What the Bible says about the Threefold Relationship of the Holy Spirit with Men, pt. 6

EXTREMES REGARDING THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Unfortunately, most Christians today (even “Bible believing” Christians) usually take one of two extreme positions regarding the Holy Spirit and His role in the Church today.

The Second Position
The second position that many Christians take regarding the Holy Spirit and His role in the Church today is that of over-emphasizing the certain gifts of the Holy Spirit and the exaltation of signs and wonders to the exclusion of the Word of God. Many in the Body of Christ fault our non-Pentecostal friends for their position on the present gifts and ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church today. Some even refer to them as the “dead in Christ,” because it is perceived that they do not have the Spirit’s power working in their lives. Many in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements claim to be “enlightened” because they embrace the present gifts and ministry of the Holy Spirit and alas, their non-Pentecostal friends do not.

Is it the Holy Spirit that has led many in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements to refer to others in Christ this way? Is it the Holy Spirit that has led many in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements to divide the body of Christ this way? If indeed those in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements are filled with the Holy Spirit, why then this division? We do not believe that this division is from the Holy Spirit, but rather, from men.

As we said earlier, the circus atmosphere and emotional excess that is often associated with the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements is both excessive and disappointing. The danger of emotional excess is that once you are carried away there is a tendency towards un-Biblical practices. In the Book of Leviticus, there is a story told of the beginning of the priestly ministry of Aaron and his sons, Nadab and Abijhu. During the time of their anointing by God we read, “and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.” (Leviticus 9:24). This was a time of great emotional excitement. We read in chapter 10 what that emotional excess led to, “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.” (Leviticus 10:1-3). Their getting caught up in the emotion of the moment led to the un-Biblical practice of offering strange fire before the LORD. In the Book of Exodus, chapter 30, God had given specific instructions for the offering of incense. In their excitement, Nadab and Abijhu sinned by disobeying the Word of the LORD and as a result, were slain.

I don’t know about you, but I am glad that the Holy Spirit no longer works this way in the Church. If He did, there would be many more slain (including me, I am sure) for sinning against God and His Word. (See the Book of Acts chapter 5 for how the Holy Spirit dealt with two in the early Church for the sin of hypocrisy). I thank God for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in my life, quietly letting me know when I have sinned and gently leading me to repentance. This does not, however, give us license to deliberately disobey God and His word. We, as Christians, are not to worship God in ignorance, but rather we are to worship God in Spirit and in truth, as Jesus said to the woman at the well, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24). Jesus is saying that those who have His Spirit dwelling within them and worship God according to the truth of His word are the only one’s who can worship God acceptably. Many in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements are not satisfied with quietly worshipping God. They believe that they must have a highly emotional experience or real worship did not take place. Often, however, what really takes place is soulish rather than spiritual. The flesh is excited, but the spirit does not really enter into true worship. There is just the “worked up” exercise of physical emotions, and as we said earlier, the result is often un-Biblical excess. We do well if we avoid emotional excess in our worship. We believe that God created our emotions and He enjoys us exercising them. However, He does not desire that we get carried away by them.

In addition to the circus atmosphere and emotional excess that is often associated with the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements there is the willing abandonment of the authority of the Word of God. The false doctrine that is often associated with these movements is disturbing. Why would the Holy Spirit, the author of the Word of God (II Peter 1:21) inspire activities and doctrine contrary to His word? The answer is simple, He wouldn’t. When the Holy spirit is moving in a congregation and people are exercising the gifts He has given, every thing is to be done according to the Word of God, “Let all things be done decently and in order,” (I Corinthians 14:40), because, “…God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (I Corinthians 14:33).

The result of forsaking the Word of God is to open yourself up to deception by false teachers. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:11-16 of Christ’s purpose in giving gifted men to the church, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ -- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” It is Christ’s will that that we would be well equipped for the work of the ministry. That we would grow to maturity and be able to share our faith with others, so that they would come to know Christ just as us and that we would no longer be carried about by false doctrine. Remember what Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." A disciple is one who learns. If we are disciples of Jesus then we will be in the Word, learning, being equipped, and growing in our relationship with Him. And because we are being equipped with the Word we will know the truth and no one will be able to deceive us.

The reason that the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements are not any more effective than they are is that they have failed (for the most part) to equip “…the saints for the work of the ministry.” And so, just as with the so-called non-Pentecostal Churches, we see many in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements lacking the spiritual strength to withstand temptation and as a result, are in bondage to sin.

Both groups are willing ignorant of one thing. The Word filled Christian is the Spirit filled Christian, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord,” (Colossians 3:16-17), and the Spirit filled Christian is the Word filled Christian, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:18-19).

There remains a balance between the things of the Spirit and the Word. To emphasize one over the other is wrong. To exclude one for the benefit of the other is equally wrong. Also, just as with the so-called “non-Pentecostal” movements, not all those in the Pentecostal and Charismatic Church take this position. Again, we have met many fine men and women in these Churches that truly do love God and are actively seeking a balance between the things of the Spirit and the teaching of the Word of God. However as with the so-called “non-Pentecostal” movements it has been our experience that they are in the minority and not the majority.