The Need for Supernatural Experiences

Hungry or Just Greedy?

     Often I find myself longing to experience God in a new way.  I've always been an imaginative person, wishing for more to happen than just the mundane : wake up, eat, go to school or work, come home,  eat , go to bed.  Through being a Christian I've learned there is much more to life than just what I can see. There is an entire spiritual realm waiting to be explored. I crave spiritual adventure and ever since my first taste of it,  I've been ravenous for more. On the day I surrendered my life to Jesus, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit via a heavy weight that pinned me down to my bed.  I then heard the voice of God for the first time, speak "You are dearly loved my child, dearly loved".  After that I daily heard his voice, felt his presence. I experienced the supernatural realm in  a way I never had before.  After such a heritage, how could I  ever settle for any activity devoid of God's power?   However,  I quickly learned it was not everyday I experienced something fresh and exciting. With time even my new supernatural experiences became routine. I learned  I could not ever be complacent. Even with spiritual matters I had to continuously seek MORE. I've had mixed feelings about seeking "more" though. I'd heard many Christians warn not to seek the "gifts" but the giver.  Of course, there is always the danger of idolizing supernatural experiences, of putting such  experiences ahead of God.  At times I seemed to have fallen in to that trap. I yearned for new experiences or for God to show me great and hidden things I did not know,  but did that make me an idolater,  a chaser of experiences rather than God? After three years of pondering this I believe I finally have the answer.  It is not wrong to strongly desire spiritual experiences or any kind of gift. The sin lies in wanting the gift MORE than God. Our desire for spiritual experiences can be strong but our desire for God must be stronger. So how do you know if you are desiring gifts more than the giver?  An easy way is to ask God to show you and then examine yourself. As the last two verses of Psalm 139 express,

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (ESV)

Would you still love God, even if you never had another supernatural experience? Could you wait infinitely for him to bless you and at the same time bless him infinitely? If you experienced nothing but suffering could you still be thankful to him? If you can say yes to all of these, then you know your heart is right and can pursue supernatural experiences with a good conscious. If you find yourself saying no to any of these (which I have) repent and ask God to help you stay focused on him. Then, continue to patiently ask him for the desire of your heart because he doesn't want you to completely stop seeking. He delights in giving good gifts and actually wants us to hunger for his gifts so that he can fill us. We have not simply because we ask not, or ask with the impure hearts. But "Ask and you shall receive. Knock and the door will be opened to you. " (Luke 11:9-10 NIV) Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. If what you ask for is according to his will, you will be sure to get it. 

(1 John 5:14, NIV)

Now Show me your Glory

Perhaps the biggest justification  for seeking spiritual experiences comes from the book of Exodus.  One day God highlighted this story to me. In Exodus 33 Moses says to God "Now show me your glory".  I've always wondered what that meant. On one hand it seems he's asking God to show him something "amazing". When I think of glory, I think of something astounding or mind-blowing. However in Hebrew the word for glory used is  "kabod" and it means "weight"[1] . It signifies the inherent , intrinsic worth of something. God's glory is so tremendous that at one point his priests could not stand to minister under it (1 Kings 8:11). Moses had seen much of God's miraculous power, especially his parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14) yet he asks God to show him his glory. Interestingly God responds to Moses' request to see his glory by proclaiming his attributes to him.

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live. Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”.......And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”( Ex. 33:19-23,  34:5-7 , NIV)

 God shows Moses his glory by proclaiming his goodness and righteousness to him. Its as if God said " When you ask  to see my glory you are really asking to see my face: you are asking me to show you who I am."  Notice before God could reveal himself to Moses he had to  "hide him" in the cleft of the rocks, in what is also known as " a secret place". I believe this place of intimacy in the cleft of the rock points to the protection from God's wrath that we find in Christ; as Christians we are hidden in Christ in God (Colossians 3:4, NIV) Moses could not see God’s face, which was the ultimate sources of his glory,  because under the old covenant he was not fully righteous before God. God is so holy that he dwells in “unapproachable light” (1 Tim 6:16 NIV) and no one can see his face without being destroyed by his brilliant holiness. However in  Christ, the veil of separation between us and God is torn away and we receive Christ's righteousness. Therefore Christians can come boldly to God's throne of grace and see God’s face  (2 Corinthians  4:6).


