Pneuma Review: Please tell our readers about your Pentecostal roots.

Andrew Gabriel: I grew up worshipping in primarily Pentecostal churches, although we did, at times, attend some other denominational churches. After graduating from high school, I studied at a Pentecostal Bible college, and eventually I was ordained in the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, as I still am today.

Pneuma Review: In your book, Simply Spirit-Filled, you said that at one point in your life you were a spiritual experience junkie. Please explain what you mean by that and why you went through that phase.

Andrew K. Gabriel, Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (Emanate Books, 2019), 179 pages.
Read John Lathrop’s review.
Read an excerpt from the book: “Two Common Myths about the Spirit-Filled Life.”

Andrew Gabriel: As I think about it now, the term ‘junkie’ might sound pejorative, but I don’t mean it to be. My heart was certainly in the right place. I was a young, somewhat naïve, Christian who wanted “all that God has for me,” as the preachers used to put it. As a result, you could say that I was “all in” when it came to trying to experience God.

The result was that, like some others around me, I wasn’t too concerned with trying to discern if experiences were authentically from God, or if they were emotional experiences that were being manufactured by the groups that I worshipped with. And, for the most part, I think the people that were manufacturing those experiences had good hearts too. They also wanted to experience God, but they thought that there were only certain ways to do so. So, for example, the music had to be a certain way, or maybe they would “encourage” you to fall down.

Pneuma Review: Later in your life you became quite skeptical of spiritual experiences. What factors contributed to that skepticism and what eventually brought you back to again appreciate the value of these spiritual experiences?

Andrew Gabriel: I think my skepticism was simply me over reacting to my realization that not everything I had experienced in the church was truly from God. And it probably stemmed from the same thing that made me a spiritual experience junkie in the first place—namely, a desire to experience God. Only now, I was more concerned with having authentic experiences of God.

We are quick to lament the declining numbers of young adults who are active in our churches or even give the church and Christ a second thought. We describe them as apathetic, filling their lives with a busyness that doesn’t satisfy.  A truer assessment is that this description applies to every generation and locale down through the ages where there is no sense of a move of God.

This past January 23-26, I attended the United Prayer Rising event in Jakarta, Indonesia:  World Generation Gathering. As one of the “older” generation representatives, I was inspired to witness twentysomethings from 35 different nations from every continent gathering together in passionate worship and fervent prayer. The hundreds of people may only have been a remnant, but they were far from apathetic and self-absorbed. Their passionate, sacrificial, and complete commitment to the Lord brought me hope and great encouragement.  (To learn more about this grassroots movement, check out www.unitedprayerrising.com)

I have attended many worship and prayer gatherings throughout a lifetime in church and Christian circles. What I witnessed the final night at the World Generation Gathering in Indonesia was truly unique. The leader would call out the name of one of the 35 countries represented by the attendees. To which the whole assembly would rush to those attendees, lay hands on them, and zealously pray for their country. This continued through the evening, country after country, amidst shouts soaring and tears flowing. What caught my seasoned attention was the ever increasing crescendo. The intensity would not fade but only increased nation after nation, into the night. The cries of hope for each nation were only overshadowed by the overflowing joy of the impassioned intercessors. By the time the final nation’s name was called out, the gathering had become a holy raucous affair!

In just a few short years, this groundswell movement of young worship and prayer warriors should be encouraging to all of us. From the initial gathering at the DMZ (the border between North and South Korea), this movement has grown and spread throughout the nations. The next gathering is in England, July 8-11. Once again, it is organized by and will be attended by primarily young adults. And once again, they have sought the counsel and oversight of older generations. I look forward to attending, supporting, and sowing into their lives and this movement. And equally, I look forward to witnessing the stirring of God within them, and being their cheerleader. (To learn more about the gathering in England, check out www.UPRisingeurope.org)

Wesley Zinn
Pastor, Wellspring Church
Berlin, CT USA

Historian William De Arteaga invites Pneuma Review readers to journey with him into Latin American Christianity as presented in Issue 130 of Christian History magazine.

Christian History 130, “Latin American Christianity: Colorful, complex and conflicted”

Christian History magazine is a wonderful journal. I recommend a copy of it be at the coffee table of every Christina household so that friends and neighbors would be influenced by it.

