Chapter 10

ADVENTURE IN THE SPIRIT

     Many of our readers will have noticed that we have thus far said little about the Holy Spirit and our relationship to Him. We have emphasized the sheer adventure involved in entering into a vital and life-changing experience with Jesus, but this must not be regarded as a deliberate slight against the Spirit. Any attempt to downgrade the Spirit would be a reflection against Jesus who promised the Spirit to believers in Him in such glowing terms.

     Moreover, any true relationship with Jesus will be effected by the Spirit. It is impossible to think of one without taking the other into account. Indeed, the Spirit is called the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. They are indissolubly linked together in aim, effort and accomplishment. The motivating and regulatory principle which governs one who is no longer under condemnation is referred to in a beautiful expression as the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). In the same chapter, in one verse, occurs the terms the Spirit, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Christ. The immediate concern of the latter is provocative. "Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him" (verse 9).

     All of us are aware of the tremendous upsurge of interest in the Holy Spirit during the decade just past. This is good. Modern man needs to become aware of the futility of his own efforts to bring order out of chaos. He needs to realize that all of the political schemes he can devise cannot lift him out of the mire caused by sin. He needs to return unto God and "crucify the flesh with its passions and desires." It is a good omen when men fall upon their knees and call upon God.

     For several centuries little has been said about the thrust of the Spirit in our rapidly developing technological age. This is not so much because believers denied the existence of the Spirit, but rather reflects a lack of their sense of need of His power or assistance. Man has been riding high in the saddle. In a nation which was once conceived of as having unlimited natural resources we have developed an ease of living never before known. Mistakenly we have referred to it as "the good life," without realizing that it was actually a smoother road toward death and decay.

     We have raped our forests. We have assaulted our land. We have polluted our streams. We have destroyed God's creatures wantonly. We have indulged in that ghastly form of pride which manifests itself in racial prejudice. We have laughed at morality and ridiculed purity. We have elected men to represent us who took bribes, men who lied, men who were adulterers and fornicators. Exhausted, frightened, and helpless in our weakness we have turned to the Spirit of God.

     Candor forces us to admit that what we have called "the Christian religion" has done little to prepare us for the moral bankruptcy we face. In the first place, we have shattered the body of believers into sects and parties, each one of which was born of fear, nurtured on the pap of pride, while growing up in an atmosphere of affluence in which the Spirit was seldom mentioned. In our fragmentation we have expended our energies and depleted our resources in fighting other believers, esteeming orthodoxy of opinion to be of more importance than the cross of Jesus, or, what is worse, equating the two as one. We have contributed to the confusion instead of alleviating it.

     Each party has developed a fierce sense of pride which manifests itself in costly structures, elaborate rituals and fierce rivalry for attention. Each has been engaged in a struggle for a place in the sun, a development of a public image. All have forgotten that those who carve out an image always end up worshiping it. Churches have fled from the inner city to maintain their image. In a spirit of self-righteousness we have resented the poor, the ignorant and social outcasts. The question has not been what God thinks of the downtrodden but "What will people think of us?"

     Now a great change has taken place. It began when a generation sickened by the thought of continuous war with the frightful toll of innocent civilians, began to regard Christianity as a conscience-shield for those who wiped out whole cities of helpless humans who were mere pawns of war-makers, victims of "man's inhumanity to man." In a vain and misguided attempt to transcend the ceaseless round on the treadmill they experimented with chemically induced highs, forgetting that the morning after would be worse than the night before. In their quest for ecstacy they increased the agony.

     The collapse of this woeful experiment of idealists turned them in another direction. This time it was sex. Again the immature approach made two grave errors. It confused sex with love and life. It is neither, although it can be an expression of both. But just as the aftermath of the drug culture left those who did not free themselves from the clutch of its icy fingers hopelessly hooked, so the sex binge left its toll of those doomed to drift from one affair to another, never capable of making a true commitment or of keeping a covenant. Sex became as empty and void as the lives of its hedonistic worshipers.

