• Halifax
  • Despite being well known for seafood, you may have heard that donairs are Halifax’s official food. If you like lots of meat, be sure to try one!
  • Take the ferry across the harbour between Halifax and Dartmouth. It’s only the price of a bus ticket as it is part of the transit system (but I believe still cash only)! And if you return within about 1.5 hours, your return trip is included. Just keep your “transfer” paper.
  • There is much to see along the boardwalk at the Halifax waterfront, including the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 (many people find it a very meaningful stop). There is also an old warship you can board and tour for a donation. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is also right at the waterfront and is interesting, too.
  • Public Gardens is a beautiful place to stroll (and free!) Though where it’s so early in spring, I’m not sure how picturesque it will be right now.
  • Citadel Hill is Canada’s most visited historic site. You could easily spend the better part of a day there. It’s right downtown.
  • Many people appreciate walking through Point Pleasant Park. There, you can walk the shores of the Halifax Harbour (there’s a small beach and rocky areas), perhaps find some seashells, and see some historic sites in the park too.
  • Across the harbour (on the Dartmouth side), my wife grew up in Eastern Passage, so she loves getting to the shops and walk around Fisherman’s Cove.
  • Looking for something to do when it’s raining? In addition to the museums above, check out the Museum of Natural History, which was always a fun school field trip. The Citadel (see above) also has lots to see inside, although you will get a little wet walking between buildings.
• Peggy’s Cove, of course! Plan to spend at least an hour there walking along the rocks and taking in the views. I like to stay much longer and roam along the rocks. There is also now a wheel chair accessible area. The restaurant at the top is worth eating at. But don’t waste your money on the lobster nachos (I could barely tell there was lobster on them).
• High Head Trail is slightly closer to Halifax. It is much quieter than Peggy’s Cove, but gives off a similar rugged coastal vibe. But nothing really compares to Peggy’s Cove.
• If you go to Lunenburg (a UNESCO World Heritage, historic fishing village, and home of the Bluenose), don’t take the #103 Hwy. It is faster, but boring! Instead, take the old #3 hwy, at least through to Hubbards. It will wind you along the coast and through numerous quaint towns. After Hubbards you might get on the 103, but I’m not as familiar with the #3 beyond there. Note that because it’s turny, those used to prairie roads might find the drive makes you nauseous.
• Risser’s Beach (not in the camping part of the park, but at the beach itself…the entrances are beside each other)-  It is not too far past Lunenburg. It is my favourite beach in all of Nova Scotia. White sand and not as crowded as many others…though I imagine most won’t be crowded in May . The pictures online don’t to it justice. When I go there in the summer, I feel like I’m in the Caribbean. It would be a great place to stop and stroll and look for sea shells, including sand dollars–we always find lots there, although you do have to know what your looking for, and sometimes dig under the sand a bit to find those.
  • There is a restaurant nearby called the Blarney Stone. Not “amazing,” but I enjoy it. I recommend their clams.
• The Annapolis Valley
  • You’ll find many vineyards, wineries, and fields of berries, apple orchards, etc., as you drive into and through the valley.
  • In the Valley, I would suggest getting off the main 101 highway and taking the old #1 highway from Grand Pre. It’s a very nice drive through a number of towns. You could follow it further southwest, if you like. The drive from Greenwhich up through to the Look-off (see below) is lovely too.
  • Wolfville (home of the Apple Blossom Festival…later in May) is a quaint town that lots of people like to stop at and look through the shops along the main street. On the edge of Wolfville, I like to stop at Hennigar’s Farm Market every summer for ice cream and a stroll around their pond. The market includes a gift shop area.
  • Hall’s Harbour, on the Bay of Fundy where you will find the highest tides in the world. Technically its up the “mountain,” just out of the valley (there’s a nice restaurant there too :). This is a great place to see how high and low the tide gets. If at all possible, it’s definitely worth it to stop there twice, at both high and low tide, about 6 hours apart. Tour busses are known to stop here, but it’s not as popular (or busy) as Peggy’s Cove. In May, I’m not sure if the few shops there will be open, but the restaurant and main gift shop has just reopened for the season. If the tide is out, you can explore along the beach. If you walk off the beach to the right at low tide, you will find what is almost a cave that is eroded into the rock cliff. You can also climb the small cliffs. To hit here at low and tide, you could stop here, walk around a bit, maybe go the the restaurant, then go for a drive to the next two stops and return later before heading back to the city.
  • Blomidon Look-off– This is a quick stop, but a beautiful one. You can see the whole valley from there. And it’s not far from…
  • Caroline Caves. This will be a quiet stop, as I don’t think it’s well known. I believe the hike in from the dirt road was around 30 min, and you have to cross a river (when I was there, there was no risk of getting my feet wet, but I don’t know what it’s like in spring). After you finish the trail, you come out to a beach. Turn left and there are a few really neat caves to explore that have been cut in the rocks by the tide. There’s also a monument up on the rocks about a ship that sank there many years ago. You’ll need to make sure you are here when the tide is lower so you can actually get up to and in the caves:
  • In contrast to Hall’s Harbour, which showcases the vertical height of the tides on the Bay of Fundy, Kingsport Beach and Blomidon Beach are beaches that showcase how far in and out the tides go. It’s best to stop by when the tide is lower so you can walk out a distance. Prepare to get your feet very dirty as you walk on the floor of the Minas basin. Maybe bring something to clean them off at the end.
  • If you want a longer and rugged hike, the hike to Cape Split is nice. It’s very treed, but you come out to a beautiful view of the Bay of Fundy at the end. You’d probably want to take a picnic…or at least some snacks.
• Cape Breton has a lot of trails you can stop at. Some of the trails are shorter, so they don’t have to be long hikes.
• If you’re interested in some of the historic sites (neither are “must see”, but still interesting), a couple I like (check to see if they are open) are:
  • Ross Farm 
  • Uniacke Estate. Both are sort of between Halifax and the valley.

