Worship as a Foretaste of the Future
No earthly temple can contain God's glc›ry ( 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron. 2:6; 6: l b); no sacrifices we finite creatures offer could prr›ve worthy r I the eter- nal, inbnite Create r c f the universe. But when Soloinc›n and Israel deter- minedly r›ffered God their very best—and it was a considerable offering
Gift and Givcr
( 1 Kings S:5, 63)—G‹ d met thcin there. He filled his earthly house with glory, as he had previously done with the tabernacle (Exod. 40:34-35). By so doing, God confirmed his love for his worshipers. Today, as then, God remains eager to meet us and make up for our finiteness if we will just come to him with the greatest zeal we have to offer.
Lest we underestimate the intensity of God’s confirmation, we should note that the priests were not even able to minister in the temple because
‹af God's glory ( 1 Kings 8:10-11; compare Exod. 40:35; Ezek. 44:4; Hag.
2:7). Yet, though God's glory filled his earthly house of worship in the Old Testament, someday, God promises a greater glory. He declares that his glory will fill the whole earfli, just as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). We may need “bodies of glory” (1 Cor. 15:43; Phil. 3:21) to be able to with- stand the fullness of God’s glory in that time (compare Rev. 22:4-5). Our present experiences in worship are merely a foretaste of eternal worship— but if we eamestly yeam for eternity with Christ, we should relish the fore- taste we have now.
The Book of Revelation abounds with scenes of worship. The Lord gave John this revelation for churches in Asia Minor, churches very much like churches in various parts of the world today. Some of these churches were suffering persecution, while others were compromising with the very world system that was persecuting their fellow Christians elsewhere! Most of]ohn's scenes of earth are unpleasant (especially the slaughter of saints as the world worships the beast), but his scenes of heaven are glorious: the saints and all the creatures of heaven worshiping God.
In fact, heaven in Revelation looks like a temple: It includes a taberna- cle, altar, incense censers, a sea (like Solomon's temple), trumpets, and so forth (RTV. 4:6; 5:8; 6:9; 8:2—6; 11:19; 15:2, 5). Heaven is a place designed fr›r wt rship! Indeed, the New Jerusalem in 21:16 is shaped like the Old Tes- t‹aincnt holy of holies, but whereas access tr› Geld's presence was once set erely liinited, we will enjoy his presence in all its fullness forever! As the sevcn churches of Asia Minor heard this book raad in their worship serviccs, it summcaned them t‹o join all ‹af heaven in worshiping the sover- clan Grid. It is heaven's perspective that enables us to triumph over our present sufferinps and tcmptations. And we are never as close to ‹uur heav- cnly future in this life as when we worship God.
The Spirit enables us to participate in this future kingdt›m in the pres-
ent. In the midst of severe hardships, the Spirlt puarantees our future inher- lt*lläCC, t)u preater ylory resulting fry›in our present testings (Re m. b:16—18). TUC Mld Testament linked the Spirit’s comlng with the age to n me, so
Rcc‹ignizing the Spirit's Voice
early Christians, who knew the Old Testament we11, understoocJ that the Spirit cc nnected them with the future. They recognized that those who have the Spirit taste the p‹awers of the coming age in advance (Heb. 6:4-5). The Spirit makes us people of the future and enables us to view our iden- tity in terms of our destiny in Christ, rather than by how the world's pres- sures define us ( 1 Cc r. 2:12-16).
Thus, Paul speaks of the Spirit as the “firstfruits” (Rom. 8:23). The offer- ing of firstfruits marked the actual beginning of a coming harvest (Lev. 23:10). We who long anxiously for our Lord's return have the foretaste of the coming harvest. We do not simply await a theoretical hope for the dis- tant future; we await something we know beyond any shadow of a doubt, because we have already begun to experience the life of the coming world. Elsewhere Paul speaks of the Spirit as the “down payment” or “earnest”
of our future inheritance (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14). Businesspeople in Paul’s day used this very term to speak of the first installment, the ini- tial payment, on what was to come. God has advanced us part of our inher- itance now, so we can experience the life of the Spirit, “eternal life,” in this present age (John 3:16, 36). Some promises await Jesus' return, but God's presence and power in our lives right now should enable us to live as heaven's people on earth. Can you imagine how it would revolutionize the lives of believers and churches if we actually recognized and believed this reality? We should mean it when we pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”!
Conclusion
If we desire to recognize the voice of the $pirit, we shcauld begin by cul- tivating the means he has already given us. That is, we should get to know God's character by means of what he has already said in the Bible. Such knowledge will sensitive us to the true voice of the Spirit when he speaks. We should also recognize by faith that God has already given us his pres- ence; we can begin to relate to him even before we feel him. Finally, we should worship him, bringing what we kncaw about God into the intimacy of our relationship with God.
These basic principles help prepare us to hear the voice of the Spirit more accurately. In the next chapter, we investigate some other principles and practices that can prove helpful in learning to hear G‹ d's voice.
Learning to Hear God’s Heart by the Spirit
s a young Christian, I was praying fervently one day for guidance on a particular issue when I felt the Spirit gently interrupt. I was shocked to think I heard him suggest that I was too busy seeking
his will. How could that be? Then I heard the rest of his suggestion. “Don't seek my will in this matter. Seek me—and then you will know my will.” Seeking God's will is important, but in this case my focus was wrong.
God often does provide specific guidance. After preaching at a church in Nigeria, I felt led to locate the Kenyan woman who had been at the ser- vice; she was working with an African ministry related to Campus Crusade. A friend who was with me at the time, who previously had worked with Crusade, suggested we try their headquarters. We located her and discov- ered she was to leave the country the next day. She was happy to receive one of the Bible Background commentaries I had brought. She was the only Kenyan I met while in Nigeria that summer.
Several months later I heard from her; it turned out her fiancé had been amazed when he saw the commentary. He was the one Ethiopian evange- list I knew in Kenya at that time, to whom I had sent a commentary a cou- ple years before. God’s hand in leading us all together was obvious. On
37
Learning to Hear God’s Heart by the Spirit 39
tjj,jtjy tattc r tacc as icône ( r›c1 fans prrav infect stich IC i4d iflÿs a longs il) e [crow i-
9) pIt 1;1 ) (3T H ï III 1T1) StC QS.
But as exciting as such gtiidance is in cœur service fc›r him, wc should not doubt Ge d's leading when he docs not arrange such evidently dramatic cncounters. Got) ofteri wishes to speak ro us about his l‹ ve for us, to give us insight, or to reprove us—all of which testify to our relationship with him. Whenever Gc›d speaks, whatever else we may learn frc›m what he says, we are able t‹ learn more about him.
Christians Sometimes Struggle to Discern God’s Voice
Hearing God is sometimes easier at certain times than at other times. Even Elijah, who spoke for God and heard frc m God, at one point in his life apparently went forty days without hearing him ( 1 Kings 19:7—9). But Elijah was sensitive enough to who God was (see the last chapter) to rec-
‹ gnize that God's voice was not in the wind or the earthquake caused by God's presence. He kept waiting until he heard God in a gentle whisper, when God came to him in a special way ( 1 Kings 19:8—13).
