Rodman Williams: The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today: Purpose, Part 2

The second part of chapter four from Professor Williams’ book, The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today, about the greatest reality of our time.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today: Purpose (Chapter 4, Part 1)

Chapter Four Continued: Purpose, Part 2

Let us now move on to note how the gift of the Holy Spirit enables the performance of mighty works. The witness to Christ is not only that of word but also deed. There is, as we have observed, the powerful word of testimony to Christ whereby persons become vehicles for the transformation of human life, and prophetic utterance may go forth with great directness and forcefulness. But the witness is likewise that of deed wherein mighty works in the name of Christ are also performed.

It is apparent that not only did the early disciples speak about Jesus but also they did extraordinary things. The first mention of this follows upon the narration about Pentecost where the text reads: “And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles” (Acts 2:43). The fact of the multiplicity of extraordinary things—“many”—is first to be noted; second, their description as “wonders” and “signs” suggest their character both as miracles and pointers;³⁰ and third, these many wonders and signs are done “through” the apostles, the apostles being channels, and not agents, of their occurrence. The whole atmosphere is charged with awe—“fear upon every soul”—as the exalted Lord does His work through them.

It should be quickly added that signs and wonders are done not only through the apostles but also through other disciples. On a later occasion Peter and John, after being threatened to speak no more about Jesus, return to their own people who pray for a common courage: “grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29-30). As we have already noted, in reference to boldness, the immediate result following upon the shaking of the place is that “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” Doubtless, the implication is not only that the prayer of the company for boldness of speech is answered for all, but also that they are all granted the performance of signs and wonders through the name of Jesus.

Further to examine the above matter: though it is said more than once that the apostles did wonders and signs,³¹ it is apparent that others such as Stephen the martyr and Philip the evangelist did likewise. “And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). “And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did” (8:6). “Even Simon [the magician] himself believed, and after being baptized, he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles³² performed, he was amazed” (8:13). In addition, according to Mark 16:17, Jesus said: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Similarly, “And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it” (Mark 16:20).³³ Signs and wonders—extraordinary, miraculous deeds—are the practice of the whole Christian community.

It is abundantly clear that the performance of mighty works—signs, wonders, miracles—belongs to the gospel proclamation. The early Christians testify and perform signs and wonders. The proclamation is powerful word and miraculous deed, both by the Holy Spirit, that bear witness to the gospel. The deed is the confirmation of the word—the visible assurance of the message of salvation. The greatest wonder of all is that of new life, new birth wrought by the word, but this is invisible; hence, when a visible sign accompanies the word there is undeniable attestation to the actuality of what has been inwardly wrought by the message of salvation.

Thus it is a serious error indeed to relegate miracles to the past. It is pathetic to hear among those who vigorously affirm the message of salvation—the necessity of regeneration—that “signs and wonders” are not to be expected any longer. If through the proclamation of the word in the power of the Spirit the miracle of rebirth can and does occur, will not that same Spirit also work other “signs and wonders”? For, surely, other miracles—no matter how extraordinary³⁴—are less significant than the miracle of new life and salvation.

Let us say further that it makes little practical difference whether one affirms that the miracles in Acts (and elsewhere) are simply legendary accretions to the record—and thus really did not happen—or that they did happen then but no longer occur in our time. Both views deny the reality of the living God who is always free and able in any time to perform His extraordinary works through men. The “Bible believer” who affirms that miracles were for then but not for now is actually farther removed from a living faith than the “liberal” who has not gone so far as to lock the power of God into past history. Both, however, need to hear the words of Jesus: “Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God?” (Mark 12:24).

Fortunately the spiritual renewal of today has recaptured the early church’s belief in and practice of mighty works. Miracles are no longer thought of as belonging to past history or as being merely legendary additions to the biblical witness; they belong to the life of the believing community and to the proclamation of the gospel.³⁵ “Expect a miracle” is a commonly heard expression—and those who expect God to perform mighty works are not disappointed.

The performance of mighty works, made possible by the gift of the Holy Spirit, includes a wide range of extraordinary phenomena. We shall note two of these in particular, beginning with healing.

