Experience religion

[Hitch]

Experiences are great. We love to tell about the instant healing we saw, or the powerful prayer meetings we used to attend. Some folks cant really have a 'good service' without some sort of special manifestation. Its natural.
The trouble is experiences dont age well. Of those of the blood only one crossed from Egypt to the Promised Land. And this from the very generation that walked through the sea, and saw daily the protective cloud and fire by night. They ate the manna and drank from the Rock, they looked at the serpent and were healed. They saw the earth swallow Moses' enemies. They failed to cross the Jordan.

 

[complete]

Dear God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Dust I am, and yet You came,
To redeem me for Your Own.
You came in the person of Your Son,
and reconciled me to Yourself.
You have given to me the spirit of sonship
Whereby I can call you, 'Father'.
Though you made the Heavens and the Earth
and all things within them.
Gracious Lord!

 

[Reba1]

This OP brings to mind . Joshua and Caleb... In the middle of all the woes around them .. the covid ,the crime , the corruption, the death. all their human eyes could see, Yet they saw the Lord. They saw His Kingdom His Truth...

Num 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
Num 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
Num 13:32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
Num 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Num 14:6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
Num 14:7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
Num 14:8 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
Num 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

 

[Hitch]

'It is one of the major weaknesses of revivalism in general and the twentieth century Pentecostal movement in particular that Christians have relied so heavily on miraculous manifestation of the power of God, rather than relying on the continuous power of the law of God as a tool of dominion'
G North 1985

 

[Waggles]

It is one of the major weaknesses of revivalism in general and the twentieth century Pentecostal movement in particular that Christians have relied so heavily on miraculous manifestation of the power of God, rather than relying on the continuous power of the law of God as a tool of dominion'

So did the first church you can read of in your NT - the gospel is about disciples enjoying the power of God by his Spirit.
Mark 16:15 And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.
16 Who hath believed and is baptized shall be saved; but who hath disbelieved shall be condemned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that have believed: in my name shall they cast out demons, speak with tongues;
18 and in their hands they shall take up serpents, and if they drink aught deadly, it shall in now wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
20 And THEY went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed.

 

[Waggles]

Pentecostal churches are Spirit-filled churches and as such enjoy
1Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

 

[Waggles]

1Corinthians 2:4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

1Corinthians 4:18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.
20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

 

[Hitch]

So did the first church you can read of in your NT - the gospel is about disciples enjoying the power of God by his Spirit.
Mark 16:15 And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.
16 Who hath believed and is baptized shall be saved; but who hath disbelieved shall be condemned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that have believed: in my name shall they cast out demons, speak with tongues;
18 and in their hands they shall take up serpents, and if they drink aught deadly, it shall in now wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
20 And THEY went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed.

Odd these signs dont follow you Waggles,

 

[Hitch]

1Corinthians 2:4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

1Corinthians 4:18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.
20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

Kinda like the pillar of fire and the manna eh ?

 

[Hitch]

Pentecostal churches are Spirit-filled churches and as such enjoy
1Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

With all they they should have a lot more accomplished dont you think ?

 

[Gregoryp]

So did the first church you can read of in your NT - the gospel is about disciples enjoying the power of God by his Spirit.
Mark 16:15 And he said to them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.
16 Who hath believed and is baptized shall be saved; but who hath disbelieved shall be condemned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that have believed: in my name shall they cast out demons, speak with tongues;
18 and in their hands they shall take up serpents, and if they drink aught deadly, it shall in now wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
20 And THEY went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed.

Just an aside, wasnt this addressed to the 12 apostles? And not the general community?

 

[Hitch]

And so the pastor or Board will ensure that another Prophecy Conference, or Carasmata Seminar will come along lest the people grumble. The faithful will attend in the sure hope that this time they will get that 'Word' of that healing or that confirmation that will propel them into every greater 'ministry' . For a while it help but like a drug, each time the newness wears off faster. Some will even look for the cause, but most often in the wrong place. Mr Smiths healing of 1949 will rise again to match the parting of the sea, but so few now can even remember it. So news from far off will play and offer confirmation. Maybe a healing or a great story from Africa. More likely the newest reason the rapture really really is 'soon' this time. 'Never before have all the signs'.... One more book, one more 'Word' , from a friendly source.
Our God is gracious to keep us from being destroyed if we were too consistent.

 

[Waggles]

wasnt this addressed to the 12 apostles? And not the general community?

NO - it is the church and discipleship of the NT for all.