Storms follows that list with another list: “Twelve Good Reasons for Being a Continuationist” (one who believes that all the gifts of the Spirit continue to be given by God today). Sam Storms (also the author of One Thing: Developing a Passion for the Beauty of God), in his newest book, Practicing the Power: Welcoming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Your Life, says this: “I believe that one of the reasons why spiritual gifts are less frequent in certain seasons of church history than in others is due to the fact that people didn’t seek, pursue, or passionately and incessantly pray for these gifts. Alejandro Espino, Thanks for following up on the article, “12 Reasons Why the Holy Spirit is Not a Person” (Part-1) The verses you brought up are BIG topics which require a full Bible Study on each of them because we need to include the CONTEXT of each verse when trying to understand what it means. The Holy Spirit has a mind. Thanks for your personal testimony, Mary. Just as in Jesus' day and in the days of the early Church, the scribes and the Pharisees rejected the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit; it is not surprising that today there are those who reject speaking in other tongues, together with the other miraculous manifestations of the Spirit of God. I do very much agree that we shouldn’t “take steps to artificially induce” those manifestations. I’ve definitely known MANY more people who have prayed for healing and not received it, than the reverse. When in actuality even nature shows us His awe! … How do you respond to the claim that acc. You make such a valid point that there is a middle ground between total cessationism and total continuationism (is that a word?) Will there be counterfeits posing and acting, yes. I so appreciate you taking the time to write down these thoughts, Barbara. Even when we can’t see him, we can know he is with us. You likely have one, too. Jesus Himself compared the will of the wind to the work of God’s Spirit (John 3:8). I can’t promise that my word to you will be spot-on accurate. Pretty much the only time when significant miracles are recorded is in times when God was giving new revelation. And the primary reason God continues to heal after Pentecost is because he is a merciful, compassionate God. I love how your words and your reading force me to think. (as I would define them anyway). I particularly enjoyed Chapter 12, “The Importance of Worship in the Spirit.” Storms doesn’t say worship itself is a gift of the Spirit. This is also not a question of can the Holy Spirit give someone a miraculous gift. Many Christians have been influenced by the doctrine that the gifts of the Spirit are no longer for this time and age. I would like to know whether the gifts of the Holy Spirit is still active in these days? Holy Spirit sets us free from the law of sin and death (Rom. I’m always amazed at stories of missionaries in foreign countries. H ow does the Holy Spirit manifest in the lives of believers? “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit …” Ephesians 4:30. Happy Easter to you too, friend! But neither should we take steps to artificially induce them.”. That’s the where humanity has gotten.. Dear Lisa, I recommend this book be read with an open mind. He does a balanced job of showing pros and cons of how people have used and misused the gifts in the past. In other words: if you don’t think it will happen, it’s less likely to. Required fields are marked *. Once as a teenager (not having grown up in church or been taught about any of this at that point), I called the advertised phone number of one of the better known Christian TV programs, and I don’t remember if the guy said anything to me about grace or forgiveness or Jesus. The Holy Spirit is a real person, like the heavenly Father and Jesus … Thank you for a great and inviting review! Speaking in tongues is only spoken to God. If it once was, it still is, however, there are certain qualification that must be present in our life. I think what you are saying is that for the past 1900 years or so, the Holy Spirit has not been working through public, physical miracles, as He did during the ministry of Jesus and in the very early church. He is here and working! This happened yesterday at our church as part of Palm Sunday. This is for my RS survey just write any idea's, opinions, thoughts, experience, evidence...whatever! Using the bible, the Spirit teaches and convicts us of the truth and assures us that they are saved (1Jn 3:24, 2Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13; 4:30) It is the Spirit in our lives that unites us to Christ in his death and resurrection (Rom 6:1-11, Gal 2:20). But since you asked us to share our thoughts…I did. Did Moses copy the Old Testament from other sources? the expectation that God should heal everyone who was prayed for and if he didn’t the problem must be a lack of faith. 6 Ways the Holy Spirit is Active in Our Lives. That’s why He asks us to believe! Mary Baker Eddy, founder of “Christian Science,” characterized the third person of the Trinity as “Divine Science” (n.d., 55). If they do, we should not prevent them from occurring. Learn more about the importance of the Holy Spirit in Christianity. One of the reasons is: “If signs, wonders, and miracles were essential in the physical presence of the Son of God, how much more essential are they now in his absence? Regarding embarrassing examples of faith healers on TV (or in person), Storms says, “I resolved in my heart that I would never justify my disobedience to God’s Word because of the abusive or embarrassing practices of others.”, “God is far more pleased with our obedience than he is with our success. It’s a gift I’ve not been given. As such the role of the Spirit is multi-faceted. What are your thoughts on this? I have to be careful to not get caught up in MY view, but to trust in God’s plan! If so, then is the Old Testament not reliable. So much to learn from each other indeed! ‘But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God.’ (Jude 1:20) Is speaking in tongues for today? Before He returned to heaven, Jesus said, “… you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit … But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” Acts 1:5-8. “If little else of practical benefit comes to you who read this chapter, I pray that you will move forward in your Christian life and in whatever ministry God has given you with a newly found and biblically grounded confidence in the authority and power given to every believer in the name of Jesus. And I’m glad. We all have much to learn from each other. I now this is an area where good people who love God can differ (John MacArthur and John Piper are on different sides of this issue), and I don’t make it a test of fellowship. the holy Spirit Southern Baptists Struggle with the Holy Spirit By Craig von Buseck CBN.com Contributing Writer. Please share your thoughts in the comments. The Holy Spirit is very active today. The Holy Spirit is quite active in our lives, and I think it’s important to see how the Holy Spirit takes action today. And, he maintains, many Christians in the West remain closed to the Spirit and are hampered by fear when it comes to relating to Him and … Or instead do you believe he stopped moving supernaturally near the end of the first century? I would be interested in hearing what the author’s interpretation is. I appreciate hearing your views and your enthusiasm. The book ends with two appendices, An Alternative Interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:33-35, and Are Miraculous Gifts for Today, derived from Storms’ previous writings. All rights reserved. “I believe that one of the reasons why spiritual gifts are less frequent in certain seasons of church history than in others is due to the fact that people didn’t seek, pursue, or passionately and incessantly pray for these gifts. Paul wrote, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit…. I agree with you–because I’ve seen the Spirit actively at work in my own life and in the lives of others, I believe that he is definitely still active today. Question: "What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives today?" Glad you are one. He includes scriptures and personal experiences to back up his claims. God’s work has been the same; it’s just my vision is often distorted. He grieves, He knows, He is eternal, He encourages, He gives understanding, He gives peace, He comforts, He directs, and He can be prayed to. He is not some impersonal power, like energy. I always value your opinions. Holy Spirit seals us unto the day of redemption (Eph. I wish I could understand his ways better. I have seen excesses, but I have also been in quiet settings where I have seen power that was undeniable. Thank you, Lux, and the same to you. I’ve been blinded in the past by my own disbelief in them to have seen as many as I could have (if that makes sense). Hopefully it will spare me some of the mistakes I made in the years prior to that, thinking I understood so much about God. This list includes reasons like #3, the extensive New Testament evidence of miraculous gifts among Christians who are not apostles, and #5, the fundamental continuity or spiritually organic relationships between the church in Acts and the church in subsequent centuries. As Andrew says there are still raw miracles and moves of the Holy Spirit by seemingly ordinary people who truly follow Jesus. Why do we need the Holy Spirit? The reason the miraculous gifts were given to the early church (or at least one of the reasons) was to testify to the validity of the message taught by the apostles and other inspired teachers at a time when the New Testament was not yet complete. I think some people are afraid to believe in the gifts, and do not ask to receive. However, because we have the completed Words of God, the Spirit does not normally work through physical miracles today. How is this reconciled? “I don’t know for sure” has become a phrase I’ve had to use a lot more in the past several years as well, Michele. Can you explain Acts 10:44 and why the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles? He does say worship can be awakened, sustained, and energized by the Spirit. It’s hard to argue with that. In other words, they had not because they asked not, and they asked not because they believed not!”. I agree with him on many points, and disagree on others. It as more like a number of people praying for them, and when they went back for tests, the tests showed nothing was wrong. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit created the world (Genesis 1:2), led Jesus into the desert (Matthew 4:1), comes to us at Confirmation (), and intercedes for us in sighs that we cannot understand (Romans 8:26).Always remember that The Church teaches that The Holy Spirit … Our Teacher of righteousness. CBN.com – The Baptist world was rocked in 1993 when Jack Deere, a former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, published the groundbreaking book, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit – describing the … Your concluding paragraph is so true: the working of the Spirit is often through people that are quiet and “invisible” as they allow him to move through them. 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