statement that all the books in the world could not contain all that Jesus began to do and say. . .so what is happening today is OUTSIDE the Biblical example, as it should be! All they have done is OPEN the DOOR for any type of extra-biblical manifestation and teaching. Their guide and ruler is subjective fruit. Written by Charles L Williams, a businessman living in Sacramento, CA, where he is a deacon of Foothills Community Church of God church in Roseville). Prior to his business experience as an insurance and investment broker, Charles was a Lt. Col. in the Air Force Recently, in response to a call to a teaching ministry as Professor of Biblical Studies at Trinity Bible College in Sacramento. Charles received a license to preach from the Assemblies of God. He is the brother of Kathy Benson. |
|
Send mail to
webmaster@discernment.org with
questions or comments about this web site.
|