Have you noticed how many books of the Bible are historical? No accident. This is different for the scriptures of other religions, which are mostly texts of moral do’s and don’t’s or meditation practices, such as in Buddhism. Without a sense of history, a Christian will have difficulty forming a mature biblical worldview. Without this grounding, Christians fall into errors like conspiracy theories—where one believes another group is especially evil—or so-called pedestal history—where one believes the present generation is the wisest and best. ().[1]

Many Christian writes still fall into modern forms of “hagiography.” That is, writing only the positive about Christians and their ministries, and skip any sinful or negative aspects. Note that the Biblical history books are not written in that way. We learn, for instance, of David’s murder-adultery, Paul had and ugly donnybrook with Barnabus, and the “heroes” of the book of Judges all had serious faults that were not over looked.[2]

In this issue, the editor and writers did a wonderful job of balancing the achievements of the Spanish and Brazilian evangelization of Latin America and some of the saints they produced as well as looking in on the dark sins of genocide of the indigenous people of the Caribbean, the mass importation of African slaves, and the imposition of serfdom on most of the indigenous peoples. The editor, Jennifer Woodruff Trait, an Evangelical Christian, could have accepted the Evangelical suspicion that Catholics are not really Christian, but she did not.[4]

The “Latin American Christianity” issue is divided into ten articles that cover wide panorama of issues about Christianity in Latin America plus its usual and useful sections, “Did You Know” factoids, and “Recommended Resources“ of books, web sites and videos.

As Charles Carrin celebrates the many blessings of God during his 70 years of fruitful ministry, you will learn of his deep concern for young church leaders and his desire to encourage them.

In 2019, I complete 70 years of Ordained Ministry. It all began in 1949 when I shoved my suitcase onto a train in Miami and headed for Atlanta. I was scared, my heart pounded, and I slept little that night. My destination was my first church as pastor–and I was only 18 years old. It was a brave step for the congregation and me. But they knew God had called me to preach and insisted that I begin immediately and obey that “Call.” Everything else could catch up later. The congregation was warm-hearted and we bonded immediately. With a salary of $35.00 a week I paid for my rent, college tuition, food, transportation, and everything else. My University study began the same time as the ministry.

At the church’s request I began preaching five times a week and maintained that pattern for the next 30 years. The only exception was when I conducted revivals and preached 12 to 14 times a week. That grueling schedule forced me to rely on the Holy Spirit. Apart from Him I could not have survived that demanding routine. The night I was ordained in Miami my pastor told me, “Charles, study as if it all depends on you. Preach as if it all depends on God!” That advice became my rule for life. In those years the Atlanta Division, University of Georgia, was only an extension-school and did not offer a degree; I gained as many credits as I could and then studied two years at Columbia Theological Seminary. The Atlanta congregation remained my charge for eleven fruitful and happy years. When I resigned they–and I–wanted me to stay. God said no.

I’ve been in the company of two Kings, a President, the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. I crossed the Atlantic at least 50 times, preached at Red Square in Moscow, Westminster Chapel in London, 800 year-old Churches in England, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Seminary in Florida, Russian and Kazakh ministerial schools, various Jewish Synagogues, and to thousands of ministers at the International “Catch the Fire” Pastors Conferences in Toronto. I have been a return-speaker there. The day I stepped onto the train God had it all planned.

Craig Keener commented: “The New Perspective(s) and older perspectives come to different conclusions on various points, such as ‘faith in Christ’ vs. ‘faith of Christ,’ the meaning of ‘works of the law,’ and so forth. I connection with my new Galatians commentary, Influence magazine published an article by me on this topic.”

Kate Shellnut, “Francis Chan Explains Why He’ll Share a Stage With Benny Hinn” Christianity Today (March 21, 2019).

The subtitle reads, “There are millions who will never hear strong biblical teaching unless teachers are willing to go.”

Roger E. Olson, “Is Absolute Refusal to Contemplate the Possible Existence of God Scientific?” Patheos (April 8, 2019).

J. Lee Grady, “8 Ways to Encourage the Flow of the Holy Spirit” Fire In My Bones (April 10, 2019).

John Lathrop writes: “This is a very good article by Lee Grady.”

