Manifestations of the Spirit – how do I discern?
So
all around me in church I see people shaking, laughing, falling...what do I do?
1. Don’t throw the baby out
with the bathwater! There are spiritual
manifestations mentioned in the Bible
that might not measure up to your standard of “decency in church”, for
instance:
Acts 2:13 “But others made a
joke of it and derisively said, They are simply drunk and full of sweet
wine” Peter had to explain to these
people that they were not drunk at 9 o’clock in the morning! Now what do drunk people look like? I leave
that to your imagination. Certainly not
like what we would normally expect people to look like in church.....
Judging outward appearances per se is a minefield: Jesus says
in Matt 11:18-19 “For John came neither eating nor drinking
[with others], and they say, He has a demon!
19 The Son of Man came eating and
drinking [with others] and they say, Behold, a glutton and a wine
drinker....” Which is why He says we
must judge by the fruit - Matt 12:33 “....for the tree is known and recognized and
judged by its fruit.” Is the person edified and built up in his spiritual walk
by the manifestation? What does his life
look like?
2. Spiritual wind and spiritual fire are mentioned in the Bible:
Heb 1:7 “Referring to the
angels He says, [God] Who makes His angels winds and His ministering servants
flames of fire”
Ps 104:4 “Who makes winds His
messengers, flames of fire His ministers.”
Both these were also physically present in Acts 2 at the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit.
3. We are actually expected
to live in the supernatural:
Phil 3:20 “But we are citizens
of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven....”
2 Chor 4:18 “Since we consider
and look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are
unseen.....”
Acts 6:8 “Now Stephen, full of
grace and power worked great wonders and signs among the people.” Stephen was not one of the apostles, and yet
he did these things. So working wonders
are for us too...
4. There are most definitely
warnings in the Bible against counterfeit manifestations, and these
are given because we are not infallible:
Luke 11:35 “Be careful,
therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness” Remembering that satan can also show himself
as an angel of light.
2 Chor 11:4 “For if a man comes
and preaches another Jesus than the One we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit
you once received, or a different gospel from the one you then received and
welcomed; ....” We are to watch carefully how we conduct our lives, and whether
teachings are according to the truth in Scripture.
5. Be encouraged! John 7:17 “If any man desires to do His will (God’s
pleasure), he will know whether the
teaching is from God....” If we love
God with all our heart, mind, body, soul and spirit, wholly, then we will not be deceived!
6. Of
course a church service should
normally be a controlled
environment. Watch
Paul ordering the meetings in 1 Cor 14:
Verse 26 “let everything
be constructive and edifying and for the good of all.” Verse 27 “If some speak in a strange
tongue, let the number be limited to two or at the most three, and each one
taking his turn, and let one interpret and explain what is said.” Verse 29 “So let two or three prophets speak” Verse 29 “But if an inspired revelation comes to
another who is sitting by then let the first one be silent.” Verse 33 “For He is not a God of
confusion and disorder but of peace and order.” And so forth. But note that he is not forbidding any of
these things, just giving guidelines as to how the people attending can give
testimony of the Spirit working through them in a way that benefits all.
7. How do I know whether what I am experiencing is from the Holy
Spirit? I believe
that God did not create us to be puppets, with Him pulling the strings. He created us with our own free will, so that
in every situation, obeying Him is our own choice. So I believe that if your body is physically
reacting to the working of the Holy Spirit (like shaking all over, fluttering
of hands, shaking of head, laughing, whatever) you will be able to stop this at
any time. And let it continue again if
you want. Paul seems to agree with me (he he!) for in 1 Cor 14:32 he
says “For the spirits of the prophets (the speakers in tongues) are under the speaker’s
control [and subject to being silenced as may be necessary]” - emphasis mine.
8. What do I do if I am unsure whether someone is acting through
the Holy Spirit or not? Start praying in your
heavenly language for them. If it is
genuine, you are encouraging that person.
If it is counterfeit, you are interceding on their behalf – remember
that the Holy Spirit takes over your prayer if you pray in your spirit. In that way you are not standing in the way
of the working of the Spirit. There is a
warning in Matt 12:32 “...but
whoever speaks against the Spirit, the Holy One, will not be forgiven.......” Jesus
was speaking about the fact that some said He drove out demons by Beelzebub. So ask Him to give you discernment as you
practise hearing and experiencing Him.
9. So....to what conclusion do I come?
I think that the Spirit must be given free reign during every
church service. He must not be denied,
His leading must be supreme. BUT that His manifestations must be orderly and
peaceful, so that non-believers attending the service can be edified by it,
actually DRAWN to Him, amazed by His presence!
However, there should also be gatherings of the saints (as Paul refers
to believers!) where no non-believers are present, and where no limits are
placed on how the Holy Spirit wishes to manifest Himself. Of course, should
counterfeit manifestations be present, these should be addressed. I think prayer meetings for example could be
such gatherings – difficult to imagine non-believers attending those! Just a personal opinion.
© Photo 2013 Marli du Toit © 2014 Author Priscilla Koegelenberg
