Authority and Inspiration

I understand that the intent in making a distinction between inspiration and illumination is to (rightly) safeguard the authority of Scripture. But a problem here is that it is the same Holy Spirit at work in both activities. And I think the Spirit is just as authoritative today as when the Spirit spoke in the past. We are not talking about a different Spirit!

One might think, “but the biblical authors were writing down God’s very words!” In a sense, this is true. At the same time, Luke says that he “carefully investigated everything” and that he “decided to write” about Jesus (Luke 1:3). For the most part, it seems the biblical authors, like Luke, did not know they were writing Scripture, and many didn’t even perceive that they were inspired by the Holy Spirit—this is something that the Church has discerned. And the Church and Christians continue to discern when and where God is speaking.

To be clear, I am not trying to downplay the authority of Scripture. I am simply making the point that the Spirit spoke through biblical authors and continues to speak today; and these two experiences are not as different as many might think.

The Holy Spirit and Prophecy

A couple of years ago at the Society for Pentecostal Studies, my colleague, Dr. Stephen Barkley, gave a presentation where he compared the experience of Old Testament (OT) prophecy with the experience of charismatic prophecy in Canadian Pentecostal churches today.

Barkley explained that when he asks people what the difference is between OT prophecy and contemporary prophecy, most people respond that they are very different, especially because the OT prophets are Scripture and therefore authoritative. One problem with this, Barkley observed, is that there is a coherence between the OT and today in how the person prophesying experiences the Spirit in receiving and giving prophecy. (Barkley’s work is now published in the book Pentecostal Prophets: Experience in Old Testament Perspective.)

I would add that another problem with the common response is that it is the same Holy Spirit that spoke through the prophets in the OT (2 Peter 1:21) that is still speaking through authentic (I emphasize authentic) prophecy today. So, they must both be authoritative!

Like what I said above about “illumination,” the problem here is that too many people, including Pentecostal pastors, want to distinguish the authority of the Spirit speaking in the past from the authority of the Spirit speaking to God’s people today. But…to reemphasize…it is the same Spirit.

When God Speaks

What I am really trying to say is that whenever God speaks, it is authoritative. So simple. So true.

I’ve thought this way for some time, but this hit me even more a few years ago when God made it clear to me that I needed to be willing to take on a new role at my workplace (and I wasn’t willing at the time). As I prayed, I was reminded that God is God, and I have no right to disobey God. For me, God was guiding me, and I had to obey God’s authority. It wasn’t in the Bible, but God was speaking to me.

Isn’t the Bible Special?

I remember N. T. Wright saying we can only speak of the Bible as authoritative if we mean the authority of God being exercised through Scripture. Or, one might say that the Bible is authoritative only because it is a place where God has spoken and continues to speak.

But if God speaks to me, isn’t that authoritative? Yes.

If God speaks through an authentic word of prophecy today, isn’t that authoritative? Yes.

Does this make the Bible equally authoritative to contemporary prophecy or to ways that God speaks to me? Yes and no.

On the one hand, yes, because whenever God speaks, it is authoritative. (I am only speaking of where God has clearly and certainly spoken.)

On the other hand, no, it is not “equally authoritative” in the sense that it is not canonical and, therefore, it is not authoritative for all people.

Authority and Canon

To put it another way, when God speaks through or to someone, it doesn’t automatically become part of the canon of Scripture. Something, even a writing, can come from God and have authority without becoming part of the Bible.

We know, for example, that Paul wrote letters that weren’t included in the Bible (1 Corinthians 5:9; Colossians 4:16). I don’t imagine that his other letters included any heresy. And I imagine that the Spirit was inspiring Paul as he wrote them. But they didn’t become part of the Bible.

Likewise, when the Spirit speaks today, it doesn’t make it canonical. To put it another way, when God speaks to an individual or through an individual today, it is authoritative for those to whom God is speaking. But it is not authoritative for the whole church. Therefore, it is not authoritative in the same way that the Bible is.

Side note: I’m sure someone will ask, what if someone gave a prophecy that was intended for the whole Church today? Could that become part of Scripture? Practically speaking, it could never happen. Plus, in retrospect, we realize that there were numerous criteria for what became part of the canon of Scripture (more info here).