Haddon Robinson, “Preaching to Everyone in Particular: Find varied applications and scatter them throughout the sermon” Christianity Today Pastors (Fall 1994).

Read this classic article from the late Haddon Robinson.

Craig S. Keener, “Leading New Testament Scholar Reveals How to Recognize False Apostles” In the Line of Fire (April 23, 2019).

Michael Brown introduces this article by saying, “This is a guest column by my friend, Craig Keener, one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars.” Read more by Michael Brown and Craig Keener at PneumaReview.com.

John P. Lathrop, “Encouragement” Pentecostal Pastor (April 30, 2019).

Craig Keener, “Real Raisings from the Dead or Fake News?: Falsified resurrection stories should not cause us to discount credible miracle accounts” Christianity Today (May 17, 2019).

“The Places in America with the Most Cases of Human Trafficking” Geoffrey G Nathan Law Offices (2019).

Statistical information in easy-to-read format about this growing evil in the USA.

Roger E. Olson, “Three American Religions Confused with Christianity” Patheos (June 1, 2019).

Leah Payne, “Why Foursquare’s Female Leaders Have It Harder Today: The Pentecostal denomination was founded by a woman nearly a century ago, but it has failed to elect another female president since” ChristianityToday.com (May 29, 2019).

Leah Payne, author of Gender and Pentecostal Revivalism, says there is an “ongoing struggle for women to reach to the highest positions in evangelical institutions, even in traditions that ordain women and affirm their roles as preachers, teachers, and leaders.” Read Payne’s interview with PneumaReview.com about her book: “Pioneer Women of Pentecostal Revivals.”

PR

A brief look at the controversial gift of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, by Pastor John Lathrop.

The twentieth century has witnessed the rapid growth of two remarkable religious movements, the Pentecostal Movement and the Charismatic Movement. The Pentecostal Movement, which appeared first, attracted widespread attention in the early 1900’s. This was due largely to the revival services that took place at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles beginning in 1906.[1] A little more than fifty years later the Charismatic Movement burst on the scene claiming the same spiritual manifestations that had previously appeared in the Pentecostal Movement. The charismatic renewal, sometimes called neo-pentecostalism, began to make its way into the mainline Protestant churches in the late 1950’s and by 1967 had infiltrated the Roman Catholic Church as well.[2] The impact of these movements has been profound. The sheer number of people involved indicates that. In 1995 the number of adherents to the Pentecostal Movement was said to be 410 million.[3] These movements have touched the world. While there are differences between the two movements, the one thing that they hold in common is the claim to fresh outpourings of the Holy Spirit, complete with healings and the other gifts of the Spirit, including the gift of tongues.

The gift of tongues, referred to by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14, is perhaps the most controversial of the gifts of the Spirit. The reported reappearance of this gift in the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements has produced responses ranging from joy to horror. The purpose of this paper is to consider the controversy regarding this gift, examine the contribution that the gift can make to the church and to contend for the restoration of this gift to its rightful place in the life of the church.

The major controversy regarding the gift of tongues concerns it’s existence. The Christian Church today is divided on the issue of whether this gift exists in our day or not. Christians who believe that the gift of tongues still exists are called charismatics or Pentecostals. Christians who do not believe that the gift exists today are called cessationists.

Regardless of one’s theological or denominational persuasion one thing that must be admitted about the gift is that it did exist in the first century church. The apostle Paul makes repeated reference to it in 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14. No other New Testament epistle makes any direct reference to this gift. However, this is not to suggest that the gift was something unique to the church at Corinth. The cessationist, Benjamin B. Warfield believed that the gift existed in the apostolic church and that it was not limited to Corinth.[5] In fact he goes so far as to say that an apostolic church without the gifts would be an exception.[6] The gifts, including tongues, were a regular part of church life in the first century.

“After the Holy Spirit is come upon you…” Acts 1:8

June 9, 2019 is Pentecost Sunday.

Celebrate the birth of the Church, when Jesus poured out his Spirit on all of his followers.

Here are some articles published recently by PneumaReview.com about what God is doing in the world and about the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit:

Pastor John Lathrop reviews: Jeff Oliver, Pentecost To The Present: The Holy Spirit’s Enduring Work in the Church, Book Three: Worldwide Revivals and Renewal

A Pentecostal Season

In this excerpt from his book, The Supernatural Thread in Methodism: Signs and Wonders Among Methodists Then and Now, Methodist historian and renewalist Frank Billman reveals how miracles and supernatural interventions were widespread in the ministries of John Wesley and the early Methodists.

