GOD, WHERE ARE YOU?

I am reading an interesting book at the moment that basically denies the ‘second blessing” experience as it was known in the 60s or as it is called today the “baptism of the spirit’.

The book acknowledges the gifts of the spirit that are outlined in Paul's Corinthian letter, but, according to the author, they were a stop gap means of conveying truth for a church that was between the apostles doctrine and the cannon of scripture.

Now that we have the cannon of scripture we no longer need the miraculous says the author.

I don’t know whether this is condescending or patronising towards God, but it certainly sounds as though God and the Holy Spirit are pigeon holed by us into set formulas and experiences that fit our finite take on things.

If God is the same yesterday, today and for ever, why is it that he cannot or will not back up his word with the supernatural today because we have a thing called the Bible? Why is it that in the last 100 years he has changed his mind on what he said in his word?

Where does it say in the Bible that the gifts of the spirit were “stop gap revelations” and that when the cannon of scripture was decided on, he could depart the scene?

Why is the God we know today no longer infinite and all powerful like he was in the New Testament?

Perhaps the real truth lies not in the interpretation of man that sidelines God from our existence, but in the apostate church who do not want God to rock the boat of their well ordered lives.

Think about it. If you have a system of religion that is well ordered, runs smoothly, gives a lot of people a job and an income, endows a certain kudos on a special race of people known as pastors or priests, and doesn’t demand much more than turning over the machinery, why would you want God to interfere if it meant discomfort, challenge, railed upon by the media, not popular with society, having to say things that will upset a few people, having to live by faith, uncovering your nakedness if you don’t have it, having to live what you preach and all that.

What is the best and easiest way to prevent that all happening? Simple, just move God out to the sidelines and give him a bit part in the scheme of things and bingo, you can get on with a well ordered life without too much challenge or disruption.

Satan knows this so he has invented the idea of believing in some esoteric supernatural being known as God but don’t believe what he says. As long as you ignore the teaching of scripture, or better still say that God didn’t mean what he said and bingo, you have a religions system that has a form of godliness but denies the power of it.

Score line, Satan 10 Christians nil. How can anyone prove that God is who he is without the supernatural? The answer is, you can’t. That is why the New Testament is full of stories about…the supernatural.

Of course we won't mention all the people that are being raised from the dead, healed from sickness and being delivered from demons today. We don’t need to as they don’t happen do they. All we need to do is read the bible and that proves there is a God.