In the ministry of Jesus, as is well known, next in importance to His preaching and teaching was His ministry of healing. For example, “He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people” (Matt. 4:23). Another text reads: “The power [dunamis]of the Lord was with him to heal” (Luke 5:17); and thereupon he healed a bedridden paralytic. This dunamis of God is precisely what Jesus promised His disciples would be theirs through the gift of the Holy Spirit. And so it was—and is.

As we look again at the record in Acts, it is relevant that the first specified mighty work is that of healing. Following the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the formation of the Christian community (Acts 2) is the narrative about the healing of the lame beggar at the gate of the temple (Acts 3:1-8). Peter speaks to the man: “I have no silver or gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (v. 6). Thus it is the combination of the power of the Spirit (“what I have”) and the name of Jesus Christ that leads to the miraculous healing.

What follows is quite significant. Peter addresses the assembled crowd, amazed at the healing of one they had seen many times begging at the gate, and tells them that “the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16). These words lead to the proclamation of the gospel to the crowd—“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord …” (3:19). Thereafter, taken into custody by the Temple authorities who inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”, Peter “filled with the Holy Spirit” replied, “… be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well” (4:7-10). Peter concludes with the message of salvation: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (4:12).

What is particularly important in this narrative of miraculous healing is the way in which it becomes the occasion for proclamation of the gospel. Indeed, as a result “many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to about five thousand” (4:4). Thus, it is similar to the Day of Pentecost when miraculous speaking in tongues became the occasion for drawing a crowd together, and consequent preaching of the gospel led to the salvation of some three thousand (Acts 2:41). “Signs and wonders” thus are shown not only to be confirmations of the word (as we have seen); but also they are occasions for the word. They set forth visibly, tangibly, undeniably that an inexplicable power is present and at work, making way for the message of salvation.

It is apparent that the performance of such a mighty work as healing is vitally connected with the preaching of the gospel. It is not merely the matter of healing being an additional thing—as if the commission were to preach and heal. The Good News, to be sure, does include healing; hence, a missionary outreach that does not have concern for peoples’ bodies is inadequate. However, the relationship between preaching and healing is more intimate than that. Healing, as well as other “signs and wonders,” is not just supplemental, it is instrumental. It can become the avenue for the proclamation of salvation in Jesus Christ.³⁶

What all of this suggests is that when the church, the believing community, is seen to be the arena of God’s supernatural activity, people are bound to take notice. Wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the context of “signs and wonders”—whether they precede, accompany, or follow—it is obvious that something extraordinary is going on. At Pentecost with the speaking in tongues “all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2:12); at the healing of the lame man “they were filled with wonder and amazement” (Acts 3:10). Such amazement, perplexity, wonderment, betokening a shocking sense of supernatural presence, prepares the way for the powerful ministry of the word.

It is significant to note again the prayer of the community of disciples following the prohibition of the council about testifying to Jesus: “And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29-30). The prayer of the disciples is for the speaking of the word to be accompanied or followed by healing, signs and wonders. Such visible demonstration of the supernatural activity of God will confirm the message, and make many come to a living faith. So whether preceding, accompanying or following, the occurrence of miracles underscores the reality of the proclaimed word as the power of God unto salvation.

The power of God to heal continues to be manifest in the early Christian community. The sick of Jerusalem are brought in great numbers to the body of the disciples, many hoping for at least the shadow of Peter to fall upon them (Acts 5:15); and then people begin to come from surrounding towns and villages and “bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed” (Acts 5:14-16). Likewise in the ministry of Philip at Samaria “the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did. For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed” (8:6-7). Peter, later, in the town of Lydda, speaks to a man named Aeneas, bedridden and paralyzed: “‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.’ And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord” (9:34-35). In the case of Paul who spent two years in Ephesus proclaiming the word, the Scripture adds: “And God did extraordinary miracles³⁷ by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them” (Acts 19:11-12). Paul ministers later at Malta to Publius’ father who “lay sick with fever and dysentery”; Paul “visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him.” Thereafter “the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured” (28:8-9). Such incidents demonstrate over and over that the power of the Spirit makes for abundant healing.

