To Each is Given: Spiritual Gifts in the Life of the Church

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PART I

Signs and Wonders,

and Spiritual Gifts

1

DEFINING

THEOLOGICAL CAMPS

Across the church today a wide range of convictions and definitions exist regarding spiritual gifts. These theological positions range between the belief that some spiritual gifts ceased in the first or second century, to the belief that believers in the church can operate with the same level of giftedness and authority as the Apostles did. Unfortunately, what does not exist today, to my knowledge, is a consistent and agreed-upon set of definitions that explain what spiritual gifts are and what they are not. Nor is there a mutual understanding of how signs and wonders fit into the discussion of spiritual gifts.

Many seem to simply assume that signs and wonders are spiritual gifts and vice versa. In this book, we will seek to define what signs and wonders are, what spiritual gifts are, consider how they relate to one another, and whether each is for the church today.

Some groups proudly claim signs and wonders are for the church today and happen in their midst—specifically teaching that they be chased. Bob Smietana of Christianity Today writes, Largely behind the scenes, a group of mostly self-proclaimed ‘apostles,’ leading ministries from North Carolina to Southern California, has [sic] attracted millions of followers with promises of direct access to God through signs and wonders.¹ Danny Silk of Bethel Church and BSSM in Redding, California, writes, sustaining a supernatural lifestyle, where signs and wonders follow us, is therefore totally dependent on living out our true identities as sons and daughters of God.² In his book, Culture of Honor, Silk seeks to give instructions for how one can live this supernatural lifestyle. On the other side of the theological spectrum are those who largely ignore the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers today.

Personally, I am a part of a fellowship of churches that has unfortunately been known to be guilty of such an error.³ While I was a student at Grace College and Theological Seminary, we often joked that our holy Trinity was the Father, Son, and the Holy Bible! Now, to be clear, no one at Grace was denying the personhood or deity of the Holy Spirit, but many were uncomfortable with His work and were not sure what to do with His filling and glorifying work.⁴

In response to a functional absence of the Holy Spirit in preaching and teaching, a group of individuals emerged who swung the pendulum too far the other way. If one side of this conversation has ignored the Spirit because we have the Word the other side has run dangerously close to ignoring the Word because we have the Spirit. In addition, some of Christianity’s most popular songs and books have been written by authors and composers who practice and believe the Holy Spirit still operates through signs and wonders and that the church must continue to pursue these.

In observing how we arrived here, those on the more emotional side of the conversation are absolutely right in desiring more from God than what felt like cold and lifeless doctrine. And those, like myself, prone to cold and lifeless doctrine, have found ourselves challenged to rethink theological positions we believed had long been settled. However, neither side has the language with which to speak to the other and, as is often the case, when we disagree and don’t know how to speak to one another, we end up shouting and only losing our voices. To navigate a way forward, we must first begin with definitions of the major positions within this discussion, as well as the words sign(s), wonders, and signs and wonders. Perhaps defining these terms will provide our churches with the language we need to have profitable, loving, and Christ-glorifying conversations about the role of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts in the church today. ⁵

Cessationist—One who believes that certain miraculous spiritual gifts ceased when the apostles died and Scripture was complete.⁶

Continuationist—Within the continuationist camp considerable nuances exist, as the multiple definitions demonstrate:

•Continuationism is the belief that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit taught in the Bible—such as prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, healings, and miracles—have not ceased and are available for the believer today. Continuationism is the opposite of cessationism which teaches that supernatural gifts have ceased either when the canon of Scripture was completed or at the death of the last apostle. ⁷

•Supernatural gifts are given to every generation and should be practiced today but always tested according to the guidelines of Scripture. ⁸

•Continuationism is the belief that all the spiritual gifts, including healings, tongues, and miracles, are still in operation today, just as they were in the days of the early church. A continuationist believes that the spiritual gifts have ‘continued’ unabated since the day of Pentecost and that the demonstration of ‘signs, wonders, and miracles’ (2 Cor. 12:12), as witnessed in the apostolic era, should be a hallmark of today’s church as well. ⁹

•In slight variation to these definitions, my working definition of continuationism is the belief that the spiritual gifts listed in Romans 12:3–8, 1 Corinthians 12:1–11, Ephesians 4:11 (gifts, not offices), and 1 Peter 4:10 are all supernatural and still in operation today. These spiritual gifts are not to be confused with signs and wonders which ceased with the Apostles.

