Charismatics
This post is not about charismatic or pentecostal denominations. Instead, its about all of those who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit – that is, all Christians. You see, when the Spirit indwells and fills, He also gives gifts – the charismata.
In my recent reading of modern ecclesiologies, I ran into a couple of interesting quotes about believers serving through their spiritual gifts, meaning “charismatics”. First, in The Church in the Power of the Spirit: A Contribution to Messianic Ecclesiology (trans. by Margaret Kohl, New York: Harper & Row, 1977), Jurgen Moltmann writes:
The New Testament knows no technical term for what we call ‘the church’s ministry’. Paul talks about charismata, meaning the energies of the new life (I Cor. 12.6, 11), which is to say the powers of the Spirit. These are designations of what is, not of what ought to be. They are the gifts of grace springing from the creative grace of God. When he talks about the use of these new living energies, on the other hand, he evidently avoids all the words expressing conditions of rule. He does not talk about ‘holy rule’ (hierarchy) but chooses the expression diakonia [service].
There are a couple of interesting and important points in Moltmann’s statements. In Paul’s descriptions of the working of spiritual gifts, the apostle does not talk about hierarchy, or a rule associated with those gifts. Perhaps a case can be made that some gifts are more important than others (although an equal case can be made that we usually place importance on the wrong gifts), importance of gifts does not equate with importance of the individual, nor does it equate with a certain leadership. Instead, the Spirit works his gifts according to his own will – that is, through whom he desires and for the purpose he desires.
Also, instead of focusing on rule or control, Paul focuses on service. Thus, exercising spiritual gifts is not a function of leadership but of service – to service to other brothers and sisters in Christ and service to the world. These gifts exist (in reality, not in potential) for the benefit of other people, not primarily for the benefit of the ones exercising the gifts – although there may be some personal benefit as well.
This leads me to the second quote by Hans Kung in his book The Church (trans. by Ray and Rosaleen Ockenden, New York: Sheed and Ward, 1967). (I discusses another part of this book earlier in my post “Kung on the Church in Corinth“.) Again concerning the charismata, Kung says:
By linking his teaching about charismata with that about the body of Christ Paul at all events made clear that the Church is never – as some people in Corinth seem to have supposed – a gathering of charismatics enjoying their own private relationship with Christ independently of the community. According to Paul, all charismatics are part of the body of Christ, of the community. The fact that all charismatics are members of one body does not of course mean uniformity, but on the contrary a variety of gifts and callings. But fundamentally all individual members, having been baptized, are equal. But, by contrast with this fundamental equality all differences are ultimately without importance.
Here, Kung makes another couple of important distinctions about spiritual gifts which follow nicely from Moltmann’s observations. The body of Christ is not made of individuals who gather and exercise their gifts for the sake of the individuals and “their own private relationship with Christ”. Instead, because of the work of the Spirit, the individuals become part of the body of Christ together. Thus, the gifts are to be exercised for the good of the community, not primarily for the good of the individual.
But, this does not mean that there is uniformity within the community. On the contrary, as Paul points out, the Spirit works in many different way within the community. The variety works to strengthen the body in a way that uniformity could not. The teachers need the prophets who need the helpers who need the exhorters, etc. The difficulty comes when the individual must deny himself and the importance of his own gift and service in order to receive help from someone who is gifted in a different way.
When we gather together with other believers, we should be gathering with people who are different from us. We should expect and encourage people who are different from us to exercise their spiritual gifts. We should recognize that our gifts and giftedness (even teaching!) is neither less important nor more important than the gifts and giftedness of the other people around us. Why? Because the community benefits through the variety of gifts that the Spirit offers.
But, when some people or some gifts are considered more important, or when some people or gifts are not allowed to operate during the meeting of the church, or when we make the church about hierarchies instead of service, then the spiritual health of the community is weakened.
