It is my earnest prayer that the following considerations will clarify and/or confirm for our readers some very fundamental and extremely important spiritual truths. God is faithful to His Word and wherever people gather to praise Him out of a pure heart, His presence is wonderfully felt. The charismatic setting (the pattern of all full-gospel gatherings) – where His praises are offered up to God, His Word is preached and His power is sought – is most conducive to the worship of God “in spirit and in truth”. It also presents an opportunity for the performance of true religion where widows and orphans, who represent those who are genuinely “poor in spirit” are truly visited, not by man with his limited band-aids for helping, healing and curing, but by the Holy Ghost Himself. Man can try his best to help us but, at most, he is only able to discern what we want. When the Third Person of the Trinity visits, real, deep needs are met; lasting healing and restoration take place. Man can fulfill some of our wants and desires. God alone can discern and meet our needs.

It is all too easy to focus on the setting and miss the gem – the great gift of salvation. And that is exactly what has happened to untold numbers of charismatics, especially, but not exclusively, Catholic charismatics. It is now over thirty years (now actually fifty years) since a deep, powerful, penetrating, universal outpouring of the Holy Ghost began. Multiplied thousands, people of every kind and condition of humanity were so powerfully and personally touched by God that they became intimately and unmistakably aware of the reality of the living Christ and the healing, restoring power of His love. As history knows, people aware of this magnificent move of the Spirit met in overflowing living rooms and kitchens, in barns and factories, in large retreat centers, hotel banquet halls, and vast arenas. They came to praise the living God, to hear about and talk about Jesus, to see the might of the Holy Ghost move among small groups and among the teeming masses. Bodies were healed, relationships were restored, bondages were broken and deep deliverances were effected. Most important of all, hearts were melted and tears flowed copiously, openly and unashamedly as God’s sweet, sweet love settled on individuals inviting them to put aside all else and to simply receive Jesus into their contrite and broken hearts as the One who shed His blood for them, took upon Himself their sin and shame that He might be rightfully acknowledged as their personal Savior. Some stayed only on the fringes of this mighty move of God. Others, praise God, responded to the Spirit’s wooing, came to the Lord Jesus with repentant hearts, opened their spirits, now alive to God, to the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and are still walking with God, seeking daily to do His will, cooperate in His plan for their lives and bringing forth fruit in good measure. Sadly, too many shared in much of the Charismatic excitement were well aware of the Jesus Movement but were so bound up in themselves and in their religious prejudices and presumptions that they never did find out what all the excitement and spiritual adventure was really all about. Many more, though, did experience the presence and power of God in a way they never dreamed possible. A most often asked question was: “Why can’t my regular church service be as real and exciting as this?” However, no mass, no liturgical or sacramental ritual ever brought home the reality of the living Christ as this simple but deeply spiritual encounter did. For the first time, many denominational people realized that God was really alive and was inviting them to personal intimacy with Him in a living, loving, all caring relationship. Some, like the rich young man, heard the call; felt the touch and received the invitation but rapidly calculated the cost or deceived themselves into believing that they were religiously rich enough; and walked away. Others, knowing they had been touched by God, wanted to respond, even started a walk with God, but, relying too heavily on religious counsel “returned to tradition and allowed their (spiritual) experience to be frozen.” Then, too, there were the myriads of young people, survivors of the drug culture, lured into fake families and control-centered cults operating on a flimsy Bible-termed base and calling themselves “The Children of God”, “The Forever Family”, or some such title.