Enjoy your stay in my home province!

And, if you happen to be heading to PEI:

• Cavendish Beach Park is nice, not just for the beach, but also to walk along trails along the ocean cliffs.
• As you cross the bridge into PEI, there is a tourist stop/village with a little museum about the bridge and its construction.
• You can get lobster just about anywhere, but the Fisherman’s Wharf Lobster Supper in North Rustico has a special place in my heart. It includes all-you-can-eat chowder, mussels, and salad bar. Not cheap though.
• My favorite place in the world for fish-n-chips and fried clams is Captain Scott’s Seafood Restaurant in Cavendish. You can find similar food elsewhere…I’m biased since this was my childhood stop, but it really is amazing food, with fresh-cut fries! I’m not certain if it would be open in May, though. There is a Cows Ice Cream (famous!) at the same “boardwalk” set of shops.
• Cows Ice Cream factory tour, on the edge of Charlottetown (it’s not long).
• I personally find the Green Gables Museum a bit disappointing, but if you love Anne, it’s still worth a stop (if I set your sights low, you might enjoy it more too :).
• In Charlottetown, you will find lots of history, including of course an emphasis on it being the birthplace of Confederation.
• While the coast is beautiful, I also love the picturesque drive down the #2 from Kensington to Charlottetown. Pretty much every road on PEI is beautiful, though. There are no big hwys in PEI!

Finally, while you are in Nova Scotia, I recommend attending the PAOC General Conference, too :). If you’re not able to be in Nova Scotia for the conference, you can watch the livestream here.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• 5 Surprises About “the Anointing” in the New Testament
• Tales of Visiting a Oneness United Pentecostal Church
• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 1 – Frank Macchia
• Comments on “Essential Truths: The PAOC Statement of Essential Truths Commentary”

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 Professor of Theology 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 X.

The post Nova Scotia: Things to See around the PAOC General Conference appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Since I have many American and Canadian friends within the COG, I’m almost ashamed to say it was my first time in a COG church. I can perhaps redeem myself with the fact that my feet have walked on the holy ground of Cleveland, TN—Lee University and Pentecostal Theological Seminary, both COG schools.

Church of God?

If you’re not familiar with the COG, you may be surprised to learn that this Pentecostal denomination was formed in 1886, well before the 1906 revivals at Azusa Street in Los Angeles and the Hebden Mission in Toronto. Even more surprising, to some, will be the fact that about 130 people spoke in tongues at revival meeting they held in 1896 in North Carolina. The group adopted the name “Church of God” in 1907. Their name usually includes “(Cleveland, TN)” to distinguish them from the non-Pentecostal denomination the Church of God (Anderson, IN).