  Often the reason I want to have these encounters is not so that I can feel good or experience something new but because I know that each encounter draws me closer to God. I learn something new about him with each revelation. I crave these experiences because I want to more deeply understand God and interact with him.   Below is an experience I had with God several months ago that allowed me to learn more about him: Starving for more of God, I had been debating whether or not to go on a missions trip with a well known revivalist. Ultimately I decided it was not the right time for me to go but I still in pangs to experience God more deeply.   I asked him , in Moses moment, to show me his glory even though I couldn't go on the trip.  Amazingly, he honored this request sooner than I expected. As I retired for the night, I felt the weight of his glory, more so than I'd ever felt. I was plastered onto my bed and even think I saw smoke or mist around me.  Then I heard his voice say  "I want you to know who I am". My eyes felt like they were burning out of my sockets and I was  afraid. He was so holy that it hurt, I felt like I was falling apart, like I was going to die. I was literally undone and it hit me that God is much bigger than I knew. I  learned afresh we probably don't experience even a 10th of what God is worth in our day to day life. He masks so much of his glory and  after experiencing a small taste of it, I'm certainly glad to be in Christ.  I experience God's presence deeply every day, but even what I experience is no where close to the level of himself he revealed to me that night. It was humbling to be reminded of his greatness, but in order to experience it I had to ask. At times it is hard for me to admit my hunger to know him and hard for me to have faith to expect more , but he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him(Hebrews 11:6 NIV) . I'd been asking God for such an experience  or 3 years, not very long in the grand scheme of things, but long for me. God has shown me that I , like Moses, can ask to see his glory and longing to see his glory is really longing to know more of him.


Wise Seekers 

 With supernatural experiences, we can see God's glory, his inherent worth.  We see from Scripture that is right and proper for us to ask for such experiences. God is Spirit and he desires worshippers who will worship him in spirit and in truth. As unbelievers we were unable to connect with God but now that we have believed, we have been seated in heavenly realms and now have access to the spiritual world (Ephesians 2:24-6, NIV).  With that being said, we must responsibly seek spiritual experiences.  Responsibly seeking means to test the spirits and see if what we have is from God  (1 John 4:1 NIV) Satan is a deceiver and a counterfeiter; he will disguise himself as "good" and try to give you false experiences in order to lead you away from God. It is also possible for your experiences to be a product of your own imagination. Therefore you need to properly discern the source of your encounters (  Is it from God, devil or self?).


 The Bible is the only infalliable resource you have and should be the measuring stick by which you judge your encounters. Your experience should not contradict what is in the Bible or go against the gospel. In the case that your experience is not  explicitly in the Bible, examine the fruit. Does the experience draw you closer to Jesus or match God character as revealed in the Bible? Supernatural experiences are often referred to as prophetic experiences because they are inspired by the spirit of prophecy, who is the Holy Spirit. The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ. So if your experience is a testimony of Jesus Christ then it is likely from the spirit of prophecy, who is the Holy Spirit. If an experience exalts Jesus, supports the gospel and does not contradict key aspects of the faith (namely those revealed in Hebrews 6:1-2) then it is likely of God. You may also want to consult with other believers and weigh their counsel. However, keep in mind only you fully know what you have experienced. Listen to your own discernment in addition to that of others.  Some well meaning believers, who are suspicious of spiritual encounters (either because of pride or fear)  much like the Pharisees, will misjudge what is of God and could talk you out of an experience that is from him.  If possible, find someone who is mature in the faith like a pastor or older Christan with a great deal of experience in the supernatural. If you use all of these methods together instead of just one, your chances of successful discernment will  increase.  Even so, a certain level of faith is required in order to pursue supernatural experiences. Ultimately you must believe more in God's ability to keep you from deception than in satan's ability to deceive you. We must worship God in Spirit and in truth . Spiritual experiences happen through the Holy Spirit and they can look like many things, from visions, to dreams, to visits to heaven or visitations to your home from God and angels. You could even encounter God through the pages of the Bible. f you are in the word of God and you ask God for the Holy Spirit , you can have confidence God will not give you a stone or a snake. Believe that our good God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him  (Luke 11:13, NIV).