The Bible provides plenty of guidance in learning to hear the Spirit's voice in practical ways. When the Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are God's children (Rom. 8:16; 1 John 3:24; 4:13) or through Scripture- guided wisdom we learn the mind of the Spirit (Rom. 8:5; 12:2—3; 1 Cor. 2:12-16), we know we hear his voice. Sometimes we also have an over- whelming sense that we need tr act. When the Lord called me to Bible col- lege, he made me so sure of his leading that I turned down a National Merit Scholarship offered for another school, A few years ago, I was sure that God wanted me to move, at least temporarily, to an urban area in a mid-Atlantic city. I was sta certain of his leading that I prepared tc› leave my full-time teaching position in North Carolina without having a lead for another teaching p‹ sition. It just so happened that Eastern Seminary in Philadel- phia had an opening for a visiting professor that year. Not long after that, after a national search, Eastern offered me a long-term position on the day I needed to let another very good school knc›w if I would accept their offer. On the other hand, sometimes we may think God is leading us to a loca- tion for one reason and arrive only to find out that, while he was ordering our steps, it was for reasons other than those we expected. If we do our best to follow him, however, he proves trustworthy in accomplishing his pur- pc›ses. And if we have an intimate relationship with him, we will ultimately
have his guidance, whether by a specific sense ‹ f direction or by Gc›d sim-
ply ordering our steps.
Some sorts of situations prove especially ambiguous. Whereas some Christians discover God's leading in locating appropriate marriage partners in a fairly straightforward manner, others find it more difficult, especially when particular callings are involved. One friend studying at Dallas Sem- inary told me that she was toying with the idea of writing a thesis on why so many single Christians she knew thought God told them to marry some- one but that person ended up marrying someone else. Whatever the other reasons, the involvement of our own emotions can make such areas diffi- cult even for very committed Christians.
The foundation of knowing God, however, is not simply being able to determine specific guidance from him, important as specific guidance is. Knowing God is more than simply getting guidance for the details of our lives.
The Spirit Reveals Jesus to Us
There is much pressure today to preach what is directly relevant to behav- ior. Such sermons and Bible studies are important, but one of the most important things we learn when we study the Bible is the nature of God's relationship with his followers. Jesus is not just an idea or one doctrine among many; he is our only Savior and Master, through whom and for whom we were created.
The Spirit is the key in revealing Jesus to us, and the Jesus he reveals to
us is the same Jesus we read about in the Blble. In fact, the Spirit often teaches us about Jesus by recalling t‹a our hearts at appropriate times what he already inspired for us in Scripture. The Spirit does not waste his inspiratlon!
die Spirit Carries on jesus Work
Jesus had been telling his disciples that the Splrit wc›uld explain further the teachings he had given them (Jc›hn 14:26; compare Nett. 9:20; Ps. 143:10; perhaps Prov. 1:23); he would not make up new things that had lit- tle to dc› with the Jesus they had known (1 John 4:2—6). In John 16, Jesus explains how the Spirit woulcJ carry ‹an Jesus' mission. (John intends thls promise f‹or his readers, not just for Jesus' first hearers [see 1 John 2:?0, 27].) The Spirit next only reminds us c f Jesus' w‹ rds in the Bible, but he actively stands up for its in our conflict with the wc›rld. John 16: l—11 encourages
40 Gift *ind Giver
persecuted Christians by telling them that the people who drag them into court are in fact the ones on trial, because God is the ultimate judge. In God's courtroom, the Spirit is believers' Paraclete (translated variously “coinforter,” “counselor,” “advocate”; 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), a term that often meant “defense attorney” (as in 1 John 2:1). In the same way, the spirit testifies along with us as a “witness” for Christ (John 15:26—2 7) and “prosecutes” the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment ( 16:8-11).
Althtiugh Jesus has gone, John tells us, he remains present, because the Spirit stands in for him, providing his presence and continuing his work. Everything that Jesus says the Spirit will do in the world (16:8-11) Jesus himself had done (3:18—19; 8:46; 15:22). In other words, the Spirit carries on Jesus’ mission of revealing the Father, so that by the Spirit, Jesus con- tinues to confront the world as he did personally two thousand years ago. The Spirit does not, however, reveal Jesus in a vacuum; when Jesus sends the S›pirit to convict the world, he sends the Spirit, not directly to the world itself but to us (16:7, the Spirit is sent “to you,” that is, to those who fol- low Jesus). The Spirit continues to confront the world with the person of Jesus through our proclamatic›n of him (15:26-27).
Intimate Friends u'itJi Jesus
We discuss the Spirit's power for our witness for Christ in chapter 3. But the Spirit does not come merely ro reveal Jesus to the world. Just as the Old Testament prophets knew God well before they proclaimed him, our proclamation shc›uld flow from a deep and intimate knowledge of God. The Spirit not only empowers us to proclaim Jesus to the we rld but testifies to
LIS ;3bout Jesus fr›r c ur own relationship with him ( 16:12-15; see also Eph.
2: lS; 3:16). The Spirlt will take the things of Jesus and reveal them to us,
ink]csus as Jesus himself glorified the Father (john 16: I 4-15; see also 7 16, 39; 17:4). As sr c›n as he returned to them after the resurrection, Jesus dave his fra11c›wers the Spirit so that they could continue to develop their rel t °nsh p with hire ( 16:16; 20:20-22).
Mc›st important, ]esus prc›mised that whatever the Spirit would hear, the P tit wr uld make knc›wn to the disciples ( 16:13). Tc› someone reading the fourth Gospel from start tr finish, this promise would sound strangely famll-
iar J esus L‹acl just t‹a1c) his dlscip1es, “I have not called yuan slaves, but friends,
CCFllISC ;3 S) ;1vc d‹ es not knc›w what the master ls doing, but whatever I 8‹1Vt he‹ttcl frr›n the Father, I have made known to yc›u” (l5:1 5). What did
Learning ter Hear Gcid's Heart by the Spirit 41
Jesus mean by calling us friends / Frlendship meant many different thlngs to people in the ancient Mediterranean world, but one aspect of friendship most often emphasized was intimacy: True friends could share conhdential secrets with one another.' As God said to his friend Abraham, “Shall I hide from Abraham the thing which I am about to do!” (Gen. 18:17). Moses, too, as God's friend, could hear his voice in a special way (Exod. 33:11; Deut. 34:10). Some early church fathers noted that Jesus, who was in the Father's bosom (John 1:18), knew the Father’s secrets.
Jesus shared God's heart openly with his disciples; he “bared” God's heart. Here Jesus explains that he shares the Father's secrets with his friends (15:15) and promises that the Spirit will be as open with the disciples after the resurrection as Jesus himself had been before the resurrection. Ancient philosophers emphasized that true friends shared all things in common; similarly, friends of a prince often received special favors from the king because of their relationship with the king's son. Jesus explained that all that belonged to the Father was his, and all that was his would therefore be the disciples' (16:14-15). In the context, Jesus especially meant God's truth ( 16:13). Members of God's household, friends of God's Son, would know the heart of God, Jesus' Father.
What does this promise mean for disciples today / It means that Jesus still calls us friends and shares his heart with us. It means that the Spirit passes on Jesus’ words as clearly as Jesus passed on the Father's, that we should be able to hear Jesus’ voice as clearly today as his disciples did two thousand years ago and—since we see things in light r I the resurrection—understand his message better.
Some Safeguards in Listening for God’s Voice
Of cr›urse, Christians have often abused the pr‹amise of hearing God's vc›ice, hearing instead only what we wanted or expected to hear. What objective guidelines can help us learn sensitivity tc› the Spirit and enable us to hear God's direction accurately /
Safeguards in This Passage
First of all, the Spirit does not come to testify about himself; he comes to testify about Jesus ( 15:26; 16:14). He brings to r ur remembrance and explains what Jesus has already said ( 14:26). What the Spirit teaches us is therefore c‹insistent with the character of the biblical Jesus, the Jesus who
Gift and Giver
catre in the flesh ( 1 ]‹›hn 4:2). The rna re we know aha ut ]esus frs m the Bible, the metre prepared we arc t€› recc gnize the voice of his Spirit when he speaks to us. Knowing God well enough to recognize what he wottH say on a given topic can often inform us as to what God is saying, because God 1s always true tr› his character. But be warned: Those who take Scripture cout r›f context (a common prc›b1em in today's church) render themselves susceptible tta misinterpreting God’s voice.