As a Pentecostal church, the COG holds to the “full gospel” of Jesus as Saviour, Healer, Baptizer (in the Spirit), and Coming King. In addition, as representatives of the “Pentecostal Holiness” tradition, they also emphasize Jesus’s work as “Sanctifier.” Historically, they emphasized that a believer needed to experience sanctification before they could be baptized in the Holy Spirit. A common rationale was that the Holy Spirit couldn’t fill a dirty vessel.

Today the COG (Cleveland) has around 1 million adherents in the USA and about 7 million worldwide (my numbers are a little dated). Many in Canada will not have heard of them, even though they have around 140 churches in Canada, with about half of those churches in Ontario. I hear that many are Caribbean-majority churches.

Sights and Sounds

I appreciated the time of worship at the COG church. We walked through the double-glass doors of the church and immediately heard boisterous sounds coming from the hall to our left. I recognized the sounds as a pre-service prayer meeting—the sanctuary was to our right.

This was no-mega church. The sanctuary has maybe a dozen rows with about a dozen chairs per row. But the church was up-to-date with burgundy padded chairs, contemporary grey carpet, and colored lights shining on the wall at the back of the stage. Unlike the mammoth pulpit I had previously experienced at a United Pentecostal Church (no, the COG are not Oneness), they had a sleek, metal lectern that the preacher could not hide behind.

There were only thirty or forty (if I’m generous) people in the congregation that morning, but the room was still full of life. I was surrounded by mostly black worshippers, with a few Asians and white folk. There was no doubt that we were in church. I may have heard “praise the Lord” and “amen” more frequently than I would hear swearing at a construction site.

Sadly, the drum throne behind the drum set sat empty that morning, so I wondered if they might “need” me to play—not that they would know. Unfortunately for me, perhaps, they had replaced the drummer with the upbeat sounds from a drum module controlled by the keyboard player who also led worship. Accompanying her was only a guitar player, but along with the four additional singers who swayed and shuffled across the front of the stage, the worship music sounded full. The worship leader had the voice of a Grammy-award-winning singer who expressed the soul of someone who had just welcomed home her child who was away studying at college for the past year.

Theology in Worship

It wouldn’t be quite fair to say that we (I do say “we,” because I was one of them) were fully dancing, but we were definitely moving our whole body to the music. This reminded me of the emphasis that I heard on a few occasions in the SPS meeting, that Pentecostals often engage their whole bodies in worship, consistent with their belief that salvation is for the whole person, sometimes including physical healing in this life, if not eventual healing in the future resurrection.

I did not recognize the first few songs but one theme became readily apparent. We reminded one another that even though Satan is “attacking everyday,” we could have joy in our soul, because “God is in control.” The same song declared repeatedly, “this means war, this means war.” And in the next song, we didn’t just testify that “there is power in the name of Jesus,” we also actively prayed/sung repeatedly the simple phrase, “break…chains…break…chains.”

Now take an brief energizing break to get a small taste of what I experienced .

At one point it struck me that the songs and other words spoken from the stage were individualistic. That morning (I make no assumptions about other weeks), I did not hear a concern for any world suffering or an emphasis on how God empowers us for mission. Instead, the emphasis was on my choice to worship Jesus and how he would help me navigate life.

At the same time, no one could accuse this church of falling into what scholars call “moralistic therapeutic deism” (a belief in a god who wants us to be good and happy, but who isn’t all that involved in our lives). Rather, we sung that God would lead us to victory in the cosmic spiritual battle. While there may have been an overemphasis on spiritual warfare imagery, I appreciated the reminder that the world is not spiritually neutral ground.

There was one moment during the worship service when it was clear that the church was not only concerned with how God would help them as individuals, and it came during the announcements. This small congregation had distributed 60 food boxes the day before, and they were preparing to do so again next month.

Continuing to Encounter God

The pastor’s sermon was filled with personal testimonies that illustrated the need for us to pray to God to know his will and the challenges that might come if we disobey. I realized that this congregation didn’t need anyone to convince them that God still speaks today—this was obvious to them.