Still Discerning

To be clear, this means that the Bible is still the final and absolute authority for belief and conduct. Moreover, any time someone claims that the Spirit is speaking through them (prophecy) or to them, it still needs to be evaluated in light of the canon (which means “measure”) and authority of the Scripture. At the same time, when we do discern that the Spirit has truly spoken, including through prophecy, it is authoritative for the person or people the Spirit has spoken to.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Myth #1: “Prophecy is all About the Future”
• The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible
• When God Speaks Through Dreams…

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is a theology professor at MCS and Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post The Authority of the Spirit, Prophecy, and Scripture appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

In my presentation, I explained that even though God is omnipresent and God does not change, the presence of God in the Holy Spirit can become more intense in some times and places. Based on this, I concluded (in part) that we can and should value, and even expect, revivals and awakenings at times and places when the Spirit is present in intense ways to work in the Church.

My presentation was 18 minutes, and it begins at the 32-minute mark. You can watch it here: https://video.horizon.edu/en/c/revivals-awakenings.5538 .

In my presentation I mentioned one of my articles and books. I’ll note them below.

• “The Intensity of the Spirit in a Spirit-Filled World: Spirit Baptism, Subsequence, and the Spirit of Creation.” Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 34.3 (2012): 365-382 (full article available here).
• Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2019.

I also discuss the intensity of the Spirit in this essay:

• “Pneumatology: Eschatological Intensification of the Personal Presence of God,” The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, edited by Wolfgang Vondey (London: Routledge, 2020), 206-215.

Leave a comment below by clicking here.

---

You might also be interested in these posts:

• The Holy Spirit and Eschatology (The Last Days)
• What is Pentecostal Pneumatology (Other than Spirit Baptism)? A Lecture
• The Spirit of Power and Love: Jonathan Edwards and Pentecostals on the Spirit (and Holiness)

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post The Dynamic Intensity of the Spirit appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

In this video I interview Dr. Josh Samuel from Master’s College & Seminary in Ontario, Canada. A fair amount of our discussion focused on how we can facilitate authentic experiences of the Holy Spirit in corporate worship.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• 4 Lessons from Worship in Liturgical Churches
• Pentecostal-Charismatic Theology of Worship
• 5 Surprises About “the Anointing” in the New Testament

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Experiencing the Holy Spirit in Corporate Worship Services appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

What is the anointing? In some Christian circles you might hear someone say, “the worship was so anointed,” or “the pastor was really anointed today.” What do they mean?

But more importantly, how does the Bible speak of the anointing?

Given some elaborate teachings about “the anointing” that you can find on the internet, it might surprise you that the words “anoint,” “anointing,” and such are not that common in the New Testament. The Passion Translation has it 245 times, but hey…it’s not really a “translation.”[1] By contrast, even the KJV has it only 20 times. The ESV beats it at 22 times. The uninspiring NIV and NLT come in at a mere 11 times.

There are actually a few different Greek words in the New Testament that are translated as “anointing.” And “anointing” is almost always a verb—that is, it is typically an action that is done, rather than a “thing” that we have.

Getting Oily

Whenever the Greek verb aleipho is used in the New Testament (9 times), it is always used in a literal sense to put oil on a person.[2] For example, a believer might “anoint” sick people with oil when praying for them to be healed (Mark 6:13; James 5:14).

The Greek word epichrio, found 2 times in the NT, is used in a similar way to refer to a time when Jesus “anointed” a man’s eyes with spit and dirt as he healed him (John 9:6 and 11). Similarly, but in a metaphorical sense, in Revelation 3:18 Jesus tells the church in Laodicea to get “salve” to “anoint” their eyes so they can see (Greek = egchrio, used only once in the NT).

Usually when someone today says, “that person is really anointed,” they don’t mean that they have a lot of spit or oil on them.

Like Jesus

The Greek verb chrio is used more along the lines of the common use of the word “the anointing” today—in these instances, no literal oil was involved. The word is found only 5 times in the New Testament. Four times it refers to how God “anointed” Jesus with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27 and 10:38; Heb 1:9).

Indeed, Jesus is the “Messiah” or the “Christ”—that is, the “anointed one”—because God anointed him with the Spirit. That is, God put the Spirit on him similar to how one might put oil on a person.

