Gifts of the Spirit and the Body of Christ, part 1

"Gifts of the Spirit and the Body of Christ" is a collection of articles written by several Charismatic Lutheran ministers, edited by J. Elmo Agrimson, who was at the time president of the Southeastern Minnesota District of the American Lutheran Church. It was published in 1974, and yet it surprised me in its relevant application to the continued Spiritual moves in today's Pentecostal/Charismatic circles. I'd like to share a few quotes from the book, and then respond to them.

FROM the Preface, J. Elmo Agrimson

"God's movement among us can not be wholly defined or traditionally regulated by church organization whether it be the local pastor, district, or national church administration. This may have a lot to do with the intense outflow of personal feeling and sense of freedom in the new informal groups. This possibly explains why the charismatic movement moves easily across denominational lines. One gets the impression that the old wineskin can not hold us and authority can not control us. However, it is obvious that new authority figures and new definitions soon appear in the group itself."

"Although it is occasionally good to have feelings of love and enthusiasm overflow the traditional patterns of church life, the source of the Christian faith and life comes from the word and person of Jesus Christ translated into human lives by the inner activity of the Holy Spirit."

It is absolutely true that a move of God can only be governed by His Sovereign will. Whenever anyone, from an individual to a denominational structure, tries to define what is and is not a move of God, we unnecessarily limit what God wants to do to our human understanding. However, there are limits that God Himself has placed on any moving of His Spirit--and those limits are found in His Word.

God's Word will define what is and is not a move of God. God's Word will determine what is acceptable and unacceptable practice within the context of the church. God's Word will detail what it is that God wants to accomplish in the hearts and lives of people through the moving of His Spirit. The Spirit is subject to the Word, but whenever we promote freedom in the Spirit over the standard of the Word, we are susceptible not only to false forms of revivalism, but also to false teachings that arise from disregarding the authority of the Word.

It may be true that the traditions and forms of a church or denominational structure may be compared to old wineskins which cannot contain new wine, but I'm not sure that a move of God always requires a complete break away from what God has done in the past in favor of what we believe He is doing now or will do in the future. But many today are using the supposed "move of God" to throw off all forms of accountability and authority structures so that they can appoint themselves to those positions and thereafter do as they please, thus imposing a new form and structure in their own image.

And it is never true that the experiential can be substituted for the foundational standards of the Word and the walk of Christ. While personal emotional experiences are found, and should be found, in close intimate relationship with the Lord, we must continue to be built on the foundation of God's Word, growing to become more and more like Jesus through consistent and intentional discipleship that follows the experience.