Spiritual ≠ Perfect
The presence of the Spirit in our lives also doesn’t mean that we will be perfect and never make mistakes. Jesus is the only person who has ever been sinless. And so, the Spirit continues to work through imperfect people. In the Old Testament, I think of Gideon, who served as one of Israel’s Judges: “The Spirit of the LORD came on Gideon” and he rallied the Israelites to stand together in solidarity against the Midianites and Amalekites who had been oppressing them (Judges 6:34). In spite of this, Gideon was fearful and doubted God’s promise to save Israel (v. 27). So Gideon twice asked God to perform a miraculous sign to confirm God’s promise (vv. 36–40). And Samson, another one of Israel’s judges, had faults that are well known. Although the Spirit came powerfully upon him on numerous occasions (Judges 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14), he dishonored his parents (14:2–6), he allowed Delilah to manipulate him (14:16; 16:15), and he was motivated by revenge (15:3, 11). To top it all off, he even slept with a prostitute (16:1). Even though the Spirit of God was at work in both Gideon and Samson, these men didn’t become exemplary or even ideal figures.3 Instead, like all of us, they remained imperfect, finite, mortal human beings. And yet, somehow, the New Testament affirms both Gideon and Samson as examples of faith (Hebrews 11:32).
Even as we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we find that believers still struggle between living “according the Spirit” and living “according to the flesh” (or “sinful nature”) (Romans 8:5–6). We see, for example, how Peter’s experience of the Spirit at Pentecost transformed him from someone who had denied three times that he knew Jesus to someone who stood in front of a crowd to preach the gospel (Acts 2:14–41). And yet Paul had to correct Peter (a Jew) because he refused to eat with Gentiles (non-Jews) (Galatians 2:11–14).
When we look at these stories, we are reminded that when the Spirit works in and through us, it is a mark of God’s grace, not of our moral superiority. At times I am tempted to think that the Spirit can’t or won’t use me because of my imperfections. I confess that I also sometimes think this way about others. But when I remember the imperfect characters the Spirit used in the Bible, I am reminded that God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Increasing Spirituality
The previous section implies that we can increasingly live a more spiritual or Spirit-filled life. On one hand, because we are born again by the Spirit (John 3:3, 8), we can correctly say that every Christian is a “spiritual person” (1 Corinthians 2:15 ESV). On the other hand, even though Paul was writing to believers, he said to the Corinthians, “I could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1–2). Spiritual growth, then, is possible inasmuch as the presence of the Spirit can intensify in our lives as we grow as Christians.4 For example, while the disciples were able to engage in ministry before Pentecost and even saw people healed (Luke 9:1), at Pentecost they received more power from the Spirit (Acts 1:8) and became even more effective in their ministry. And the Spirit can always shape our character to be more like Christ. Indeed, we increase our spirituality as, by the Spirit, we “are being transformed into his image” (2 Corinthians 3:18). As this happens, we become more spiritual.
So, how do we become more spiritual? By the Spirit working in our lives. To some extent, then, being Spirit-filled is not something we can control, at least insofar as we can’t make the Spirit do anything. At the same time, the Spirit is like the wind blowing into a ship’s sail—when the Spirit blows in our lives, we can adjust our sails to harness the wind’s power. In other words, we can cooperate with and submit to the work of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit illustrates this well. On one hand, fruit doesn’t grow by itself—the Spirit is the one who instills in us “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23 NLT). On the other hand, we need to be “led by the Spirit” (v. 18 NIV) to see the fruit grow. This is true of all areas of spirituality. Like dancers, where the Spirit leads we must follow as we “keep in step with the Spirit” (v. 25). Sometimes we seem to initiate the dance by engaging in spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, fasting, and worship. At other times the Spirit invites us to join the dance by prompting us to respond to something God is telling us to do or not do. At times we dance with more elegance than other times; and, as a result, we all have some areas where we can still aim to increase our spirituality.
What Does It Mean to Be Spirit-filled?
Being Spirit-filled, or being spiritual, comes about as we submit to the work of the Spirit in our lives. Although the Spirit inspires worship, our spirituality isn’t dependent on how we worship—whether we prefer to be quiet and still, or loud and animated. As we think back to all I have said in this book, we see that spirituality can include having intense, even physically intense, responses to the Spirit. It can include the Spirit guiding us and speaking to us in various ways. It might involve speaking in tongues. And it might also include having great faith and witnessing people being healed. Being Spirit-filled might express itself in serving others through gifts the Spirit gives us. In this chapter, we’ve seen that spirituality can include unusual experiences, like dreams and visions. It also involves the Spirit shaping our character to be like Jesus’. And our spirituality includes being empowered by the Spirit to minister by proclaiming the gospel with our words, through miracles, and by caring for the oppressed. Finally, a rise in spirituality increases our devotion to both God and other Christians in the church community.