When Pentecostals and Charismatics speak of someone being “anointed” today, sometimes they have something like this in mind—they may be claiming that the Spirit is present empowering an individual for ministry, just like the anointing of the Spirit empowered Jesus (consider Luke 4:14, 18-19 and Acts 10:38).

“An Anointing” = ?

“Anointing” is only used as a noun or thing in 2 verses in the New Testament (Greek = chrisma).

And a few verses later…

The context of 1 John makes it clear that this “anointing” that “teaches us” what is “true” is the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit is the one who testifies to “truth” (4:6 and 5:6) and it is the “Spirit” who enables us to confess true faith in Jesus (1 John 4:2).

Who is Anointed?

Some Christian teaching might not give you this impression, but all believers have been “anointed” by God.

The only place chrio refers to Jesus’ followers (see above regarding Jesus) is in 2 Corinthians 1:21, where Paul says that God “anointed us” as he “gave us his Spirit in our hearts” (v. 22).

Crucially, Paul here implies that every believer has been anointed by God. And elsewhere, Paul explicitly states that all believers “are temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Likewise, John affirms that all believers have “the anointing” (see 1 John 2:20 and 27, above), who is the Spirit, and that God abides in all believers by the Spirit (1 John 3:24 and 4:13).

Again, the reality is—at least according to the Bible—God has “anointed” all believers with the Holy Spirit. And “the anointing” God gives us is the Holy Spirit. There is no anointing distinct from this.

“ “The anointing” God gives us is the Holy Spirit. There is no anointing distinct from this.

This does not mean that the Spirit works the same way in every Christian’s life—no. For example, there are (sort of) different gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4) and the Spirit “distributes them to each one, just as he determines” (12:11). At the same time, the spiritual gifts are not different “anointings”—again, the anointing is the Holy Spirit.

Expecting More Anointing to Fall?

The Bible never speaks of “the anointing falling” on someone.

Nevertheless, it is not entirely inconsistent with the Bible for us to do so, because the anointing is the Spirit. The Bible uses all kinds of imagery when speaking of the Spirit—God “fills” people with the Spirit (Acts 4:8, 31; Ephesians 5:18) and “pours” the Spirit on people (Acts 10:45; Titus 3:5-7). And, in a few places, the Bible uses imagery of the Spirit “falling” on people (Ezek 11:5; Acts 10:44, 11:15). Since the anointing is the Spirit, we could say the “anointing fell”—although the image breaks down a bit, as anointing oil doesn’t typically “fall.”

Likewise, the Bible never explicitly states that one can receive “more anointing” or that we should expect for God to anoint us more than once.

Nevertheless, again, it is not entirely inconsistent with the Bible for us to do so because the Bible does speak of the Spirit—who is the anointing—as filling believers who had already received the Spirit (Acts 4:8, 31; 13:52) and Paul implores the Ephesian Christians, who had already received the Spirit, to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:13). Since the Spirit can, in some sense, come in a greater measure, we might say the same thing about the anointing.

At the same time, we must be careful about speaking of “different levels” of anointing or of someone having a “special anointing,” as though one “anointing” is better than another. To reemphasize, this is because there is only one anointing—the Holy Spirit!

“ We must be careful about speaking of a “special anointing,” as though one “anointing” is better than another.

Moreover, we must not lose sight of the fact that the biblical emphasis is that every believer has been anointed by God.

Personally, rather than proclaiming that “the anointing fell again,” I’m satisfied with staying with the language of the Scripture, by affirming that God has anointed all believers with the Spirit, while also thanking God for how the Spirit is at work in different ways in those around me, such as through gifts of teaching, leading, or healing (1 Corinthians 12:6, 11, 28).

5 Surprises Regarding “the Anointing”

When the Bible speaks of believers (or even Jesus) being anointed, it is giving us an image of God placing the Holy Spirit upon us as though God is anointing us with oil. To summarize all I have said above, here are 5 surprises about “the anointing” from the New Testament:

1. The Bible only speaks of followers of Christ being anointed by God in 3 verses.
2. The anointing is not a feeling, a spiritual energy, or a gift—it is nothing other than the Holy Spirit.
3. There are not different kinds of anointings—the only anointing is the Holy Spirit—but the Spirit might work in your life in different ways at different times.
4. The biblical emphasis is that all Christians have already been anointed by God.
5. The Bible never says the anointing falls on anyone or that God might anoint you more than once, though these ideas are not entirely inconsistent with the Bible.