Irenaeus and miraculous gifts
Irenaeus (2nd century AD – died around 202 AD) is one of the important figures in early church history. He wrote against heretical beliefs, and he pointed to both Scripture and the proper interpretation of Scripture (rule of faith) in his defense of orthodox beliefs.
A few weeks ago, I ran across a blog post on AdrianWarnock.com called “Historical Evidence that the gifts didn’t cease when the apostles died“. Reading through this post, and following links to other posts and comments, I found some very interesting information in one of Irenaeus’s important writings: Against Heresies.
To begin with, in Against Heresies, Book II, Chapter 31, Paragraph 2, Irenaeus writes:
Moreover, those also will be thus confuted who belong to Simon and Carpocrates, and if there be any others who are said to perform miracles who do not perform what they do either through the power of God, or in connection with the truth, nor for the well-being of men, but for the sake of destroying and misleading mankind, by means of magical deceptions, and with universal deceit, thus entailing greater harm than good on those who believe them, with respect to the point on which they lead them astray. For they can neither confer sight on the blind, nor hearing on the deaf, nor chase away all sorts of demons [none, indeed,] except those that are sent into others by themselves, if they can even do so much as this. Nor can they cure the weak, or the lame, or the paralytic, or those who are distressed in any other part of the body, as has often been done in regard to bodily infirmity. Nor can they furnish effective remedies for those external accidents which may occur. And so far are they from being able to raise the dead, as the Lord raised them, and the apostles did by means of prayer, and as has been frequently done in the brotherhood on account of some necessity the entire Church in that particular locality entreating [the boon] with much fasting and prayer, the spirit of the dead man has returned, and he has been bestowed in answer to the prayers of the saints that they do not even believe this can be possibly be done, [and hold] that the resurrection from the dead is simply an acquaintance with that truth which they proclaim.
In this paragraph, Irenaeus is writing against false magicians who are performing “miracles” by deception and with the wrong motives. Apparently, motivation is very important to Irenaeus. He says that these false miracle workers cannot actually perform miracles. They so-called miracles do not stand up to evidential exams like the miracles of the Lord, the apostles, and brothers and sisters who are currently part of the church. Apparently, Irenaeus (and the entire church in some localities?) was witness to many of these real miracles.
Similarly, in Against Heresies, Book II, Chapter 32, Paragraph 4, Irenaeus writes:
If, however, they maintain that the Lord, too, performed such works simply in appearance, we shall refer them to the prophetical writings, and prove from these both that all things were thus predicted regarding Him, and did take place undoubtedly, and that He is the only Son of God. Wherefore, also, those who are in truth His disciples, receiving grace from Him, do in His name perform [miracles], so as to promote the welfare of other men, according to the gift which each one has received from Him. For some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have thus been cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe [in Christ], and join themselves to the Church. Others have foreknowledge of things to come: they see visions, and utter prophetic expressions. Others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole. Yea, moreover, as I have said, the dead even have been raised up, and remained among us for many years. And what shall I more say? It is not possible to name the number of the gifts which the Church, [scattered] throughout the whole world, has received from God, in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and which she exerts day by day for the benefit of the Gentiles, neither practising deception upon any, nor taking any reward (Acts 8:9, 18) from them [on account of such miraculous interpositions]. For as she has received freely (Matthew 10:8) from God, freely also does she minister [to others].
Once again, Irenaeus using living examples. He points to brothers and sisters in Christ who cast out demons, see visions, prophesy, heal the sick, and raise the dead. In fact, in this passage, Irenaeus uses current examples (in his day) of miracles as evidence that Christ actually performed miracles. This would not have been a very good argument if the miracles were not obvious to his readers.
Importantly, in this passage, Irenaeus connects these miracles back to the gifts that Christ gave the church after his death and resurrection. He also points out that these miracles are not performed from deception, and, instead, they were performed for a specific purpose: “the welfare of other men”.
So, if God continued to give people the ability to exercise miraculous (sign) gifts in the 2nd century, after the apostles died and after Scripture had been written, when did these gifts cease?
