Stir Up The Gift

Prepared Notes of a message delivered by Michael A. Druckenmiller Sr.

At Calvary Chapel of Aiken, SC Sunday AM March 6, 2005

 


My Thanks to Pastor Bob Laube for giving such a great preliminary series to the message today. Paul’s message to the Corinthians was powerful and to the point.

However, today I feel more like Paul must have felt when he first went to the Corinthians and he shared that he came before them with fear and trembling. [1 Corinthians 2:3] {&4a}

In fact given my background and some of my previous Classical Pentecostal haunts I feel incredibly honored to be allowed this opportunity to share with you.

Some after the message will thank me for offering them a Cornucopia.

Others, however, will accuse me of bringing a Blunderbuss. With and accent on the ‘Bust’ and ‘Blunder’.

But, actually, (little do they know), that would be a compliment for an Old Pentecostal like myself… After all, what could be better than to pour in the Dunamis of the Holy Spirit then pack the Word of God on top of that… Pull the trigger and let ‘er fly…

Surely? I’ll hit ~~~~something! {By the way one rendering of Sin is, ‘to miss the mark’}

If you’ll turn with me to 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul writes - When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

Nothing could be truer of the Calvary Chapel Movement and, of course, our local Calvary Chapel.

As you know, if you’ve been here the past several weeks as Pastor has taught from 1 Corinthians 12, 13 & 14 Calvary Chapel is not a cessationist movement. That is, Calvary Chapel, as a Movement, believes that all the Gifting’s’ of the Holy Spirit continue through today.

Be that as it may we run the risk of becoming functionally cessationist if we fail to stir up the gift that is within us.

Paul continues in verse (2 Timothy 1 :6) Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. (according to Strong’s ‘Stir Up’ means to ‘rekindle’)

Now I know some of you go camping. {I was an Officer’s ‘Brat’ in Quonset Point, RI} I don’t know about you. But, when I camped as a Scout we banked the fire before we turned in for the night. The fire would die down. But, because it was banked the coals and embers would stay alive through the cold night until the next morning…

I think the worst thing about camping is being the first person up… There’s ~~~No coffee, and it’s !Cold… But, it’s your duty to stir the fire and get it rekindled so that coffee, breakfast and warmth can be had…

I didn’t say that to claim any duty to rekindle the fire. But, to give you a mind image of what Paul was talking about when he said to stir up the gift… {In fact I consider this Calvary Chapel my ‘Brook Cherith’ and a ‘Psalm 23’.}

Calvary Chapel takes great comfort in it’s strong and valid emphasis on the Study of God’s Word. In fact in the same letter to Timothy Paul gives clear instruction in 2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

And, in one of those rare times when a group of believers were given high Praise by the traveling evangelistic team of Paul, Silas, and Luke we read in Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

We have people like Jim Cymbala, the pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, quoting an old saying, “If you have only The Word you dry up, If you have only The Spirit you blow up, but, if you have Both… You grow up.”

It seems clear, to me, that both are needed in good and balanced measures as the needs warrant…

But, {being a Pentecostal myself} I have to agree that there is a problem because, as Jim Cymbala puts it, “What bothers me about some in the Pentecostal and Charismatic tradition is the Joy without Reverence, without Awe.”

I remember a day when the Sanctuary was respected, even revered as the meeting Place of God with Man. Cut up in church? Never! Unthinkable.

This lack of Reverence and Awe also seems to be infiltrating the ‘Quieter’ churches who have started ‘Worship Ministries’. How many ‘Worshipping Churches’ actually take time to ‘Selah’ (Pause and reflect) in the Presence of the King with Awe and Reverence?

And while it’s true that for far too many Pentecostals their only concept of a good service is to turn the heat up until it boils over then forget about it! This is such a known ‘tradition’ that even fair minded pastors like our own Pastor involuntarily shudder whenever Pentecostals are mentioned. It would be nice if that ‘stigma’ were not grounded in fact.