Second, the Spirit does not come merely to show us details such as where to find someone’s lost property, although the Spirir is surely capable of doing such things and sometimes does (1 Sam. 9:6-20). Nor does the Spirit come just to teach us which sweater to put on (especially when it is obvious which one matches) or which dessert to take in the cafeteria line (especially if none of them is healthy), as a few young believers in their well-intentioned zeal for the details of God's will have supposed. The Spirit does, however, guide us in evangelism or in encouraging one another (for example, Acts 8:29; 10:19; 11:12). The Spirit also comes to reveal God's heart to us, and God’s heart is defined in this context as love (john 13:3d—35; 15:9—14, 17). To demonstrate unselfish love is to know God's heart (1 John 4:7-8; see also Jer. 22:16).
Another SnJegiiard
Third, rhe Spirit helps us when we are in fellowship with others who also are seeking to obey God’s Spirit. In the Old Testament, older prophets mentored younger prophets (1 Sam. 19:20; 2 Kings 2:3-8). Likewise, Paul instructed first-generation prophets in the early church to evaluate each others' prophecies, to keep themselves and the church accuraie in hearing God ( 1 Cor. 14:29).
Spiritual mentors or peers who are mature in their relationship with God present walk wirh God we trust can seek G‹ d with us and pro- with a sort c f “safety net.” If we feel the Spirit is leaning us to do
s‹›mething but
well to talk
as well. In the end, we may nut always settle on the counsel others give us—like us, they too are fallible—but if they are diligent stu- dents c f the Scriptures and persons of prayer, we she uld humbly consider their counsel. God Sc›metimeS Shows us things that others may not yet see;
sisters things
Learning, to Heiir Gtid’s Heart by the Spirit
Other Ways to Hear
Many young Christians are understandably intrigued by the fre‹quent cxperlence of supernatural guidance from the Holy Spirit. While most of us who have learned to hear the Spirit in that way still experience such guidance regularly today, after a number of years, sensitivity tc› the Spirir's Clidance in that form becomes almost second nature and rhus becomes less c›f a focus than it once was.
Nor is this guidance, exciting as it may be ro one discovering it for the first time, always the clearest form of guidance God’s Spirit gives us. By this method of hearing rhe Spirit, we might help someone in need, because the Spirit specifically directs us to do so. But many of us have also learned to hear God's Spirit exegetically, as the Spirit has spoken in the Scriptures. By hearing the Spirit’s voice in Scripture, we might help that same person in need simply because Scripture commands us to do so. But perhaps the deepest sensitivity to the Spirit comes when we learn to bear the Spirit's fruit in our lives—when our hearts become so full of God's heart that we help a person in need because God's love within his leaves us no alterna- tive. All three forms of guidance derive from the Spirit and frs m Scripture. Yet where needs clearly exist, God's character, which we have disctivered by means of Scripture and the Spirit, is sufficient to guide us even when we have no orher specific leading of the Spirit or scriptural mandate, provided neither the Spirir nor the Bible argues against it. It is when the Spirit has written the Bible's teaching in our hean that we become most truly people
‹af the Spirit.
The Spirit’s Leading
Most of all the Spirit leads us into a deeper relationship with ]esus (John 16:13; compare 14:6). But this re1ati‹ nship occurs not only in prayer but ln the context of r›ur daily lives. In Romans 8:14, the c‹ ntext t f being “led by the Spirit” evokes the language of the exodus, when God let his people in the wilderness (Isa. 63:10—14). Paul thus shows that the Spirit not only brings us into the Christian life, but he then guides us throug14‹aut, ensur- ing that we will safely enter our future “inheritance” as Israel enterec3 theirs (Ream. 8:15-17).
Though we t›ften do n‹ t realize it, the Spirit joins us and the rest of cre- atitin in “groaning” with birth pangs fr r the coming age (6:22—23, 26; the Greek term evokes the image of Israel sighlng under Egyptian bondage).
44 Gift and Giver
Siiuil‹ir1y, the Spir lt often les ‹1s ui withtitit our realizing it. He takes the
›trugg1CS of orl£ da ily llv s aiLl uses them te ct,nform us to Christ's iinage
(8:18, 28-30). In the context ‹af Galatians 5:18, being “led by the Spirit” may also include ethical empc›werment—God leading us in the ways of rightec›usness f‹ar his name's sake (Gal. 5:13-6:10; compare Pss. 23:3; 25:§—5,
8-10)
But while these texts present a general leading of the Spirit, various texts indicate that the Spirit clearly can speak and give direction on other mat- ters too. The Spirit not only assures us of our relationship with God (Rom. 8:16; 1 John 3:24; 4:13), but he can guide us concerning specific matters of personal evangelism (Acts 8:29; 10:19; 11:12). To illustrate this point, 1 offer one example here (others may de found in my chapter on the Spirit and evangelism).
After my first or second year of Bible college, while I was home working fOf the summer, I was translating and studying Romans 8 ln preparation for a midweek Bible study I was to lead two days hence. Suddenly I felt the Spirit impress on me that he wanted to demonstrate just how meticulously can guide us when he wills to do so. Being a Pudding Bible student, I did not really want to inrerrupt my study, but I thought that I had better obey him if I wanted his help when I sts od before the congregation on Wednes- day night. The Spirit had sometimes led me like rhis before, so I knew how
to be sensitive to his direction.
After I stepped outside, the S›pirit led me up the street, down another street, up another street for some blocks, and finally onto a side street. After I had walked on that street for some distance, the impression left, so I stoppcd and turned around to get my bearings. As 1 turned around, I spot- an old friend I had not seen since high school, and beside him I saw a
\taung woman I had first met on the orher side of town three days before
w1ic›se salvati‹an I had since bcen praying. As I appr‹›ached, my fricnd from high school (who was still not a Christian) began telling her w dra matically I had changed after my conversion. Although not yet a
Christian himself, he witnessed to her for me!
After rhar, the woman trusted me enough to open her heart to me and rriy witness, bur she had no permanent address. Sometimes she stayed with s friends and at other times lived c n the street. On the occasions
n 1 felt the Lord wanted me to speak tr› her, I would just start walking
and trust UC HOly Spirit to take me to her, as he invariably did.
This was richt my evcryday experience, but I Gelieve that Geld cared so
ibt›ut this young wcxnan that he was prepared tc use unusual means
Learning to Hear God’s Heart by the 5pirit
to show her his concern. (Jesus multiplied food for the five thousand because a miracle was needed; then he had his dlsc lples collect the leftovers because they didn't need another miracle for their next meal. He does miracles when we need them—not for our entertainment or to make us feel “spiri- tual.”) She had prayed as a child to accept Christ but grew up in a home where, among other things, her mother slept with various boyfriends in front of the children. The young woman was by this time an alcoholic, but Jesus had not forgotten her or stopped reaching out to her.
