An Invitation to Receive Power
Two months ago a letter came to the office here addresses to "Pastor / Ministry Leader." It began with a question:
Have you been seeking God for a greater Anointing, to have supernatural signs functioning in your Church / Ministry, and as a proof of the Word of God that you speak?
How many inaccuracies has the reader spotted so far? First, the author of the letter obviously believes in the denominational "pastor" system instead of the Biblical system of pastors (bishops, shepherds, elders) being over the congregation (Heb. 13:7).
Second, where do the Scriptures teach that Christians should be seeking a greater Anointing? The only verses that the word anointing appears in are James 5:14, where the anointing is one of oil, and 1 John 2:27. That verse says nothing of a greater anointing but rather mentions the one that the Christians John was writing to had already received.
Third, we are not seeking for supernatural signs because they were temporary and have been terminated since the first century. 1 Corinthians 12-13 defines various manifestations of the Holy Spirit and teaches that these spiritual gifts were intended to end.
Fourth and fifth, "your Church" is not accurate, since the church was bought and built by Jesus (Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28). The reason the sender of the letter capitalized church is that he is thinking of it as a denominational institution rather than the church of the New Testament, over which Jesus is head (Eph. 1:22-23).
Sixth, no one needs a supernatural sign to prove that he is speaking the Word of God today. In the first century, when the Bible was still being revealed, a miraculous sign was needed so that both Christians and unbelievers could know the validity of what was being spoken. No such signs are needed now because God has revealed everything that we need pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Nothing was omitted; the faith has been once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Since the end of the first century, nothing has been added or taken away from the Holy Scriptures. They are complete and thorough.
The way we know if someone is preaching the Word or not is by examining what he says in light of the Scriptures. If a preacher says what the Bible teaches, he is speaking the Word of God. If he denies what the Bible plainly sets forth (say, concerning homosexuality, for example), then he is a false teacher and not to be listened to. The proof of authenticity lies in whether or not a teacher is upholding the Word of God or contradicting it. Those who preach some "other gospel" must be rejected.
How to Convince Someone of Error
So how does "Bishop Tony," the author of this letter, try to convince the reader that he can help a church obtain this "greater Anointing"? He says that if we ask God for something that He will give it to us. Well, not always. James says that God does not answer prayers when people ask selfishly (James 4:3). God is, to be sure, a very gracious Giver of Gifts, but He cannot give something that is contrary to His will. He cannot now grant to someone in the 21st century what He quit dispensing in the first century.
To persuade people that they can receive spiritual gifts, Tony gives a testimonial—concerning himself. No one can consider such stories as legitimate because there is absolutely no way to verify the information. Although no one is accusing "Pastor Tony" of lying, how is anyone supposed to challenge his story of receiving a special anointing from an "international Minister"? He could have dreamed or made the whole thing up. We know that what he experienced is not in harmony with the New Testament Scriptures. He concluded from what happened to him the following:
When I was prayed over, I was imparted a spiritual mantle that was purposed to impart Gifts, and power to the Church of the Living God, so that they would be able to accomplish the work with a supernatural component.
Well, now, does this make him an apostle? In the New Testament, after Jesus ascended to Heaven, no one had the power to impart spiritual gifts except the apostles. In Acts 8:14-19 Simon the Sorcerer saw that "through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given," and he wanted the ability to do that himself. But he had neither part nor lot in such matters, and neither does "Bishop Tony." We are being asked to believe that men are being chosen today to impart spiritual gifts, and such a notion goes contrary to the teachings of the New Testament in that they teach that gifts were not to continue.
The church already has power—the power of Truth, which has been set forth in the New Testament. By making proper use of it, we can discern what is true and what is false. Paul advised those in Thessalonica to do so (1 Thess. 5:21-22). Those who do not know the Bible are the ones who fall prey to Pentecostal doctrine. Some will follow a man like this—based on his charisma—but not based on truth. God has revealed all truth to mankind and given us the means to reason and to think critically—to evaluate ideas that are set before us and to draw only such conclusions as are warranted by the evidence. Therefore, we cannot accept what someone says just upon his say-so. Tony made no effort to establish his position based on the Scriptures.
He claims, but does not prove, that the nine spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 are available today, along with "an Anointing" and "Power." He states that "God wants you to be a walking revival." Uh, what verse is that? We know that God wants Christians to crucify themselves (Gal. 2:20) and to present their bodies a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1-2), but where is the passage where we are supposed to be walking revivals?
