Manifestations and Gifts of the Spirit: An Interview with Andrew Gabriel

Pneuma Review: Please tell our readers about your Pentecostal roots.

Andrew Gabriel: I grew up worshipping in primarily Pentecostal churches, although we did, at times, attend some other denominational churches. After graduating from high school, I studied at a Pentecostal Bible college, and eventually I was ordained in the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, as I still am today.

Pneuma Review: In your book, Simply Spirit-Filled, you said that at one point in your life you were a spiritual experience junkie. Please explain what you mean by that and why you went through that phase.

Andrew Gabriel: As I think about it now, the term ‘junkie’ might sound pejorative, but I don’t mean it to be. My heart was certainly in the right place. I was a young, somewhat naïve, Christian who wanted “all that God has for me,” as the preachers used to put it. As a result, you could say that I was “all in” when it came to trying to experience God.

The result was that, like some others around me, I wasn’t too concerned with trying to discern if experiences were authentically from God, or if they were emotional experiences that were being manufactured by the groups that I worshipped with. And, for the most part, I think the people that were manufacturing those experiences had good hearts too. They also wanted to experience God, but they thought that there were only certain ways to do so. So, for example, the music had to be a certain way, or maybe they would “encourage” you to fall down.

Pneuma Review: Later in your life you became quite skeptical of spiritual experiences. What factors contributed to that skepticism and what eventually brought you back to again appreciate the value of these spiritual experiences?

Andrew Gabriel: I think my skepticism was simply me over reacting to my realization that not everything I had experienced in the church was truly from God. And it probably stemmed from the same thing that made me a spiritual experience junkie in the first place—namely, a desire to experience God. Only now, I was more concerned with having authentic experiences of God.

My education contributed to both my skepticism and my recovery from that skepticism. First, my education encouraged me to be more discerning—that contributed to my skepticism. But, second, my education also nurtured a profound sense of the majesty and love of God. And as I recognized the beauty of God, it drew me back to the value of some of the spiritual experiences that I had become skeptical of in my overreaction to the inauthentic.

Pneuma Review: When addressing the subject of spiritual manifestations, such as shaking and being slain in the Spirit, some people tend to categorize them as either all of God or all not of God. You do not do that in the book. Please tell us why.

Andrew Gabriel: The funny thing is that a friend from my youth, who is now a pastor, told me that in my book I was still too skeptical about spiritual manifestations. At the same time, another pastor friend of mine told me that I was too optimistic about those things. This make me think I must have found the elusive “balanced” position.

But to come back to your question, many people who have had exposure to the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement have seen a preacher pushing people over, even if only on TV or YouTube. So for those who have any desire to be discerning, it’s obvious that these so-called manifestations are not always from God.

At the same time, in my own experiences as a spiritual-experience junkie, I recognize that there were times that in the midst of what you might call humanness, I had many truly transforming experiences of the presence of God. So maybe I let myself get pushed over on occasion, but while I lay there on the floor, God would speak to me and shape my affections to desire the kingdom of God.

Pneuma Review: In what areas does the Pentecostal church need to improve its teaching on the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit?

Andrew Gabriel: I’m of two minds about this. On the one hand, I think there is an ongoing sense that Pentecostals value the dramatic gifts of the Spirit more than the non-dramatic gifts. I’m thinking of gifts like healing, tongues, and prophecy, in contrast to less-dramatic gifts like teaching, encouragement, or administration. It is kind of ironic, because it is the same sort of problem as in the Corinthian church of the first-century. Paul wrote to remind them that all of the gifts were of value and from the same source, and we still need this reminder today.

On the other hand, as I travel around and talk to others, it seems that many Pentecostal churches aren’t seeing much of the dramatic gifts at work in or through their congregations, even if they value them more than the non-dramatic gifts. This makes me wonder if they don’t sufficiently desire the gifts of the Spirit, something that Paul also taught (1 Cor 12:31 and 14:1). Maybe it is because when certain gifts are active, it can get messy. Or maybe there is some overreaction in our churches today to past addictions to spiritual-experiences, just like in my own personal experience.

Pneuma Review: What counsel would you give to a pastor who finds that his church is resistant to the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Andrew Gabriel: I’ve asked this same question to a number of pastors who are leading churches where the gifts are more obviously active, and I get pretty consistent answers. Focus on teaching your church the biblical foundations of the gifts of the Spirit. Also, take time in trying to make a change, and start with leadership before moving on to the rest of the congregation.

I would add that as changes are happening, celebrate the small wins along the way. Perhaps have people share testimonies. And be sure to equally celebrate the dramatic and non-dramatic gifts. So if you are going to highlight an instance where prophecy has occurred, you should be sure that you celebrate someone who is excelling in the gift of leadership.
Pastors and worship leaders also need to make space in their worship services for people to listen to the Spirit to see if the Spirit will prompt them in some way to engage in a gift of the Spirit. If our services are structured in such a way that there is no space for this, then we may fill our time with speaking and singing, but with no space for hearing from God.

Pneuma Review: In your opinion are spiritual gifts as evident as they should be in the Pentecostal/Charismatic churches of today?

Andrew Gabriel: This is a bit of a loaded question. Aside from what I’ve already said, I actually think that the gifts of the Spirit are more active than people think—it’s just that we don’t always recognize them. So maybe a person won’t hear a lot of speaking in tongues and the gift of interpretation in their church, which I think we should be hearing. But that same person might be missing the fact that there are gifts like giving, teaching, and hospitality at work all around them.

And in some cases the gift of prophecy could be at work in conversations as people are drinking coffee together in the church foyer, but people don’t recognize it because no one is running around saying, “I’m a prophet,” or no one is saying, “Thus saith the Lord,” in the middle of a worship service.

Pneuma Review: What can pastors and ministry leaders do to facilitate a greater desire for and openness to the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Andrew Gabriel: In addition to all that I have said above, leaders need to start with themselves. I suspect that in many cases, a strong desire for the gifts of the Spirit will rub off and make just as much impact as any teaching session. Churches can also expose their congregation to other individuals who are active in the gifts of the Spirit.

Thanks for your great questions. I pray readers find this helpful. It has been a joy to dialogue with you.

 

PR

 

Further Reading:

“Spirit Baptism in the Whole Bible”

A brief introduction to a E-book by Andrew Gabriel, available without cost, about the coming of the Holy Spirit seen throughout Scripture.

 

Review of Andrew Gabriel’s book, Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit by John Lathrop.
Read an excerpt from Andrew Gabriel’s book, Simply Spirit-Filled: “Two Common Myths about the Spirit-Filled Life.”