The Holy Spirit has made you overseers
Back in February 2007, I wrote a blog post called “The Holy Spirit has made you overseers“. The post was prompted by a conversation that I had about the role of the Holy Spirit in appointing elders. It generated a good discussion then, and I hope it will do the same this time.
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The Holy Spirit has made you overseers
We are currently attempting to recognize additional elders among the church. We believe that a pastor, an elder, and an overseer are the same. In other words, an elder is a pastor is an overseer.
Recently, someone brought this verse to our attention:
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28 ESV)
As we discussed this verse, and how we should apply it, we noticed the phrase “the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” This brought up a very interesting question: At what point does a person become a pastor/elder/overseer?
According to Acts 20:28 (above), it is the Holy Spirit who makes someone a pastor. Does the Holy Spirit do this as a response to the actions of a church? I don’t think so. Instead, I believe that the Holy Spirit makes someone an overseer regardless of the actions or lack of actions of the church itself.
In other words, the Holy Spirit places someone in a group of believers and subsequently gives that person the responsibility of “caring for” (that is, being an overseer for) that group of believers. The church is then supposed to respond to the work of the Holy Spirit and to recognize that individual as an overseer.
If the church does not recognize that person as an overseer, the church’s action does not remove the responsibility from that person, because the responsibility was given by the Holy Spirit not the church. If the church recognizes different people as overseers, the church’s action does not remove the responsibility from the first person, because the responsibility was given by the Holy Spirit not the church.
Now, this is not the way that we normally think of pastors/elders/overseers. However, it does seem to align with what Scripture says about the work of the Holy Spirit among a group of believers (especially Acts 20:28 above). How does a church ensure that the people the church recognizes as overseers are the same people that the Holy Spirit has made overseers?
The Depths of Community
Just over a year ago, I published a blog post called “The Depths of Community“. The point of this post is that relational friction (disagreements, personality issues, etc) should not diminish community. Instead, relational friction should strengthen community. Of course, this assumes that the community is build on Jesus Christ and complete trust in Him. However, few of our communities today – even church communities – are built on the person of Jesus Christ. So, when relational friction comes along, the community suffers. I believe that community is very important. But, as important as community is, I do not think community should be goal. Instead, community is a by-product of loving God and loving others. I hope you enjoy this post.
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The Depths of Community
Today, it is fashionable to talk about community. Everyone wants community. Followers of Jesus Christ want community. People who do not follow Jesus Christ want community. In discussing the desire of “the younger generation” for community, Dallas Willard said:
That’s an expression of their loneliness. But most of them don’t know what community means because community means assuming responsibility for other people and that means paying attention and not following your own will but submitting your will and giving up the world of intimacy and power you have in the little consumer world that you have created. They are lonely and they hurt. They don’t know why that they think community might solve that, but when they look community in the face and realize that it means raw, skin to skin contact with other people for whom you have become responsible…that’s when they back away. (HT: Provocative Church)
If Willard is correct, and I tend to think he is correct at this point, then I must qualify my earlier statements. Everyone wants community, as long as the community is comfortable for them and of immediate benefit for them. People are willing to pay the price for a certain kind of community, as long as there is a tangible return on their investment. However, once the cost becomes too high, or the return becomes too small, then we naturally return to self-sufficiency and self-reliance and leave the community to fend for itself.
What is the cause of “backing away”, as Willard calls it? What causes the cost of community to become too prohibitive or the return from the community to become too small? There can be only one answer: sin. And, not the sin in the community, although sin will always be present within the community – we should never be surprised about that. No, it is the sin of the individual that causes him or her to “back away”.
Whether this sin manifests itself in self-centeredness, selfishness, anger, impatience, etc., the root of the sin is almost always pride. It is pride that causes the individual to consider himself and his desires and his opinions above and more important than the others within the community.