     The further search for meaning turned to the East. It did so for a number of reasons which we cannot detail here. The guru who sat cross-legged and meditated while hundreds suffered from hunger and starvation outside his compound became the hero of the day. He was calm, collected and disinterested. Young and old, drifting aimlessly upon the current of existence, sought for wise men who could give the answer they sought. They listened to esoteric language which neither he who spoke nor they who heard could understand. They hailed it as profound because it was veiled. Clever Oriental manipulators took advantage of the trend and moved into the West to siphon off the wealth from those whose faith had curdled into gullibility.

     And then it happened! Man was empty, forlorn and part of the lonely crowd. In his extremity he turned his face toward God. When he did he became aware of the Holy Spirit. Attuned by modern literature and television to the finding of an answer to the momentous problems of life in a few pages or within a thirty minute period, he emphasized the miraculous and sought Christian character in a single encounter rather than by the discipline of years and the slow process of maturity.

     Thus the test of the reception of the Spirit was made gifts bestowed by the Spirit rather than fruit borne by the Spirit. A gift can be appropriated in a moment. Fruit results from planting followed by nurture and growth. "The farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand" (James 5:7,8). Modern man did not want to wait. He was not conditioned to patience. Establishment took too long.

     Spiritually illiterate persons, untutored in the word of God and untaught in the revelation of heaven, began to call upon God. They were joined by an increasing number of theological students whose hearts were parched and dry because of the husks upon which they had been fed. Clergymen in various parties were soon involved and took the leadership in directing others into what was designated "a Holy Spirit experience." The wave swept over sectarian barriers until Catholics and Protestants alike were meeting freely together.

     It is not a strange phenomenon that when men become deadly serious and invoke the help of God with tears and inner turmoil that something happens. The depth of human personality is so profound that it is impossible to probe it without resultant experience, a shaking of the inner being. Everywhere men and women began to testify to great changes wrought in their lives. Many of them, although by no means all, alleged that the moment of contact with the divine was accompanied by physical symptoms. A charge like an electric current vibrated through their bodies. There was a tingling of every nerve. Their tongues pronounced unintelligible sounds which were taken to be ecstatic language, unearthly, other-worldly, perhaps heavenly.

     The word charismatic began to be heard. This term, which simply means "a gift of grace" took on certain overtones. It was said that we had entered a "charismatic age." Before long those who testified to a mystical encounter resulting in a manifestation of unidentifiable sounds began to speak of a "charismatic fellowship," referring primarily to the drawing together, and the drawing apart of those who had "spoken in tongues," or who claimed a gift such as prophecy, healing, or ability to work miracles.

     The effect upon the existing sects composed of those who professed faith in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of men was generally traumatic. All such sects which have existed more than one generation have a tradition. The forms which the fathers devised by which to express worship to God are handed down and become crystallized and inflexible. The once proud expression "Rome never changes" could have been applied in some degree to every religious establishment. But now a completely new challenge had arisen. It came not from without but from within.

     As usual, the reaction of the sheltered, socially-accepted religious establishment was sudden and sharp. Sects which had developed a legalistic approach to the scriptures and which had the Spirit properly and safely catalogued and confined by their interpretative process, announced that the whole thing was Satan-inspired to lure the unwary away from God. With characteristic assertiveness and caught up in the "either-or" fallacy which leaves no room for alternatives it was announced that it had to come from either God or the devil. Since it came to persons outside the party who were not orthodox, it could not come from God, therefore, it was of Satan.

     Others declared that the "experiences" were not real. They were mental aberrations of the highly emotional individuals who imagined God had spoken to or through them. Such individuals deserved more pity than censure, although they received a good deal more of the latter, since those who tend to be like the Pharisees are much more adept at censure than at compassion.

