- P. J. K
I strongly believe in
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including prophecy, miracles, healing and tongues. I was a
witness to many miraculous healings by the Hand of God through prayer,
I have heard the true word of God and prophecy spoken.
The original does exist. But because of our eagerness and hunger to
see the power of God at work and to hear God speak to us
personally, many of us have become undiscerning and have embraced ever ecstatic vision
and prophecy, as from God.
Christianity is in danger, not only from the
external agencies but also from a new breed of Super Christians
who are on the rise
to undermine Christianity, A la, the blind leading the blind. - Matthew 14: 15
Many are putting away their Bible and asking the gift of tongues, as
if speaking in tongues would alone make them a complete Christian.
Many of their experiences are utterly detached from the revealed plan
of God indicated in the scriptures. When these become the basis for
one's belief, there is almost no limit to the kinds of false teaching that can
emerge and if not identified and checked this can drive the truth
seekers away from God. - Ezek. 33:
7,8
Many Super
Christians claim to have been transported to heaven, the dead visiting
them and guiding them, the experiences are horrendous. These experience
with feeling of euphoria, visions and emotional outbursts of various
kinds - shouting and jumping can also be produced by the psychological,
physiological, or even demonic phenomena.
The baptism
in the Holy Spirit, manifested by various gifts, such as speaking in
tongues is often made a mockery by teaching to speak in tongues as if it
were a mundane language to be mastered. Those who are not bestowed
with the gifts of tongues, visions and prophecy, are not considered
as spirit filled; that is, they are immature, carnal, disobedient or
an incomplete Christian. This is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and
is unpardonable. - Matt
12:31
For instance,
Cultists who deny the deity of Jesus Christ speak in tongues, mentally
ill speak in tongues while in a trance and even the demon-possessed and
the spiritist mediums speak in tongues.
How therefore, do we
dare assert that speaking in tongues is the exclusive manifestation of
the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life? It is
one of the most easily counterfeited of gifts and one of the most
treacherous, for Satan has used to take our focus off worshipping a
Mighty, Sovereign Lord, puffing us up, rather, with a subtle, prideful
preoccupation with our gifting instead of with our walk with
God.
While exercising the
gift of tongues in public, it has to be as per the
scriptures. "If
any man speak in an unknowm tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by
three, and that by course; let one interpret". - 1 Corn.
14:27.
This law is utterly violated and we
have witnessed the entire congregation simultaneously speaking in
tongues leading to chaos and confusion, but of peace, as in all churches
of the saints - 1 Corn. 14:33
,
and "Let all things be done
decently and in order".- 1 Corn.
14:40.
Thus utter confusion and deviations over
speaking in tongues have cropped up as it is contrary to the
scriptures.
Now there are diversities of gifts,
but the same Spirit. And there are differences of adminstration, but the
same Lord. And there are diversities of all in all 1 Corn.12 :4-6. For to one is given by the Spirit
the word of wisdom; to another the faith by the same Spirit, to another
the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of
miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to
another diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of
tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame spirit,
dividing to every man severally as he will. - 1 Corn.
8-10
Equal importance is given to all the gifts of the
Holy Spirit wherein each gift is compared to each part of the body,
giving due importance to all functions. - 1 Corn
12:12-31
Then why does
speaking in tongues alone is taken as a confirmation for a person to be
filled with the Holy Spirit? Can it be pleasing in His sight that those
whom He has not gifted with tongues are made to feel inferior and
lacking in their faith and worthless before Him? Can it be His will for
faithful, committed believers to whom He has not given tongues to be
thrown into an awful turmoil of their spirits because of this? We have
turned a gift into a stumbling block. Countless servants of God whose
lives are characterized by the fruit of the spirit have never spoken in
tongues.
We cannot base our authority on our ecstatic feelings, and angelic visions,
or point to miracles or aesthetic life-style as proof of
"good fruit" and power in our lives - Colosians
2:18.
It is not visions or experiences which
produce the power of God in our lives, visions, even of Jesus, are
easily counterfeited by satan - as testified countless God's servants,
as are tongues and prophecies and healings.