The Spirit can direct us in a number of ways. Although the Spirit testi- fies of our relationship with God to our spirit (Rom. 8:16), Paul also speaks of the “mind of the Spirit” (8:5—6) and the “renewing of our minds” (12:2; see also Eph. 4:23; Phil. 4:7—8; Col. 3:2). Proverbs encourages us to seek genuine wisdom based on the fear of God (1:7); such wisdom also provides us with God's guidance. Then too, if we are willing to obey him, we can trust God to order our steps and situations even when we have no specific guidance. At numerous critical points in my life, God has had me crc›ss paths with individuals with whom the chance meeting was a one in a thou- sand “coincidence,” yet that meeting significantly affected the subsequent course of either their life or mine.
Hearing God’s Voice: A Personal Account
Although a convinced atheist by age nine, I was converted through the witness of some Baptist street evangelists at the age of fifteen, the first day I heard rhe gospel. 1 argued with them f‹ r forty-five minutes, but rhe Spirit worked me over for the next hour or so until, on the floor of my bedroom, I ac‹quiesced and surrendered my life to him.
Over the next cc uple years I studied the Bible and led many pec›p1e to
Christ, but I felt frustrated; I wanted tc› ask Grad so many questir›ns, but I did neat km w that he would still speak t‹ day. One day as 1 was walking drawn a deserted mead praying, the Spirit sparked faith in my heart that he would grant the desire of my heart. God knew, of c‹aurse, what I wanted most! So I asked him to open my ears to hear his voice. What I heard then was so wonderful that I almost could not believe it, yet it was so far beyond whar I cc›uld have conceived by myself that I could not doubt it.
I had unconsciously expected God to be like some other authority fig- ures I had known as a child—tti say something like, “It's about time y‹ u sh‹awed up, Keener!” Instead, he said, “My son, I have been waiting so Icing
Gift und Giver
to tell you hon much 1 love you.” And then he began t‹ talk with rue about his lot e for his pec›p1e and how it bra ke his heart that we were so wrapped up in ‹ill r Llr rather pursuits ( lncluding many c›f ccur religious pursuits) that we did neat really erm race his love. Some of us—like myself—were afraid tc› be int mate with him in prayer, because we doubted his love.
N‹ one had ever loved me the way God did, and each day I would go out tc walk along that same deserted road to listen to the voice of the one u ho had wc›oed me to himself. He told me that the measure c f his love was the cross: “See the nails in Jesus' hands, the thorns in his brow, and see the b1racad. My child, that's how much I love you.” 1 later discovered the same teachlng in Scripture (Rom. 5:5-8; 8:16; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 3:16-19), and still later I realized that this teaching was what I had discovered as a seventeen- year-old seeking God’s voice. God in his kindness showed it to me when I needed to hear it, before I had learned how to translate Greek and Hebrew and even before I had immersed myself in Scripture. S›ometimes when we talked, God spoke about impending judgment and other less pleasant top- ics, but he always did so sorrowfully and always pointed me back to his heart of love.
I had prayed for the gift of prophecy, initially simply because 1 Corinthi- ans 14:1-5 said it was the best gift to seek for building up the body of Christ. I wanted to please God and glorify him, so 1 sought the gift of prophecy. Yet when I began to exercise the gift, at first it seemed like a new toy to me. I began going to people and prophesying words that answered prayers for wisdom that only they and God knew about. In one case, someone had been praying for several months about whether God would allow them to dr3tC. They had told no one, yet I felt the Lord leading me to find them and tell them they were allowed to date. Since I was against slating myself and hall not felt that the Lord had granted me permission to do so, I was quite annoyed worth the message. I kept praying until I felt sure I would be dis-
‹›b y Ing God lf I did not delivcr it. When I reluctantly delivered the mes- sage (showing my annoyance even while doing it), the person began prais- ingg od and then explained the situation.
One day I felt led to pray for someone to be healed and felt directed to
walk dt›wn a particular hallway on campus. I was sure the person I ran into
*>US* be the one and asked him if I could pray for his healing. He seemed surprised that I knew, but he allowed me to pray. Unfortunately, I had bet- ter guidance than faith; I realized as I began t‹ pray that I really did not l8clV C Ct01A[1)9 nce th‹it God wotllcl heal him. Happily, Grad is gracitius any-
^**¥› the young man suddenly straightened up and began thanking Gc d for
Learning to Hear God’s Heurt by the Spirit
healing him. I was stunned and a little disappointed that God had acted
without waiting for me to exercise sc›me faith!
But as I matured, I realized that prophecy was not meant to be a toy; my heart needed to reflect God's heart. He also began to provide prophecies that were less pleasant than the sort described above (occasionally a reproof for someone's sin). God gave us the gift to show us his heart so we could do his work. Mistakes in finding guidance in my own life slowly persuaded me to take seriously the Bible’s claim that all prophecy must be tested and that I remained a finite and fallible vessel. 1 was glad God corrected me in my own life before I caused harm in anyone else's. I continued to share what I felt God wanted me to share but learned to be more cautious and to try to distinguish better between what I was sure the Spirit was saying and what was merely an impression.
It was then that I discovered another method of hearing God's voice
that could complement and anchor the prayerful, “charismatic” method. I had been reading the Bible steadily since my conversion, but now I learned to value much more highly sound Bible interpretation. When I was read- ing about forty chapters of the Bible a day, the Spirit enabled me to see the importance of understanding the Bible in context, and from context he led me to a passion for the Bible's cultural background. Whole new horizons of Bible study began to open to me. 1 worked hard to set aside my presup- positions and traditions and to go where the biblical evidence led. Those who have used any of my commentaries will know how seriously I take this commitment (even if we occasionally differ on a particular interpretation).
But in 1987, in the deepest crisis of my life, I learned still another way of hearing God's voice, related to the first two. Before that crisis I had been praying two hours a day; in the midst of the crisis, I could only weakly mut- ter Jesus’ name over and over. Although I was so broken and overwhelmed that I could not hear him at all except on rare occaslons, I still clung t‹ what Scripture taught me about God's character.
During this deepest darkness time in my life, some African American Christians in the low-income neighborhood where I had moved unoffi- cially adopted me into their family and took me to church with them. The family consisted of a grandmother and the five grandchildren she was rais- ing by herself. Their own lives were difficult, yet they had learned how to draw on God's strength in ways that I had not. As I learned to let go of my ambitions and embrace brokenness, my personal pain began to bond me with others who were in pain. As 1 grew tea feel their pain, I began to realize afresh God's pain—for he loved all people t‹ o much not to feel their pain.
Oift and C iver
]ohn says, “Everyr›nc who› lr ves has been born of Good and km ws God. Whoever does not leave d‹ es not know God, because God is leave” ( 1 Jcihn 4:7-8 miv). I will never doubt that God genuinely provided my prayerful and exegetical biblical experiences, but ln my pain I also learned another w'ay of hearing God to which both the Spirit and Scripture testify. As we begin to know God’s character and become like him, we begin re› share his heart as well as know about it. When we cannot only say what God is say- ing on some issue but actually feel what he feels about it, sharing in the fel- lowship t f Christ's sufferings (compare Phil. 3:10), then we have begun to know him still more deeplv.
Other Resources for Hearing God’s Voice
We have discussed knowing God's character, trusting his presence, wor- shiping him, and believing that God is willing to reveal himself ro us. But beyond that, we often learn by doing. As noted earlier, sometimes we must simply step out in faith on his leading, although it is usually best to srart small if we are unsure. (I joke that walking on the Sea of Galilee may be trc›ublesome if the ice cracks when I step on a frozen puddle.)