Some aspects of the Spirit-filled life are less visible than others. Therefore, we shouldn’t assume that if a person’s spirituality is particularly noticeable, that person is necessarily more spiritual than others. We can experience the Spirit in a variety of ways and, therefore, express our spirituality in different ways.
The experience of the Spirit is ultimately an experience of the love of God, for “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). As a result, being Spirit-filled ultimately means we become like Jesus by showing love toward God and others. Through this, we fulfill the greatest commandments and God’s very purpose for our lives. It does not matter if you act in a way that appears spiritual: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6).
Father, forgive us if we have had poor attitudes toward others we thought were not as spiritual as us, even if only because we had a limited view of how the Spirit works. Please help us realize where we have resisted the Holy Spirit. Make us open to all the ways you want to work in us by the Spirit and help us keep in step with the Spirit. May the presence and work of the Spirit increase within us each day.
Questions for Reflection or Discussion
1.Before reading this chapter, how would you have defined what it means for a Christian to be “spiritual” or “Spirit-filled”? In what ways has your thinking developed?
2.What keeps some people from being open to the work of the Spirit in their lives?
3.Have you ever thought other people were less spiritual than you because they responded to the Spirit in different ways than you do?
4.How do you see the Spirit at work in your own life? Are there any areas where you still need to respond in obedience to the Spirit?
5.Who can you encourage this week by helping them see a way the Spirit is working through them?
POSTSCRIPT: A PRAYER
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power
that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
(EPHESIANS 3:16–21)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I pray that this book has encouraged you to fully embrace life in the Spirit. I thank God for the many people who have helped me make this book better for you than it otherwise might have been. Many of these people know more about experiencing the Spirit than I do. To begin, numerous friends, including many pastors, read through one or two chapters and offered helpful suggestions. And so I sincerely thank Carmen Kampman, Gwen Hacking, Alan Duncalfe, Mike Hatheway, Brian Webb, Tammy Junghans, Trudy Unger, Dan Murphy, Kevin Johnson, Brandon Malo, John-Mark Morley, Stephen Shew, Scott Eastveld, Ben Wright, Brad Thomas, Derek Kennedy, Vern Kratz, Randy Raycroft, and my father, Dennis Gabriel.
Though I wrote this book for a general audience of lay people, pastors, and students, I also wanted to ensure a level of academic rigor, and so I am also grateful for numerous friends who serve as professors of the Bible or theology and who were willing to take the time to give me feedback on a chapter. This includes Marty Mittelstadt, Brad Noel, Josh Samuel, Jeromey Martini, Randy Holm, David Courey, Peter Neumann, and Chris Thomas. I would also like to thank my office neighbor, Leanne Bellamy, who used her expertise in all things English to help me strengthen my writing, and my teaching assistant, Alyssa Andrews, whose help allowed me the time to complete this book and who offered a number of suggestions for the book itself.
Sometimes I was optimistic, at other times pessimistic, about the prospects of publishing this book. And so, I am also grateful for the prayers and encouragement of the students and staff at Horizon College and Seminary, where I serve as a professor. This includes especially Jeromey Martini, Ron Kadyschuk, and Carmen Kampman. Outside of my college community, I would also like to thank Brian Stiller and David Wells, who cheered me on as I neared the end of this book project.
I’m particularly thankful for a loving and supportive family. My three girls, Rayelle, Mylah, and Adelyn, keep the joy quotient high in my life. And I would especially like to thank my wife, Krista, who offered many constructive suggestions for my book. More importantly, I’m thankful that she continues to love me despite the fact that I’m a theologian. While my academic writing hasn’t often been attractive to her, I am encouraged to know that she feels this book is actually worth reading—and she did read the whole thing!
NOTES
Chapter 2: Shake and Bake
1.“Pentecost Has Come,” The Apostolic Faith 1, no. 1 (September 1906): 1.
2.John McAlister, “Reports from Western Canada,” The Pentecostal Testimony 1 (December 1920): 2.
3.Jonathan Edwards, “The Distinguishing Marks of the Work of the Spirit of God,” in Jonathan Edwards on Revival (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1984), 64.
4.John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley, 3rd ed., vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), 210.
5.———, The Works of John Wesley, 196 (original emphasis).
6.———, The Works of John Wesley, 196.
7.Quoted in Vinson Synan, The Holiness–Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 13.
8.Jack Deere, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit: A Former Dallas Seminary Professor Discovers That God Speaks and Heals Today (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993), 92.
9.Cited in Douglas Jacobsen, Thinking in the Spirit: Theologies of the Early Pentecostal Movement (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2003), 147–48.
10.Marvin Gorman, “Slain in the Spirit,” in Conference on the Holy Spirit Digest, vol. 2, ed. Gwen Jones (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1983), 305.
11.Laurence J. Barber, “How I Was Blessed,” Christianity Today (September 11, 1995): 26.
Chapter 3: Knock, Knock. Who’s There?