[1 ]http://biblehub.com/hebrew/3513.htm

A Gift from a Good God: Dancing in the Spirit

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows". James 1:17

 God is a God of good gifts--even dancing. A special way God showed his love for me was through giving me a prophetic dance, or a dance inspired by the Holy Spirit. Before surrendering my life to God I had many insecurities. However, when I first began to know him in the winter of my freshman year,  all of the shame and dissatisfaction I felt with myself was immediately taken away. Daily God would tell me “I love you” and call me terms of endearment such as “my darling” “my child” and “my sweet heart”. For the first time I felt loved and cherished. I felt beautiful.  I never knew my earthly father, but I had gained a heavenly Father. I also realized who Jesus was, that I was saved because of the works he did and not my own. I found out the true character and heart of God. He was not disappointed with me, he was not distant.  I gained freedom. This freedom manifested in a beautiful dance given to me by the Holy Spirit. As a young girl I always liked ballet. I used to watch in wonder as the  famous Romanian ballerina Alina Cojocaru glided across the stage as if she were made of air. Entranced, I watched online as she danced the Rose Adage from the Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty.  I wished  I could dance on the tips of my toes or move my limbs in such a graceful fashion, but I thought I never could. I had never learned, and because of my weight I didn’t have confidence that I ever would. But one day while I worshipped at a small church, the Holy Spirit began to move my arms and legs.  I realized I was dancing just like those lovely ballerinas. It started out first as a gradual move of my arms but when I felt a tug to do more , to surrender more of my body to God, I became afraid. It wasn’t until a few months later at a small, Pentecostal church in New Jersey that I felt again the Spirit's desire to move my body.

   All of sudden I knew how to twirl, how to pivot, how to do an arabesque ( one leg extended outward while balancing on the other). I, who never had any training and never dared to try on my own, was dancing in the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 14:15  Paul said he both sings and prays through the Holy Spirit. If one can speak in tongues by the Spirit and even sing in tongues through the Spirit, why not “dance” by the power of his Spirit as well? As the Holy Spirit moved my limbs, I gained a deeper understanding of Romans 6:13. "Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” As a Christian I am the holy temple of God's Spirit , the place where he dwells. I am not my own but belong to him. Therefore every part of my body is available for him to use any way he wants, even to make me dance. God has the power to move our bodies as we yield to him.  My Father God knew how much I longed to dance like a ballerina, and he gave me the gift  of dancing in the Spirit, without my even asking or knowing how to ask. Even to this day, four years after receiving the gift I still dance in and with the Holy Spirit. It has become an important part of my worship of him. Its also a perfect picture of his heart as a Father, of his seeing a desire of his child and deciding to bless her with it.

"If you , then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11

The Discipline of God's Love

   
 "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined---and everyone undergoes discipline---then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.....God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness." Hebrews 12:7-8,10

  In my very first post on this blog I talked about the joys of knowing God as a Father. Experiencing his paternal love has been an important aspect of my life. Before becoming a Christian, I saw God as this distant and cold being but when I got saved,  I discovered his personal and fatherly nature.  Many do not know just how fatherly he is. His nature truly is to be "fatherly" and that's why he's calls himself "the Father". Because I 'd always seen him as impersonal, its was SUCH a stark contrast to know him as my Father. In my early days as a Christian, he  showered me with so much affection I was amazed I could know him and that it could feel so wonderful to be his. All my life, I'd felt insecure and ugly, but God went out of his way to call me beautiful, his daughter and his princess, directly and through other Christians. He gave me a new song and a new dance. Christians I didn't know told me I was beautiful just because God had led them to. I would dance as led by the Holy Spirit, and "coincidentally" some would exclaim how I was God's daughter and he my Father--such a good reinforcement for me.  God gave me that season to build trust and confidence in me for when the tests would come. And they did. As I go through various trials , I often struggle to reconcile God's deep, fatherly love for me with his allowing me to suffer. Spiritually I know the answer--its to conform me to Christ--, but practically, in the moment, its hard to feel loved when you are hurting and you know that God could choose to end the hurting. Truly, I don't believe its God's "perfect will" for us to suffer but we brought suffering into the world through our sin and suffering comes through the schemes of the devil. Trials will happen whether we like it or not. Sometimes God allow us to go through these trials and at other times he chooses to shield us from them. 

So, here are a few ways God has helped me reconcile his loving, Fatherly heart with the reality of suffering.

First, according to Romans 8:28  he works all things out for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Believing in God's goodness and love even when we don't feel it, is really what faith is all about. It may seem crazy for God to choose to work through suffering but he tells us in Isaiah 55:9  that his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Even in the pain, we must trust that he knows better than we do and that this way of suffering is the best of all. If the Scriptures say God is good, we must choose in faith to accept this, no matter the depth of our pain.