Any good cook knows that when the pot boils over everything that spills out on the stove top is lost… Is it any wonder that there is so much agony amongst well meaning Pentecostals…

Don’t get me wrong… I are one! And, I wouldn’t have it any other way…

And, there is nothing at all like being on the cutting edge of a move of God’s Spirit… But, it is also a very dangerous place to be. Because all it takes when moving at those speeds in the Spirit is a flip of the ego wrist and the whole thing goes into the ditch…

Those who were watching saw this happen at {the} Toronto {Blessing}. Which I firmly believe started as a genuine outpouring of God’s Spirit… But, they got outside God’s Bounds. They went beyond what is written.

I am really excited to be in a Calvary Chapel because nothing is as important to the Calvary Chapel Movement than the Road Map and Markers of the Truth of God’s Word. Which should make Calvary Chapel one of the safest, if not the safest, places to walk in Spiritual Gifts.

That we are encouraged to walk in the Spirit is evident in: Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Paul seems to imply that it is possible to be ‘Born-Again’, that is ‘live in the Spirit’, without ‘Walking in the Spirit’. And, that without the ‘Walking in the Spirit’… A person will tend to be Weak and unable to fully resist the ‘flesh’.

Jim Cymbala shares that, “If the Holy Spirit is not given an opening among us, if His work is not welcomed, if we are afraid of what He might do, we leave ourselves with nothing but death”.

The Classical Pentecostal in me tends to agree. But, personal experience in light of God’s Word tends to make me mitigate the ‘death’ part because it is clear that each Body of Believers has a certain amount of liberty in the way they Administrate the Gifts of God.

Just why is the Holy Spirit so important? Consider this… In a very real sense the Holy Spirit is Jesus’ Engagement Ring to the church.

2 Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2 Corinthians 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

{Earnest is normally rendered as a ‘down payment’}

But to fully understand ‘Earnest’ in the context of an engagement ring we need to go to Genesis 24. (Some theologians believe that this story is a ‘Type’ of God the Father sending the Holy Spirit out to gather the Bride of Christ.)

Genesis 24 where we see Abraham sending his major domo off on an errand to find Isaac a wife. Once he is sure he has the right lady listen to what happens…


To me this is cautionary because it was Rebekah who was the bride. It was Rebekah who went in and was intimate with the Groom… Not the in-laws.

Paul told the Corinthians, probably the church most zealous for God and Spiritual Gifts in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

In my humble opinion it is possible to go to a great church, like our own Calvary Chapel, to be born into a Godly Family and raised by God-fearing parents… But, just because you are receiving the blessings for your good works or from the overflow of others doesn’t mean you are a part of the ‘Bride’ of Christ… Test yourselves, please. Make sure the intimacy exists. {That} The expressions of love that all ‘engaged couples’ take part in. {Exists} (Between you and Jesus).

Relating to Jesus with a similar depth of intimacy that an engaged couple might exhibit may sound strange to some. But, in one of Paul’s great dissertations on Love and Marriage he closes with: Ephesians 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Of course, if the Principal has a policy of no PDA then you have to behave in public…)

{PDA means ‘Public Display of Affection’ not ‘Personal Digital Assistant’}

As you all know being in Love with someone is an emotional experience. (At least at the beginning?) {It is also a continuous committing experience.}

Many will say that they want nothing to do with any emotionalism. That emotions are the root cause of all errors. In fact at a Pastors Conference I went to I actually had someone tell me that they didn’t want to use any of that emotional music in their churches. Referring to Hosanna! And Hillsongs…

Can Jim Cymbala be right when he closes the chapter, ‘The Lure of Doctrine without Power’, when he says, “… shouldn’t we expect to see Him (Speaking of the Holy Spirit) in action once in a while…” and “ {that} God will manifest Himself in direct proportion to our passion for Him…”

Passion, in case you didn’t know… Is an emotion… ??? And, I hope to provide you with the validity of Emotion (Spiritually Directed) in the Faithful shortly…???

