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Charismata & the Church. 4-Hour Seminar by Yee Tham Wan Glad Tidings Assembly, Klang 4 & 11 July, 2008. Intensity in Studies. Fellowship/ Sunday School. Interactive Classroom. Sermon. The education program of the Church needs to include all of these in balance.
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Charismata & the Church 4-Hour Seminar by Yee Tham Wan Glad Tidings Assembly, Klang 4 & 11 July, 2008
Intensity in Studies Fellowship/ Sunday School Interactive Classroom Sermon The education program of the Church needs to include all of these in balance.
4 Areas of Theological Curriculum • BIBLE – Biblical Theology • HISTORY – Historical Theology • THEOLOGY – Systematic Theology • PRAXIS (PRACTICE) – Parctical Theolgy Pentecostals put a lot of premium on the BIBLE and PRAXIS.
Pentecostal Theological “Leap” History Theology Bible Praxis
“Book-ends” Model – The Pentecostals’ Leap of Faith EARLY CHURCH 20th/21st C. CHURCH Church History BIBLE PRAXIS TheologyHistory
RESULT OF THE “LEAP” • The Bible becomes “immediate” and therefore we are very confident of replicating today what is described in the Bible • We ignore the historical and cultural distances between us and the Bible • We do not appreciate the struggles, failures and achievements of the Church in history • We are easily impressed with “new” theologies (although many of these are not really “new”)
Old Testament observations: Demonstrative . . . External . . . “Outside-in” . . . Uncommon . . . Special Individuals . . . Transferable . . . What are some NT observations? Transformative . . . Internal . . . “Inside-out” . . . Common . . . “All flesh” . . . Direct Access . . . Spiritual Enduement in the NT Evangelicals often focus only on New Testament but Pentecostals include both Old and New Testaments.
Rom 12:6-8 1Cor 12:8-10 1Cor 12:28-30 Eph 4:11 (1Pet 4:10-11??) GIFT LISTS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Spiritual Gifts and Natural Talents “Distinguish between spiritual gifts and natural talents whenever possible. Every human being has some natural talent or other. This should not be confused with spiritual gifts. Christians have spiritual gifts: pagans do not. When a person is born again and becomes a member of the Body of Christ, God gives him or her a spiritual gift or gifts for which he or she will be responsible. In doing this, God may use a natural talent as raw material. If a person is an excellent teacher before conversion, for example, it is highly possible that God will give that person the gift of teaching. It also is possible that He won’t. We should not fall into the error of considering all spiritual gifts as just souped-up talents. The gift of prophecy may be a good example of a spiritual gift which would have no natural talent as a predecessor.”
Wagner’s List • Prophecy (Rom 12:6) • Service (Rom 12:7) • Exhortation (Rom 12:8) • Giving (Rom 12:8) • Leadership (Rom 12:8) • Mercy (Rom 12:8) • Wisdom (1Cor 12:8) • Knowledge (1Cor 12:8) • Faith (1Cor 12:9) • Healing (1Cor 12:9) • Miracles (1Cor 12:10) • Discerning of spirits (1Cor 12:10) • Tongues (1Cor 12:28)
Apostles Prophets Pastors/Teachers Evangelists Service Distributing, Showing Mercy Giving Leadership The Gift of Exhortation The Word of Wisdom The Word of Knowledge Powers (Faith?) Gifts of Healing Glossolalia Interpretation of Tongues Distinguishing of Spirits Thompson’s List of Charismata
PROPHECY EXHORTATION SERVICE GIVING MERCY HEALING MIRACLE-WORKING WORD OF WISDOM WORD OF KNOWLEDGE TEACHING LEADERSHIP FAITH DISCERNING OF SPIRITS SPEAKING IN TONGUES INTERPRETATION SONG REVELATION MARTYRDOM MARRIAGE AND CELIBACY Grossman’s List of Charismata
Common Classification of the Nine Spiritual Gifts of 1Cor 12 Do you agree with this classification? How would you classify spiritual gifts?
Artistic Creativity Craftsmanship Giving Hospitality Knowledge Mercy Music Organization Voluntary Poverty Wisdom Apostle Counseling Evangelism Helps Leadership Missionary Service Shepherding Singleness Teaching Schwarz’s 3-Colors Gift Lists • Deliverance • Discernment • Faith • Healing • Interpretation • Miracles • Prayer • Prophecy • Suffering • Tongues
Schwarz’s Trinitarian Approach Father, Creator, Body, World, Science, Liberal, Syncretism, Rainbow TRINITY DIVINE WORKS LIFE CONVERSIONS AUTHORITIES TENDENCIES DANGERS SYMBOLS Spirit, Pentecost, Spirit, Church, Experience, Charismatic, Spiritualism, Dove Son, Calvary, Soul, Christ, Scripture, Evangelical, Dogmatism, Cross
A Trinitarian Model of Ministry 1Cor. 12:4-6 Key Words: “Different” “Same” There are different kinds of working but the same God. There are different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord. From this model, we will build an understanding of ourselves as ministers.