Charismatic—A term referring to any groups or people that trace their historical origin to the charismatic renewal movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Such groups seek to practice all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament, but unlike many Pentecostal denominations, allow differing viewpoints on whether baptism in the Holy Spirit is subsequent to conversion and whether tongues is a sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit.¹⁰

Pentecostal—Any denomination or group that traces its historical origin to the Pentecostal revival that began in the United States in 1901 and that holds to the doctrinal positions (a) that baptism in the Holy Spirit is ordinarily an event subsequent to conversion, (b) that baptism in the Holy Spirit is made evident by the sign of speaking in tongues, and (c) that all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament are to be sought and used today.¹¹

New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)—Peter Wagner, who is credited with coining the term New Apostolic Reformation, defines this movement in his book Apostles and Prophets.

The New Apostolic Reformation is an extraordinary work of God at the close of the twentieth century which is, to a significant extent, changing the shape of Protestant Christianity around the world ^#x2026; Particularly in the 1990s, but with roots going back for almost a century, new forms and operational procedures are now emerging in areas such as local church government, interchurch relationships, financing, evangelism, missions, prayer, leadership selection and training, the role of supernatural power, worship and other important aspects of church life. Some of these changes are being seen within denominations themselves, but for the most part they are taking the form of loosely structured apostolic networks.¹²

Hyper-Charismatic or Charismania¹³—The conviction of churches/movements largely focused on signs and wonders. Claims of glory clouds of gold dust, guaranteed healing,¹⁴ angel feathers,¹⁵ fire tunnels,¹⁶ diamonds appearing in sanctuaries,¹⁷ being slain in the spirit,¹⁸ etc., are made by proponents of this theological position. Furthermore, they believe that Apostles and Prophets still exist today, and are necessary for the church.

The Charis Fellowship Position from the Commitment to Common Identity¹⁹—We affirm that the Holy Spirit’s works of baptizing,²⁰ sealing,²¹ and indwelling²² occur simultaneously with regeneration and are the possession of every true believer. The Holy Spirit gives each believer a unique combination of spiritual gifts for serving God and people.²³

As we consider the work of the Holy Spirit today, we desperately need an agreed-upon set of definitions regarding what theological camps believe what. From here we can begin to discuss the particulars of each camp and evaluate them with the Scriptures. Next, we will consider the definition of signs and wonders.

[Figure 1.1]

1Bob Smietana, The ‘Prophets’ and ‘Apostles’ Leading the Quiet Revolution in American Religion, Christianity Today , August 3, 2017 https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/august-web-only/bethel-church-international-house-prayer-prophets-apostles.html .

2Danny Silk, Culture of Honor. (Shippensburg: Destiny Image, 2009) Loc. 214 of 2771 Kindle.

3I am not speaking of the Charis Fellowship in its entirety, since I was not in a position to observe the entire fellowship. I am merely commenting on my experience within the Fellowship as it began at Grace College in 2002 and has continued with pastoral ministry.

4Acts 2:4 (filling) John 16:14 (glorifying).

5See Figure 1.1, at the end of this chapter, for a graphic of these positions placed on a continuum. It is interesting to note that many believers and churches today use the term charismatic to describe themselves positionally. However, there exists quite a broad range of theological belief under this heading. For example, Reformed Charismatics would vary widely from Pentecostal Charismatics, yet both would claim to be charismatic.

6Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1994), 1237.

7Tim Challies, Why I Am Not Continuationist, at challies.com , July 7, 2016, https://www.challies.com/articles/why-i-am-not-continuationist/ .

8Mark Driscoll, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 386.

9What is Continuationism? Got Questions, n.d., https://www.gotquestions.org/continuationism.html .

10 Grudem, Systematic Theology , 1237–1238.

11 Ibid., 1251.

12 C. Peter Wagner. Apostles and Prophets: The Foundation of the Church (Minneapolis: Chosen, 2000), 21. Wagner acknowledges on pg. 114 that he was one of the initial individuals doing research on the NAR and hints that he created the term.

13 The term charismania is not likely to be used by those within churches focused on signs and wonders. I first heard of this term in Mark Driscoll’s book, Doctrine , (p. 386) and have chosen to include the term here to distinguish these churches and movements from those traditionally considered charismatic or Pentecostal. In my opinion Charismania is nearly identical to what is known as the NAR. However, NAR theology is not just limited to signs and wonders or spiritual gifts. Nevertheless, NAR leaders almost unanimously teach that signs and wonders flow from their theological system and teaching.

14 Bill Johnson Q&A, Is it Always God’s Will to Heal Someone?, n.d. http://bjm.org/qa/is-it-always-gods-will-to-heal-someone/ .

15 Martyn Wendell Jones, Inside the Popular Controversial Bethel Church, Christianity Today , April 24, 2016, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/may/cover-story-inside-popular-controversial-bethel-church.html .