First, though, I would like to answer a question that Pastor asked me months ago…

“What does home ‘feel’ like”…

Well, I’ve given that a lot of thought. And, the best way, I think to share that with you is to give you some examples…

The short answer of course is that home is wherever Jesus is… Of course Jesus’ Presence is manifest more in some times and at some places than others… And, even if we do not sense His Presence we know that He has promised to never leave us or forsake us… That where two or three are gathered there He is in the midst of us…

I think we qualify on that score… Yet, I must affirm that there is more… {Than just a head knowledge and mental assent of His ‘Legal’ Presence.}

On Guam the leadership decided that it would be a good idea to have Island-Wide Charismatic meetings. There were several Charismatic Priests and Nuns who had been detailed to Guam’s extremely old-school Diocese and they had made discreet inquiries about meeting with other Spirit-Filled believers…

So, meetings we had… Weekly meetings… and soon the entire facility was filled to overflowing as people from the entire Island flocked into the meetings. Large numbers of Guam’s local population became Spirit-Filled… Numerous verifiable healings took place as we would sing what today would be called ‘immature’ worship choruses and linger in His Presence…

Well… The Bishop got wind of this threat to his hierarchy and gave an order for the Priests and Nuns to stop attending and for all good Catholics to stop as well…

The Priests and Nuns were obedient and many requested to be reassigned back to the mainland.

However, a large number of locals measured what they had against what they wouldn’t have and decided that if they had to make a decision to return fully to old-school Catholicism or stay with the Holy Spirit… Well… That was a no brainer… Like Duh!

So suddenly the Leadership had, for all practical purposes, a whole church without a pastor. And, while some integrated with the other Pentecostal Churches on the Island there were simply too many…

Jon Pineda who had been drafted to be our Sunday School teacher was now drafted to be the Pastor of the Tamuning Charismatic Fellowship… Now, Jon Pineda was a Phillipino who loved and worshipped God with all his heart… In fact after following him to church several times I considered it miraculous that he even made it too church… As he could be seen Worshipping, Praying and Praising with total abandonment in his car…

Jon, last I heard, was the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in the Marianas…

At any rate Jon took to shepherding this new church. Which very soon outgrew the Quonset Hut they were in, so, they moved to the GITC {Guam International Trade Center} building. That’s where I started attending with them…

Now, you have all these former Catholics that have been released in the Spirit arriving at church Sunday Morning expecting to meet with God Almighty…{and, the ‘New’ hadn’t worn off.} They were effusive and ebullient… For those of you without a dictionary that means they showed great unrestrained joy at getting to come to church and Praise and Worship God…{No longer an obligatory rite.}

I remember times the building shook… But there was no earthquake.

We didn’t feel the building shake when there was an earthquake…

You’ve read in: 1 Kings 8:10-11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

And

2 Chronicles 5:12-14 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

That happened twice… We were so caught up in Praise and Worship that the manifest Presence of God filled the place and the platform was cleared and we just stood there in an audience with the King.

{If you’re a leader now is not the time to try to stir things up. No, it’s time to stand aside and watch God minister to His People.}

I looked across the room and saw Pastor Jon with a silly grin on his face watching God work and move among God’s people.

I remember the scream of joy from the back of the room, when a lady suddenly realized that she wasn’t hurting any more. God had had the nerve to heal her during Worship without some healer laying hands on her!

She wasn’t the only one to be healed that way, either.

I remember John Kinsella slowly walking to the platform, picking up a guitar and singing a word of Prophecy…

Now, this may sound strange… But, it was a common, even commanded, practice under the King who was a man after God’s Own heart..

1Ch 25:1-3 Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was: Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king. Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD.