Ye Must Be Born Again: Too Often Lost in the Euphoria

Fond memories of the charismatic days? Yes, certainly, of the beauty of holiness in the ascending incense of prayer and praise. Great, great joy in the testimonies of deliverance, healing, and restoration. True peace and security among worshippers united in the oneness only Jesus can bring through the presence of the Holy Spirit. But, then there were the blasphemous horrors exhibited by religious leaders who should have known better. The searing Pharisaical sarcasm of fundamentalists who pompously taught that “tongues were of the devil”. It became increasingly evident that certain Pentecostal leaders had down-played, and even ignored, the most fundamental and essential tenet of true spirituality – “Ye must be born again”. They de-emphasized the one and only reliable way to make contact with God in favor of promoting a bogus ecumenism that tries to bypass true doctrine. Religious leaders resurrected their revered traditions to try to control, contain or even counteract this marvelous move of God. Roman Catholics were reminded of their infant baptism and the so-called “release of the spirit” at their confirmation. Protestants were falsely reassured, or like their Catholic counterparts, deceived themselves about the spiritual strength of church membership or reliance on ritualistic baptism and the keeping of ordinances, or simply on the covering of God’s universal benevolence, deceptively assuring themselves that they were “men of goodwill”. Both parties participated in more modern encounter groups. Some came to a saving knowledge of Jesus in spite of the contrived emotionalism and the manipulative techniques employed, but many, many more were falsely reassured that any or all of the above carnal, merely religious experiences were proof enough to satisfy the insistence of true, Bible-believing, genuinely Spirit-filled Christians of the absolute necessity of this “born-again” business. Many, who still only “know about” Jesus and had not yet come to know Him personally (in spite of some real and very intense religious happenings) were blithely invited to open themselves to the spiritual world. People who called themselves “Christians” but who had no idea that true Christianity “is not a religion; it is a revelation” and is realized only through a personal relationship with the living God; such people were taught to seek for and manifest spiritual gifts and powers without any sound teaching or understanding about the relationship that they could and should have with the Source of this power and the Giver of these gifts.

Considerations and Reflections

The Scriptures tell us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as some do. But the manner of our assembling ourselves together should be balanced by an equally important Scripture that admonishes to “flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” 2 Tim. 2:22. A social pattern should emerge from our personal revelation of and submission to Jesus Christ as our Savior. And that’s where the true, genuine baptism in the Holy Ghost, grounded upon a real salvation experience of having been born again or born from above, fits in. This baptism of the Spirit is vitally important in sustaining our spirituality and helping us make real progress in our walk of faith! When we are born again and our spirit comes alive to God, we are given a whole new heredity. We become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). When we are baptized in the Holy Ghost, the Lord begins to create for us and urges us to receive a whole new environment. “For I, saith the Lord, will be unto it (“it” refers to Jerusalem which symbolizes the blessed company of faithful people, or true believers) a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midst of it” Zech. 2:5. The great work of the Father on our behalf is to draw us to Jesus. The Lord Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost leads us into all truth – not only the truth about where and how we should worship God “in spirit and in truth”, but also the truth about all our relationships: family, business, social, and even political. The Holy Spirit will create the perfect environment for each believer, personally, if only we will let Him by responding to His leadings and promptings!

I opened this article with a prayer. I’ll close it with an appeal. Charismatic, evangelical, pentecostal, fundamentalist, mainline denominational – all these labels mean something special to their adherents. Like all man-made labels, though, they can work both ways. For some, the label, the religious or spiritual designation can define more clearly that certain “measure of faith” and the doctrinal position we uphold in obedience to Christ. For others, and I’m sad to say this includes the vast majority, these titles are nothing more than that “vain manner of life received by tradition from your fathers” 2 Pet.1:18. Many “fathers” in the form of bishops, priests, televangelists, pastors, teachers and other religious leaders arose during the charismatic movement and proclaimed themselves leaders of “the Jesus People”. In reality they lacked altogether or seriously tampered with the true doctrine of salvation and were about as spiritually helpful and effective as the leader in the French Revolution who spotted a group of people running down the street. “Oh,” he exclaimed, “there go my people. I must catch up to them and find out where they’re going, so that I can lead them!”

God’s Spirit will not always strive with man. When God pours out His Spirit on all flesh, a certain time is allotted for mankind to react to God’s wonderful grace. A segment of precious time is given for men to test the waters, to weigh the cost, to discern the truth, and to consider the response the one affected will make. When the appointed time is over, matters may appear to return to normal, but that is only an illusion. God has poured out His grace in abundance. Things will never really be the same again. The invitation to His banquet has been issued. His mercy and truth have either been accepted and acted upon in faith, or else have been spurned and cast aside in unbelief. The consequences of such earth-shaking decisions must follow without undue delay. My appeal is: consider nostalgically if you will, this year’s anniversaries of historical events – D-Day, the moonwalk, even Woodstock. Think back, too, to the intense encounters you have had through religious or spiritual experiences. Whatever your religious title or affiliation; whatever movements or encounters you were exposed to in the past, know that today is still the day of salvation. You are either now rejoicing in this, the greatest of all God’s gifts, or you are still seeking it. Consider realistically your relationship not to a traditional or historical Jesus but a two-way relationship with your living Saviour and Lord, and, like Joshua and his family, choose you this day whom you will love, serve and obey.

Christian Spirit Magazine August 1994 –by Pastor LeRoy J. Gardenier