It really pains me to hear some of the theology that is being preached in some churches today. Looking back at my life, I have come to realise that some of these destructive theologies have insidiously found their way into my life, robbing me of much of the joy and power and reality of Christianity. These are theological ideas that I would label 'theology of powerlessness.' Three of the three most damaging ideas are as follows, (1) mature Christians should not seek for spiritual experiences but rely only on the word of God for our faith; (2) mature Christians should not seek the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit as, like spiritual experiences, they are signs and we should not rely on signs for our faith; (3) mature Christians should come to accept suffering and poverty as an essential part of the Christian life and blessings and joy are for the immature. Surprised? Well chances are you've been had too. And the only person that isnt surprise is the devil cos these thoughts are exactly what he will have you believe. Those of you who have heard me teach will remember me constantly saying that the devil cannot take away what God has given you, he can only make you believe you dont have it. That is his aim, by introducing into our churches theologies of powerlessness. The problem with these theologies of powerlessness is that, like most lies, they sound right and holy. Let's call their bluff...
"Mature Christians should not seek for spiritual experiences but rely only on the word of God for our faith". Those who preach this often have a strong aversion and suspicion about the spiritual or the supernatural. They think that this is Christian but do not realise that such actually finds its roots in the anti-God, ultra-rationalistic society that we live in, one which exalts only what we can see and trashes anything supernatural as superstition. Yet the bible strongly affirms the existence of the supernatural dimension. God is spirit and those who worship him do so in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24). The Holy Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are children of God (Rom 8:16). God reveals himself to us through his Spirit and not to our eyes or our minds (1 Cor 2:9,10). Here's the deal. Essentially any communication or interaction between our 'spirit man' and God who is Spirit takes place in the spiritual or supernatural dimension. To deny the existence or legitimacy of spiritual experiences is akin to denying the existence or legitimacy of sight. Without this medium of communication, we simply cannot 'see' God. Throughout the process of my own Christian growth, I have come to realise that there is a need for both the Word and the experience in the Christian life. Without the Word, we easily fall into error and folly. But without the spiritual experience, there is no reality or relationship in our Christianity. After all how do you relate with a God if he is only an idea and does not speak to us? I have had to battle my own super-rationalism demons, to realise that I had to stop trying to box and control God by getting him to conform to the boundaries of my mind and my sight. Until I came to the point of humble realisation that there are many things about God that are simply above me, only then was I in a position to enter His world and experience His reality. You see my friend, Christianity without spiritual reality is dead Christianity, of those having a 'form of godliness but denying its power' (2 Tim 3:5) Then we wonder why so many young people in our churches who have grown up in Christianity eventually conclude that Christianity and God isnt real and fall away from church. I have come to experience the kingdom of God that is not just in word but in power (1 Cor 4:20). Maybe it is time we all find that out for ourselves.
More on the other two theologies tomorrow...