What was interesting was that I was given a second part harmony to John’s song, and an answering interwoven part of his prophecy…

Now in the natural John and I were not on the best of terms… I wouldn’t have voluntarily fellowshipped with him for nothing. Wouldn’t have gone to a home cell meeting or Bible Study. But, after that day we both held each other in much higher regard bringing unity to the body in a little deeper way…

In those days I was even more emotional and passionate for Jesus. As were those around me. I have often gotten myself hurt because I am such an emotional person. And, as a Pentecostal that can be a dangerous things…

I’d like to share something that has made understanding and living with myself somewhat more bearable.

Paul wrote: 1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.


In Genesis we read: Gen 1:26-27 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

I know there are differing views on whether man is Two-Parted or Three-Parted… But, for this discussion to work we need to at least temporarily accept this one.

And, please bear in mind that I am trying to express in physical terms spiritual quantities.

If we further define the parts thusly:



Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

 

 

 

 

                                                          




Please note that these division are not quite as hard and fast as the lines on paper would lead one to believe. We are not schizophrenic but whole for: 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

(And, neither is the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit will not come without His holiness… God is Love and God the Holy Spirit will not come without Love. Jesus came as a Servant. The Holy Spirit doesn’t come, Scripturally, as a personal bless me Santa Claus. But, rather to heal and empower for service.)

There are some implications to this scenario…

For the men:

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

And

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

If this rendering of man is anywhere near close to accurate then the ‘Will’ can command {or, train} the ‘Mind’ not to call up those thoughts and images of the past. Of course if you’ve taken many years training your mind to bring these things to mind… It may take some concerted effort and self-judgment with a lot of the Spirit’s help to retrain oneself…

For the Women:

Women tend to have a better connection with their emotions than men. Men tend to be better reasoners and thinkers. I have often postulated that the whole reason God gave man positional authority over woman had nothing to do with merit. But with the fact that when God created Eve she was the new and improved model. Able to sense the Spiritual far more deeply than a man ever will. Sorry guys.

However, it also can make woman more vulnerable to compromise because… And, please remember this! God is not the only entity in the Spiritual Realm. This is an often fatal mistake classical Pentecostals make. That just because they are filled with God’s Spirit every wind out of the spirit realm is therefore God’s Spirit…

If this is the case then why did John say: 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

And, even in the section of Corinthians we just finished Paul writes: 1 Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Pastor even gave us Peter’s example one minute he was confessing Jesus as Lord… the next denying Him the Cross!

If my premise is correct then disallowing all emotion would tend to seriously limit our ability to move and flow in and with God’s Spirit…

In fact, though, I wonder if given the placement of emotions in the conduit of the Spirit and Spiritual realm if we can even claim to be Spirit-Filled if we have no Emotional Fervency or Passion in evidence. Even though restrained…

Let’s look a few more Scriptures Jam 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Or in other words… The Fervent prayer of a righteous man is effective…

The few times I have prayed for someone and seen God heal them was when I was fervent in my prayer… When seeing that particular person healed meant the whole world to me and I prayed that way… Poured my heart and soul into it…

Now that is an easy thing to do if it is someone you know and actually care about…

? Bee Sting Episode ?

But, how do you pray fervently for a relative stranger…

You go to God in silent prayer and ‘will’ yourself the ready writer of the Holy spirit in Prayer; Paul puts it this way: Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

? Pregnant Wife of friend…?

And then there is Hannah’s Prayer: 1Sa 1:10-19 In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD . 11 And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." 12 As she kept on praying to the LORD , Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk (have you ever prayed that desperately?) 14 and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine." 15 "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD . 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." 17 Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you wha t you have asked of him." 18 She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. 19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.

Fervency and Passion are healthy Godward emotions when ‘willed’ into action in light of God’s Word…

Here’s some more Godly uses of ‘hard emotion’: Act 18:24-26 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

It’s almost like Apollos was your typical Pentecostal and Priscilla and Aquilla were the local Calvary Chapel adherents!

Rom 12:9-11 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Col 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Just so there will be no questions about this… The American heritage Dictionary defines: fer·vent (fûr“v…nt) adj. 1. Having or showing great emotion or zeal; ardent: fervent protests; a fervent admirer.