From the Author’s Introduction:

Baptism in the Holy Spirit for power and manifestations of the power of God in healing, deliverance from demons, angelic encounters, falling over, crying out, shouting, jumping, dancing, laughing, trances, dreams, visions, and other such behaviors are often associated with Pentecostalism. And although most Pentecostals can trace their spiritual lineage back to the Methodists, most Pentecostals and most Methodists of all kinds are not aware that all of these experiences and more were widely observed among the first Methodists. When Methodists today comment on such experiences and say, “That’s not Methodist, that’s Pentecostal,” what they don’t realize is that those experiences were Methodist 150 years before there were any Pentecostals!

“Miracles and the Gifts of the Spirit All Through Church History”

Historian Jeff Oliver has written a three-volume series on how the gifts of the Spirit have continued all through Christian history. PneumaReview.com speaks with Jeff about his series and how we should expect God to do supernatural things through his church today.

“The Holy Spirit’s Miraculous Gifts,” by Charles Carrin

God wants to unleash the life-changing, bondage-breaking power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Pastor Chas Carrin points out what the Apostle Paul had to say about this and encourages every Jesus follower to pursue spiritual gifts.

Global Pentecostalism in the 21st Century, reviewed by Missionary-scholar Dave Johnson.
 

“The Problem of Old Wineskins”

Jeff Oliver, author of the three-volume Pentecost to the Present: The Holy Spirit’s Enduring Work in the Church, brings a challenge to church leaders: desire and operate in the gifts of the Spirit.

“Common Barriers to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit”

Do you want God to use you? God has put every believer on a journey to become more like Jesus, to walk in the power of the Spirit to proclaim his kingdom. In this excerpt from his book, Say What? A Biblical and Historical Journey on the Connection between the Holy Spirit, Prophecy, and Tongues, Jeremiah Campbell helps us see the barriers that can keep us from receiving the fullness of the Spirit. Approaching this from a classical Pentecostal perspective, he offers tools to overcome those roadblocks and receive what God has for us.

Larry Christenson,”How to Speak in Tongues“

What did God have in mind for you when he gave the gift of tongues to the church? What can you do to prepare yourself to receive this blessing? An excerpt from Larry Christenson’s classic work, Answering Your Questions About Speaking in Tongues.

“Clearing the Smoke, Fanning the Flames: An Interview with Michael Brown“

Pneuma Review speaks with Dr. Michael L. Brown about his story, Playing With Holy Fire, and encouraging the biblical use of spiritual gifts.

“Two Common Myths about the Spirit-Filled Life“ An excerpt from Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit, by Andrew Gabriel

Many Christians believe the myth that ‘Spirit-filled’ or even ‘spiritual’ must indicate something or someone a little strange. Depending on how much exposure people have had to the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement, they might associate the words ‘Spirit-filled’ with people who claim to be inspired by the Spirit to bark like dogs, scream, or roll around on the floor. Such people exist—I’ve seen them!

“God is Using Dreams“

In this excerpt from his book, Jesus in Iran, Eugene Bach shares how God is using dreams and visions to draw Muslims into a relationship with Jesus the Messiah.

Image: Ferdinand Feng

Read more in the “The Spirit” category of articles at PneumaReview.com.

For Christian believers not engaged in ‘typical’ church ministries, it may be difficult to find anything sacred about the day-to-day activities that occupy our mind and energy. Whether it’s doing housework, chauffeuring the kids to school or Little League, grocery shopping, or clocking in to a job, we can feel like our lives are mundane, boring, and almost certainly not a calling to live out God’s purposes in such unholy tasks. Warren, however, would beg to differ. The author draws parallels between the ordinary habitual practices of our everyday life and the spiritual rhythm of worship. We can live in tune with God’s purposes in this world, all the while we make the bed, brush our teeth, check email, and sit in traffic, to name just a few of those daily tasks. Moreover, Warren deftly reveals through these everyday examples how much we need God’s orderliness and purpose in our lives when we realize how often we fall short of meaningful goals and fail to notice the Spirit’s presence in the day-to-day.