1.Gordon T. Smith, “Learning to Listen: The Relationship View,” in How Then Should We Choose? Three Views of God’s Will and Decision Making, ed. Douglas S. Huffman (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009), 181.
2.Brad Jersak, Can You Hear Me? Tuning in to the God Who Speaks (Abbotsford, BC: Fresh Wind Press, 2003), 19.
3.The following questions are based on a “Listening Survey” in Jersak, Can You Hear Me?, 27–36.
4.Dan Bremnes, “In His Hands,” Where the Light Is, Sparrow Records, 2015.
5.Jason Gray, “Sparrows,” Where the Light Gets In, Centricity Music, 2016.
6.Jack Deere, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, 215.
7.Bill Hybels, The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God, Having the Guts to Respond (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 105–6.
Chapter 4: Crazy Talk
1.Acts 2:8 is the only place in Acts that indicates that speaking in tongues was understood by people who were listening. And in that instance, it was not because anyone was interpreting the tongues being spoken.
2.Frank Macchia, Baptized in the Spirit: A Global Pentecostal Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 13.
3.Randall Holm, “Tongues as a Blush in the Presence of God,” Journal of Pentecostal Theology 20 (2011): 130.
4.Ellen Hebden, “How Pentecost Came to Toronto,” The Promise 1 (May 1907): 1–2.
Chapter 5: Living Large
1.Quoted by Kate Bowler, Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 249.
2.Kenneth Copeland, The Laws of Prosperity (Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1974), 17, emphasis added.
3.Joseph Prince, Destined to Reign: The Secret to Effortless Success, Wholeness and Victorious Living (Tulsa, OK: Harrison House, 2007), 1, emphasis added.
4.Regarding (primarily) Americans, see Lewis Brogdon, The New Pentecostal Message? An Introduction to the Prosperity Movement (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2015), 6–24; and Bowler, Blessed, 239, 252–54. Canadian prosperity preachers do not typically have the same fame as their American counterparts. Regarding Canadians, see Catherine Bowler, “From Far and Wide: The Canadian Faith Movement,” Church and Faith Trends 3, no. 1 (February 2010): 2 and 5, available at http://files.efc-canada.net/min/rc/cft/V03I01/Canadian_Faith_Movement.pdf (accessed June 11, 2014).
5.Kenneth E. Hagin, Exceedingly Growing Faith (Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1973), 40.
6.Gordon D. Fee, The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels (Vancouver, BC: Regent College, 1985), 26.
7.Larry D. Hart, Truth Aflame: Theology for the Church in Renewal, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 196, original emphasis.
8.Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, 19.
9.Hagin, Exceedingly Growing Faith, 102.
10.Hagin, Exceedingly Growing Faith, 102.
11.Oral Roberts, Expect a New Miracle Every Day (Tulsa, OK: Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, 1963), 22–23.
12.Peter H. Davids, A Theology of James, Peter, and Jude, Biblical Theology of the New Testament Series (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014), 50.
13.Frederick K. C. Price, Faith, Foolishness, or Presumption? (Tulsa, OK: Harrison House, 1979), 111 and 123.
14.R. Alan Cole, The Gospel According to St. Mark: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1961), 181.
15.R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 589–91.
16.Ronald A. N. Kydd, Healing Through the Centuries: Models for Understanding (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998).
Chapter 6: Measuring Up?
1.Yves Congar, I Believe in the Holy Spirit, vol. 2 of He Is Lord and Giver of Life, trans. David Smith (New York: Crossroad, 1983), 165, 173.
2.To be fair, Paul did use the singular form “spiritual gift” in one place—Romans 1:11. However, there the term was not used in the context of or with the meaning of what most people think of with respect to “spiritual gifts.”
3.Stanley M. Burgess, “Evidence of the Spirit: The Ancient and Eastern Churches,” and “Evidence of the Spi
rit: The Medieval and Modern Western Churches,” in Initial Evidence: Historical and Biblical Perspectives on the Pentecostal Doctrine of Spirit Baptism, ed. Gary B. McGee (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991), 3–40.
4.Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013), 941.
5.From the first and second century, see Didache in The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, ed. and trans. Bart D. Ehrman, The Loeb Classical Library, vol. 24 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003), chapters 11–13 and 435–39; and Shepherd of Hermas in The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 2, ed. and trans. Bart D. Ehrman, The Loeb Classical Library, vol. 25 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003), Commandment 11 (43.7–8, 12) and 287–89.
6.Gordon Fee, God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 195–97 and 214–20.
7.For example, https://spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gifts-test-adult-version/.
8.Sydney Page, “The Assumptions Behind Spiritual Gifts Inventories,” Didaskalia 22 (Fall 2011): 39–59.
9.Clark H. Pinnock, “Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit: The Promise of Pentecostal Ecclesiology,” Journal of Pentecostal Theology 14, no. 2 (2006): 147–65.
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