A number of matters in these instances of healing may be reflected upon. First, there is again the close connection between the proclamation of the word and healing. In one case (Samaria), it is hearing the gospel in conjunction with seeing healings occur that leads to the multitude giving heed to what is said; in another case (Lydda), seeing the healing is itself the direct cause of people coming to faith. Second, in another situation (Jerusalem), healing refers to the cure of the sick and deliverance from “unclean spirits,” thus both physical ailments and spiritual bondage. Third, there is evidently no limitation to the kinds of sicknesses healed—as if perhaps healing occurred to the psychosomatic but not the organic. The sick, whatever their infirmities, were healed. This calls to mind the earlier words about Jesus, that He healed “every disease and every infirmity” (Matt. 4:23). The same is true for His Spirit-filled followers who minister in His name. Fourth, in two of the cases (Jerusalem and Malta) all were healed; in another (Samaria) many were healed—many who were paralyzed and lame.

On this last point let us comment further about the totality of healing in two situations above, and its partiality in another. One of the most significant and exciting aspects of the gift of the Spirit is the fact that it makes healing possible for all. “They were all healed”—the sick, the afflicted, the tormented—is a beautiful testimony to what the Holy Spirit can do through one like Peter who is an open channel and instrument. It remains a testimony to this day that the power of God to heal is still present wherever His Spirit abounds. Even as salvation—the forgiveness of sins—is available to all, so is healing of all manner of physical, mental and emotional ailments. There only needs to be, as in the New Testament time, persons filled with God’s Spirit who in proclaiming the gospel of new life in Christ also minister healing in Jesus’ name. Believing that God wills both salvation and health for all men, the Christian witness of our day needs boldly to engage in this total ministry.

However, as we have observed, not all are healed in every situation: “many” but not everyone. Why this was the case in Samaria is not specified; however, it may have been due to the lack of receptivity on the part of those who were not healed. The people “with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip” and of these, many are healed. “Giving heed” or “paying attention,”³⁸ however, does not necessarily lead to that openness, reception, faith wherein a healing may occur. Healing, while for everyone, may not be received by all.

We may reflect for a moment on the ministry of Jesus and observe that in most situations He healed all who were present. It is frequently recorded that Jesus healed everyone; for example, “He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick” (Matt. 8:16); “Many followed him, and he healed them all” (Matt. 12:15). Scriptures like these may be multiplied.³⁹ However, there are other occasions when the biblical record speaks not of all but of many: “And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons . . .” (Mark 1:34); and again there is reference not to many but to a few: “He laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them” (Mark 6:5). In the latter event, occurring at Nazareth, it is clear that healing was restricted by the lack of receptivity, the unbelief, of His own townsfolk: “They took offense at him. … And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief” (Mark 6:3, 5-6). On still another occasion, out of a large crowd at the sheep gate pool where “lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed” (John 5:3), He healed only one, a man who had been ill for some twenty-eight years. Here the cause for the healing of only one does not seem to be due to an atmosphere of unbelief (although there is little suggestion that the sick multitude were expecting very much), but to Jesus’ own decision to help the one upon whom He took special pity.

So we may repeat our earlier statement, based on the record in Acts and now also shown in the Gospels, that healing while for everyone may not be received by all. Such factors as a lack of receptivity, unbelief on the human side, or the sovereign decision to heal only one or a few on the divine side, may be operative. Thus it is quite erroneous and misleading to claim that all will be healed in every situation.

However, to conclude this discussion of healing affirmatively, it is highly important to recognize that the gift of God’s Spirit does make possible the healing of every kind of disease. Thus, wherever people become channels of the divine power, extraordinary healings may be expected to occur.

In the spiritual renewal of our time, healing stands out as one of the most significant features. The power of God to heal, resident within the gift of the Holy Spirit, is being manifested on every hand. It is understood that the Good News includes healing for the body as well as salvation for the soul. For example, evangelists in the renewal do not hesitate to proclaim and act upon this “full gospel.”⁴⁰ Since Jesus performed many healings and promised that His disciples would do even “greater works” than He, and since He has sent the Spirit to carry forward His ministry, then works of healing are to be expected. If they do not occur, therefore, it may be a negative sign, namely, that the gift of the Holy Spirit has not been received, or possibly that the gift has come, but people are failing to move out in faith and expectancy. But that healings of every kind⁴¹ are occurring in the renewal of today is one of the clearest evidences of the presence and power of the Lord in the Holy Spirit.