When the sermon ended, the words “Altar Service” were displayed on the two large-screen TVs that were mounted to the wall on each side of the stage. The pastor invited people to come stand in front of the pulpit if they wanted prayer as they seek to hear and obey God’s will. Before he had finished speaking, two ladies walked to the front—they didn’t need to be coaxed—and three others surrounded them and laid their hands on them. And then the pastor prayed.

This reminded me of another SPS presentation—this one on a theology of preaching—that observed how Pentecostal preaching does not simply aim to inform or even motivate the congregants, but also to facilitate a life-transforming encounter with the Holy Spirit.

I imagine that not every week is the same at this COG church. And I’m sure that my experience that Sunday is not representative of every COG congregation.

How a person worships is not the key marker of their spirituality (see chapter 7 in my book Simply Spirit-Filled). Nevertheless, it is clear to me that many who lifted their hands in praise that morning were not there to simply fulfil a religious ritual. And perhaps more importantly, they expected that they would continue to encounter God during the week after they walked back out the double-glass doors.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Tales of Visiting a Oneness United Pentecostal Church
• 3 Lessons and Questions from my Visit to a Tourist Church
• 3 Lessons from My Visit to a Pentecostal Church
• 4 Lessons from Worship in Liturgical Churches

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 Professor of Theology 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 X.

The post Tales of my First Visit to a Church of God (Cleveland) Pentecostal Church appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

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.

Karl Barth and Pentecostal Theology: A Convergence of the Word and the Spirit, edited by Frank D. Macchia, Terry L. Cross, and Andrew K. Gabriel. London: T & T Clark, 2024.

The book is published in the growing academic book series Systematic Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology.

The book is currently very expensive (US$150), but in a year or two the publisher should release a paperback version that will be closer to US$50. That is still expensive, but a little more reasonable for an academic book.

Endorsements:

…Barth aligned himself with the Pentecostal movement. This fruitful connection is fully explored for the first time in this highly interesting book in which expert scholars skillfully tackle its various threads”Eberhard Busch
University of Göttingen

…a deepening proposal to renew the Church’s life aligned with the Triune God infused with Pentecostal insight.”Marty Folsom
Pacific Association for Theological Studies

[The authors’] take on Barth’s problems and prospects concerning the Spirit are anything but rote, filled with surprises and worthwhile avenues for continued research and reflection.”John Drury
Indiana Wesleyan University

Here are the contents:

The post A New Book: Karl Barth and Pentecostal Theology 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.

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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.

For some people, a claim that God has spoken through a dream seems naïve. And yet, the Bible reports many instances where God spoke through dreams.

Dreams in the Bible

At times God spoke through a dream to warn a person (Genesis 20:3 and 6) or to give encouragement to a person (Genesis 28:12-15).

Sometimes the dream seems to be symbolic of something, like Joseph’s brothers bowing down to him as sheaves of grain (Genesis 37:6-7).  At other times, the meaning of the dream is straight forward, without symbolism, like when an angel of the Lord told Joseph that Mary would give birth to Jesus (Matthew 1:20-21).

And sometimes within a dream God directly spoke to the person having the dream (1 Kings 3:5), whereas at other times God clearly used the dream (or “spoke through” the dream), even though God isn’t a “character” that spoke in the dream (consider again, Joseph’s dream of Genesis 37:6-7).

But does God still speak through dreams?

Someone might protest that, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). The implication here is that God used to speak through dreams, but that God doesn’t speak that way any longer now that God has spoken through Jesus. Some people would add that God definitely doesn’t speak that way now that we have the Bible—even though this is clearly not what the Bible is saying here.

The problem with the above protest is that God did still speak to people in many ways after Jesus ascended to heaven (e.g., Acts 10:19 and 13:2). Moreover, the Bible itself promises that after Pentecost, God would give dreams to people—”In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).

So, yes, the Bible supports the idea that God still speaks through dreams today.

“ The Bible itself promises that after Pentecost, God would give dreams to people.

How often does God speak through dreams?

While the Bible does record dreams from God, it doesn’t include that many dreams. So I’m not sure that it happens on a regular basis.