There is a depth to community that can only be plumbed through the empowerment and submission to the person of the Holy Spirit. The scriptural exhortations to consider others as better than yourselves, to confess your sins to one another, to accept and welcome one another, to bear with and forgive one another, to care for and give to one another, and – as Jesus put it – to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him can only be understood and realized via the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the life of a child of God.
There is a misconception that community is built around uniformity: people who believe alike, act alike, respond alike, desire alike, etc. However, uniformity will not create the type of community in which God calls us to live. This is evident in the constant exhortation for believers to bear with one another, forgive one another, have patience with one another, and consider others as more important than themselves. Thus, the authors of Scripture recognize that there would be relational frictions between believers. This relational frictions Willard describes above by the phrase “raw, skin to skin contact”. The way that someone responds to relational frictions demonstrates whether or not they are living in a Spirit-enabled, Spirit-empowered community, or if they desire to live in a uniform community.
People normally and naturally respond to relational friction with anger, impatience, divisiveness, selfishness, defensiveness, pride, etc. These responses are manifestations of sin. This type of response may reduce relational friction, but it will not maintain community.
However, through the indwelling and enabling of the Holy Spirit, it is (super)-naturally possible to respond to relational friction with understanding, acceptance, patience, humility, forbearance, perseverance, and even joy. This type of response will not immediately reduce the relational friction, but it will maintain community. In fact, true community is only possible in the presence of relational friction and a Spirit-controlled response to that relational friction.
Let me say that again: true community is only possible when those within the community – or at least a majority of those within the community – respond to relational friction through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Also, if there is no relational friction, then there is no community. There are either surface acquaintances, with the real friction hidden beneath, or a cult-like uniformity where those who disagree are excluded from the “community”. Neither of these is a community.
If we want to determine whether or not we are living in a Spirit-led, Spirit-enabled community with other believers, we can begin by examining how we respond to relational friction, that is to “raw, skin to skin contact”. If we respond by demanding our rights, privileges, wants, expectations, etc. then we are not living in community, but we are allowing sin to hinder our relationship with other believers, which demonstrates that sin is also hindering or relationship with God. If, on the other hand, we respond to relational friction in Spirit-created humility, joyfully allowing others to usurp our rights, privileges, wants, expectations, etc. then we are demonstrating that we are maintaining the community of the Spirit.
One thing before I finish this post: It is not the goal of the believer or a group of believers to create or maintain community. Instead, it is the goal of believers to demonstrate their love for God by loving others. As believers demonstrate their love for God by loving other believers in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, then Spirit-created community will ensue. Also, as believers demonstrate their love for God by loving non-believers in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit-enabled mission will ensue. Either way, the goal is to love God by loving others.
Why did God say…
Why did God say that we should love one another? Because he knew that people would be unloving toward us, and he knew that our natural reaction would cause us to be unloving in return.
Why did God say that we should forgive one another? Because he knew that our brothers and sisters would hurt us, and he knew that our natural reaction would cause us to hold grudges against them.
Why did God say that we should be patient with one another? Because he knew that people would get on our nerves, and he knew that our natural reaction would cause us to give up on people.
Why did God say that we should accept one another? Because he knew that we would set expectations that people could not live up to, and he knew that our natural reaction would be to reject those who don’t meet our expectations.
Why did God say that we should teach one another? Because he knew that our friends would need help, and he knew that our natural reaction would be to allow others to help instead of taking action ourselves.
Why did God say that we should edify one another? Because he knew that we would want to grow in maturity, and he knew that our natural reaction would cause us to focus on our own growth instead of the growth of those around us.
Why did God give us the Holy Spirit? Because he knew that regardless of how often and how loud he commanded us, we would be unable to follow him on our own.
Why do we still prefer to follow rules instead of following the Holy Spirit?
Good reading
Sarah, at “Accidental Blog“, wrote a very thought-provoking post last week called “Just who is it?” In this post, Sarah quotes a friend concerning the “ordination of homosexuals in the Anglican church”. Of course, there is a much broader discussion concerning “ordination”: homosexuals, women, divorcees, younger men, etc. Shouldn’t we start by questioning “ordination” itself?