     These hasty objections did not seem to describe the existing situation. In the first place, there could be no denial that many of those who testified to a personal encounter with the Spirit were notably changed. Some who had never prayed in the presence of others, or even privately, became bold and open in their prayer life. Their new lifestyle was manifest even in public where, in large and pretentious restaurants, they bowed their heads and reverentially thanked God for meals which they once ate with no thought that food is a witness of God's care. Business men who previously would never refer to Jesus in meetings with their associates now testified of their faith at the beginnings of workshops and seminars. Families which had been on the verge of disintegration were welded together. This is hardly the work of Satan. Surely he is too clever to fashion a weapon which could be used to destroy his malign influence.

     Regardless of the origin of the personality-shaking experience it was real to those who underwent it. Whether it was the welling up of the previously unprobed depth of one's emotional being, or the response on the soul-level of rationality to a crisis situation, or an actual confrontation with the Spirit of God, the result was the same. And if it was not the latter it was one more proof that the Spirit can take the mistakes of an honest seeker after God and weave them into the fabric of God's design.

     Any strange and novel phenomenon produces real problems in closely confined and closed-end institutions, and this one was no exception. In all too many instances those whose lives had taken on new meaning felt obligated to testify to others who were neither sympathetic toward nor ready for their testimony. The cleavage which often resulted was not just from one side. Those who felt they knew the truth of the Spirit began to vie with those who felt they had the truth in the Spirit. Once again the division condemned by the Spirit occurred in some areas and hostility and bitterness resulted. This only crystallized the parties in opposition as it always does.

     The result is that any person who now seeks to speak without "taking sides" is regarded with suspicion by all. In spite of this it seems to me that one who has a firm love for the scriptures and for the Spirit as the revealing Agent, and who receives every child of God as his brother and sister regardless of mystical experience or lack of it, might well speak in a cautionary spirit to help maintain the bond of peace in which atmosphere the unity of the Spirit flourishes. None of us can write upon a controversial issue wholly without a mental slant. That must be understood, accepted and properly evaluated by those who read. No one is wholly objective on any theme to which he gives serious thought.

     In an attitude of concern for the whole body of Christ I am going to suggest a few critical observations. My hope is, that by doing so, I can make it possible for all to share in the marvelous adventure of the Spirit-filled and Spirit-guided life. It is my conviction, which is borne out by the scriptures as I understand them, that it is the divine purpose for every believer to possess the Spirit and to be strengthened by His might, but it was never the design of God to bestow the gift of tongues or any other single gift upon all. This leads to the ultimate conclusion that the proof of the indwelling Spirit is not a special gift but the bearing of fruit.

     1. I think it is a serious mistake to regard some of the saints of God as charismatic to the exclusion of others. Every person in Christ is charismatic for the simple reason that all are recipients of a gift of grace. No one who shares in the rich and abundant grace of God is excluded from the riches and abundance. It is probably a useless exercise in arithmetic to try and count the gifts of grace because there is no indication they have all been enumerated and identified. Every such gift has been freely bestowed in order that the one possessing it may function to the building up of the body. Any enabling endowment of God which contributes in any sense or degree to the betterment of the saints is a charismatic gift, and there are no useless or non-functioning members of the body as God looks at them.

     In Romans 12:3-8 the apostle speaks of "gifts that differ according to the grace given unto us." The word for gifts is charismata. Included in the list are prophecy, service, teaching, exhorting, contributing, rendering aid and doing acts of mercy. All of these are gifts of God. When we come to see that one who renders any service to another is charismatic, we will not need to make the distinction. It should not be forgotten that this statement occurs in a context which specifically declares that "in one body we have many members, and all members have not the same function." Nor should it be lightly regarded that the whole section is addressed to "every one among you."

     2. In this same vein it is an error to speak of this as "a charismatic age" unless we mean to include the whole Christian era starting with the first proclamation of the Good News about Jesus. There has never been a time when the body of Christ has not functioned through the gifts of its members. There is no such thing as "a charismatic age" because there is no such thing as "a non-charismatic age." The Spirit is no more alive now that He has ever been. He has always been active and the body has lived because He has been alive in it. Such expressions as "the Spirit has started to move," which imply that He has been lazy and immobile, are not commendatory. It may be that men are beginning to move in response to the Spirit and for that we should be grateful. But God has never withdrawn the Spirit from the body.