I do not think every dream is from God. In fact, I dream regularly (almost every night!), and yet I can only think of one other time that I thought I had a dream from God.

I was preparing to speak at a church. The pastor had asked if I wanted to lead communion that Sunday since I was going to be the guest speaker. I don’t remember if we decided they would do communion another Sunday or if he was going to lead it. Either way, I ended up having a dream with me leading communion, and I took it as direction from God that I should lead communion.

I went, I preached, I led communion. Nothing miraculous happened—not that I expected it to. I’m still not certain the dream was from God, but I figure it probably was—I had a sense that it was. I likely prayed about it too.

How do I know I had a dream from God?

What about last night’s dream? I’m not certain it was from God either. But I woke up thinking it likely was. In this case, it was not something I had been thinking about recently and it seemed to come somewhat out of nowhere.

God doesn’t promise that when he speaks through a dream, it will be an out-of-this-world-crazy dream. It will not will always be obvious when God speaks to us in a dream, just like it isn’t always obvious when God is speaking to us in general.

Consider, for example, when Samuel was a boy—God literally spoke to him with an audible voice, and yet Samuel thought it must have been Eli the priest (1 Samuel 3). It wasn’t obvious to Samuel that God was speaking to him.

I am convinced that God speaks through dreams more often that most North American Christians think. The Bible states explicitly that we won’t always be aware of it:

For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, he may speak …” (Job 33:14-18)

What about discernment?

I certainly affirm that if we think a dream might have come from God, then we should submit that to a process of discernment. Jeremiah’s warning about some false prophets should give us caution:

I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?” (Jeremiah 23:25-26).

So, just as I wrote in my book Simply Spirit-Filled, we should test anything we believe we are hearing from God, including, of course, against the teaching of the Scripture.

And this discernment might involve more than just you. For example, Paul once had a vision at night (perhaps a dream) where he saw “a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’” (Acts 16:9). Afterward we don’t see Paul proclaiming what this meant for him and his fellow-travelers. Instead, we see that the group of them concluded “that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:10).

Side note—I find it interesting that the Bible doesn’t record Paul ever meeting this man (perhaps the vision was more symbolic or directional rather than foretelling the future).

Dream away

If God does speak through dreams sometimes, and it seems clear from the Bible that God does, then we should be open to discerning when God might have spoken through a dream, rather than living in practice as though it never happens. Unfortunately, the latter is probably the default position for many Christians, including even many Pentecostals and charismatics—well, at least in North America.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Myth #1: “Prophecy is all About the Future”
• 5 Surprises About “the Anointing” in the New Testament
• There is Power in the Tongue, but Not for Declarations and Decrees

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 When God Speaks Through Dreams… appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Now that some time has passed, both books are available as paperbacks (and ebooks) for around US$40.

T&T Clark Handbook of Pneumatology, edited by Daniel Castelo and Kenneth Loyer.

Just shy of 370 pages, this book contains 37 essays on the Holy Spirit. They cover different section of the Bible, key themes in pneumatology (like the Spirit and science or ecology), essays that highlight the emphases that different church traditions make regarding the Spirit, and perceptions from different ethnicities and different parts of the globe. The multiple perspectives in this rich resource will help people understand things about the Holy Spirit that they one might not have learned from their own church experiences.

I was invited to contribute the essay in this book titled ”Charismatic Perspectives on the Holy Spirit” (available online here). In it, I discuss various understandings of Spirit baptism among Charismatic traditions and how Charismatic Christians think about the spiritual gifts and other experiences of the Spirit. My affirmation of much of charismatic theology comes with a caution that “it would be a mistake to think that God has given gifts of the Spirit only to those within the charismatic movement” (p. 267).

The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, edited by Wolfgang Vondey.

While not strictly a book on the Holy Spirit, since the 42 essays in this 465-page volume reflect Pentecostal theology, the Holy Spirit is prominent throughout the book. To me, the most exciting parts are the 14 essays on core doctrines (Part 4) and the 12 essays (part 5) that look at various issues in theology—like art and aesthetics, disability, and ecotheology—all with much focus on the Holy Spirit. Like the above volume, this volume will expand readers awareness of the work of the Spirit.