Anyway, here’s the money quote:
It only becomes problematic when God’s own people don’t know Him well enough to recognize that He has or has not ordained someone, & for what.
You mean, we actually have to know God and what He’s doing? (If you want to think more about this, you might like my post called “The Holy Spirit has made you overseers“.)
Also, grace, at “Kingdom Grace“, has written an excellent post called “Practice makes Perfect“. In this post, grace deals with the common practice of “practicing” for a church meeting. grace makes her point with some sarcasm and Scripture re-mixes. Here’s the sarcasm:
“Honey, would you like to go on a date this weekend?”
“Sure.”
“Maybe we could get together for practice on Thursday.”
~
“Mary, do you have time for coffee this afternoon?”
“This afternoon works for me.”
“Great. Could we meet a half hour early to practice our conversation?”
~
“I would love to invite the Smiths over for dinner soon.”
“You should give them a call.”
“I wonder when they would have time for a practice session.”
~
“The family reunion is this coming Sunday afternoon.”
“It will be great to see everyone.”
“We will be getting together Saturday evening to practice first.”
Do we really need to practice for a family reunion? Oh… wait… maybe that’s the point. So, what are we practicing for?
Sharing in the Life
A few years ago, when our church started meeting together, we began to study through the book of 1 John. The first week we studied 1 John 1:1-4 –
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life – the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us – that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4 ESV)
In this passage, John says that he is writing about what he has experienced concerning the word or message of life – and not just any kind of life, but the eternal life that had been revealed through Jesus Christ. This was real life, abundant life. The kind of life that cannot be manufactured, but must be birthed anew from above by the Holy Spirit of God.
John also says that he is proclaiming this life so that his readers can have fellowship with him which is actually fellowship with the Father and the Son. Fellowship encompasses many things, but at its foundation it represents sharing. Just as the early church shared their possessions with one another as a demonstration their fellowship, the God shares eternal, abundant, real life with his children, so that they can share that life together.
As we discussed this passage over the next few weeks, the idea of sharing eternal life together began to mold who we were as children of God. We were not simply coming together for a meeting on Sunday, but much more than that, we were sharing life with one another and with God. As John says, as we fellowship with one another, we are actually fellowshiping with the Father and with the Son. Why? Because true fellowship with one another is a work and manifestation of the Spirit of God.
From these early discussions, someone suggested the phrase “sharing in the life” as a description of who we are as a church. That simple phrase stuck, and we have been using it for the past several years. A few days ago, I was talking with some brothers and sisters who were not part of those early discussions. They did not know why we used the phrase “sharing in the life”. They encouraged me to share this story with the church. I think that’s a good idea, and since I’ve never shared this on my blog either, I thought I would share it here as well.
But, what does “sharing in the life” mean? It means that we experience fellowship with God as we fellowship with one another. We share in the eternal life we have with God as we share in the normal, everyday life with our brothers and sisters and Christ. I am convinced that we will not find fellowship and community if we only look for it in our special events and big activities. We will not find community if we only look in our weekly church meetings. Community may be expressed in those meetings and in other special events, but community will not be built or maintained there.
Instead, we “share in the life” with one another when we truly spend time with one another in the common, everyday events of our lives – at our homes, in our workplaces, at school, in the marketplace, at sporting events, everywhere at every time and in every way. We will not find community as long as we only show people our “best faces” in those times and places where we can control what is going on. Instead, we will find community when we allow people to see us as we normally are – day in and day out – and when we allow people to see us at our worst.
“Sharing in the life” is more than a motto or catch phrase. It is a truly scary proposition – a recognition that our fellowship with one another is founded on the grace of God, just like our fellowship with God is founded on his grace. We trust one another to share our lives – even the mundane – because we trust God.
Who is qualified and responsible to speak?