As when he was wirh his disciples rwo thousand years ago, Jesus is a patient teacher; he often will work with us. The first time I felt God impress- ing something on my heart to share with others, twenty-two years ago, I asked G‹ad ro let someone else share it first so I could be sure. Someone sud- denly offered a prayer, which used almost the same words 1 had been feel- ing. The next time I felt such an impression, I knew that I should speak out.
Mr›st important in learning to hear Gc d's voice is seeking God himself, ask ing him to reveal himself tr us metre deeply. Some of what I have recr›unted I intended merely to whet your appetite for more intimacy with God, but ultimately that intimacy c‹ mes only from his hand, nor from read- ing aborlt it. In some matters, how-to books have advantages, but when attempting to hear God, praying that he himself will ‹open our ears is the best place to start. Before I began hearing God's voice, 1 prayed fear thar ability, based on what 1 had just learned from 1 Corinthians 14:1 (that one
way t‹ serve Christ's body is to pray for the gift ‹af prophecy). We can trust th«t he she pre in lees the SJ irit t‹ those who ask him (Luke 11:13) will not withht Id the intimacy with himself for which he sent us the Spirit.
Learn ing to Hear Gtid's Heart by the Spirit 49
We shc›uld not straitjacket God's workings. God spoke differently tr› dif- ferent prophets and others in the Bible, and we do not all need to hear him in the same way. At different times in my life, and sometimes from one day tc› another, I have heard him in different ways. What matters is our inti- macy with God. If it is God himself more than his voice we seek, and if we seek his voice most of all so we can be and do what pleases him, we will hear his voice in every way we need to hear it.
We can often learn new things from the diversity of God's workings. Although I had previously written about hearing God's voice, ]ack Deere's book on the same subject intrigued me with the question of hearing God in dreams, so I prayed that God would help me to hear him in this way too, if he wished. Some of my dreams are, of course, simply due to what I had for dinner or situations I am dealing with in life (compare Eccles. 2:23). Many of my dreams help me to experience other people's life situations (such as persecution, war, or slavery), which teaches me how to pray for them more sympathetically. As I immerse myself in Scripture, I sometimes dream Bible stories. Some dreams warn me about the future, bring to my mind someone for whom to pray, or deal with issues in my heart. But in a few dreams, God explicitly speaks to me, and when I awake 1 know I should pay attention.
We have already discussed worship; it is too easy for requests to consume all our prayer time, leaving no time for talking with God about his own greatness and works. At the same time, even bringing requests directs our hcarts toward God. God is near us when we call on him, whether in the desperation of a broken heart in intercession, the jubilant cries of worship, or the discipline of a daily quiet time. Hearing God’s voice in the Bible is also essential. There was a time right after Bible college when I thought I needed less devotional Bible study because I studied it academically much of each day. 1 quickly discovered, however, that I needed to read the Bible regularly to listen to God's voice in it. My academic work in cultural back- ground makes the Bible come all the more alive to me when 1 study it devo- tionally, but it's my devotional life that makes my academic study alive and relevant.
Other spiritual disciplines can also turn our hearts toward God. Richard
Foster, Dallas Willard, and others have written helpful books on these sub- jects. In my own life in the past decade, I have found that regular fasting helps me t‹ direct my heart toward God and humble myself before him. When I started, I thought I could fast for a particular prayer rectuest, but eventually I became ‹overwhelmed when I realized I would have to fast every day to cover all the requests! I then changed my approach: 1 began fasting
Gift and Giver
just as a spiritual discipline before Grad, to humble my heart so I could seek to please hlm more fully. God does not hear my prayers because I fast, but because I am his child who loves him. But I keep my love for him more attentive by spiritual disciplines. Jesus is my atonement and sin offering; fasting serves as more like a freewill offering or thank offering, a way 1 can voluntarily demonstrate further devotion to him.
If God has stirred in your heart a deeper desire for him, there are sacri- fices you can make to demonstrate to him your total dependence on him. lf you want God to stir your heart more, you can ask God, with whatever faith you start with, to do so. God meets even the smallest step on our part, and even the biggest step would go nowhere without his grace. God reck- oned righteousness ro Abraham—one chapter before Abraham acted unfaithfully regarding Hagar. Abraham's faith grew over the years (until he could even offer up Isaac), but at the beginning, God simply met him where he was. I pray every day for God to deepen my love for him, for my new heart and its continued renewing are his gift.
Conclusion
We may hear God's voice in Scripture, in worship, in the Spirit's lead- ing, in God's voice in our hearts, and by knowing God’s heart so fully that we know whar he desires. All these ways of hearing God are important, but our goal is not just to receive guidance for our sake or so we can boast to others that we have heard from God. Our desire must be to know and obey him and reflect his character. If we desire to know him more intimately, we may start by asking him for this gift. One matter about which God often chooses to speak to us concerns our witness for him. To this subject we turn in the next chapter.
The Spirit Empowers Us for Evangelism
ne day while I was doing Bible study with a new believer, one of his friends from high school dropped by. I felt led to begin sharing with her about the pain in her background, and for about half an
hour I felt the Spirit strongly pouring into me the message of God's love for her and comfort about her past. Finally, she began to weep and surren- dered her life to Christ, knowing that God had revealed the secrets of her heart. I had never met her beftare and knew nothing about her until that time—but God did.
Usually my witness proceeds by more “natural” means. But even then, I often feel the Spirit prompting me to say something or just to listen. Occa- sionally I have been talking with scameone about having a personal rela- tionship with God, and they have asked me whether someone can really be intimate enough with God to know him. Sometimes at that point I sim- ply poinr out that Scripture claims that we can, but ‹an occasion I have felr it appropriate to ask God out loud if he has anything he wanrs me to say to them. On those particular occasions, he did, and my hearers responded by respectfully pondering his message to them (which was often explaining why he had chosen this time in their life to bring the gospel ro their atten-
tion). Cm the c›r her hand, I can think of a few times when, led by my own kn‹owledge about what was usually effective, I failed miserably to commu- nicate the gospel.
We need the Spirit's guidance when we witness. Many of us do not realize how available that guidance already is! Consider the following illustration from a recent magazine article:
Imagine visiting a town at night that appears to have no lights, no televi- sic›ns—not even alarm clocks. And then imagine learning that the town's pr›wer supply is virtually infinite, but that no one in the tc wn had thought to turn any of their electrical appliances on. Wouldn't that town seem like a silly place to you / Yet the Church is all too often like that tc›wn. Gc d has given us the power of His Spirit to fulfill His mission in the world, yet few Christians have even begun tc› depend on kJis power.'
In this chapter we will focus on Pentecost and how the Spirit equipped believers for evangelism; how God sometimes confirms our witness with dramatic answers to prayer; the model of Elijah and Elisha for some front- line ministries of evangelism; and how empowerment to do God's work is inextricably bound with suffering in Mark's Gospel.'
The Power of Pentecost (Acts 1—2)
In modern terms, Jesus was (among ‹other things) the disciples' “here .” They trusted him and could trust themselves only as he empowered them; they went out to minister (for example, Luke 10:1—2) only because he sent them. In Acts, after]esus' ascension, they continued to do his work, know- ing that he was still working through them. Today, it is still Jesus to whom we hook. If we think the disciples ministered by their ‹own power or holi- ness (cc›ntrary to Acts 3:12) and look only to the leaders of that first gen- eration for guidance, naturally we will not witness miracles or Spirit-empc›w- ered evangelism today. If we still l‹ ok to Jesus Christ, ‹our hero and Lord, however, we should expect that God may continue to provide signs glor i- lylng Christ.