In this volume, I contributed the chapter on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I observe how Pentecostals affirm the historic Christian doctrine of the Spirit as a divine person—but in their own unique way. Building on this foundation leads me to explain how Pentecostals view the Spirit as the intensifying and eschatological presence of God.

I commend both of these excellent volumes to you for your learning and growth!

You might also be interested in these posts:

• The Holy Spirit and Leadership: 7 Biblical and Theological Observations
• What about Tongues? Spirit baptism in the PAOC’s Proposed Statement of Faith
• What’s Wrong with Songs that Worship the Holy Spirit?

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 Two New and Important Books on the Holy 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.

You can take a look at the lyrics here.

Here is another song that many people will love to listen to over and over again…even though some aspects of it seem biblically problematic.

What’s on our Hearts

I get it. The song “Plead the Blood” connects with our hearts. Chris Davenport, Brandon Lake, and Cody Carnes express our desires, fears, and longings to the Lord.

The song is a plea for the well-being of “my children,” “my family,” “my future,” and “my body.” And in the midst of a crazy world (yikes!), it’s also a plea for “our schools” and “our cities” (too bad for the rural towns… ha ha… you will have to write your own songs).

I care about these things too. And, frankly, I believe God will receive the song as a prayer for these things, even if there might be some theological issues in the song. But that doesn’t mean we should overlook these issues.

But There’s so Much Good!

To complicate things, the song plays a dirty little trick (I’m exaggerating) by adding in some lyrics from an old hymn. This will move the hearts of those who have been around the church for decades, and perhaps convince them of the song’s worth.

The song includes lyrics from “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.”

I recognize and celebrate that we “who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Praise the Lord! And the hymn speaks of the blood of Jesus just like the Bible does—within the context of our salvation. That is, Jesus’ blood washes “away my sin,” “makes me whole again,” atones for our sin, and, therefore, give me “hope and peace” for “my future.”

These aspects of the old hymn and the new “Plead the Blood” song are great.

Similar to the old hymn, “Plead the Blood,” correctly recognizes that in Christ’s blood, “my freedom’s been purchased in full” (verse 3). Good work, Chris Davenport, Brandon Lake, and Cody Carnes! (I think maybe just Davenport wrote the song.)

At Least They’re Not Applying the Blood

Another thing that the song “Plead the Blood” has going for it is that it isn’t trying to “apply the blood” of Jesus. As I’ve written previously, the Bible doesn’t teach that we can do anything with the blood of Jesus, like “apply” it. Instead, it is only God who does anything with the blood of Jesus. So it is wishful thinking to suggest we can “apply the blood” of Jesus.

And at least the song “Plead the Blood” doesn’t go there.

Good Pleading?

This might surprise you, but the idea of “pleading the blood” of Jesus is no where in the Bible. Not even in the King James Version … or The Passion Translation.

Nevertheless, “pleading the blood” could be okay at times. Unlike applying the blood, pleading the blood doesn’t necessarily suggest that we are attempting to do something with Jesus’ blood.

In addition, it could make biblical sense to “plead the blood” if we speak of the blood of Jesus in the context of our salvation, like the Bible does. For example, we might say something like, “I am not condemned. I plead the blood of Jesus, which has saved me.”

Missing Key to Spiritual Warfare?

If we don’t plead the blood of Jesus, are we missing out of one of the most important weapons of spiritual warfare? Are we giving up some spiritual power that we should take hold of?

No.

As I said above, the Bible never—not ever—speaks of pleading the blood of Jesus.

And what about Ephesians 6? It teaches us about the “whole armor of God.” And yet it does not mention Jesus’ blood in spiritual warfare. Perhaps Paul forgot to mention it in that chapter.

Don’t we Overcome by the Blood of the Lamb?

Revelation 12:11 reads, “And they overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

Yes, the verse mentions Jesus’ blood. But, like the rest of the Bible, it does not suggest we should plead the blood.

Actually, if you look at the context of this verse, you will see that it has nothing to do with the way we pray or what we say about Jesus’ blood. Instead, it teaches that “they overcame” because of what Christ had already done on the cross, not because of how they prayed about Jesus’ blood.

So, what’s the problem?