Tish Harrison Warren

Reviewed by Michelle Vondey

Publisher’s page: https://www.ivpress.com/liturgy-of-the-ordinary

Editor’s Note: It has been reported that Liturgy of the Ordinary was the subject of major counterfeiting scheme. See: Kate Shellnutt, “Amazon Sold $240K of ‘Liturgy of the Ordinary’ Fakes, Publisher Says: A Christian bestseller (and CT Book of the Year) was targeted by a major counterfeiting scheme” ChristianityToday.com (July 8, 2019).

In this excerpt from his book, Jesus in Iran, Eugene Bach shares how God is using dreams and visions to draw Muslims into a relationship with Jesus the Messiah.

This chapter, “Dreams,” is an excerpt from Eugene Bach, Jesus in Iran (Back to Jerusalem, 2015), 193 pages.

I would like to state that I am not much into visions and dreams. In Christian circles, I am in the minority. After serving for more than fifteen years in the underground house church in China, I am an endangered species. I personally dislike the idea of living life based on a vision or a dream. I am not saying that it is wrong; I am only saying that I don’t like it because it doesn’t make sense to me.

I like things that I can touch, taste, smell, or measure. I like things that I can observe or hold in my hands. I watch TV shows where people are explaining to others what their dreams mean or I listen to Christians talk about the iconology of dreams and I try to learn, but I can’t help but feel like an outsider, because those ideas are so far from my own reality.

If I have an intense dream about driving a car through a crowd of Africans riding on pandas speaking Persian, the first thing that I assume when I wake up is that I ate too much chili the night before. I do not assume that God is trying to speak to me or that something in my dream is pointing to an omen in my future.

Prophetic interpretations can really make me nervous. One time I traveled to see a mission director in the southern part of the United States who has since become a good friend of mine. We were supposed to spend some time together speaking about mission work. Instead, he had set up for me an appointment with a room full of prophets. I was sure that it was a gag. Anyone who knows me knows that I believe that God uses prophets greatly, but I like to observe; I do not participate.

I was nervous and felt out of place. “So … where are you guys from?” I asked as we waited for the elevator to move. I have lived in Hong Kong for almost half of my life, where time is short, people are busy, and the elevators move like roller coasters. After experiencing Hong Kong elevators, American elevators feel like they take a lifetime to move up or down. Someone needed to break the silence on the slow American elevator.

Pastors, is it hard to talk about money with your church? In this article, Pastor Dan Reiland looks into the reasons behind why people give, wanting to fuel fellow church leaders to speak about finances well and with the right spiritual emphasis..

I find it interesting that many good pastoral leaders are hesitant or even timid in the area of challenging their people to give. In this issue of The Pastor’s Coach I hope to give some insight into the reasons people give and hopefully encourage you in this challenging area of leadership.

For most pastors, Monday morning carries with it anticipation for two critical numbers. One is how many people responded to the Holy Spirit’s promptings (as guided by the morning sermon.) And a distant second, but nonetheless second, is the offering. Let’s get honest for a moment, no matter how clear the priority of changed lives according to God’s purpose and power, money still matters when it comes to ministry. If you don’t believe that then you have never in the history of your church fallen below budget for several months at a time. (And if that is true, we would all love to hear how you do that!)

When I was a young leader I often said I wish money wasn’t an issue. I wish that some rich person would write one big check a year so we wouldn’t have to deal with this. My rationale? It is difficult enough to focus on life transformation without financial issues getting in the way. When you add the “money factor” to the equation it seems to get intensely complicated. That kind of thinking showed both my naivety about the reality that “ministry cost money” and the deeper theological issues about God wanting us to wrestle with the topic of money. Why? Money always leads us to the real issues of the heart. There are some 2,000 scriptures on money, and the following three give us a taste of the truth of this point.

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24)

1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5) The “Money Factor” is really more about the “God Factor.” It reveals levels of spiritual maturity, obedience, commitment, trust, and an overall Kingdom mindset that causes people to invest in the eternal.

Pastor, my purpose is to encourage you and challenge you to dive into the issue of money in your church. Why people give is a good place to start.

Let’s begin with the wrong reasons people give.