In the preceding paragraphs several references have been made to casting out demons or evil spirits. We earlier called attention to one case (at Jerusalem) where healing refers to both the cure of the sick and deliverance from evil spirits; however, in the other two instances related (Samaria and Ephesus), a distinction is made between healing the sick and the expulsion of demons. This distinction is also apparent in the Scripture quoted⁴² concerning Jesus’ ministry where it is said He both cast out demons and healed. It may also be pointed out that in Mark 16:17 a differentiation is made: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons … they will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover.” Thus we may say that among the mighty works made possible by the exalted Lord’s gift of the Spirit is deliverance.

Let us view this matter in more detail. It might be helpful to begin in the book of Acts with one particular example of what casting out of evil spirits, or deliverance, entails. Paul and his companions going to the place of prayer in Philippi are daily followed by a slave girl who “had a spirit of divination.”⁴³ She cries out for many days, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” Paul, increasingly annoyed, finally takes action: he “turned and said to the spirit, ‘I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’” The result: “it came out that very hour” (Acts 16:16-18).

This account is not unlike that of various incidents recorded in the Gospels where people with such a spirit frequently cry out in recognition of Jesus, and deliverance thereafter occurs. For example, in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, a man with an “unclean spirit” cried out: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” Jesus thereupon “rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him” (Mark 1:23-26). This incident makes a profound impression on those who observe: it is “a new teaching with authority”⁴⁴ (Mark 1:27).

It is significant that in both the accounts of Paul and Jesus, the spirit⁴⁵ in the person recognizes the truth at hand (“these men … proclaim to you the way of salvation”; “you are the Holy One of God”); but it is actually a foreign spirit occupying a human person, from which one needs deliverance. This foreign spirit is obviously supernatural, having instant recognition of divine presence; in that sense it is a “spirit of divination.” It is also an evil spirit, making the girl a slave girl, and so binding that, in the case of the man with an “unclean spirit,” it convulses him in being cast out. In both instances the spirit cannot withstand the impact of Jesus, or the name of Jesus (which Paul invokes), and immediately comes out.

It should be added that the same spirits referred to elsewhere are frequently shown to be tormenting and disruptive. They may be the deepest cause of physical or mental disability, even to the point of self-destruction.⁴⁶ Hence more is called for than healing, which is a matter of mending what has been broken or diseased, whether of body or mind. What happens in demonic possession is deeper still: it is a matter of the human spirit being taken into bondage by an alien power. Thus there is a pernicious force at work, often affecting mind and body so disruptively that the only way to healing is through deliverance. Moreover, the only way whereby deliverance from such evil may come is through the presence or name of the Holy One who has the power and authority to deliver from even the most vicious tormenting spirit.

Let me summarize a few points. First, such possession only comes to light in the presence of Jesus Christ. Whatever may—or may not—have been the outward expression, the evil power which has lurked deep within the human personality is aroused at the coming of the Holy One. Hence, when one anointed with Christ’s Spirit is ministering in His name, there are times when this very ministry precipitates a crisis in one who is demon possessed. Though such a person may have long turned away from truth, and his inner spirit taken over by this alien spirit, now there is sudden, even startling recognition. For the dimension of perception has now become totally a spiritual one—spirit knowing spirit—the one possessed with evil crying out in recognition of the Spirit of holiness. This may not be a verbal recognition—“I know who you are”—but usually some kind of an outcry or startled attitude betokening recognition of a divine presence. For the inward spirit of evil knows when the Holy Spirit is at hand. At least for the moment all the veils are dropped in the presence of the holy God. Second, not only is there inward recognition but at the same time there may also be inward torment. The demonic spirit, now exposed, feels the awful impact of the Holy Spirit. No longer hidden within the human personality but standing out, it finds almost unbearable the divine presence. It seems as if the Spirit of holiness is bent on torturing the possessed person—thus eliciting the response mentioned earlier: “Have you come to destroy us?”⁴⁷ Of course, there is no intentional torment; it is simply that the Holy Spirit, like a hot flame of purity, burns into all that is evil. Third, deliverance may now follow. The alien spirit that has long dominated a person is exposed; it feels the torment of holy presence and is ready for being cast out. The evil spirit is now dominated by another spirit, the Holy Spirit, and is totally subject to the word that casts it out: “Come out of him, in the name of Jesus Christ.” The departing spirit may so convulse a person as to seem like the destruction of death;⁴⁸ however, it is verily the moment when a person experiences the marvel of deliverance into a fresh life.