The Anointed Pastor and Worship

At the end of the day, you are always safe to say that the worship leader was anointed or that the pastor was anointed—well, as long as they are truly Christians.

I’m not so sure that it works to say that “the worship,” a “song,” or even a “sermon” is anointed, though. Well, at least not if we are to remain biblical.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• The Holy Spirit and Leadership: 7 Biblical and Theological Observations
• 3 Ways the Holy Spirit Works Among Non-Christians
• Myth #4: “The Spirit-Filled Life = Success and Victory”

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post 5 Surprises About “the Anointing” in the New Testament appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

If you happen to be in the Oklahoma area, you might want to check out the Convergence Conference coming up in September at Bridgeway Church. Join Sam Storms, Christine Caine, Matt Chandler, Jack Deere, Andrew Wilson, and Michael Brown as they explore the theme “The God Who Heals.”

Now, for the interview…

I also recently did my own interview where I answered some of the same questions, particularly from the bottom of page 2 – page 3 of the interview.

“ Being open doesn’t get you anywhere. … You’ve got to want it real bad. —DR. SAM STORMS

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Myth #3: “Spiritual Gifts are Dramatic and Miraculous”
• There is No Such Thing as Spiritual Gifts (Kind of)
• Is Speaking in Tongues Only for a Few? Only for the Gifted?

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Encouraging Spiritual Gifts in Your Church appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

The “initial” in “initial evidence” does not mean “only.” I don’t think you will find the word “initial” defined as “one and only” in any English dictionary. This distinction between “initial” and “only” is also present in both historic and contemporary Pentecostal literature.

“ The “initial” in “initial evidence” does not mean “only.”

“Only Sign?”

To be fair, the only sign of Spirit baptism that just about every classical Pentecostal denomination mentions explicitly in their statements of faith is speaking in tongues.

And historically, tongues were just about the only sign that Pentecostals were concerned with when it came to Spirit baptism. Indeed, Pentecostals went to great lengths to defend their belief that tongues signifies that believers have been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

As a result of this emphasis, some Pentecostals in history have gone to the extent of saying (perhaps with over emphasis), “speaking in tongues is the only sign (or evidence) of the baptism of the Holy Ghost” (W. Akers, 1922).[1] As a result, some incorrectly think that official Pentecostal doctrine is that tongues is the “only” sign or evidence of Spirit baptism. But it is not.

Instead, what you will find often in Pentecostal history are statements like these: “Let us not make the mistake that some have made, that the only sign to be expected of the abiding baptism with the Holy Spirit is that of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. That is only the initial sign” (G. Montgomery, 1948).[2]

All in all, I actually think that these two perspectives aren’t contradictions, because I think that the first one really intends to mean that tongues are the “only initial sign” of Spirit baptism. But I could be wrong.

To further my point that tongues is not the only sign of Spirit baptism, let me point to the contemporary publications of two Pentecostal denominations.

Assemblies of God (AG, USA)

Not surprisingly, the AG position paper on Baptism in the Holy Spirit affirms that the “initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit” is speaking in tongues (p. 9, 13).

At the same time, this AG position paper includes a section that affirms a number of “continuing evidences of Spirit Baptism.” This section includes discussion of “openness to spiritual manifestations,” “righteous living,” and “power for witnessing” (p. 10-11).

Recognizing “continuing evidences” implies there is not only one evidence or sign of Spirit baptism.

Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC)

The PAOC does not have a position paper on the doctrine of Spirit baptism, but the PAOC’s Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths states, “The initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in other tongues” (p. 3).

At the same time, in 2010 the PAOC’s Enrich magazine included a sidebar which asked the question, “Is speaking in tongues the only evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and a spirit-filled life?” The answer is explicit:

Tongues are not the only evidence of a Spirit-filled life.” It continues, “enthusiasm and boldness in witnessing, divine guidance and enabling in the presentation of the gospel, and miraculous manifestations of God’s power before unbelievers may all serve as additional evidences of baptism in the Holy Spirit.”[3]

The above sources from the AG and PAOC don’t represent everyone in those denominations, and neither sources were voted on by the whole council or conference of either denomination, but they at least represent the views of key leaders in each denomination.