Unlike sc›me other biblical writers we will examine, Luke focuses almost exclusively on one special feature of the Spirit's power in ccur lives. Whereas
]‹*hr1 the Baptist, Paul, Jtahn the apostle, and others in the New Testament tlffCFi spt›ke of the entire sphere of the Spirit's work, Luke focuses especially taxi tic prciphetic cmp‹ werment dimension of the Spirit. (By “prophetic” I
The Spirit Empowers Us for Evangelism
do not mean only insplred speech—though that was most common in Acts—but also the kind of miracles associated with prophets in the Old Testament; see the comments on Elijah, below.) As many writers have shown, Luke emphasizes particularly the Spirit’s role in various kinds of inspired speech (see Luke 1:15—17, 41-42, 67; 2:26; 12:12; Acts 1:2, 8; 2:4,
17; 4:8, 31; 5:32; 6:10; 7:51; 10:45-46; 11:28; 13:2, 4, 9; 20:23; 21:4, 11;
compare 7:55; 8:29; 10:19, 38; 15:28; 16:6—9). There may be a few excep- tions, for instance, the contrast between Spirit and fire in Luke 3:16, but the Spirit's prophetic activity is his activity most often emphasized in Luke and Acts.
Luke and Acts are two volumes of one long story, and in the second vol- ume, the Book of Acts, Luke shows that the church continues much of what Jesus began. With some important limitations (for instance, Jesus alone is the Messiah), Jesus’ ministry in the Gospel of Luke serves as the model for ministry in Acts. Writers have pointed out many parallels between the two volumes, but one parallel between Jesus and the church is espe- cially clear in Acts 1-2. When Jesus announces his S›pirit-anointing in Luke 4:18—19 on the basis of Isaiah 61, this sets the tone for the Gospel of Luke; in the same way, Luke uses Isaiah and Joel to announce the church’s Spirit- anointing in Acts 1:8 and 2:16-21, setting the agenda for the rest of Acts.’ By emphasizing that t!ie same Spirit who empowered Jesus empowers his followers, Luke reminds us that Christ's body has (in principle at least) the same kind of empowerment Jesus had in his earthly ministry. If that is not evident in our own ministry as God's church, it may be because we have
failed to recognize the dramatic nature of his gift.
Why is Pentecost so central in discussions about the Holy Spirit / Why did Gc›d send the Spirit / Following the outline provided by Acts itself, we sur- vey the promise of Pentecost ( 1:4-8); the preparation for Pentecc st ( 1:12-2:1); the proofs of Pentecost (2:1-4); the peoples of Pentecost (2:5-13); the prophecy of Pentecost (2:14-21); the preaching of Pentecost (2:22—41); and finally, the purpose of Pentecost (2:41—47). The church can spread across cultural barriers because God’s Spirit equips us to speak for him and to expe- rience a foretaste of heaven.
First, Luke reboots the bromide o Pentecost (Acts I :4-8) . In the Old Tes- tament, the Spirit empowered God's prophets to speak for him and promised that someday all God's people would prophesy (Joel 2:28). This special prophetic empowerment was so essential that Jesus commanded his disci- ples to wait in Jerusalem until it came (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5).
Gift and Giver
Bit the ( r‹,inise of the Spirit was rassociated not only wlth power to speak
for God; it was also assticiated with the end time. When the disciples heard
]esus' promise of the Splrit, they asked whether he was about to restore the kingdom to Israel. They asked the r›bvious question, given what they knew about the Spirit from the Old Testament: The Bible associated the Spirlt with the time tif the kingdom (see Isa. 44:3; Ezek. 36:24—28; 37:14; 39:29;
Joel 2:27-3:1).
Had we been in their place, we probably would have assumed the same thing the disciples did; after all, the Messiah had come, the resurrection had begun (with Jesus), and the Spirit was about to be poured out. It would have seemed obvious to us that the end time was arriving (Acts 1:6-7). Jesus instead informed his followers that the Spirit was coming ahead of the future restoration—in other words, part of the future promise had invaded the present. As Paul puts it, the Spirit is the “down payment,” the “first installment” of our future inheritance (Eph. 1:13-14); another writer says we have “tasted the powers of the coming age” (Heb. 6:5).
Jesus explained that the Spirit would empower his followers to carry their eyewitness testimony about him to all nations (Acts 1:8). Jesus is contin- uing the subject of end time prophetic empowerment. Isaiah had promised that in the end time, Israel's remnant would become God's witnesses to the nations (Isa. 43:10-12; 44:8—9), The end has not yet arrived, but we can do ccur part to prepare for the end by evangelizing the world as Jesus called the first disciples to do (Matt. 24:14; Rom. 11:25-26; 2 Peter 3:9, 12). The rest of the Book of Acts continues much of this focus. The promise that the Spirit equips disciples to evangelize the entire world provides a rough
‹outline for the expansion of the church in Acts: Jerusalem, J udea, Samaria, and on tea the ends of the earth. (Specific summary statements divide Acts eve ‹n‹ re neatly: 6:7; 9:31; 1 :24; 16:5; 19: 0; 28:31 )
bacr›nd, Ltike iepoTts the disciple.s' QreQnrnt«›n or Pentecost (Acts I : I 2-2: 1) . After Jesus told them to “wait” in Jerusalem (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5), the d isc iples prayed together, which also contributed to their unity (Acts 1:12-14; 2:1). Luke probably wants us to notice this emphasis on prayer and unity, since he contlnues to stress these characterlstics in succeeding Chapters (prayer, for example, in l:24; 2:92; 3:1; 4:31; 6:4; unity, for exam- ple, UI /:$(); :/§, 2; 5:12). Looking forward to what God had pr‹amised, the c3isciples also reorganized so that their leadership structure wc›uld be reR‹ly for what God had planned; this re‹quired both faith and fcaresight ( 1.15-26)
The Spirit Empowers Us for Evangelism 55
This is not to say that Gc›d is able tra pour out his Spirit only under cer- tain circumstances. But we do know that God sometimes filled his people with the Spirit in direct response to prayer (4:29-31), sometimes with effects slrni1ar to Pentecost (4:32—35); Jesus invited disciples to pray for the S›pirit (Luke 11:13). Even in passages in which prayer is not recorded, we see that people were attentive to God before God filled them (Acts 8:17; 10:44; 19:6). Third, Luke recalls fhe proofs of Penfecost (ACtS 2: —4) . He reports three signs of Pentecost: wind, fire, and tongues-speaking. Because each of these promises was associated with the end time, God was assuring the disciples that, even if the final end had not yet arrived, they were experiencing a foretaste of the future (see 1:6—7). To the early Christians, the wind prob- ably recalled Ezekiel 37: In the end time, God would send a mighty wind of his Spirit to resurrect Israel. The fire might have reminded them of John’s prophecy as well as Old Testament prophecies of end time judgment (Luke 3:9, 16-17, for example, might be a reminder of Isa. 66:15-16 or Zeph. 1:18; 3:8). The fire did not mean God was sending judgment at this time; it did
suggest, however, that he was offering signs of the future kingdom.
The empowerment to speak in languages they did not understand must have reminded the disciples of the Old Testament promise of end time prophetic enablement, as Peter goes on to make clear (Joel 2:28—29; Acts 2:16—18). These three signs constituted decisive proofs to the gathered Christians that many of the events of the end time were now taking place: The Messiah had been enthroned at God’s right hand to rule until his ene- mies become his footstool (Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:34—35). (Because some Jew- ish people thought that Pentecost was the day Moses had ascended Mount Sinai to receive the law, some scholars also think that Jesus' ascension to give the Spirit parallels Moses’ ascent to receive and give the law.)