This leads us back to the earlier point that this mighty work of deliverance continues only through those who truly minister in Jesus’ name⁴⁹ by the power of His Holy Spirit. During Jesus’ lifetime, when He was personally present with His disciples, He gave them power and authority over the evil spirits,⁵⁰ so that in His name they did exercise deliverance. Since Jesus has completed His earthly ministry, this same power and authority devolves upon those who receive the gift of the Holy Spirit: they too are enabled to perform the mighty work of liberating people from demonic possession.

It would be hard to overemphasize the importance of this ministry of deliverance. For there are countless numbers of persons who desperately need such help. Their condition is not to be identified as such with sin (which needs forgiveness)⁵¹ or disease (which calls for healing), but with possession, which cries out for deliverance. Their inner spirits—the inmost centers of their personhood—have been so laid claim to by an alien force, so “demonized” thereby, that they can scarcely hear the word concerning repentance and forgiveness. Their spirits are more than dead to the things of God; they have been taken over by another spirit. They may, or may not, give outward evidence of such possession. There may be an outward semblance of serenity—or contrariwise that of distortion and violence⁵²â€”but the only hope is the exposure of the deep inward condition, and deliverance therefrom. If such a condition is not recognized and properly handled there is much confusion all around. Even the most faithful witness concerning the things of God, or on the other hand various attempts at healing (viewing such cases as emotional disorders), may leave the person still locked up in his spiritual bondage—and worse off than ever. But when a situation bears the marks of demonic possession,⁵³ the only possible way of relief is that of deliverance: by the power of the Holy Spirit.⁵⁴

A further word may be added about the matter of demonic possession and emotional disorders. Reference has just been made to the mistake of confusing the two so that what calls for deliverance is viewed as a disorder that calls for healing. Such healing attempted, whether it be spiritual (prayers, laying on of hands, etc.) or medical (therapy and various other kinds of treatments), may therefore actually miss the mark—because the situation is not understood in depth. If the case is one of possession, anything that falls short of deliverance is both inadequate and only a further compounding of the problem. But now it needs also to be emphasized, on the other hand, that there are serious dangers of viewing what are actually emotional disorders as demonic possession. To seek to exorcise a person whose situation calls for another kind of treatment—psychotherapy, medicine or otherwise—can be a critical mistake and leave a person worse off than before.

In all this, there is much need for spiritual discernment—that is, discernment by the Holy Spirit—so that the one seeking to minister may know how to proceed.⁵⁵ If there is not clear evidence of possession, it is better to proceed along other lines, or leave the situation to those better qualified to help.

Finally, it is evident that, as in the case of healing, deliverance from demonic spirits is also one of the attestations of the gospel of salvation. When people are delivered, this can be an extraordinary sign of the working of God’s power that confirms the message of new life in Christ. Recall the words of Mark 16: “These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons … ,” and the result: “the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it” (vv. 17 and 20). Hence, casting out of demons is one of the signs that shows forth the Good News about Christ. For when people behold the supernatural power of God delivering the demon-possessed, they are vividly assured thereby that the gospel must also be the power of God unto salvation.

What we have observed in this chapter is that the purpose of the gift of the Holy Spirit is power. This is enabling power to carry forward the ministry of Christ in word and in deed. There is the mighty witness in word leading to healing and deliverance. Verily, by the gift of the Holy Spirit to the believing community, the exalted Lord continues His work among men.

PR

Chapter Five, “Reception,” continues in the Summer 2003 issue.

Notes

³⁰ The combination of “wonders and signs” (terata and sÄ“meia) points to deeds that are miraculous (a miracle being a “wonder”) and as such are expressive of God’s supernatural activity (hence are “signs”). These “wonders and signs,” or miracles, are particularly attestations of the gospel.