Hmm a fervent admirer… Of Jesus! That’s how I want to be remembered

One of the definitions in the Websters Dictionary from the 1800’s defines ferver as Ardent; very warm; earnest; excited; animated; glowing; as fervent zeal; fervent piety.

Fervent in spirit. Rom 12.

As an illustration let me give this in my walk in the Spirit I have prophesied in the Public Congregation (a common practice in my former denomination) and I have Prayed Fervently in Tongues during altar work…

If you will consider the placement of Man’s will above and between the Mind and Emotions you will see it is in a natural position to perform monitoring and gate control of any flow between the Emotions and Mind…

Usually when I have Prophesied once the prophesy starts I am ‘passive’ as I allow the Holy Spirit to Speak through me. But, I remain in control… I monitor everything that passes and ‘test’ it against my knowledge of God’s Word. I have the right and responsibility to shut down the flow and await clarification if something seems out of order. Or, my emotions start tapping into my Human Spirit instead of maintaining from God’s Spirit…


The one other ‘mode’ is that of the ‘Ready Writer’ where the ‘Flow’ goes from Spirit to Emotions, to Will, to Mind to Body to Public. In this ‘mode’ while the Spirit is giving the message I am at liberty to put it into my own words.

For: 1Co 14:32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.

I tend to believe that as Paul was accentuating Prophecy in this passage. That he was not excluding the Other Gifts in regards to both self judgment and the judgment of others.

When I pray in Tongues I understand only the ‘gist’ of the prayer, the import. Unless I am given the interpretation or another nearby is given the interpretation my mind remains unfruitful. I know I have prayed well… I know vague generalities about how I prayed… But, no specifics.

? Bee Sting Episode & Pregnant Wife of friend…?

God does not ‘possess’ a person. The Spirit of God is a gentleman at heart and will only ‘lead’ and ‘empower’ you to perform in the Spirit. If you are to walk in the Spirit then you absolutely must know God’s Written Word…

Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Many recipes call for the chef to ‘Bring to a Boil, Simmer ‘til done’… It is not God’s will for us to boil the pot dry… It is His Will for us to have a well cooked meal…

I am not asking that you turn the burner on full…

No, just turn it up a little and let the aroma of God’s Cooking fill this place from time to time…

I don’t think we’re ready as a church for ‘confections’, yet… (Most confections require you to bring to a boil and then simmer until done. Fortunately there are many Spiritual Recipes that don’t require a ‘boil’… {But, I get tired of the ‘Crock Pot Simmer at times}) {Granted this attitude is a typical Pentecostal tendency. But, with the right ingredients a ‘Crock Pot’ can provide an excellent meal that is easily digested.}

But, let’s start thinking and praying about what we can ‘handle’.

And, seek God for the how far and how fast…

Lastly,

I know many of you have heard all the talk about getting a ‘Flow’ going, (Talking about seeing Manifestations of the Spirits Presence), as if the Holy Spirit was somehow hesitant to move in our midst.

I believe it can be viewed like all that potential energy, all the power of the water stacked up behind a Hydro-Electric Dam…

But, no energy is produced, no work accomplished, until the sluice gates are opened and the water is ‘allowed’ to flow through the channels (us) and produce energy and work accomplished.

However, if the gates have been kept closed for a long period of time (how long can you go without electricity?) it may take a bit of effort to get them open again. To get the ‘Flow’ going again.

That effort is well worth it, as many of you know who have had to use candles for a night during a power outage… What a blessing it is to go from candles to electric lights again!

I am not asking for a Torrent, though that is a Biblical way of looking at the Gifts of the Spirit, just that we, as a church, prayerfully consider opening the sluice gates just a wee bit…

One more caution just as it is wrong for the Pentecostal to assume that every Spiritual Flutter is the Holy Spirit simply because they are spirit-Filled. It is also wrong to assume we can’t be ‘in-the-flesh’ because we revere and deeply study the Word.

 

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