Tony affirms that God "wants your Church to be a redemption center as well as a healing and deliverance center, where supernatural revelation and miracles are commonplace." Churches of Christ do engage in the activity of leading souls to redemption. That is one of our primary purposes for existence, but we have been very successful at doing so with the Bible, apart from any so-called display of spiritual gifts.
No church today is a healing center. If churches were healing centers, then they would be full and hospitals would be empty. Doctors and nurses would be without jobs. This claim is unsustainable. Even those who believe in healing gifts go to doctors when they get sick. Kathryn Kuhlman, a so-called "faith healer" in Pittsburgh, developed a heart problem and went to Oral Roberts (it is alleged). He either could not or would not "heal" her, and she died in a hospital in Tulsa. Jesus healed so many people that word spread rapidly; at times He could not even appear in public (Mark 6:54-56). If cities had healing centers, everybody would know about them and be using them.
So, supernatural revelation is commonplace? All readers should wonder when these revelations will be published. First, the Bible claims to be complete (as shown earlier); so new revelations are not possible. But, second, if they did occur, everyone needs to have access to the "additional" Word of God. If God is still inspiring teaching today, it is the duty of those declaring it to make it available for everyone in the world who wants access to it—just as with the original Bible. But such additions would either contradict the New Testament (which means they are false), or they would agree with it, in which case they are unnecessary.
The Clincher
Suppose someone does not know the Bible very well and is wavering on whether to try and see if these claims are valid. "Bishop Tony" assures all that if they really believe, "the door will be open for supernatural power to flow abundantly in, and through" their lives. How exciting is that—an invitation to receive power? Where are the Scriptural guarantees of such things? But many people will consider the appeal to believing a challenge. "Well, of course, I believe." And then to seal the deal, Tony adds the piece de resistance. He tells the reader that "you must not be afraid, skeptical, or doubting." That's right. "If you have doubts, you won't be able to receive anything." Ultimately, this makes a person desiring the "gift" so enthusiastic that he is willing to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Thus, this approach has a double-edged sword. It makes the person desire to have special abilities so greatly that, with the appetite whetted, he just about wills it to happen. And when something unusual happens, no matter what it might be, he is certain that God has blessed him with special talents.
The painful side of the sword is that if the seeker receives nothing, why, he himself is to blame. His faith was not strong enough, or there must have been some hidden doubt. A small measure of skepticism is all that it takes to prevent one from receiving the power.
Romans 1:11
Finally, "Pastor Tony" cites a Scripture in order to prove that God sends help to ministers and leaders to help establish their ministries "by imparting to them spiritual Gifts and power from the Lord God." He quotes Romans 1:11, where Paul said that he longed to impart to the Romans a spiritual gift to the end that they might be established.
No one else but Paul, an inspired apostle, ever wrote such words. Peter and John had done so in Acts 8. So is "Pastor Tony" claiming to be an apostle again? It sounds like it. Furthermore, Paul imparted spiritual gifts in the first-century church because they were available and the books of the New Testament had not been collected together as yet (some had not even been written).
"I have been sent by the Lord to you," writes Tony, adding, "The salvation of multitudes in your community is waiting for you to be empowered." He invites everyone to come to a meeting on May 18th. Attendees should come, fasting, praying "and expecting to be empowered by God." Too bad this letter got buried in a pile of stuff on the desk. Oh, well.
In all fairness, "Pastor Tony" did cite and misapply one more Scripture (Mark 16:20). The apostles could confirm the Word with accompanying signs because the Holy Spirit had given them the ability to do so, as well as to confer the gifts on others. No genuine apostles exist today, and no one has the ability to impart gifts.
One cannot help but wonder why those who claim to have empowerment and gifts of the Holy Spirit know so little Bible. If the Holy Spirit is indeed giving these men supernatural revelations, then why has He not told them that His arrangement for His church does not include the "pastor" system? Why does He not tell them to read 1 Timothy 3? Why does He not remind them that instrumental music was not used by Christians in the first century? Why does He not refresh their memories that men have the leadership roles and that women are to be quiet in the assemblies? And most important, why does the Holy Spirit never call to their attention that people are not saved by "faith only"? Why is baptism for the forgiveness of sins either omitted altogether or else merely made an act of obedience (without any direct connection to salvation)? The truth is that these men do not possess the truth. Their imagination is their empowerment.