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Examining the Charismaniacal Deconstruction of the Holy Spirit

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"5. Unresolved emotional wounds. I've prayed with many Christians who have endured sexual abuse, parental neglect, violence, divorce or other forms of dysfunction in relationships. Sometimes people can be so emotionally crippled by life that they can't open their hearts to the Holy Spirit's transforming power. They want the Spirit to heal them, but they must be lovingly coaxed out of their hiding places." - J. Lee Grady

I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. Many people are trapped by their past and need pastoral level help to begin to see a new future. Teaching them to laugh and roll around will not heal these deep wounds. Temporary fake laughing is not joy. Telling them that the must speak incoherently or else they do not have a full measure of the power of the spirit is also not helpful. Tongues, slain in the spirit or false prophecies are not spiritual merit badges. They are fake teachings that derail the manifestation of the true power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

"6. Fear of full surrender. This is perhaps the most common reason why many followers of Jesus don't want to swim in the deeper waters of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit-filled life requires a total surrender to God's will. We must be empty if we want to be filled with Him. We must be able to say, "Not my will, but Yours be done," or else He cannot work in us. We must give God an unqualified yes." - J. Lee Grady

Yeah, no. This does however brilliantly display one of the most pervasive problems with Charismania - the over-spiritualization of everything. Everything that happens in our lives are not secret coded messages from God. Sometimes that swirl in your coffee just looks like Jesus to you. It doesn't mean the Lord visited you this morning. If you live in New York and the car in front of you has Pennsylvania license plates, that is not the Lord giving you "confirmation" about your desire to move to Pennsylvania. I have known many spiritual men and pastors in my time and have yet to find anyone "totally surrendered to God's will." Our flesh will always be our flesh. I have seen plenty of Charismatics however play the totally surrendered role. They run several ministries, lead a small home group, pray the loudest, go on every missionary trip they can, and always go up for altar calls to either have hands laid upon them or to help catching those slain. I remember at one church there was a group of super-spirituals who all wore Jewish Prayer Shawls for a season. I do not doubt their sincerity only what they have been taught. They have been taught this concept of total surrender. What they cannot see is this desire to be seen as totally surrendered, which is prevalent in Charismania, is the opposite of what the bible teaches about humility.

'People have admitted to me that they cannot fully surrender to God because (1) they feared He would require a job change, and they wanted financial security; (2) they didn't want to give up a romantic relationship that they knew was wrong; (3) they were afraid God would send them to a distant continent as a missionary; (4) they worried that He would require them to reconcile a broken relationship; or (5) they didn't want friends and coworkers to know they were Christians.

If you want to be saturated in the Holy Spirit as you begin this New Year, I hope you will surrender all your fears and make room for His miraculous power. You can pray like this: "Father, I renounce all fear in Jesus name. Forgive me for keeping You at an arm's distance. I want everything You have for me, even the things I don't understand. Fill me with Your Spirit, and give me boldness so I can be Your witness. And let Your signs, wonders and miracles follow me as I share the gospel of Jesus. Amen."' - J. Lee Grady

Saturated in the spirit. Purely a Charismatic notion. Look, we either have the indwelt Holy Spirit or we do not. There are not varying degrees where I am sort of saved and you are saturated. Just look at how poorly they have been taught based on what they have seen in church! They actually believe that upon salvation, God will make them quit their job, break up with their significant other, call up their relatives they haven't spoken to in decades, and apparently wear a Jesus Freak tee shirt in the office at work. Here is some deep theology. God is not your employment counselor, relationship guru, or any other nonsense you have been taught. Now that does not mean things will not change but YOU change them because YOU want to and probably not on day one. For example, do not be surprised that you may desire a different relationship with someone who shares your beliefs. Don't be surprised if you really want to go on a missions trip at some point. Not because God is making you. This is all once again the over-spiritualization by the Charismatic church. This article has highlighted that people do not fear the Holy Spirit, just the misrepresentations of Him made by the church.

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Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to (more...)
 
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