Jordan Seng: Miracle Work
Jordan Seng, Miracle Work: A Down-To-Earth Guide To Supernatural Ministry (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2013), 224 pages, ISBN 9780830837649.
Jordan Seng is the pastor of Bluewater Mission in Honolulu, Hawaii. In this book he addresses the subject of supernatural ministry. However, the book is not primarily a theological text in defense of the present-day miraculous work of the Holy Spirit through the people of God. The book certainly contains theology and it most definitely affirms the contemporary reality of the supernatural but Miracle Work is exactly what the title indicates; it is a down-to-earth, practical guide to supernatural ministry. The book is inspirational and instructional; it contains both testimonies and teaching. Seng writes from the position of a practitioner, both he and his church are involved in the ministries that he writes about. Thus, he knows his subject well; he is familiar with both the joys and challenges of supernatural ministry.
The majority of the book is given to the consideration of the ministries of healing, deliverance, prophecy, and intercession. The instruction in each of these sections tells the reader how to actually engage in these kinds of ministries. Seng also addresses the subject of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He states that every believer should receive this experience because every believer is to be involved in kingdom work and needs this empowerment (page 201). The book closes with an appendix in which the author offers concrete advice for pastors who desire to move their churches forward into supernatural ministry.
I found a number of very interesting insights in this book. I will mention a few of them here. First, Seng points out that supernatural ministry is messy (page 12). Second, speaking of healing, deliverance, and prophecy he says they, “aren’t just meant to show God’s might; they’re meant to show God’s nature, which, again, is a mixture of both power and humility” (page 14). Third, is what he calls “The Power Equation” (page 55). “The Power Equation” is a list of four things that factor into increasing our power in the Holy Spirit. Seng writes: “Authority + Gifting + Faith + Consecration = Power” (page 55). He believes that the sum total of these four things will in large measure determine how much power we have for ministry (pages 55-56). He says, “No single component determines everything” (page 57). Fourth, he makes the interesting observation that as Christians we have not doubt that God wants to save the unsaved or deliver the demonized but when it comes to healing we are not as certain that God wants to heal (pages 82-83). Fifth, Seng sets forth some of the “costs” involved in supernatural ministry. He says that when Christians become involved in supernatural ministry they will attract all kinds of desperate people (pages 22-23) and they may experience doubt and disappointment when a miracle does not take place (page 24). Six, the author believes that those who participate in supernatural ministry should engage those who are in need of these ministries: people in cancer wards, disaster areas, and violent ghettos (pages 13-14, 17). Seven, the author has a very interesting, and pastoral, way of dealing with unanswered prayers for healing. He does not allow the sufferer to blame themselves or God; rather, he assumes responsibility for the lack of healing (pages 98-99). He does this so that the sufferer does not feel worse than they already do or become bitter and blame God (pages 98-99).
Category: Spirit, Spring 2015
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