³¹ In addition to Acts 2:43, supra, see 5:12—“Now many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles”; 14:3—regarding Paul and Barnabas: “So they remained for a long time [at Iconium], speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands”; 15:12—“Barnabas and Paul … related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.” Compare also Romans 15:18-19 where Paul says: “For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit. …” Paul also says: “The signs of a true apostle [literally, “truly the signs of the apostle”—ta men sÄ“meia tou apostolou] were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works [or, ‘powerful deeds’—dunamesin]” (2 Cor. 12:12). This latter statement, incidentally, while again affirming that through Paul miracles took place, does not speak of them as apostolic certifications (hence, limited to apostles). The “signs of a true apostle”—which Paul does not describe in this text—were performed with “all patience”; such “signs” (even certifications) were accompanied by “signs and wonders and mighty works.”

³² dunameismegalas

³³ It is true that many ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark do not include chapter 16, verses 9-20. However, even if these verses are a later addition, the very fact that signs are ascribed to believers in general—“those who believe”—shows an early recognition that miracles are not limited to apostles, or apostles and deacons, such as Stephen and Philip.

³⁴ Even the raising of the physically dead (to which reference is made several times in the Scriptures) is less a “wonder” than the raising of the spiritually dead by the proclamation of the Good News. For the raising of the physically dead in Acts, see the accounts of Peter raising Tabitha (9:36-42) and Paul restoring Eutychus to life (20:9-12).

³⁵ E.g., see Nine O’Clock in the Morning, by Dennis Bennett, chapter 6, “More to the Package.” Shortly after Bennett’s baptism in the Spirit, he found miracles of many kinds beginning to happen. At the fellowship meeting, he said: “Sometimes nearly everyone in the room had some kind of a report to give: not what God did years ago, or even last year, but what He did last week, yesterday, today!” (p. 47). One further, and beautiful, statement by Dorothy Ranaghan, in As the Spirit Leads Us, might be added: “The victorious life of Christ becomes known in the now. Healing, discernment, miracles, prophecy—all these signs, manifestations or demonstrations of the Spirit cry out to men as they did in the New Testament times: ‘Jesus is alive! Jesus works wonders! Jesus is the Lord!’” (p. 14).

³⁶A vivid illustration of this is cited in the book by J. Herbert Kane, Understanding Christian Missions (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974), about the preaching of French evangelist Jacques Girard in the Ivory Coast soccer stadium: “Morning and evening for six weeks thirty to thirty-five thousand people crowded into the stadium. During the first part of the crusade the evangelist emphasized the power of Christ to heal. Hundreds were healed, including some high government officials and their relatives. … During the second part of the crusade Mr. Girard emphasized the power of Christ to save. Having already witnessed the healing of the body, the people responded in droves” (p. 424).

³⁷ “Extraordinary miracles” in the Greek—dunameis ou tas tuchousas—“powers not the ordinary.” “Dunameis”—“powers”—is often best translated as “miracles.”

³⁸ The Greek word is prosechō, to turn one’s mind to, notice, give heed to, pay attention, follow.

³⁹ E.g., Matthew 14:14; Luke 4:40, 6:19 (“. . . power came forth from him and healed them all”).

⁴⁰ Kathryn Kuhlman and Oral Roberts have been recognized leaders. See, e.g., Kuhlman’s I Believe in Miracles (Old Tappan, NJ: Spire Books, 1962) and Roberts’ The Call: An Autobiography (Old Tappan, NJ: Spire Books, 1971). Roberts’ ministry has increasingly moved in the direction of higher education. Mention should also be made of Francis MacNutt whose teaching on healing is found in the book, Healing (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 1974).

⁴¹The emphasis upon “inner healing” is also to be noted in the spiritual renewal. See, e.g., Agnes Sanford’s The Healing of the Spirit (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1966), Michael Scanlan’s Inner Healing (New York: Paulist Press, 1974) and Ruth Carter Stapleton’s The Gift of Inner Healing (Waco: Word Books, 1976).

⁴² Matthew8:16. See above.

⁴³ Literally, “a spirit of a python,” or a “python spirit” (pneuma puthōna). “Python” was the name of the Pythian serpent or dragon who was said to guard the Delphic oracle. Thus “a spirit of divination” has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit, but stems from evil.

⁴⁴ didachÄ“ kainÄ“ kat’ exousian.