1. Well, one problem is that the song goes beyond what the promises of scripture.

As I said above, one could make the case that we could plead the blood for our salvation, since that’s what Jesus’ blood does. But one can not make the same case for pleading the blood regarding other things, like protection, since the Bible no where—never—promises that Jesus’ blood protects our children, our cities, etc.

BUT, we can of course pray for God to protect these things!

So, what does it matter?

2. The lyrics of the song imply that if we say the right words, namely “plead the blood,” then certain things will happen. Not that they might happen, but that they will happen. This seems to imply that there is something special about pleading the blood. It seems that “pleading the blood” is more spiritually effective than other types of prayers. (…Do you think that?)

I understand that not everyone who “pleads the blood” thinks this way. Great! BUT, this is what this specific song implies. It’s very present in verse one and two.

The opening words of the song state that we can “draw a boundary” that will protect us from “the thief and his plans” and will cause him to “turnaround” when we “plead the blood.”

When we plead the blood, the song claims, “the enemy can’t take my family.”

Pleading the blood, it seems, is always effective. It makes things happen!

Even if it is unintentional, the song strikes me as having a hint of prosperity theology, but covered in more familiar and Christianeze—that is, if we use the right words and “plead the blood,” everything will go well.

Prayer Trusts in God

Unfortunately, the Christian life is not that certain. No matter what we claim, decree, declare—or plead—stuff happens. Life doesn’t go as we pray or desire. And it isn’t because we aren’t saying the right things.

Unlike such practices, when we pray, we trust in God. We certainly ask for what we want, and at times we might even plead for what we want. But, in the end, prayers are requests of God, not demands. And when we pray, we trust that God will do what is best. And when things don’t go as we pray, we trust that God will continue to be with us, giving us the strength and comfort we need to carry on.

Maybe the Song is Okay…? 

I’m not in a rush to sing this song, as moving as it is.

At the same time, I do see hints in the song that “pleading the blood” still involves trust in God and a recognition that it won’t always go as we plead.

For example, those who sing the bridge plead the blood not only over their family, but even “over our schools and over our cities.” And they can’t seriously think that one instance of pleading is automatically going to bring safety and protection to every city or school they have in mind as they are singing. Does that mean pleading the blood isn’t always effective?

Also, if pleading the blood is always effective, then I don’t think we would need to “claim it over and over again,” as the bridge claims.

Perhaps, in the end, “pleading the blood” in the song is just another way to pray. Perhaps the song is only expressing hope or a desire that God will act in the way that we plead. And surely all of our prayers should involve placing our hope in God.

Perhaps every time the song says “I plead the blood,” we could simply replace it with the words, “I pray for.” If this is the case, then I have many questions and am confused by the meaning of verses 1-2, since they contradict what I am saying here. If my “perhaps” is correct, then the opening verses shouldn’t speak with such certainty. They should, instead, be more honest—honest with ourselves, and honest with God, while still rightfully placing our hope and trust in God.

And the song certainly shouldn’t make it seem like we need to (or should) plead the blood to do these things. Because the practice of pleading the blood isn’t in the Bible. But praying is.

(If you are frustrated by my blog post, please remember that it is about a specific song, so it might not apply to you.)

Click here to comment on this post, but before you accuse me of being unspiritual, please pause and ask God if there might actually be some truth to what you have read above.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• There is Power in the Tongue, but Not for Declarations and Decrees
• 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
• Stop “Applying the Blood of Jesus”…Because You Can’t

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 Plead the Blood: Questions about a New Song by Cody Carnes, Brandon Lake, and Chris Davenport appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Next Wednesday, May 17, Horizon Seminary is hosing a FREE event (online or in person):

Faculty Sharing: Hear the Heart Behind the Courses

I invite you to listen in as our Faculty share about the upcoming courses and their passion behind them.

More Info

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I also want to note that Horizon College & Seminary is adding to our current graduate programs, two NEW PROGRAMS:

Master of Arts in Biblical & Theological Studies

And

Master of Divinity

More Info

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Horizon’s new Unique M.A. and B.A. Programs (in person and online)
• Horizon College and SEMINARY: Regarding PAOC Graduate Training

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 FREE Seminary Event + New MA and MDiv programs appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.