  Secondly, God didn't spare himself from suffering.  He sent his own beloved son to the cross. I'm not better than Jesus and I know how much the Father loves the Son (Matthew 3:17). If the Father allowed his perfect son to suffer, why should I expect to be treated differently? 

   Lastly, God has been explaining to me the connection between "discipline" and his fatherly heart. 
"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children......God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness." ( Hebrews 12:7). Even though I'd been aware of this verse for some time, I still struggled to grasp how God could love me, while allowing me to go through a wilderness, while seemingly hiding his presence from me. However , recently God drew my attention to the part "he disciplines us so that we may share in his holiness". I realize this is one of the most loving things God can do for us. He loves us so much that he wants us to be like him. He loves us so much that he does not want to leave us bound in our sin. He loves us so much that he want us to share in the joy, and the life and the divine pleasure of being God---and he will stop at nothing to make that happen, even if that means we must hurt for a little while. He can see the final reward and its worth it to him. "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."  ( 2 Corinthians 4;17) While its still difficult to go through  trials , I'm comforted by and try to remind myself that God loves me so much, he wants me to be like him, the most wonderful, the most amazing, the most glorious , the most holy being in the world. He's not punishing me but showing his love for me by giving me the greatest gift of all----his own image, his glory. "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." 

 To Father God, the end goal is worth shedding tears for and I pray I may count the pain worth it as well. May this also be your prayer.

Intimacy with God through Revelation

Why Pursue the Revelatory Gifts? 

In older posts I touched on the benefits of the revelatory gifts[1] such as the gift of prophecy. In particular the most important function of prophecy is its ability to edify the whole church. In this post I'd like to focus on the personal benefits of these gifts. The best result of pursuing these gifts for yourself is increased intimacy with God.  

Prophecy is inspired speech and is made possible only by the Holy Spirit, for the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelations 19:10). The Holy Spirit came to earth primarily to glorify Jesus and testify about him. The word testimony comes from the Greek word martus, meaning an eye or ear witness ( and from which we derive the word martyr). As the One who testifies about Jesus, the Holy Spirit is the spirit of prophecy. Therefore prophecy allows us to know more about Jesus because the Spirit who has seen and heard him tells us about him.  Prophecy tells us what's on God's mind. Through it, we learn how he thinks, what he does, and what his secrets are (a.k.a "the deep things of God".)  In the Old Testament prophets were the ones who announced God's will because they were the only ones who could hear his voice (Ex. 20:18-21, Num. 12:6). "Surely the Lord does nothing without telling his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7) "The secret of the Lord is with those who fear him" (Psalm 25:14). Prophets knew his secrets: they were his friends (Gen. 2:27, Is, 41:8). In the New Testament every Christians become the one who know God's business and therefore is his friend (John 15:15).  The heart of prophecy is this intimacy with him, a relationship that allows us to know him and testify "this is my beloved and this is my friend "(Songs 5:16). It is the birthright of every Christian to hear God's voice and to live a prophetic lifestyle through the Holy Spirit. All believers can learn from the Spirit and all believers can prophesy when the Holy Spirit , the spirit of prophecy,  is flowing through a room. Have you ever noticed that when a group of Christians get together to pray or talk about the Lord, some can't help but break into worship and exclaim his excellencies? That is the Spirit of prophecy at work,  but as we pursue the gift of prophecy, we actually increase the frequency of our prophetic experiences and the prophetic anointing in our own lives. With the gift, our experience of prophecy isn't limited to when the anointing is present in the room, rather we can access it at any time as our own gift. In addition, we are all given a measure of faith or grace in our lives and can ask to move up within our pre-determined level (Luke 17:5). Therefore, when you pursue the gift of prophecy you are asking for a higher level of prophetic grace in your life  (Romans 12:3) and when you receive that higher level, you can experience the benefits even for yourself.

    The last personal benefit of the revelatory gifts I will speak about is revelation.  The Word of knowledge enables us to receive information not discerned or figured out by our own mind but given by the Spirit of God.  The word of wisdom give us insight from the Spirit, often insight into problems, mysteries or the future. The gift of prophecy allows us to speak what has been revealed for the edification of others. It almost always comes with the word of knowledge and wisdom; if you have this gift, you will certainly have the others as well, thus making it an incredibly powerful gift.