⁴⁵ The language varies: “spirit,” “unclean spirit,” “evil spirit,” “demon” and “spirit of an unclean demon” (Luke 4:33). A person with such a spirit is frequently described as “demon possessed” Mark 1:32), or as a “demoniac” (Mark 5:15)—literally, “demonized” (daimonistheis),that is to say, “under the power of a demon.”

⁴⁶ For example, there is the case of the Gadarene demoniac who could not be bound with chains, constantly committing acts of self-violence: “Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones” (Mark 5:5).

⁴⁷ Mark 1:24. See comparable words of the Gadarene demoniac to Jesus in Mark 5:7: “I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

⁴⁸ In the event of the deliverance of the epileptic boy in Mark 9, after Jesus commands, “Come out of him and never enter him again,” the text continues: “And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said ‘He is dead.’” However, “Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose” (vv. 25-27).

⁴⁹ The name of Jesus, however, is not some magical power that may be conjured up by anyone to bring about a deliverance. The later account in Acts (19:13-16) of the “itinerant Jewish exorcists” who “undertook to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits” is a vivid case in point. They tried to do this by saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” The evil spirit, unaffected, answers, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Rather than exorcism “the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” Conjuring up Jesus’ name is ineffective, even dangerous, if not done by one who is truly ministering in Jesus’ name.

⁵⁰ E.g., Luke 9:1-2: “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority [dunamin kai exousian]over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God. …” (Note, incidentally, the threefold ministry of preaching, deliverance and healing.) But it is not just the twelve who have such authority, for later Jesus sends out an additional seventy who return “with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’ “ (Luke 10:1-17). It is important to recognize that such authority in Jesus’ day was not limited to the circle of apostles, nor is it limited to any particular “official” persons since that time. Recall Mark 16:17: “And these signs will accompany those who believe [hence, all believers]: in my name they will cast out demons. …”

⁵¹ Of course, the condition of every person outside Christ is sin; thus forgiveness is always needed. The point here, however, is that a person may be so inwardly dominated by evil that unless this is broken he is in no condition to hear the word of forgiveness (and reconciliation). It is by Christ that both occur: deliverance from the domination of Satan and forgiveness of sins. The commission to Paul, by the risen Christ, was to go to Jew and Gentile alike: “to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). Turning from the power of Satan to God, therefore, may be essential background for receiving forgiveness of sins.

⁵² For example, compare the slave girl’s situation, which exhibited no obvious disturbance, with that of the demoniac at Gadara who was patently in a condition of continual misery.

⁵³ From what has been said, the most evident marks are the sensitivity of a possessed person to the presence of holiness and his feeling at the same time tormented by that presence.

⁵⁴ In the spiritual renewal mention should be made of Michael Harper’s Spiritual Warfare (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1970) and Don Basham’s Deliver Us From Evil (Washington Depot, CT: Chosen Books, 1972). There has been some extremism in certain sectors of the renewal with the holding of mass deliverance sessions for Christians and non-Christians alike, and an exaggerated viewing of almost every vice as demonic and therefore needing deliverance (for an effective counterbalance, see The Dilemma: Deliverance or Discipline? by W. Robert McAlister [Plainfield, NJ: Logos, 1976]). However, the importance, even urgency, of deliverance in many situations has come to be acutely recognized, and is being carried out.

⁵⁵ Paul’s response at Philippi to the slave girl’s words, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation,” is a good illustration of spiritual discernment. Outwardly such words might have seemed to be a confession of faith that would have pleased Paul; however, he recognized in them a “spirit of divination” that was not of God but from evil. Hence, rather than being deluded by her words, or even proclaiming the word of salvation, he casts out the demonic spirit. Later in the same day Paul, along with Silas, is thrown into jail, and thereafter speaks to the Philippian jailer the good news of salvation, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved …” (Acts 16:31). There is no casting out of an evil spirit, for Paul discerned there was none such present. Rather does he lead the jailer directly to faith in Christ. Thus, through spiritual discernment, Paul acts differently in the two situations.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today: Reception (Chapter 5)

The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today by J. Rodman Williams, was published in 1980 by Logos International. Used by permission of the author. Reprinted in Pneuma Review with minor updates from the author.