THE GENUINE VS THE COUNTERFEIT

 There are three common errors in how churches approach the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Evangelical churches tend to either dismiss them (ignoring them altogether) or naturalize them (doing away with the supernatural aspect). Pentecostal denominations which claim acceptance of the gifts have often quenched them through emotionalism.

The error of the non-Christian world is that it imitates spiritual gifts through psychic and occult phenomena which are demonic counterfeits of the true. When man seeks spiritual experience apart from the God of the Bible, he will encounter human soul power and evil spirits. In modern cultures evil spirits have masqueraded as “good” and so have lured many educated folk into the pantheistic world of the new age movement. In our modern culture the spirit realm has disguised itself as “good” and gives people spiritual experiences with “warm-fuzzies” included. The devil comes as an angel of light.
Pagan and primitive societies have been generally animistic, either worshiping spirits or seeing them in everything. They know the reality of spirits and their malevolent nature. They generally fear them and constantly try to placate them in their religious rites and cultural practices. With the exception of modern new age philosophies that erroneously see good spirits in inanimate objects and nature, most primitive societies have always recognized the evil in the spirit realm and have lived in fear of these spirits unmasked for what they really are.
American culture has seen a rise of activity in the non-Christian supernatural realm through new age and eastern mysticism and occult and psychic phenomena. Multitudes have sought spiritual reality while attempting to avoid the God of the Bible and the moral demands He places upon His followers. This has resulted in a rise and acceptance of various facets of eastern religions with their new age practices including yoga and meditation (which seem harmless on the surface but are demonic in their origins), a fascination with the occult and paranormal phenomena, astrology (horoscope), and witchcraft. All of these practices introduce people to the demonic supernatural realm. The Bible forbids our involvement with such practices because they represent a form of idolatry (See Deuteronomy 18:10); they introduce people to the realm of evil spirits; and they counterfeit the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
The genuine manifestations of the Holy Spirit occur within an atmosphere where Jesus Christ is glorified as Lord and the Bible is respected as the word of God. In this context true Christians can discern what is of God and what is of the evil one and need not fear nor be apprehensive about the workings of the Holy Spirit.
If we hunger and thirst for the living God and for righteousness and stand on the Bible, we will know the truth. We will experience the love of God, the presence of God, and the power of God. Jesus Christ will reveal Himself to us and we will experience the genuine presence of God at work among us.

Comments are welcome. You can make a comment by clicking "comments" at bottom of this post, or you can email me at broblong@gmail.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mrs Parker's Electric Paddle

We Knew It Was For Our Good When I was a kid there was discipline and order in the classroom. Teachers could actually teach, and kids could actually learn. We had a healthy fear of punishment, and we knew it would certainly come if we deserved it.   A ll of us kids instinctively knew it was not abuse, but a justified response to misbehavior and rebellion, or an attempt to prevent us from doing things that were dangerous or harmful. We knew our parents and teachers (generally speaking) loved us and were trying to educate us and train us to be mature and responsible. Mrs. Parker's Electric Paddle In my third year of elementary school, we moved from the old, white, wooden schoolhouse into a new brick facility.   When I stepped off the bus onto the new school grounds, the word was going around that our principal, Mrs. Parker, had an electric paddle installed in her new modern office. None of us wanted to face that mysterious and unknown instrument. Whe...
Read more

"That Way I Can Kill the Whole Bird With One Stone."

Just as truth can be stranger than fiction, reality can sometimes be funnier than jokes. Therefore, I try to keep track of unusual things I hear people say. Below is a list of word-abuses that I have heard over the last few years. These friends and acquaintances did not realize they were corrupting a word or using the wrong word. The following sentences were spoken in earnest. A fellow told me he did not want to sound self-defecating . A second cousin told me her sister had an infection in her influfial tubes . One man said he suffered from sick-as-hell-anemia . The hospital had to place a lady’s husband in contentious care . Another man was in there with a brain hemorrhoid . A fellow told me a family member had immaculate degeneration . One man said he had problems with his heart rhythm, but the doctors had decided not to install a space-maker . A friend told me, “While I am in town, I’ll go by and pay the fine and also return Joel’s guitar. That way I can kill the whole bird with one...
Read more

Some Thoughts on the Manifested Presence of God

John 15: 19. “A little longer, and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me...” Rev. 1: 10-17. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet…And I turned to see the voice that spoke to me…and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength…” 1 Cor. 15: 3-8. “…He rose again on the third day…and was seen…by Cephas…by the twelve…by over five hundred brethren at once…and after that He was seen by me also….” To see or not to see? The natural man comprehends God in the same way as a blind and deaf man would view a brilliant sunrise or listen to beautiful music. He would be oblivious to the wonders around him no matter how brilliant the sight or how loud the sound. The revelation of God works on the same principle. The person who has a heart after God will see or hear Him in the smallest sign, while the one who has rejected God in his heart will see nothing or explain it away, no matter how powerful the Presence or how obvious th...
Read more