Thursday, December 01, 2005

 

A Little More About The Gifts

Adrian Warnock pointed to this post by Pastor Shaun which is one of the more eloquent and beautiful descriptions of the "cessasionist experience" I have read.

Adrain has placed me solidly in the Reformed Charismatic camp and I will accept that label, but there is one thing I want to make very clear -- I have never personally enjoyed a miraculous manifestation of the Spirit. I agree with everything Pastor Shaun says whole-heartedly and completely, the only difference that I have with him is that I do not see where anything he says rules out miraculous gifting. (although on a side note, I would remind Pastor Shaun that healings and other miracles are fairly common in third world churches.)
That kind of joy and those sweet encounters with God occur weekly in cessationist churches, too. We call them singing, praying, confessing, hearing, and responding to the Gospel of God. The sweetness of the Spirit's working occurs not because of the presence of miraculous gifts, but because of the presence of the grace of Christ, by His Spirit, molding and making us from within into God's new creation. The sweetness of encountering God comes as we, by faith, are lifted up the very throne room of God in worship.

We do not need miraculous signs when we have God himself.
Pastor Shaun is right when it comes to priority and preference and most especially a reliance on faith not miracles - but that fact was true in the apostolic age as it is today. And yet, the apostolic age was full of signs and miracles. Pastor Shaun refers to the miracles of Jesus' ministry but does not address those of the apostles, or the early diciples. Why would God change tactics with the death of John? (No, not me -- the Apostle John)

I am a continuationist mostly becasue I can't find a reason not to be. The argument for cessationism lies in the special office of the apostle. That would be fair if miracles did not manifest in the disciples as well.

I have steadfastly held all along that miraculous manifestations are far more rare than full blown charismatics would contend, and probably quite a bit more rare than Adrian would contend. Particularly when it comes to healings, prophesy and other more public manifestations. The bottom line for most people that really hold to experience is their private prayer language -- something entirely for personal edification and when properly practiced won't be publicly visible, or discussed much for that matter. I've seen this be a blessing in too many other lives not to grant it some credence.

The problem is not the gifts -- the problem is our practice of them, more importantly, our mispractice of them. That's why clear thinking reformed types could prove to be the great grace needed by the wild-haired charismatics.

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