Why Raise the Issue?

As I explained in the original blog post, my concern is that too many Pentecostals have made Spirit baptism only about speaking in tongues.

“ Too many Pentecostals have made Spirit baptism only about speaking in tongues.

Sharing my concern, in an article from 1929 in The Pentecostal Testimony, evangelist Harvey McAlister wrote,

If you believe … tongues is the only evidence, as soon as the Holy Spirit comes within and takes control of your vocal organs and gives utterance, you will feel that you have reached a climax. But, if you believe that speaking in supernatural tongues is simply the initial or first physical evidence or result, you will not feel, upon bursting forth and speaking in tongues supernaturally, that you have reached a climax but that you have just been ushered into the supernatural realm and will continue to yield and expect additional manifestations graces and gifts.”[4]

In addition, I raise the issue because on more than one occasion I have stood at the front of my class and looked out at a student from a Pentecostal church who claims that they don’t affirm the doctrine of initial evidence. They look at me and say, “I don’t believe that tongues is the only evidence of Spirit baptism.” And they reject the doctrine because they don’t understand it.

There are multiple ways that people misunderstand the initial evidence doctrine. But if we can get those misunderstandings out of the way, then maybe they will be surprised by what Pentecostals actually believe about Spirit baptism, and initial evidence in particular (more on this in a future post).

And maybe they will find that we disagree on less than they thought we did. Or maybe not. But at least then they will be rejecting or accepting something that they understand.

“PART 1” of this article can be found here.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• PAOC Clergy on Tongues and Spirit Baptism: Changing Views
• Myth #3: “Spiritual Gifts are Dramatic and Miraculous”
• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 1 – Frank Macchia

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

Endnotes

[1] W. O. Akers, “Tongues,” The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate (Jan 12, 1922), 2.

[2] G. H. Montgomery, “The Sunday School Teacher,” The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate vol. 31 (April 1, 1948), 12.

[3] “Q & A on the Holy Spirit,” Enrich: The Leadership Magazine of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (Spring, 2011), 30.

[4] Harvey McAlister, “Two Sides of Truth,” The Pentecostal Testimony vol. 10, no. 5 (May 1929), 10.

The post Tongues is NOT the Only Sign of Spirit Baptism, PART 2 appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

A longer version of the paper I presented will eventually appear in a book with the title The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, edited by Wolfgang Vondey.

If you prefer audio only, you can access the mp3 file of the lecture below the Youtube video.

After the lecture, questions and discussion begin at the 18:55 mark.

Audio only:

You can download the mp3 audio file by RIGHT clicking here.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Myth #4: “The Spirit-Filled Life = Success and Victory”
• 3 Ways the Holy Spirit Works Among Non-Christians
• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 2 – Amos Yong

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor and VP of Academics at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post What is Pentecostal Pneumatology (Other than Spirit Baptism)? A Lecture appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

“ Could spiritual gifts manifest at a group level?

You might also be interested in these posts:

• The Gifts of the Spirit are not Limited to Charismatics [Video]
• There is No Such Thing as Spiritual Gifts (Kind of)
• Is Speaking in Tongues Only for a Few? Only for the Gifted?

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Are Spiritual Gifts Only for Individual People? [video] appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Some people believe the myth that those who are really Spirit-filled will always experience victory. This belief is a cousin to the idea that if you have enough faith you will always experience health and wealth.

Just as faith doesn’t guarantee a life free of disappointments and hardships, the Spirit-filled life is not a life free of disappointments and hardships. Jesus is the epitome of spirituality, but he never became an earthly king. Instead, “through the eternal Spirit [he] offered himself unblemished to God” so his death might give us life (Hebrews 9:14).

Biblical Victory

In the Bible, “the one who is victorious” may suffer and face poverty (Revelation 2: 9 & 11). Their victory is that they resist their culture’s anti-Christian values and are “faithful, even to the point of death.” And their “victor’s crown” is eternal life, not achieving success in the eyes of the world around them (vv. 10–11).

“ In the Bible, “the one who is victorious” may suffer and face poverty (Revelation 2: 9 & 11).