Not long after I started this blog, I wrote two posts that were probably my most substantial blog posts to that point. The posts concerned two questions that all believers should ask themselves when they gather together: “Who is qualified to speak during the meeting?” and “Who is responsible for speaking during the meeting?” Although I wrote these two posts over two years ago, I still agree with what I wrote. If the church – meaning all believers – recognizes that anyone indwelt by the Spirit, motivated by love, and with a desire to built up the church is qualified and responsible to speak during the meeting of the church, and if church leadership and structure allows this type of mutual participation in the meeting of the church, then I believe the church will mature far beyond what we currently see. I hope you enjoy these two posts – now combined for your reading pleasure. 😉
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Who is qualified to speak during the meeting?
“For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.” (1 Corinthians 14:31)
Does Paul really mean “all”? Does he really mean that every believer in the meeting has the potential for speaking edifying words during the assembly of the church? Does he really expect that a new believer could speak words that would “teach” a pastor?
The answer to all of these questions must be “Yes!”
Consider the ones to whom Paul is writing. For the most part, they do not have a personal copy of the Scriptures. And yet, Paul expects all of them to be able to speak during the meeting. “Knowing” Scripture must not be a prerequisite for speaking during the assembly.
So, what qualifies someone to speak during the meeting? In the context of 1 Corinthians 12-14, Paul offers three different qualifications:
1) The person must be indwelt by the Spirit of God, and therefore gifted by the Spirit.
2) The person must speak from a motivation of love.
3) The person must speak in order to edify the body of Christ.
These are the only qualifications. Education is not a qualification. Experience is not a qualification. Speaking ability is not a qualification.
Who is allowed to speak in our assemblies? Perhaps there are times when those “qualified” should be silent in order to allow others to speak “that all may learn and all may be encouraged.”
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Who is responsible for speaking during the meeting?
Yesterday [previous post above], I asked the question, “Who is qualified to speak during the meeting?” Today, I want to take this farther: Whose responsibility is it to speak during the meeting? Within most groups of believers, this responsibility falls upon one man (or at most a few men). What does Scripture say?
1 Corinthians 12-14 teaches that every believer is gifted by the Holy Spirit, and during the assembly of the church, these gifts are to be exercised in order to build up (edify) the body of Christ (not the individual). So, all believers are qualified to speak during the meeting.
Furthermore, Ephesians 4:1-10 confirms this. Gifts are given to each believer by Christ (through the Spirit). Gifted individuals are given to the church (Eph. 4:11-12) to equip the body for works of service in order to edify the body towards maturity, which is measured by the stature of Christ himself.
Ephesians 4:16 is an interesting verse. Removing the modifying phrases, the main clause is “the body… causes the growth of the body” (to soma … ten auxesin tou somatos poieitai…). Adding the modifying phrases, this body growth only happens when the body is in Christ, the head, and when each member of the body is doing his own part, which is “measured” by Christ.
Combining these two passages (1 Corinthians 12-14 and Ephesians 4), every member is instructed to take responsibility for the growth of the body.
Are pastors responsible for being filled with the Spirit and speaking during the meeting in order to edify the body? Yes! But, so is every other member. If one man (or a few men) dominates the meeting time, then he is not allowing the body to function as God desires it to function-he is usurping the responsibility given to every member of the body. If a group of people allows one man (or a few men) to dominate the meeting, then they are not fulfilling their God-given responsibility to edify the body.
When God Communicates: Subjective or Objective?
Over the last few weeks, I’ve read something similar to this a few times: Scripture is objective; but any other communication from God is subjective. This post is not directed at anyone in particular. Instead, as I’ve read the above comment a few times, I’ve been thinking about the objectivity and subjectivity of God’s communication.
By the way, I like to say “God communicates” instead of “God speaks”. Usually, the verb “speak” assumes something (audible communication) that is not always present when God communicates. So, when I say, “God communicates”, I mean many different types of communications, including but not limited to Scripture, dreams, visions, impressions, other people.