     3. Certainly one should not be guilty of nit-picking. He should not major in minors. This creates a problem in communication because one man's major is another man's minor, and vice versa. I am quite convinced that it is a mistake to refer to what is happening as a "Pentecostal experience." What happened on Pentecost was unique. It will not be repeated. On this day, when the Jews brought the firstfruits of their wheat harvest to present before the Lord in the form of baked loaves of bread, God gathered together the firstfruits of his harvest of souls from the field of the world.

     Speaking in various languages was not the important thing. It was simply the means for attracting attention and drawing together the multitude. It was the message of Peter which was important. What the people saw and heard was validation of the great fact that the one whom they had crucified had been exalted to the right hand of God and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). Surely this need not again be ratified. A second Pentecost would be an admission that the first was a failure. It would not be a demonstration of faith but a testimony to unbelief.

     What happens today in the repetition of esoteric phrases and unidentifiable sounds has no relationship at all to what transpired on Pentecost. Upon that occasion the apostles spoke in "other tongues," that is, in foreign languages. Some seventeen different areas of the world were represented by those present and each person heard the apostles speak in his own language. It was described by them as "his own native language" and "our own tongues." For this reason, those who now claim "the gift of tongues," refer to the gifts at Corinth as the basis for what is referred to as ecstatic tongues, a term which has no scriptural counterpart. Modern claimants should refer to theirs as "a Corinthian experience" to be consistent.

     It is not our purpose herein to be critical of believers in any particular sect, although we are desperately opposed to all sectism, as a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:20). But mention should be made of those who operate under the title of Assembly of God Pentecostal. There is but one body of Christ upon earth. It contains all of the saved upon earth. Not one is outside of it. It is the assembly of the gathered ones, the community of the reconciled, the kingdom of God's dear Son. It was born upon Pentecost. Every child of God in our world can look back to Pentecost which the apostles called "the beginning." From the standpoint of origin one sect is not Pentecostal to the exclusion of the rest of the members of the one body. What began upon Pentecost was not a sect and the proliferation of sects since that day is a scandal to the cross and to the message upon Pentecost.

     4. Speaking in tongues was never the proof of one's justification and acceptance by God, nor of the indwelling Spirit. There were many in the one body while the apostles were upon earth who did not possess this singular gift, and there is no record that any person ever prayed to receive it, or that others prayed that he might. In Corinth where it is said that the saints were "not lacking in any spiritual gift," it is distinctly said that while one was given "various kinds of tongues," others were recipients of various other manifestations or "varieties of gifts." Indeed the question is asked "Do all speak in tongues?" (1 Corinthians 12:30) and the obvious answer is in the negative.

     There is so much more which could be said, and perhaps needs to be said on this aspect of our theme. I will forbear lest I appear too negative toward those of God's precious children who are caught up in the current emphasis upon the gifts of the Spirit. I do not want to appear in the role of an attacker, but it needs to be pointed out that there are very grave problems about "the charismatic movement" in the minds of many deep and reverential students of the revealed word of God. These cannot be dismissed as mere "kill-joys" or ecclesiastical "sticks in the mud." It is valid to insist that human experiences be tested in the light of God's word and not the reverse. What the Holy Spirit has said is as important as what it is affirmed the Spirit is doing.

     In the final analysis the faith must stand upon objective truth which is capable of being examined and verified by historical process, and not upon subjective experience which cannot be validated. Inward feelings and emotional reactions are not a criterion for measurement of truth. One can be as happy or sad from believing a lie as from believing a truth. What I believe happened to me may prove to be a source of inward blessing but my experience can never be the ground of another's faith.

     This was brought home to me quite forcefully by a recent occurrence. Two young women came to our home and introduced themselves as "sisters" representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. I had often been visited by young men mistakenly calling themselves "elders," and engaged them in spirited but good-natured conversation. In every instance when they were being backed into a verbal corner one would look at his wristwatch and stand up and say they had an appointment and would have to leave at once. It had happened so often and in exactly the same fashion that it was obvious it was a developed technique for "getting off the hook" when the going became rough.