FATHER SON HOLY SPIRIT THE TRINITY AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS: A Simplistic Pentecostal Model. “GIVER” (creator/source) “MEDIATOR” (apportions) “GIFT” & “GIFTS” (empowers) “HUMAN VESSELS” (stewards) “ALL FLESH”
Dualism, Monism, Holism: A Simplistic Diagrammatic Representation DUALISM: Separated Categories. “Either/Or”Greek/Western“Neglected Middle” MONISM: Confused Categories. “Neither/Nor” Eastern Mysticism“Finding the Balance” HOLISM: Separated but Together. “Both/And”Biblical Holism“Holding the Tension”
Incarnational Model:“Tension” instead of “Balance” NOT “Either/Or” BUT “Both/And” Human Divine Balance is often a weak compromise . . . neither here nor there. It often comes about when we demand for a “resolution” even when our human minds cannot find one.
Schwarz’s Bipolar Ecclesiology produces Static Pole Doctrine Sacraments Office Dynamic Pole Faith Fellowship Service stimulates Organic Grow Freedom “Biotic automism” Technical Build Order Human-made
HOW TO IDENTIFY SPIRITUAL GIFTS • Open your heart to God in prayer • Be ready to apply your gifts • Get informed • Begin with what you enjoy • Experiment as much as possible • Verify your effectiveness • Seek the opinion of others
What is Your Gift? Online Gifts Tests on the Internet • http://www.northcentral.edu/ssc/career/exploration.php • http://women.nnec.org/giftstests.html IMPORTANT: These tests are, at best, only indicative.
Stewardship: Relationship between charisma and ministry For Paul, the relationship between charisma and ministry was always integral. Charisma without ministry denies the purpose of charismatic endowment and ignores its grace character. Ministry without charisma denies the dynamic which makes ministry effective and ignores its gift character. Schatzmann, Pauline Theology, 90 Which comes first? Charisma or ministry?
Stewardship: Relationship between charisma and office If we press the issue further, we can find ourselves looking at a static “office paradigm” and a dynamic “ministry paradigm.”
“HUMAN VESSELS”: NATURAL-SUPERNATURAL CONTINUUM • To SEPARATE the natural and supernatural is dualistic • The issue of the “excluded middle” in the Enlightenment worldview • “Spirit of God” does NOT mean the invisible part of God • The Incarnation is NOT the only divine intervention in human history • Pentecostals really subscribe to a holistic worldview • We can refer to a continuum rather than a separation
Word Study: “Anointing” • Greek: Christos; Hebrew: Meshech • Gives us the Anglicized words, “Christ” and “Messiah” • NT test of orthodoxy: “Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 2:36, 3:20, 5:42, 9:22, 1Cor 12:3, 1Jn 4:1-3) • Israel’s leaderships (priests, kings, prophets) were “anointed” • In tracing the development of Israel’s leadership, we can see the development of the Messianic Persona; with the gradual investment of the entire leadership structure on ONE anointed (Acts 4:25-26) • Even the use of the word, “anointing” among Pentecostal and Charismatic circles suggests a Christocentric pneumatology • Therefore, Pentecostal/Charismatic theology of the charismata is still strongly Christocentric.
PRACTISE OF THE GIFTS • The Grace Principle • Gifts are not a badge of spiritual maturity (1Cor 12:4) • The Edification Principle • Gifts are given so that we may edify others (1cor 12:7) • The Participation Principle • Everyone has something to contribute (1Cor 12:11)
1Thessalonians 5:19-22 Correct order to handle “manifestations”: • Do not put out the Spirit’s fire • Do not treat prophecies with contempt • Test everything • Hold on to the good • Avoid every kind of evil
TESTING THE SPIRITS “Standards of Assessment of Charismatic Community” • The test of kerygmatic tradition (1Cor 12) • The test of love (1Cor 13) • The test of building up (1Cor 14)
TESTING THE SPIRITS (1Jn 4:1-3) • The Doctrinal Test (1Jn 4:2-3) • The Ethical Test (Gal 5:22-23) • The Freedom Test (Jn 8:36; Gal 5:1; 2Cor 3:17) • The Normative Revelation Test (Gal 1:8) • The Unity Test (Eph 4:3; Rom 16:17)
Great Commission & the Holy Spirit • Matthew 28:16-20 • Mark 16:9-20 • Luke 24:37-53 • John 20:19-23 • Acts 1:8 The Holy Spirit has a prominent role in the Great Commission.
From the anointed ministry of Jesus to the anointed ministry of the Church . . . • Ministry of Ascension • Ministry as the “Body of Christ” • Ministry of “Greater works” • Ministry of the Spirit