Years ago when I took an interest in Acts of the Apostles type manifestations I read a very interesting book entitled, ‘When The Spirit Comes’ by Colin Urquhart. In it he asked why spectacular signs type revivals fade out. There’s a reason why Revivals marked by amazing manifestations fade. These signs point to the Gospel but they are not the Gospel. The foundation of this gospel of the Kingdom is our achieved union with God in Jesus Christ. The core gospel achievements are the completed atonement and the incarnation in the Church of the person of Jesus Christ. John wrote that when we believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life the Father, Son and Holy Spirit make their home in us.
ONE WITH GOD IN JESUS
“God and humanity are united forever in a fellowship of love, joy and peace in Jesus. It was not possible for the Holy Spirit to be “poured out on all people” until sinful humanity was healed, cleansed and forgiven in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.” (1) If our mindset has been formed in a gospel in which we must complete an unfinished atonement or earn acceptance/belonging with God by righteous acts like taking steps to Christ – we will have missed the real gospel and become a paddock of tares. Christ took steps to us and as a result we are enfolded in God in the person of Jesus.
GET THE REAL GOSPEL
Grace means that we are blessed by Christ even when our gospel is cock-eyed. But grace and truth are better than grace alone. Why travel in cattle class when in Christ you have a first class seat?
“When the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, Peter preached about Jesus! Peter’s message was Jesus. Peter did not speak about the gifts of tongues, prophesy or healing; he spoke about Jesus… the Holy Spirit does not call attention to himself. Instead, the Holy Spirit points to Jesus. The Holy Spirit opens our minds so that we can know Jesus as our Savior. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are “awakened” to faith in Jesus. The Spirit makes real in us what Jesus has done for us in his sacrificial life and death. In other words, the Spirit “illumines” (“brings light to”) our minds, so that we may believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. By the “awakening” power of the Spirit, we know that we belong to Jesus.” (2)
DISTRACTED
A gospel whose focus is mainly life with anointings and gifts can miss the point that it is Jesus who won our union with God and Jesus who made the way for the Trinity to be with us and in us. Manifestations do happen, but the Presence of God does not come and go like showers on a wet day. Atonement and incarnation means that you are in God and the trinity are in you permanently as a state of being.
The healing of the self and the church happens because we participate in God in the person of Jesus who is fully God and fully man. We are joined to God in Jesus. Gifts and signs alone are a misdirected focus just as legalism is a distracted focus. The issue is that Christ has included us in God and made us alive in Himself.
(1)Davis Ph.D., Martin M.. The Christian Doctrine of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (pp. 38-39). AsiAfrica Ministries, Inc.. Kindle Edition. (2) Ibid. 39-40