Not ‘charismatic’ in the sense of larger than life personality, but charis-matic: charis being the word for grace, and Paul in Galatians expresses an expectation of the norm among them in a letter that is strong about ‘grace’:
Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard? (Gal. 3:5).
Present tense and ongoing without Paul (an apostle) being present. I am an unrepentant ‘charismatic’ with a belief and desire to see the norm, but also acknowledge the abuse that has at times accompanied that which is popularly called ‘the supernatural’. And in these next few posts there is a backdrop that supernatural signs do not attest to the character of the person or any particular practice. There can be many theological debates about Scripture, but ortho-praxy is as high – at times higher – than orthodoxy.
I have hesitated about writing these particular posts and they will be highly selective as to what content they carry. I decided to write with regard to what is commonly termed ‘the supernatural’ as it part of my journey and I am and remain a convinced ‘charismatic’ with a passion to see the authentic miraculous increase.
Acts begins with – ‘of all that Jesus began to do and to teach’ which I consider is the straightforward and best translation, hence Acts is a record of Jesus continuing to do and to teach. The context moves from the Jewish world to the Graeco-Roman but the ‘doing’ continues while the ‘teaching’ finds a new context.
My hesitation in writing? There are clear records in Scripture of the miraculous but Paul felt forced to defend himself when he shared his journey to the third heaven and I think a fair reading of the passage is that he was still not convinced he did the right thing in sharing what he shared. It is too easy to get the ‘wow’ response. Also the testimony books gather together the stories and leave out the stories that don’t fit, leaving the author as the hero and the rest of us with false aspirations. So it is tricky to put this post together – but I will have a go with the hope it will provoke, and perhaps stir faith also.
Let me start by recounting with a question I asked Michael Kolisang (he was the first person that Reinhard Bonnke saw come to Christ when he came to Africa, and then Michael became the co-evangelist for some 18 years, and during those years he was the one who prayed for healings). Actually I will respond with two questions I asked him on two different occasions. First one I thought was superfluous – are healings ‘easier’ in Africa or in the UK? His response surprised me – I don’t know, he said, no-one has asked me to push night after night, only then could I tell as breaktrhoughs don’t come instantly. I think this bears with the historical records from people like George Jeffries – night after night and then… (Of course there is a further challenge for us, Michael’s context was meeting after meeting… ours has shifted.)
The second question was – in all your experience if you were to reduce it down to one piece of advice for those who wished to pray for those who were sick what would that be? He explained it this way:
Every time I lay my hands on someone I think – if God does not touch them they will not be healed but what if God were to touch them when I lay hands on them? Every time I lay my hands on them there is an amazing possibility that was not there before.
What if… that is something we need to live with in every situation. There is always a God opportunity in every situation.
The Sunday after I arrived home having asked him that question a woman came to me to ask if I would pray that she might conceive. I said sure… then she said you do need to know that I have had surgery and no longer have functioning reproductive organs. Instantly I remembered what Michael had said a few days earlier… ‘what if God were to touch you when I pray for you?’ Just under a year later she returned with photo of baby which I still have.
Another time Michael gave me another key. He explained it by overstating his experience. In a crusade, he said, we would hear a person shout out ‘I was blind and I have my sight back’ so we would pray for those who were confined to wheelchairs… none were healed. Next crusade someone would spontaneously walk, so we would pray for those who were blind… none were healed. Michael said never focus on what you consider God is not doing, focus on what God is doing and where he is involved, follow the finger of God.
Theology gets us so far. ‘What if’ gets us a lot further!
I will follow this post with another one on the same theme and hope not to be more foolish than I normally am!