Lenten Themes--Healing
Traditionally, the fourth Sunday of Lent is referred to as Rose Sunday (though I didn't see any roses at either of the two churches we went to on Sunday). It is given this special name because there is a significant shift that takes place at this stage of the Lenten journey. After a few weeks of reading and reflecting on sin and temptation and mortality, the theme switches to the powerful healing touch of Christ. One of the churches we went to on Sunday did a phenomenal job of pointing us to this life-giving theme. It was both instructive and interactive, but has left me asking some questions...
When does healing really happen? Why is it so foreign to us? Why are we more willing to believe that someone's marriage can be "healed" rather dramatically, but the woman in the wheelchair is NOT going to get up and walk no matter how much oil you anoint her with?
A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine from a more charismatic background taught about spiritual gifts at on of Cornerstone's chapels. Again, I found myself asking similar questions. Why don't we see more of this happening? Why are so many people in "closed" countries coming to faith in Jesus through dreams and visions, while in my own Christian experience I've never had a dream like that nor really heard of one? Why THEN and not NOW? Why THERE and not HERE? Why THEM and not US?
And here is where I began to make a proposition. Is it possible that as Christians in America...in a country that has been dominated spiritually by cessaitionists...that we have been developmentally impeded from experiencing the gifts of the holy spirit? Is it possible that we don't "have faith" in these because they are so foreign to us? Is there part of our spirituality that has been squelched because of the kind/type of Christianity that we have grown up with?
Part of my discomfort with my more charismatic friends, I think, is related to my lack of familiarity and understanding and experience with the things that they HAVE experienced and are more familiar with. Could this be a case of impeded spiritual development due to the dominant non-charismatic evangelical landscape of our country?
posted by Greg @ 3/29/2006 08:26:00 AM
8 Comments:
Wow, Greg. This is HUGE. Interesting that my denomination did not change their view of cessation of the charismatic gifts until they were forced to by the evidence in the Second Wave of Pentecostalism in the 1970s. I think we don't experience the Spirit (good and bad) world in general in the wealthy West as much as in other parts of the world. How much are your blog questionshave related to the enlightenment. Probably a lot. You ask if something has been squelched? I think a lot has been squelched, though every time we see a conversion, is that not a supernatural intervention? What are emergent writers writing and thinking on this topic?
Interesting antidote I'd like to share: At a certain Californian seminary I once attended a very well known professor who has written on these issues met with me in his office for a deliverance session. He then attempted to cast several demons out of me. He seemed to think he got some out, but he was struggling a lot with some others. In the end, although I felt the presence of God in the room, I'm not sure what happened. I'm not sure anything changed. It's all so strange. I asked the question, why did he have to stuggle so hard? Why couldn't he just say, "In the name of Jesus, Come out" and then see it come out?
My fairly young Aunt right now is withering away from cancer. She'll die probably in 2 months or less. Am I not praying enough for her? If I prayed more would the chances of a miracle increase? There's a lot to write on this subject.
There is a lot to write on the subject. I'm not really sure what emergent writers are saying in this regard, except that I suspect they are more "open" to such things. They would ask some questions about the supernatural conversion experience, I think. Not b/c there isn't anything happening with the Spirit--they would just push back against this idea that we cross a line of salvation. I've been reading some from Leron Shults from Bethel Seminary. He says our "order of salvation" is too heavily dependent on forensic metaphors for salvation. One might say, like Peter who confessed Christ as savior, but then appeared to have another "conversion" 10 years later upon his encounter with Cornelius--that conversion is a supernatural PROCESS rather than an EVENT. I might say, "I am being saved" rather than "I'm saved."
Shults and Sign gifts make me uncomfortable.
Nace, what's wrong with uncomfortable? A little healthy discomfort will push us along, I think. And sign gifts make me uncomfortable too...but WHY?
I won't reveal my identity because of the church I work for. You can just call me "M." I dabbled in the charismatic stream for quite some time. I really think some of the stuff they hold on to is stuff that the rest of the church in the west is missing out on. However when tounges and prophecy become the heart of your message, you've missed the point. It seems like much of the good things in the charismatic church have become so over-spiritualized, that they start to pervert the good. I have had some experiences with people prophesing over me, where i just wept because of the truth and insight God was giving them to speak into my life. One ministry that I feel walks powerfully in the supernatural, but are more balanced is. www.morningstarministries.org
Nice fish Michah...
I would not include healings as one of the sign gifts. Please don't make me write a list.
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Hi Greg,
I met you today... and found your blog. I enjoyed the call to review cessationalism and it's effects on experiencing spiritual gifts. Natural reason or intellectualism, as I see it, resides in the natural man and quenches the Holy Spirit. Cessationalism, perhaps, places human reason by natural means above the Spirit. Perhaps when we place human reason at the top of our hierarchy in "how we know and relate to God" we "lose contact" with what God has deposited within us spiritually in Christ.
My thought would be to "reverse the polarity" of natural unbelief and reasoning vs. spiritual faith and reasoning in Christ. Natural reasoning may suppress/cap/limit or "quench" God's Spirit whileas spiritual faith and reasoning may release the Spirit.
Perhaps walking by faith in Jesus and not by sight in what we focus and think on internally "frees the flow" of the gifts of the Spirit. Perhaps changing what we focus and think on is one way to exert spiritual energy in Christ to restore the flow and function of spiritual gifts.
We are to capture all thoughts contrary to Christ and bring them subject to obedience to Christ. That's one way of looking at "taking off the old self" and "putting on the new self".
I very much enjoyed the post on Lenten Themes - Healing. Again, nice meeting you. Dropped by to say "hi". I will see if I can learn how to host/start a blog. Thank you for the counsel on that and other ideas! "LeeLee"
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