"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge" (1 Cor. 13:2)
"For we know in part and prophecy in part" (1 Cor. 13:9)



"What eye did not see and ear did not hear, and what never entered the human mind---God prepared for those who love Him".  Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God...Now we have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-12)

The wisdom you receive can give you insight even into our heavenly inheritance.  Ephesians 2:6 states we are already seated in the heavens. Our inheritance already belongs to us, albeit in the spirit realm.  Still Paul prayed the Ephesians would be able to experience this spiritual inheritance: I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of his vast strength. (Ephesians 1:15-19)

The Greek  word for "know", ginosko, is about more than having an intellectual understanding, it about having an intimate understanding of something through lived experience. Paul doesn't want us to just know the facts about our inheritance, he also wants us to experience these facts. God is not limited by time or space, and prophecy deals with past, present and future realities. Through the Spirit of prophecy we can experience parts of our future. For example the Apostle John was caught up in the spirit and saw the day of the Lord (Revelation 1:10). Paul was also caught up in the Spirit and saw unspeakable mysteries in heaven (2 Cor. 12:2-4). Both of these men were able to see things well ahead of their time because the Spirit is given to us "so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God" ( 1 Corinthians 2:12).

How to Receive



There are many ways we can receive revelation: it can happen through reading the bible, having a dream, seeing a vision, or getting a visitation[1] and much more. Of course what is revealed to should always match the whole counsel of God's word but there is still great diversity in how you can experience the Spirit's illumination. If the nature of the revelatory gift is intimacy, then you can position yourself to receive by asking for it and spending time with God. 

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matt 7:7) The prayer closet in Hebrew literally means an "inner room",  a secret chamber. It is the secret place of God (Psalm 91). It is through spending time daily with God in our inner room that we develop intimacy with him.  God inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3). Worship music and simply praying to God can literally bring his presence down. He is attracted by our worship to him and if the Holy Spirit is in your midst, you are more likely to experience a manifestation of his presence. You are more likely to be "stirred up" to prophecy (2 Tim. 1:6). This in turn will open the door for you to experience more of God. He may share his heart and tell you his secrets, he may teach you something new or allow you simply to bask in the glory of his presence. The revelatory gifts are   excellent tools for us to increase our intimacy with God because they enable us to know and speak more of God's heart, mysteries and will. Through this knowledge we get a clearer picture of who Jesus is.

Notes
[1] These gifts are wisdom, knowledge, discernment and prophecy. They are called revelatory because they come from the Spirit not ourselves. For this post I focus only on wisdom, knowledge and prophecy. [2] A visitation is God's presence or angels show up where you are rather the you going up to heaven to where they are.

Experiencing the Beauty of Heaven

   As a Christian, I'm told to set my mind on things above and not on things below (Colossians 3:2). A few years ago I did this often and lived in incredible joy.  I fixed my eyes eagerly on the horizon and scanned for Jesus's promised return (Hebrews 9:28). Over time, my eyes shifted downward, worried about everyday issues such as college, career and family. All of these things are good, but I soon learned they should not be the primary focus of my life. With all the anxieties of preparing for the future, I lost my zest for life and my attention to my Lord's return waned, but I could not understand why I felt so weighed down. This year after hearing a few church sermons, and being led by God to study the book of Revelation (which details the time of the end), I re-awakened to Jesus' return. In addition, I began to read a book called My Glimpse of Eternity by Betty Malz, which concerns the author's illness, death and resurrection after seeing the city of Heaven. With all this, I finally lifted my gaze up and God gave me an amazing, but simple revelation: This earth is not his best. All the hurt, suffering, and pain of the human experience leaves us unsatisfied. We all long for more, something better than this. Renown Christian apologist C.S. Lewis once said: 

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. 