Spirit-Filled “Success” and “Failure”

The Spirit’s empowerment may at times lead to great successes, but it doesn’t guarantee them. Barnabas, for example, “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” and through his ministry “a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:22–24).

By contrast, Stephen, who was also “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5 and 7:55), was stoned to death when he preached the gospel (7:58). Similarly, Peter and Paul both had their lives threatened and were imprisoned on account of Christ, but they continued to preach the gospel because they had power and boldness from the Holy Spirit.

Today the Spirit continues to inspire people to stay committed to Christ in the face of adversity, even to the point of martyrdom.

Fallen Creation

Aside from the fact that those we minister to can “resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51) and, therefore, our Spirit-empowered ministry is not always well-received, we live in a fallen creation that is yet to “be liberated from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21). As a consequence, even though we “have the firstfruits of the Spirit,” we “groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies” (v. 23).

Spirit of Hope

However, as we long with hope, God does not abandon us, for the “the Spirit helps us in our weakness” (v. 26). As James Dunn observes, the Spirit is not only present “in the heights of spiritual rapture,” but also “in the depths of human inability to cope.”^[1]

This means that if we find ourselves outside of some experiences of victory, this is not necessarily a sign of a lack of spirituality—in fact, at those times the Spirit might be particularly active in our lives. And that is no myth.

[1] James D. G. Dunn, Romans 1–8, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 38 (Dallas, TX: Word, 1988), 479.

*This is an edited excerpt from, Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit, by Dr. Andrew K. Gabriel, © 2019 by Emanate Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson.

Read Chapter 1 or Order Simply Spirit-Filled

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor and VP of Academics at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Myth #4: “The Spirit-Filled Life = Success and Victory” appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

I may not have made it through Seminary without my friend who had the spiritual gift of encouragement. Encouragement? Yes, that is a spiritual gift (Romans 12:8). Sometimes people believe the myth that spiritual gifts are only things that are dramatic and spectacular, but there is more to spiritual gifts than miracles.

Certainly things like healing can be gifts of the Spirit, but the New Testament describes many different spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:8–10, 27–28; 1 Peter 4:8–11; and perhaps Ephesians 4:7–11).

Ordinary Gifts

Giving is also a spiritual gift—anyone can give (and all the pastors said, “Amen”), but the Spirit enables some people to thrive when they are giving. I see the gift of serving present in people who regularly and cheerfully stay behind after a church event to stack chairs and mop the floor. I see people using the gifts of helping, mercy, administration, leadership, and hospitality at the community center my church has started.

None of these gifts sound all that supernatural. In fact, they sound quite normal. But these spiritual gifts are all supernatural in the sense that the Spirit is involved. The Bible affirms, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Hidden Gifts

Sometimes people aren’t aware of the gifts the Spirit has given them. After all, when people have the gift of administration, or any other less dramatic gift, they don’t start shaking, talking funny, and speaking like the King James Version of the Bible—“thus saith the Lord.” Instead, they just serve with excellence as enabled by the Spirit.

I hope this will be encouraging to some of you who thought you had no spiritual gift just because you don’t have a more noticeable gift, like prophecy or speaking in tongues. Perhaps you thought you didn’t measure up to those whose gifts were more dramatic.

We don’t all have the same gifts, and that is the way it is supposed to be. The Scripture says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Romans 12:6).

Gifts Galore

You can find a lot of spiritual gifts in the New Testament. There could be even more. Some people from church history have claimed to have the gift of prayer, tears, and visions.

It is evident from looking at the lists in the Bible that none of the biblical authors intend to provide a list outlining what all the spiritual gifts are. For example, teaching and prophecy appear in three of the passages, whereas encouragement only shows up in Romans 12, and healing only in 1 Corinthians 12.

Instead of providing an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts, the biblical authors simply explain some of the many ways the Holy Spirit works through people. And the Spirit clearly works in both dramatic ways and in ways that we might even say are ordinary. This includes the spiritual gifts. And that’s no myth.

*This is an edited excerpt from, Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit, by Dr. Andrew K. Gabriel, © 2019 by Emanate Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson.

Read Chapter 1 or Order Simply Spirit-Filled

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Myth #3: “Spiritual Gifts are Dramatic and Miraculous” appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.