At least some of you have heard this joke: “How many Pentecostals does it take to change a lightbulb? Ten—one to change it and nine to cast out the spirit of darkness.” First time I heard it I got a pretty good laugh out of it. What I have become aware of over the years I’ve been a Christian, though, is that there are believers who just about live like that in real life!
We’ve heard of a well-known church where a “glory cloud” appears during some of the services. Or how about a famous televangelist rebuking the coronavirus and yet the virus hung around for a while longer? Or his wife claiming he rebuked a tornado and it just went right back up into the clouds? Have you met folks whom when you speak to them they burst out into “tongues”? They love to “prophesy.” Their conversation is never about ordinary, everyday stuff—unless it’s in the context of spiritual warfare. “The devil made my phone battery die.” “I had to cast a demon out of my TV so that I could watch TBN.” “I laid hands on my car so it would start.”
Every piece of advice is a Scripture, a sermonette, or both. They can hear the rustle of angels’ wings. They regularly talk to angels, even long-haired angels wearing bath robes and flip-flops. Jesus has face-to-face conversations with these people. One televangelist claimed he had to comfort Jesus. And on and on it goes. No wonder some people call them “charismaniacs”! The way they act and carry on really does look crazy!
Some of this stuff actually is momentarily amusing, but beyond that, it isn’t funny. Recall the “charismaniacs” term I just mentioned. Numbers of people do not believe in the operation of some of the spiritual gifts today not only because of denominational teachings but also because of the actions of misguided Christians. God gave His people spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians, Chapter 12) so that we could do what Jesus did when He was here: Heal the sick, cast out demons, et cetera. How can we use them when folks have been convinced that all of us who are Pentecostal-type believers are a bunch of nutjobs? Reproach of any kind upon God and His Word is serious, including this. And there is more.
Among the “charismaniacs” and some less crazy-acting Christians alike there is another dimension of hyperspirituality which rears its ugly head: Misunderstanding the nature of spiritual gifts and giftings. Take note of this passage from the Gospel of Mark:
Mark 16: 15-18: And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; the will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Beyond the fact that Jesus is not saying water baptism saves, but implies that is an outward sign of an inward change, He also does not say that every believer will have all the spiritual gifts. A cursory glance does make it seem as if this Scripture says that, but such a result would contradict the clear teachings of the Bible on this subject. The Mark passage really means that various believers will have different spiritual gifts, not that every one of us will have all of them, as the following verses confirm:
1 Corinthians 12:4-11: There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
And note the rhetorical questions further into this chapter which are implying a “no” answer:
1 Corinthians 12:29-30: Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
How much clearer can it be that the vast majority of Christians do not have all of the spiritual gifts? And yet there are those variants of the wilder charismaniacs who think that all of us who are born again ought to operate in all the spiritual gifts! These spiritual cherry-pickers only take some of the Scriptures and use them to build a doctrine on, one that is fundamentally flawed. Pastors who try to force their parishioners to operate like this create chaos in the body of Christ. Some of these believers go out into this lost world and try to operate in spiritual gifts that God never gave them. Others think that because they do not have all of the gifts that they are doing something wrong or, if they become very discouraged, even begin to doubt their salvation.
Some turn against Christianity altogether and become apostates, thinking “this Jesus stuff doesn’t work.” Then there is the blame game: Christians claiming that other Christians do not operate in every spiritual gift because of some sort of unconfessed sin, lack of faith, or some other reason. Such turmoil could be avoided if people rightly divided the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). There are some individuals who do operate in all the spiritual gifts, but this is rare. Most Christians have one, two, or three of the main spiritual gifts (those listed in 1 Corinthians 12), some have more than three of these, but seldom is there a believer who has them all.
You also have those misguided souls who think they can teach spiritual gifts to others. In a significant portion of the body of Christ there is currently an obsession with prophesying. Whole seminars, classes, or even church or seminary courses are held for this very purpose. A spiritual gift is just that: a gift. The idea that someone can “teach” another believer to operate in something that only God can give is utter nonsense!
Now, if a Christian actually has the gift of prophecy, then he or she can teach another believer with the same gift some things about operating in it, though it still ultimately comes down to how the Holy Spirit moves upon each believer in its operation. Likewise with all the other spiritual gifts out there. Here’s another one: Teaching people to speak in tongues. Really? How do you teach prayer languages when these are the tongues of angels, languages which do not even exist on earth? And as for earthly languages, if you are taught to speak one then it is not a “gift” but a furtherance of your education instead. You can take language classes, use the Rosetta Stone software, and so on to do that! The spiritual gift of tongues (outside of having a prayer language) manifests when a believer speaks in a known earthly language which is unknown to that believer. That is supernatural, not this charismaniacal fluff about teaching someone how to speak in tongues!
While we’re at it, why all the hype over certain spiritual gifts? Where is the balance in all that? We are the body of Christ. Just as the human body has many parts, so the body of Christ has many members with different spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
Whether in lifestyle or in teaching, there must be balance in the practices of us who are Christians. We can put God first and still have time for family, entertainment, hobbies, socializing, employment, and so on, and not emphasize any one part at the expense of any others. Consider these comparisons: When we watch the weather on television we want to know what the high and low temperatures are. It is interesting (and potentially uncomfortable) when a record high or low is tied or broken. Still, no matter how dramatic or how mundane the weather has been, most of any given day’s temperatures have been between the high and the low, between the extremes.
When reading a biography of a famous person, besides some character traits being highlighted, the emphasis in such a work will be on the person’s achievements and/or failures. The author is not going to discuss that person’s bathroom habits, minute details of their subject’s job, the way that person made their bed, and so on—the in-between stuff that makes up the majority of any person’s life. In the same vein, the Bible, while it tells of the lives of many people and lays down the fundamentals and requirements for everything from salvation to righteous living, it does not, as a rule, discuss the in-betweens of the lives of its subjects.
We are not told that Moses periodically got a new robe made, or that Bathsheba went to the market one day and they were out of David’s favorite fruit, or if Paul ever had any pets or broke wind in bed. Yet, when some believers read the Bible they try to live and talk as if everything is a spiritual highlight! It’s that hyperspiritualism all over again.
It is desirable to live as disciples. After all, that is what the Lord’s desire is for each of us, and from the start of our salvation we are to seriously consider this (Luke 9:57-62, 14:25-33).Know, however, that there is still room in our lives for many things and activities that are not sinful, and that no matter how adventurous our lives are, most of our living will be between its highs and its lows. Likewise it is necessary to know of the spiritual gifts and to believe that all of them are for today, and to operate in any gifts that the Lord has given you. It is also wise if you have recently been given a spiritual gift, to seek out a believer who is more experienced in operating in the same gift you have and learn some things about how to operate in it yourself. Do not feel bad in any way if you do not have all of the spiritual gifts. Most Christians do not.
Do not accept the forcing upon you of spiritual gifts that you do not possess, and do not try to force spiritual gifts on others. If anyone says tells you they will teach you a spiritual gift, stay away from that person! He or she has no idea what they are saying. And remember, the body of Christ is made up of many different persons operating in a variety of spiritual gifts. Everyone is not called to be a prophet, an apostle, a pastor, a teacher, and so on. Know the Word and know God, the Author of the Word. Be led by the Holy Spirit and guided by other, balanced and mature believers. Avoid hyperspirituality, and if you can, show those who are bound up in it, the error of their ways. If they will not listen, keep them in prayer but otherwise leave them alone until or unless the Lord tells you otherwise. You have your own salvation to work out (Philippians 2:13).