Fourth, Luke sureS)5 the pSO$leS OJ Pentecost (Acts 2:5—I 3) . Even though most of the visitors for the festival were Jewish, they took the gt›spel back with them to many locations and cultures. Their experience on Pentecost, therefore, provided a fc retaste ‹ f the Christian mission in the rest ‹af Acts ( 1:8; 11:17-18). What is the point of the list of nations here / The list may simply be an updated version of the list of nations in Genesis 10, nations scattered when their languages were separated at Babel in Genesis 11. lf so, the different tongues here transcend the dividing of nations and call us t‹agether in Christ. In this passage, God shows that, even frcam the start, his plan was for “all flesh” (2:17, 39). This is true even though the Twelve them- selves did not begin to understand what this meant until the seven bicul- tural ministers they appointed in chapter 6 began to pave their way (8:4,
56 Gift and Giver
25). As early as chapters 1 and 2, the Book ‹at Acts emphasizes that multi- culturalism is God's idea (compare Rev. 5:9-10; 7:9), though it should not surprise us that the world often perverts that ideal to their own ends (com- pare Luke 2:1; Rev. 13:7, 16).
Fifth, Luke reminds its O$ the p'FOQhecy o/ Pentecost (ACtS 2: 14-2 ) . We learn both from Joel's prophecy and from how Peter paraphrases parts of it to bring out its meaning. Joel said that God would pour out his Spirit “afterward” (Joel 2:28). Knowing Joel's context, Peter emphasized that “afterward” means “in the last days” (Acts 2:17; see Joel 3:1). What did all the tongues-speaking mean! many of the bystanders asked (Acts 2:12—13, 15—16). Peter replied that this tongues-speaking meant that God was inspiring his servants to speak for him as the prophets did (Acts 2:17—18). If one can praise God in a language one does not know, one can surely be sensitive enough to the Spirit to prophesy or witness in a lan- guage one does know. Visions and dreams were typically prophetic activ- ity (2:17), but just so no one misses the point that Peter refers to prophetic empowerment, he adds an explanatory line in his quotation of Joel: “and they shall prophesy” (2:18). This passage ties together two themes Luke has been hinting at all along: The Spirit gives us a foretaste of God's future power in us, and the Spirit equips us to speak for God.
Sixth, Luke reboots Peter's breaching on Pentecost (Acts 2: 22—41) . If the Spirit was being poured out, then the rest of Joel’s prophecy was also true: They were in the end time, the era of salvation (2:21). Following a typical Jewish method of preaching, Peter breaks off his quote ftom Joel here and picks up part of it at the end of his sermon (“as many as the Lord our God shall call,” 2:39). This means that he will be preaching on the last line qut›ted: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lotd will be saved.” In Joel, the “Lord” is God himself; but Jewish people in Peter's day did not like to pro- nc›unce God's name. By citing various passages that identify the Lord with the risen and reigning king, Peter explains that the name of the Lord on whom they are to call is ]esus of Nazareth, God in the ilesh.
When Peter calls for a public commitment, he does not ask them to bow their heads and close their eyes to call on Jesus. As a friend of mine puts it, he wanted them “altered”—changed—not just “altared” (as in our mod- ern altar calls that presume people will find it too embarrassing to accept Christ publicly). Referring to the many pools on the temple mount, Peter summoned his hearers tr turn from sin and be baptized as followers of Jesus
Christ (2: ) g4
The Spirit Empowers Us for Evangelism
As a Bible teacher listening to sc›me of my former students preach, I have heard both sermons that delighted me and sermons rhat made me cringe with embarrassment. Yet in both cases I have seen people come to faith in Christ. God wants us to expound the Bible faithfully, but he does not need us to have all the details right ro save people; he saves people through his gospel and by his Spirit.
Although some people are gifted for evangelism in particularly dramatic ways, the Spirit gifts all of us to witness for Christ—even if most of us do not recognize all the power that God has made available to us.
Fitfully, Luke deptcu the titre pflr9ose o{Pentecost (Acts 2:4J —4Z) . Prophetic empowerment was an initial expression of the Spirit's coming, but the long- range impacr of Pentecost was the growth of the church and a community of believers who cared for one another in sacrificial ways. This passage pro- vides the climax and focus of the Pentecost chapter: the Spirit's coming produces gifts, but especially fruit. The life of the Spirit in this passage con- trasts starkly with the petty spiritual rivalries in many local churches today, even though some of them claim to be bearers of the Spirit. As both charis- matic and noncharismatic Christians agree, the work of the Spirit must go deeper than Spirit-led utterances and initial experiences alone.
Signs in Evangelism Today
The message itself is more critical than the signs that attest to it, but in a book addressing the Holy Spirit’s work, it seems appropriate to challenge the church in areas in which we need to grow. For some of Western Chris- tianity, that means reappropriating the value of signs as resources for draw- ing people's attention to the gospel.
God's Spirit gives us boldness when we witness, and sometimes he may guide us dramatically when we witness. For example, one day during my dc›ctoral work as I was walking hc›me from the store, I felt urged by the Spirit to catch up to the young man in front of me and to call his name, “Matt.” I had never met Matt before; in fact, it turned out that he had just moved to town a few days before. Unfortunately, I was afraid to call out his name, but when I caught up with him, I discovered his name was indeed Matt. Needless to say, the Spirit did lead the rest of our ct nversation.
Often I have felt the Spirit prompting to witness t‹ a particular person,
but he does not usually give me the person's name. I have other prayerful friends, h‹awever, who have ‹often led people tta Christ by confronting them
Clift and Giver
with specifics about their life, the way Jesus did with Nathanael or the Samaritan woman. This has happened to me as well, though not very often. In whatever ways he leads us, whether simply by emboldening us or by giving us wisdom how best to share with a particular person, God's Spirit leads our witness. This is a major emphasis of the Pentecc st story: We witness for Christ, and we depend on God's power to make our witness
effective.
Acts also mentions other aspects of prophetic empr›werment for the church, such as visions and dreams (2:17). Although in Acts God often uses these to direct the progress of evangelism (9:10, 12; 10:3, 17, 19; 11:5; 16:9-10; 18:9; compare 27:23), Luke does not tell us that every believer must experience these. Acts also emphasizes the miracle-working ministries practiced by the original apostles (5:12), later apostles ( 14:3), and other Spirit-empowered witnesses (6:8). Signs and wonders remain the primary method of drawing people’s attention to the gospel in Acts (for example, 2:5-41, 43; 3:11—4:4; 5:10—11, 12-16; 6:3, 5, 8-10; 8:6—7, 13, 39-40;
9:34—35, 40-42; 13:9-12; 14:9-10; 15:12; 16:25—34; 19:11-20; 28:5—6,
8-10; see especially 4:29—31; 14:3), although well-educated Christians also
engaged in public lecture and debate forums (6:10; 17:2-3; 18:28; 19:8—10), and the gospel was also passed on through personal witness frs m individ- ual Christians (8:4).
All believers can experience the leading of God's Spirit in our witness; dramatic healings as are often reported in Acts, however, may be a differ- ent matter. Although Acts does not limit these to the apostles as some have claimed (see 6:8; 8:13; 9:12), neither does it imply that all believers will experience these on the scale reported fear particular believers in Acts. Nor does it imply that we have any means to guarantee that God will gift a par- ticular servant in a particular way (Acts 8:18—23), th‹augh many of us have f‹iund God happy to share such gifts with those who seek him fear them (cr›inpare 1 Cor. 12:31).