     But this was the first time I had been visited by young women engaged in carrying out the two year missionary stint and it was very interesting. The initial approach with the leading questions was the same and I could even anticipate what was coming next. At what I thought was the proper juncture I gently and smilingly interposed that I could never become a Mormon. When questioned as to my reasons I pointed out that they recognized three books in addition to the Bible as being inspired of God, but all three were self-contradictory, contradictory of each other, and all directly contradictory of the Bible. After being challenged to produce a contradiction I produced five of the easier and simpler ones. Upon being confronted with these, the "sisters" were visibly shaken, but the older of the two girls said, "But I have had an inner experience which confirms them as true."

     I pointed out that if it took such a phenomenon before she could believe in the veracity of the records, after having been reared to believe in them from infancy, she could not expect anyone else to accept them who had not had a kindred experience. I then affirmed that documents of the nature of those produced by Joseph Smith, Parley P. Pratt, and their contemporaries, would have to be self-validating since they were alleged to have been presented by celestial beings and that no amount of subjective experience could either explain or erase a single contradiction in the records themselves. At this point both looked at their watches and said almost in unison, "You must excuse us. We have an appointment and we must leave at once or we will be late." There are laws of evidence by which facts must be estabUshed by testimony in order to be credible, and what a witness feels has nothing to do with the situation. It is not subject to cross-examination and is not admissible as evidence.

     The Holy Spirit is not divisive but unitive. Peace is the fruit of the Spirit but strife is a work of the flesh. I propose to receive all of my brethren, not because of the gifts they claim, but because God has claimed us all as His own. Every Christian has received the Spirit. He is God's birthday gift together with the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). The Spirit has been given to all who obey (Acts 5:32). I rejoice in every life that has been purged and purified. I rejoice in every fervent prayer poured out to the Father, whether with hands upraised or not.

     I have resolved that I will never make any man's experience to which he testifies, a test of fellowship or communion. But I have also resolved that I will never allow another to make his experience a test of my relationship to the Father. In the first case I would adopt another creed than Christ. In the second I would consent to being judged by another creed than Christ.

     This does not deny that if there are those who try to impose a special experience upon all and form a kind of "spiritual-experience clique" to the exclusion of others who are saints, but do not share the experience, separation may become necessary. If it does it will not be because of the personal experience but because of the factionalism created around it. Certainly Paul would have been divisive and destructive if he had begun to advocate that the only place Christ could be met was on the highway south of Damascus and then only at high noon. It is here that we may watch with some trepidation the formation of "a charismatic fellowship" which can only end in a charismatic sect.

     There is room in Christ for men of various degrees of knowledge and of varied opinions. There is room for those of diverse opinions. But there is no room for division. The body of Christ is composed of many parts, but not of many parties. To give partisan allegiance to a charismatic position would be no different than to devote it to circumcision, as was done in the first century community of believers. Of course, the Holy Spirit does not create division. He is the divine agent of reconciliation and unity. We may be sure that when division occurs in the family of God it is not the work of the Spirit but the result of misguided zeal upon the part of those whose ambition is greater than their concern for their brethren.

     Speaking in tongues, whether a genuine gift of the Holy Spirit or the projection of a deeply devoted and searching human spirit can never become a test or proof of discipleship. The longest treatise on tongue-speaking in the new covenant scriptures was because of an abuse of the gift. It was climaxed with the pointing out of a more excellent way. That way is the way of love. Without love every gift is childish and every sacrifice empty. It was our Lord Himself who said, "By this will all men know you are my disciples, if you love one another." We need to learn and practice the more excellent way.

     Having written this, I now propose to deal with the real adventure of the Spirit which enriches life upon earth and lifts us out of the drudgery and despair caused by sin. Whether the special gifts of the Spirit are now attainable or not will have little bearing upon our theme. We may allow theologians to discuss the fine points of miraculous bestowals while we slake our thirst at the fountain which Jesus promised would not only flow to us, but also through us.

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