King Solomon, the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes also said God " has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" . God has a place of utter freedom and beauty for us, a place where there is no tears, pain or death. This place is heaven.  I feel blessed and wrapped in the most beautiful atmosphere when I think about heaven. I'm free in my spirit, I'm rising up. The air around me is dipped in hope and I'm like the sky, the bright blue freshness of the morning. When I think only of this world, I'm heavy, trudging along through the mud, but when I think of heaven, I feel the soaring anticipation of something pure, fresh and clean. This is what Jesus meant when he said  those who were not watching for his return were "weighed down" by the cares of life (Luke 21:24). The cares of life concern earthly things and being below, these things bring you with them to the ground. There's a reason mood is associated with direction. When you are happy, you are "up" and when sad you are "down".  Often you feel in the direction you are headed. Thus if you are on board to heaven because you have trusted in Jesus, why feel as if you are descending into the depths? Contrarily  if you have not trusted in Jesus but want to go to heaven, why stay on the path to hell? Instead let Jesus raise you up. None of us deserve heaven because we have all fallen short of God's standards; no one has ever perfectly lived the 10 commandments that God gave to Israel, which reflect his expectations for humanity---except for Jesus (Romans 3:10-20). God knows this and out of his love for us sent his son  Jesus to die on the cross so that whoever trusts in him would inherit eternal life. After Jesus died on the cross, he was resurrected three days later, appeared to his disciples, ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of his Father. Jesus can come again at any moment for his people and to judge the Earth; believers who are alive when he comes will automatically be given a new, immortal body, while those dead will be resurrected into their bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-2). This will occur at the rapture, literally the "catching up", and is also called our blessed hope (Titus 2:13). You don't have to wait until you die or for Jesus to return in order to experience some of the beauty of heaven. 1 John 3:2 says that everyone who has the hope of seeing Jesus purifies himself just as Jesus is pure. So by dwelling on heavenly things, especially Jesus, we put some of the purity of heaven into our lives. And I myself can testify that it feels great. You too can have this same lovely, ethereal atmosphere , only, set your affections on things above and not below.

Desiring Prophecy

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy." (1 Corinthians 14:1)

 According to the verse above, prophecy should be the most coveted gift in the body, yet it is not.  In fact, many Christians have a distorted view of prophecy. They look upon it with either fear, confusion or suspicion. Sadly few understand what prophecy is at all. I've been studying this gift for about four years now and absolutely love it. In this post I hope to address common misconceptions and stir you seek the gift for yourself.

Understanding Prophecy

Prophecy comes from the Greek word prophéteuó.[1] According to Helps Word Studies, it can refers to forthtelling, (speaking forth the mind of God) or foretelling (speaking of a future event). Some think prophecy has to do with being able to hear God's voice. This is partly correct. In the Old Testament usually the only people who could hear God  were the prophets (Hebrews 1:1, Numbers 12:6). But this wasn't God original intention. Shortly after God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt they begged him, out of fear, not to hear his voice (Exodus 20:19).  Moses encouraged them not to be afraid and later unknowingly prophesied God's heart. "I would that all people were prophets and that God put his Spirit on all people" (Numbers 11:29) .  God would later promise through the prophet Joel to pour out his Spirit on "all flesh". He always desired his people have a personal relationship with him and be able to  hear his voice.  With the new covenant he accomplished just that. In these days  God speaks to us  through his son and not the prophets ( Hebrews 1:2). Thus all who have a relationship with Jesus can hear God's voice (John 10:27).  However God still chooses to use prophets under the new covenant, not as a barrier between himself and an individual believer,  but as a special form of ministry, a way of having us work together as a Body (Ephesians 4:11-3). Prophecy allows us to build each other up, receive confirmation we are hearing God correctly, and learn humility through receiving message from other believers. Thus prophecy is about not only hearing God's voice  but speaking to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3).  It is the communication of a message  from God to the church in order to edify it.  When I've felt discouraged or uncertain about God's plan for my life, God often has had other believers prophecy to me, sometimes through prayer, and they  would "reveal the secrets of my heart" (1 Cor. 14:25) : The things God showed them to say to me were exactly the things I had been asking him to confirm. Another way to see prophecy is to think of it as  inspired speech, Spirit breathed speech (2 Peter 1:21, 1 Peter 4:11). This inspired speech has the power to impart life to the listener and bring both the giver and receiver of the message incredible joy. "For the words I speak to you are Spirit and life" Jesus once said (John 6:63).  The times I've received prophecy have always put new life in me and energized my walk with God. I come away truly edified.

Embracing Prophecy 

 There are two common hindrances to prophecy in the Church: cessationism and skepticism. People believe either prophecy has ceased with the Old Testament or they believe it can happen today but are mistrustful of it.  To address the first barrier, while there is no new Scripture produced today this does not mean God has stopped talking or encountering his people. In fact the prophet Joel proclaimed in the last days God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh, and effectively encounter more people than in any point in history:

And Afterward
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

I will show wonders in the heavens

and on the earth,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

  
God declares people will prophecy until the great and glorious day of the Lord (a.k.a. the return of Jesus.) The last days began when Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 2:17) and since he has not yet returned , we are still in them. Throughout history God has continued to save and fill people with his Holy Spirit so that we may be sealed and inherit eternal life (Titus 3:5-7).  Prophecy today gives us personal, and detailed guidance for our lives, as well as expounds upon what Scripture has already revealed. The Bible is the infalliable rubric by which we must judge all modern prophecies. God will not contradict himself and will never tell someone a prophecy that goes against what is in his Word. We can think of the Bible as an outline, and prophecy the crayons to color it in. The Word is the required textbook while prophecy, the supplementary materials.  When prophecy is handled correctly and used with the word of God it becomes a powerful tool to build up the church and therefore something that should be eagerly sought.  However many in the church actually despise prophecy out of fear and ignorance.  In some ways the mistrust of prophecy is understandable considering there have been plenty of individuals  who have abused this gift out of ignorance or  wickedness. There are also false prophets that lead many astray (1 John 4:1). Nonetheless, the apostle Paul commanded us:

"Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil."( 1 Thessalonians 5:20)


The word contempt in the Greek is exoutheneo and means to ignore or despise [2]. It is our natural inclination to want to avoid something that causes us pain. If another believer has abused the gift of prophecy or if we have been victims of false prophecies, we are tempted to "throw the baby out with the bath water" and hate prophecies altogether. In addition if  we don't understand prophecy or aren't exposed to it, its easy for us to ignore it. But Paul's words demonstrate that our faith is not based upon what another person does or teaches but on what God says.  Therefore, regardless of false prophets and other's  mishandling of the gifts, we must eagerly desire to  prophecy. We only need to test everything against the word of God and hold on to what is good----  which leads me to a quick aside on judging prophecy.  Some believers apply the Old Testament criteria that a prophet be 100% accurate to the requirements for prophets under the New Testament. They are also quick to label others as false prophets.  Jesus came to fulfill the law not to abolish it but he did change how  some things are done. Prophecy in the New Testament does not work the same as in the Old, just as the  Sabbath Day in the Old Testament is not exactly like the New Testament version. In the Old Testament, again, prophets were the only way people could hear God's voice. But under the new covenant everyone can hear God's voice and thus it is not as crucial for prophets to be 100% correct---though prophets certainly should strive for that percent! As falliable beings, we only prophecy and know in part, and some prophets, especially the immature ones, will make mistakes; some of their prophecies maybe correct and there could even be a mixture of right or wrong in single prophecies. That is why Paul charges us to weigh carefully what another "prophet" says (1 Cor. 14:29).  False prophets in the New Testament will typically be wolves in sheep's clothing sent by the devil OR believers who really have not been called. The destruction of other people's lives, the exaltation of themselves rather than Jesus, and even the denying of Jesus will characterize the ministry of false prophets (1 John 4:1-3). As the Lord said, we will know them by their fruits. As a general rule, prophets who are consistently wrong are false, but it is important to note that  a few mistakes does not a false prophet make. Prophets should be allowed to mature in their gifting and be mentored, just as preachers and teachers are often allowed to do.

 

Pursuing Prophecy

It is important for the church to foster a healthy environment where prophecy is respected, tested and everyone encouraged to pursue it. Admittedly not all will "prophesy" and not all are called to be prophets (1 Cor. 12:29). You can prophecy without being an "official" prophet, just as you can teach  but not professionally be a teacher or preach the gospel without pastoring a church.  The office of a prophet (along with the office of the apostle, pastor, teacher and evangelist) is outlined in Ephesians 4:11. A person  in the office of the prophet is  given a higher level of authority and accountability than a person only with the gift of prophecy. He will operate at a higher level , a "professional" level if you will,  because he is given a higher measure of grace ( Romans 12:3-6, Ephesians 4:7) . Words about the future, warnings, or directions for a person's life are usually reserved for those in the office of the prophet.  It may take years of training before God officially installs a person in this position and allows the world to see him  "confirmed as a prophet of the Lord" (1 Samuel 3:20, NASB).  Still, the simple gift of prophecy is available to all believers and people can even have prophetic ministries without being prophets.  God said that we may all "prophesy" (1 Cor. 14: 5, 31) Because prophecy is so edifying for  the church we need to seek it. We pursue the gifts by continually knocking and continually seeking until the Lord opens the door saying yes or shuts it saying no. With this is in mind, let's pursue the way of love and eagerly desire the gifts, especially prophecy. In my next post I'll share a few more incentives for doing so.