Power in our lives comes by grace, from the Holy
Spirit, as we walk with Him in yeilded obedience. Power to walk by
faith, power to resist temptation, power to minister and witness - this
power is available to every believer, whether he has ever spoken in
tongues or not. "But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy,
Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperence:
against such there is no law."
- Galatians
5:22-23.
These are the true signs of the presence of the
spirit in a believer's life, which comes only through abiding in Him -like the tree planted by the streams of
living waters. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear
much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples". - John
15:8
The experiences keep varying, "I have seen God in
his full glory". "No man has seen God at any time".- John 1:18. "No man can see Me and live". - Exo 33:20.
The private revelations and personal feelings
of SC's mean more to them than the eternal truth of God's inspired word.
All experiences must be tested by the word of God, else Satan can use it
to delight people and de-emphasize God's word. If we sincerely seek the
truth about Christian life and doctrine, we cannot rely solely on
someone's experiences. We must base all our teaching on the revealed
word of God."Though you have not seen Him, you love him, and
though you do not see Him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice
with joy inexpressible and full of glory". - 1 Peter
1:8
Obviously Peter did not believe it
was possible for his first century readers to see Jesus, nor did he feel
such visions were necessary for faith, hope love or joy.
Test the spirits whether they are of God
but believe not in every spirit - 1 John 4:1 and
men who professed to speak for God but spoke their own opinions were to
be executed under the Old Testament law -
Deut.13:1-5. It is God given right to test every spirit within
the purview of the word of God and use God given knowledge and
intelligence to weed out the false spirits. - Matthew
10:16
God told Isrealites, "My hand will be against the prophets who see
false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in
the council of my people, nor will they be written down in the register
of the house of Isreal, nor will they enter the land of Isreal, that you
may know that I am the Lord God".
- Ezekiel
13:9
We have seen many ignore, the systematic study of the Word
but utter, God always "speaks to them directly, telling them
exactly what to do". When God himself says his word is sufficient, why then
are these strange experiences required. - Psalm 19:
7-11
Prophecy should be 100% true. God does'nt change
His plans like us mortals.
Does God promise something and not give? - Matthew 24:35
They must be one hundred percent accurate
one hundred percent of time."And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know
the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the
name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the
thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it
presumptously: thou shalt not be afraid of him -
Deut 18:20-22
. No excuses are taken. A false
prophet- anyone who prophesied something that did not come to pass - was
to be put to death.
It is a serious matter to
claim to speak for the Lord. "Even him whose coming is after the working
of satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for
this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe
a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had
pleasure in unrighteousness" - 2 Thess.
2:9-12
.
Yes, God Himself
gives them the strength to deceive.
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord. Lord, have
we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And
in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity".
- Matt 7:22,23.
So know them by fruits.
For the most part, SC's appear sincere, they have
zeal without knowledge; they have enthusiasm without enlightenment. Many
of them are like the Jews of whom Paul said,"I bear them witness that they
have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge". - Romans 10:2
It is told by many that unless
we bypass the proud human intellect we cannot speak in tongues. God wants us to be renewed in mind and knowledge
- Romans 12:2, but not to discard the mind and
knowledge, therefore demanding the true use of reason and understanding.
But instead we keep lying - Eph 4:23-24
., deceiving others and literally stand against all those
seeking the truth by way of our hypocricy and deceptive love.
We must commit
ourselves to search the scriptures, and let our experience of the living
word come from that, not from innerfeelings, supernatural phenomena, or
other potential counterfeit or untrustworthy evidences. Then our
experience will bring the greatest, purest joy and blessing unimaginable
- because it is rooted and grounded in divine truth.
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert ". - 1 Peter 5:8 and Ephesians 6:18.Let no one deceive
us with empty words - Ephesians 5:6; nor to
allow ourselves to be taken captive " through philosophy and empty
deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the
elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ"
- Colossians 2:8
Let
us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this
is the whole duty of man. - Ecc 12:13
The First Commandment -
"Love thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with
all thy mind and with all thy strength".
The second commandment - "Love thy neighbour as
thyself" . There is none other commandment greater than these.
- Mark 12:30-31
May he grant us the grace and wisdom in these last
days to walk as children of light.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may
see your good works, and glorify your father which is in Heaven.
- Matthew 5:16