Category: Cessation Theology
The Importance and Significance of John-the-Baptist’s Ministry
John the Baptist’s unorthodox, unique, and unprecedented forerunner ministry burst forth suddenly, unexpectedly, and dramatically, to say the least. In bringing forth John’s ministry, God ingeniously, if you will, circumvented or bypassed every existing authority structure and system at the time—civil and religious—which demonstrates this is the reason the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to set the scene as He did.
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The Manifestation (Charismata) Gift of Prophecy
THE PROPHETIC GIFTS ARE THE GREATER GIFTS
1 Cor. 12:31 “But earnestly desire the greater gifts.”
Among the manifestation gifts of the Spirit, there are “GREATER” gifts, that is to say, some gifts have a greater spiritual impact and require a greater anointing to operate than others. The term “greater gifts” also indicates there is an order of ascendency among the three categories of manifestation gifts as well as within each category. In other words, of the three categories of manifestation gifts, some are greater than the others, and each category has an order of importance as well. For example—
1 Cor. 14:5 “and GREATER is one who PROPHESIES than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets….”
This verse presents an example of “greater gifts” within a category of manifestation gifts. According to this verse, among the Vocal Gifts, prophecy is the greatest, interpretation of tongues is next, then tongues. Not only is the gift greater, but the “one who prophesies”, according to this verse, is operating in a greater level of the anointing than the “one who speaks in tongues.” The exception to this is—”unless he interprets,” meaning that if the person who speaks the message in tongues also interprets, then he is operating equally in anointing, gifting, and equipping as the “one who prophesies.”
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Apostolic-Prophetic Restoration in the 21st Century (Pt-1)
Following His death, burial, resurrection, and numerous appearances in His resurrected Form, on the Day of Ascension, on the Mount of Ascension, as He was ascending on High, the Apostle Paul, who, as an apostle born late (1 Cor. 15:8), as it were, was not even there, but who reveals to us by revelation of the Spirit, that Jesus relegated and delegated His five-faceted anointing that He Himself ministered through during His fleshly ministry, unto the Church that He is building (Eph. 4:8-13), fulfilling the type and shadow of Elijah’s Prophetic Mantle falling down upon his successor, Elisha, as he was being translated into Heaven alive, having eluded death (2 Kgs. 2:1-15). Jesus, as He was ascending, according to Paul’s prophetic narrative in Ephesians Four, relegated and delegated His five-faceted ministry anointing unto certain persons of His own election: “some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the service (ministry), to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain unto the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
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A Prophetic Prognosis
For three years or so the Lord has been speaking to me out of the prophetic prediction of Malachi 3:1-6 about imminent events that He will be orchestrating in the Church that He is building, i.e., the genuine Body of Christ. In the first quarter of this year, the Lord has been continually increasing the intensity and urgency of what he has been showing and telling me in this regard. I cannot possibly convey much at all of those prophetic insights He’s been communicating to me here in this forum and format or at this time because it is far too expansive and extensive, and I have only recently begun to attempt to transfer it from my spirit to paper, so to speak, or in reality, to computer.
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Tongues—The Initial Evidence of Spirit-Baptism
From the preponderance of Scriptural record, it is extremely, and in fact, unimpeachably safe, to conclude that the Biblical pattern of the initial sign or indicator that a person has received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. Certainly, it’s safer to say it is, than that it’s not.
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The Great Commission or Omission?
The very first commandment in the five-faceted “Great Commission” Jesus issued to the Church just prior to His ascension into Heaven was to “cast out demons!” (Mark 16:17). Casting out demons is the preeminent aspect of the Gospel of the Kingdom and the ongoing ministry of Jesus. Next to salvation itself and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, nothing in the Kingdom of God is more important, needed, and necessary. Yet, because the vast majority of churches have refused to obey Jesus’ commandments comprising the Great Commission, sadly, for the most part, in most churches, the Great Commission has been the Great Omission.
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Conviction Vs. Condemnation
Unfortunately, some believers confuse conviction with condemnation, and the moment the Spirit speaks to them about something wrong in their lives, they feel hopeless and condemned, which only drives them further from the Lord. This is a lie from the enemy that must be exposed, and I stand with my colleagues in the hyper-grace camp when they seek to expose this destructive notion. Let the truth be shouted from the rooftops: the Holy Spirit never speaks condemnation to a son or daughter of God.
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Top AG Leader George O. Wood Speaks Out On Tongues
We believe the baptism in the Spirit brings the delight of initially speaking with other tongues, but if we stop there, this Pentecostal experience will have no ongoing fruitfulness. I grew up in the Assemblies of God when it was preached that the baptism of the Spirit is for the empowerment of believers for life and service.
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GOTHARD-GATE: Bill Gothard’s Free-Fall From Grace
The prominent principal behind the “Basic Life Principles” Seminars, Bill Gothard, amid sexual harassment and predatory charges by a bevy of whistle-blowing women, has been forced to resign from his multimillion dollar a year ministry organization. Some three dozen women, now in their thirties and early forties, allege the 79-year old, never-married, ordained minister of more than five decades, has engaged in a pattern of deviant sexual misconduct against them and other young, some underage, women, going all the way back to the earliest beginnings of Gothard’s ministry in 1961.
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The Hubris of John MacArthur
John MacArthur’s recent attack against the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement has certainly put him in the cross hairs of many. What possessed him to lash out against us is unknown. Was it sheer arrogance, ignorance or was he tempted or troubled by an evil spirit of some sort?
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Are You An Apollos Or A Paul?
Modern Christianity has convinced itself that Jesus provided two distinct Gospels and two distinct faiths–one for the First Century Church and one for the Church that followed after. Cessationists say the first Church was miraculously empowered while the second was not; the first had the baptismal gift of the Holy Spirit, while the second was merely given a book telling what the Holy Spirit had achieved in the past.
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STRANGE Fire or HOLY Fire?
You will soon be hearing about two books: Strange Fire by Dr. John MacArthur and Holy Fire by Dr. R.T. Kendall. Dr. Kendall has written only in the emergency to defend Scripture and Charismatic Christians from Dr. MacArthur’s attack. John MacArthur is a man of significant Christian stature. He is the author of more than 150 books, a study Bible, other best-selling material, and a college president. R.T. Kendall is equally a man of great achievement. He holds a PhD from Oxford University, authored more than 60 books, for twenty-five years was pastor of London’s Westminster Chapel near Buckingham Palace, and a leading voice in Reformed theological circles around the world. More recently he has become an outspoken defender of the plenary inspiration of the New Testament, including spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12,13,14). Unlike Dr. MacArthur, Dr. Kendall does not believe that portions of the New Testament or miraculous gifts of the Spirit have passed away.
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