16 Ibid.

17 Chronicle, Diamonds ‘Rain’ in Church, June 18, 2014, http://www.chronicle.co.zw/diamonds-rain-in-church/ .

18 A personal account shared with me by a different friend who attended Bethel Church and School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, California, circa 2012.

19 Given the lack of a specific definition within the Charis Fellowship it is difficult to state exactly where we land. My personal opinion is that a majority are in the cessationist camp, a significant and perhaps growing number in the continuationist camp, and a few are charismatic.

20 1 Cor. 12:13.

21 Eph. 1:13.

22 Rom. 8:11.

23 Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:7–11.

2

DEFINING

SIGNS AND WONDERS

To define signs and wonders, we need to first consider what these words mean when they occur separately. From there we can turn our attention toward synthesizing those individual definitions and define what they mean when they are used together.

Sign (σημεῖα): The word sign, apart from wonders, is used in the New Testament 62 times.¹ Bauer's Greek-English Dictionary (BDAG) defines this word as a sign or distinguishing mark whereby something is known.² In the New Testament a sign or signs can be miraculous or non-miraculous events that have a special meaning, though this word is most frequently used to refer to miraculous events.

For example, Matthew’s first use of the word sign occurs in verse 12:38. He writes, then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ In this instance, the Pharisees are requesting that Jesus perform some miraculous act to prove himself to be true. In 1 Corinthians 1:22, the Apostle Paul uses the word sign in an identical way when he writes, Jews demand signs and Greeks wisdom. The Apostle John uses the word sign(s) more than any other New Testament writer, and exclusively uses it in reference to miraculous acts. The word occurs 17 times in his gospel account and seven times in the book of Revelation.

Writing about the entire purpose of his gospel account, in John 20:30–31, John says that Jesus did many signs in the presence of the disciples and indicates the reason he recorded the ones he did was so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (v. 20:31). The signs that John records are miraculous signs intended to have a special meaning or give specific confirmation that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

The word sign is also used to speak of non-miraculous events that have a special meaning. Luke writes in 2:12, And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Here the word sign points to a non-miraculous event that has special meaning. Despite all the miraculous things taking place during the birth of Christ, there was nothing supernatural about Mary wrapping Jesus in swaddling cloths and laying him in a manger. However, this detail would be a confirmation for the shepherds that they had found the right baby!

Matthew uses the word sign to speak of a non-miraculous event that had special meaning as well in 26:48. There he writes, Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘the one I will kiss is the man, seize him.’ Again, there was nothing miraculous about Judas kissing Jesus; however, the kiss had a special meaning and confirmed to the soldiers whom they should arrest.

In Romans 4:11, the Apostle Paul uses the word sign for a non-miraculous event or action that has special meaning. On this occasion, he was speaking of circumcision as a seal of righteousness. There was nothing physically miraculous in Abraham’s circumcision; however, the act had special meaning in that it signified his faith in the promises of God.

Similarly, Paul also uses the word sign in 2 Thessalonians 3:17, writing, This is the sign of the genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. Physiologically speaking, there was nothing miraculous about Paul writing this letter, but it did convey a special significance and meaning to his audience.

The word sign in the New Testament is most commonly used to describe miraculous events that have a special meaning. However, the word sign is also used, though much less frequently, to describe non-miraculous events or actions that have a special meaning.

Wonders (τέρατα): In the New Testament, with one possible exception in Acts 2, the word wonders never appears apart from signs and is defined as something that astounds because of transcendent association.³ Regarding this possible exception, contextual clues lead one to see that Peter added and signs to his quotation of Joel 2:28–32 to further define the scope of fulfillment that Joel predicted and that Peter is declaring has come.

For the specific purpose of gospel proclamation, the word wonders is used in combination with signs to confirm both the authenticity of the message being spoken and the messenger who is speaking. Significantly, with Acts 2:19 as the only possible exception, the word wonders never appears apart from the word signs. There is also no command anywhere in the New Testament that wonders are to be sought after or chased.

Signs and Wonders (σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα, τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα): We will see in chapter three that signs and wonders (or wonders and signs) occur together 15 times in the New Testament. When used together to refer to miraculous events that took place, these words confirm both the authenticity of the message and the messenger. In Acts, signs, and wonders, mark the new age of eschatological redemption … typologically demonstrating that the predicted eschatological age has come.⁴

However, these words do not exclusively refer to an authorized messenger who delivered authorized messages. Negatively, signs and wonders will be used by the Antichrist to lead people away from faith in Jesus Christ. The TDNT (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) states, that in the Gospels signs and wonders are part of the pseudo-messiahs [that will come], although this does not rule out their performance by the true Messiah.⁵

Positively, signs and wonders were miraculous