[1] http://biblehub.com/greek/4394.htm
[2] http://biblehub.com/greek/1848.htm

Suggested Reading. I've found these books to be very helpful in either learning to hear God's voice or exploring prophecy:

Jacobs, Cindy. The Voice of God. Ventura, CA, USA: Regal, 1995. Print.
Eckhardt, John. God Still Speaks. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2009. Print.
Seputis, Teresa. How to Hear the Voice of God in a Noisy World. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2001. Print. 

Eagerly Desire the Spiritual Gifts

Where are the Gifts?

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy (1 Corinthians
14:1)

  We need all the Spiritual Gifts in the church. Most Christians who say they believe the gifts of the Spirit are for today do not pursue what are called the power gifts ( faith, healing and working of miracles) and the revelatory gifts (prophecy, discernment, wisdom, and knowledge). Save for those in the charismatic or pentecostal churches, many mainstream, American Christians shuts their eyes to these gifts. Roughly 100 million Americans consider themselves  to be "evangelical" [1]. Typically, evangelicals emphasize the need to be born again in order to enter the Kingdom of God, (conversionism), the need to spread the gospel (activism), the infallibility of Scripture (biblicism) and the importance of the crucifixion (crucicentrism) [2].  I affirm all of these beliefs, but some believers never move past these core tenets into other aspects of the faith. As you can see, evangelicals focus mainly on the cross but some forget what happens next: after the cross was a resurrection of power, and after that,  a baptism of the Spirit in power (Acts 1:8). 

Powerless

    Where is the power in American Christianity? Our churches are "dry", with administrations that retain  tight control over the services while the Holy Spirit is ignored, or worse quenched. Furthermore, despite Paul's words in Ephesians 4:11-12 prophets and apostles are non-existent, and pastors shoulder most of the burden to lead the church. According to Proverbs 29:18, where there is no revelation (prophetic vision) the people perish. This is true of churches that neglect the power and revelatory gifts. Because only some gifts are understood or welcomed, the Holy Spirit is restricted and limited: when there is no faith or expectation in a service, the Spirit cannot move freely and cannot do mighty miracles (Matt. 13:58). Therefore, the people metaphorically perish, unable to enter into the life and excitement these gifts would bring to the church. Contrarily, miracles abound in Argentina and across the African continent. These people are raised in a culture that affirms the spiritual world. They believe in the power of the supernatural because it is usually their only hope to overcome difficult circumstances. In contrast to these believers, we Americans are wealthy and well fed; we have so many comforts, opportunities and medicines it becomes easy to forget that God is a God of healing and miracles. Sadly, most evangelicals neither look a thing like the believers in Acts, nor do they desire to do so. "Casting out demons? Healing the sick---by the laying on of hands? That was for Jesus only---or that was for the apostles",  they say. But in Mark chapter 16,  Jesus said:

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.

Functionally Cessationist?

  

Most of us, even cessationist theologians,  uphold the Great Commission. So why not the rest of this passage? Jesus says signs will follow those who believe (including you and me), not just the apostles.  Granted, a person may not experience all these signs, but he should at least exhibit one, whether it be driving out demons (something every believer can do) or experiencing some form of supernatural protection (v.18). All of the spiritual gifts and manifestations are important aspects of the faith that only few believers currently experience. This is in effect creates a powerless church, a powerless Christianity. When did Christianity become more about a preacher's eloquent words, or our own talents, rather than the Spirit's leading? Let's experience the Holy Spirit's presence to the full. Let's not act like cessationists. Our churches should encourage even the lowliest believer to desire all the gifts. The flock should be taught about gifts such as prophecy, exhorted about visions and dreams (Joel 2:28), encouraged to even believe God could do a miracle through them. We can no longer be double-minded. If we believe 1 Corinthians 12:1-11,  we must Stop being functionally cessationist--for as far as the Bible is concerned every gift  of the Spirit is in operation until we are perfected, until Jesus returns (Ephesians 4:11-12).  Whether God ultimately gives you these gifts is unimportant but it is the faith, the desire to see every gift flourish in the church that is required(1Cor.14:1). Therefore let us eagerly desire the gifts (by praying for them), especially those that build up the church (1 Cor. 14:12).  For the Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of talk but power (1 Cor. 4:20).

[1] http://www.wheaton.edu/ISAE/Defining-Evangelicalism/How-Many-Are-There
[2] Bebbington, D. W. (1989) Evangelicals in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s London, Unwin