When God communicates to us, he always communicates objectively. His communication is never subjective. However, our interpretation of God’s communications is always subjective. This includes our interpretation of Scripture – it is always subjective. It is true that some interpretations are less subjective than others, but all interpretations are subjective.
It would be incorrect to say that interpretations of Scripture are always less subjective than interpretations of other communications from God. For example, when God told Abram to leave Haran, Abram did not consider that communication to be subjective. When God communicated with Saul on the road to Damascus, Saul did not consider that communication to be subjective. When God communicated to Peter while Peter was on the roof of Simon’s house in Joppa (the dream with the sheet and animals), Peter did not consider that communication to be subjective. Notice that all of these acts of communication are now part of Scripture, but they were not part of Scripture when they occurred.
(Interestingly, Peter’s dream became normative for everyone. I wonder what would have happened if Peter had thought his dream was more subjective than Scripture and had compared his dream to Scripture. But, this is another issue altogether.)
I am not questioning the importance of Scripture. I do believe that Scripture is extremely important. I believe that Scripture is inspired by God, and I believe that Scripture is inerrant in the original autographs. I believe that Scripture is authoritative. However, there are times when I’ve felt that Scripture has been placed in a position above the living presence of God Himself – and not just Scripture, but our (individual or corporate) interpretation of Scripture.
Our goal should not be to relate properly to Scripture. Our goal should be to relate properly to God. Some may suggest that studying Scripture brings one into a right relationship with God, but remember that the scribes and Pharisees studied Scripture meticulously, as do many scholars today. Studying Scripture does not guarantee that we are hearing God.
God always communicates to us objectively. Perhaps we have not heard him – as others have heard him in the past and as has been recorded for us – because we are not listening to him. Instead, we have replaced him with something else. We have made our interpretation of Scripture objective, and we’ve made God subjective.
Paul’s Spiritual Gift
Over the last week, two different people have mentioned Romans 1:11-12 to me. The first person told me about discussing that passage in a Bible study. The second mentioned the passage Sunday morning as he was sharing how God had used it in his life. Here is the passage:
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:11-12 ESV)
Most people believe that Romans was a sort of introduction letter for Paul. He obviously knew some of the believers in Rome (see Romans 16), but he had never been to Rome. In spite of this, he “longed” to see the believers in Rome.
Paul recognized that he had something to offer to the believers in Rome. Or… to be more precise… Paul recognized that God could use him to build up the believers in Rome. Paul knew that the Spirit of God desired to work through him – through the gifts that the Spirit imparts – to help these brothers and sisters, many of whom he had never met.
Furthermore, Paul recognized that the believers in Rome had something to offer him. Just as he knew that God would work through him to strengthen the church in Rome, he also knew that God would work through the believers in Rome to strengthen him. Paul did not simply desire to encourage his brothers and sisters, he was anticipating “mutual encouragement”.
This is a great attitude for us to take into any meeting with other believers – whether it is a small group of believers or a large group – whether we are meeting with people that we know or with brothers and sisters that we have never met. We should desire both to encourage them, and we should welcome and expect encouragement from others. This type of encouragement is not just a pat on the back and a “you’re okay, I’m okay” kind of thing. Instead, “encouragement” includes teaching, comfort, rebuke, exhortation, listening, whatever is necessary to help someone grow in maturity toward Jesus Christ.
Usually, when believers get together, the general attitude is that leaders do the encouraging while everyone else receives the encouragement. But, this one-way “encouragement” is not scriptural. Even an apostle – like Paul – recognized his need of mutual encouragement. Even an apostle – like Paul – recognized that other believers could help him in his walk with Jesus Christ in this world.
Yes, the Holy Spirit had gifted Paul in order that Paul could impact the lives of other people and to help them grow in grace and maturity in Jesus Christ. At the same time, the Holy Spirit had gifted all of the believers in Rome (and all believers today) for the same purpose. Its time to stop hindering the work of the Spirit and, instead, to allow him to work through all of his children as he desires.