Nevertheless, although not all will experience dramatic miracles on the scale reported in the Bible for particular ministries, we need some people tt› exercise those ministries today. Further, we all can learn frtim bib1lca1 cxriinples of faith related tra such miracles, even if ‹our prayers are not always
‹ n that scale.
On some c›ccasic›ns the person to whom I was witnessing was ill or fac- ing a major crisis and permitted inc to pray f‹ r them. God does neat always hUi4l per plc when we pray, but as Paul Little pointed out in one ‹ f his be oks c1l4 eV‹3nge1ism, people are rarcly offenc)ed when we pray for them. G‹ d
The Spirit Empowc re Us for Es'angelism 59
often does heal people, hr›wcver, as I began learning as a young Christlan. 1 had already been effective in evangelism. As a high school student newly converted from atheism, I prayed with perhaps fifty people to accept Christ before I left for college. But while doing maintenance work at apartments during one summer vacation, I began to discover in the Book of Acts that the most common (though not exclusive) method of attracting attention fear the gospel in Acts was by signs and wonders. I began praying that I would be able to overcome the severe rationalism of my atheistic background and believe God to confirm his gospel in this way.
Nothing happened to the first person for whom I prayed, but I already recognized that God had not promised to do it every time. So when an older woman came by complaining that her doctors had not been able to do any- thing about her knee, I asked her for permission to pray over it. A few days later she returned, announcing that her knee had been better since 1prayed and asking if I would pray for her lungs now. “I’ve been coughing up blood, and my doctor thinks I have lung cancer,” she lamented. 1 wasn’t expect- ing the stakes to rise so dramatically that afternoon, but on my lunch break I went to her apartment. I began by explaining that whether or not God answered my prayer to heal her, she would die someday and therefore needed t‹a be ready to meet Christ. After she prayed with me to submit her life to Christ, I prayed for her healing. She immediately quit coughing up blood, and the doctor gave her a clean bill of health. She lived roughly fifteen more years.
Offering prayers of faith for people at work is not as dramatic as the sto-
ries in Acts, but I hoped that it was a start in the right direction. When people see that God cares about their desperate situations, they often become more ready to pay attention to the rest of what God wants to do in their lives.
Elijah as a Model for Jesus and the Church in Acts
The closest Old Testament parallels for most of Luke’s accounts about the miracles of Jesus and his leading agents in Acts are the stories about Elijah and Elisha. Although Elijah and Elisha probably used Moses as a model for some of their miracles, they (and especially Elijah) lived during a period when Israel's rulers were basically hostile to their message. Thus, like Jesus in his earthly ministry, their ministry to Israel was more prophetic
60 Gift and Giver
than administrative. While some aspects r›f Jesus' ministry resemble Moses, Luke also emphasizes those that resemble these prophets.
Connections with Elijah are easy to recognize, though they must not be pressed too far. People were expecting Elijah's return (Ma1. 4:5). Clearly Jesus was not Elijah, though Elijah served as an important biblical model for Jesus and the church. John the Baptist functioned like the promised Elijah in one sense—as Jesus’ forerunner (Luke 1:17); further, the literal Elijah, like Moses, is Flainly subject to Jesus (Luke 9:30).
Nevertheless, most of Jesus' miracles were more like those of Elijah and
Elisha than like those of other Old Testament prophets. Like Elijah, Jesus raised a widow's son ( 1 Kings 17:17—24; Luke 7:11—17; compare 2 Kings
4:32-3 7). Like Elijah and Elisha, Jesus multiplied food (1 Kings 17:13—16; 2 Kings 4:42-44; Luke 9:10—17). By speaking of a prospective disciple’s “plow,” Jesus even alluded to the account r f Elijah’s call of Elisha, empha- sizing that his own demands for discipleship are greater than Elijah's were ( 1 Kings 19:19—21; Luke 9:61-62). Perhaps most significantly, Jesus' open- ing declaration compared his mission to the disenfranchised—ultimately to the Gentiles—with the ministries of Elijah and Elisha (Luke 4:24—27). Many writers have pointed to the clear connections between Luke's Gospel and the Book of Acts, which constitute volumes one and two of Luke's history of the early Christian mission.’ In volume two, Peter (the leading representative of Jewish Christianity) and Paul (the leading min- ister to early Gentile Christians) repeat many of Jesus' same miracles, show- ing how the church must carry on his mission in various cultures. Some commentators even think that Acts 1:1 summarizes Jesus' earthly mission as “all that Jesus began to do and to teach” because Luke recognizes that Jesus continues to perform his works through his church. Luke's Gospel closes and Acts opens with Jesus commissioning his church for a worldwide mission, empowered by the Spirit, until his return (Luke 24:47-49; Acts 1:8). As Elijah's mantle fell on Elisha and as other prophetic disciples sought to emulate their mentors, so the ascending Jesus empowered his church
with the Spirit to carry on his mission to the ends of the earth (1:9-11 ).
Are Such Works Needed Todny?
Because I am committed to the truth of Scripture, 1 must try to under- stand what Scripture says, even if it transcends my own experience. Although friends from other parts of the world have shared with me reports of similar events, I have rarely witnessed miracles on the scale of Elijah,
The Spirit Empowers Us for Evangelism 61
Ellsha, the Gospels, or Acts. From the standpolnt of my experience, it might therefore be easy for me to believe that such dramatic miracles do not c ccur traday. But my desire is to learn what Scripture teaches and then to seek to bring my life and the church’s life into line with that norm. Of course, we do not need miracles just to prove to ourselves that we are spiritual, but we may need them to accomplish the sort of mission that Elijah and similar prophets undertook.
In some parts of the world, God is sovereignly using miracles to bring people to himself. One of my students, a Baptist pastor from India, told me how he reached resistant Hindus by praying for those who were sick to be healed. God answered abundantly, and the church grew from a handful of members to over six hundred. He expressed his frustration that the same thing did not happen at times when he prayed for people in the United States while a student here. The church in Nepal rose from hfteen thou- sand Christians in 1970 to around four hundred thousand three decades later; a Western Christian observer reported that roughly half of these con- versions stemmed directly from witnessing miracles. 6
For power like Elijah’s to be active in today's church does not mean that all believers must exercise miracles like Elijah’s. John the Baptist, who like Elisha (2 Kings 2:9, 15) came “in the SFirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), preached God's message of repentance boldly and introduced the Messiah; but he performed no miracles (John 10:41). Different members of Christ’s body have different gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-30). The church as a whole,
through some of its members (usually especially evangelists and apostles evangelizing the unreached), must reappropriate these particular gifts. Fur- ther, God works in different ways in different times, according to the needs of that time. For example, God specially gifted Joseph and Daniel with dream interpretatic›n, perhaps because they would serve in pagan courts where dream interpretation flourished. We should also remember that, though God rewarded the desperate faith of those seeking urgent miracles from him, the mnturest faith appears in a deep relationship with God. Such a faith relationship develops over time as we persevere thrcaugh trials (for example, Heb. 11:8—19, 23-29, 35-38).
Nevertheless, significant aspects of Elijah's ministry remain a model of Spirit-empowered ministry for the church as a whole and, in many respects, for individual believers as well. Thus, while exhorting believers that a righ- teous person's prayer for healing will be effective (James 5:14-16), James reminds us that Elijah was a person “of like passions” as we are (5:17—18).
(Note By Blogger: Due to the length of the book which this content is from I have broken it up into a short series of blog posts.)
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