Time was when authentic spiritual experiences were limited to prophets, priests, and kings; others could only watch and wonder as the anointed ministered, spoke, and ruled. They had a proximity to God that others did not have. No one else would dream of having such a privileged position; the possibility just did not exist.
The anointed were chosen by birth, selection, or succession to receive the presence and power of God. People spoke of them with respect, and wondered what it would be like to have such a close relationship with the Almighty.
But even among prophets, priest and kings, memorable spiritual encounters were not frequent. Supernatural experiences might take place once or twice in a king’s lifetime. Anointed priests lived within the cycle of a Jewish religious calendar that operated with the square of a system. Prophets were less inhibited and lived outside the square, but most had minor roles compared with better known prophets such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Truth is, apart from the signs and wonders that accompanied Moses and the children of Israel during their wilderness wanderings – and those performed by the prophets Elijah and Elisha hundreds of years later – authentic miracles and spiritual experiences of note were not really all that frequent. Rehearsals and memories had replaced such experiences. This general lack of real spirituality opened people to the words of false prophets, who told people what they wanted to hear rather than needed to hear.
Just as Jesus had warned, false miracles, many demonic, most psychological, and manipulative, have largely replaced authentic miracles and spiritual experiences. Those of the demonic kind are more common in Third World countries, where spells and chants pronounced by Juju men and witch doctors hold sway; and those of the psychological kind are exercised by pseudo-evangelism tricksters, who manipulate the emotions of desperately ill people.
That was not so in the beginning, when religion itself was an everyday fact of life. How could it not be when every detail was recorded in the Law of Moses? What to do and not to do. What to eat and not to eat. It was all there, right down to the last detail. No hidden priestly practices, no secrets known only to the initiated.
The rich and the poor alike had the same access to the temple and the same awareness of personal sins and shortcomings. Both needed the forgiveness that the shed blood of animal sacrifices alone could bring. Both sang songs of praise that expressed their faith in the Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Holy One of Israel.
Yet in the midst of this ceaseless ritual of sacrifices and endless cycle of observances, God still spoke to the heart of the individual. Zacharias the priest, who would father John the Baptist, had an authentic spiritual experience while performing his religious duties (Luke 1:5-22). His vision of Gabriel the archangel (who had appeared to the prophet Daniel, more than 500 years earlier) was authentic. It was also spiritual and took place as he offered the incense that represented the prayers of the people outside. His unforgettable experience!
When the time came for the 40-day-old Jesus to be dedicated, a man named Simeon “came by the Spirit into the temple” – was led there by the Holy Spirit that was upon him – and took Jesus into his arms, blessed him, and prophesied over him (Luke 2:22-35). As soon as Simeon finished speaking, a prophetess named Anna “gave thanks likewise to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-38) Neither encounter could be described as “ethereal” or “esoteric” or “out there” because both were authentic spiritual experiences.
Such experiences often were accompanied by prophecies: God-inspired messages that confirmed and validated whatever was taking place. When Jesus began to minister, authentic spiritual experiences became more common. His ministry ordination took place when the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven announced, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)
The Lord’s change of water into wine, his innumerable healings, his dramatic exorcisms, his dominion over nature, and his dramatic raising of Lazarus, who had been dead for three days — all these were authentic spiritual experiences and were witnessed to as such by those present at the time. They were spiritual because they were done in the power of the Spirit, and they were authentic because they were undeniably works of God.
The anointing that had been exclusive to prophets, priests and kings throughout Israel’s history was present beyond measure in the ministry of the man known by his followers as the Son of God. The terrible disillusionment that hung over them between his crucifixion and resurrection lifted completely when he “showed himself alive”! The authentic spiritual experience par excellence!
The small circle in which these experiences had taken place for three years was enlarged when God poured out His Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Suddenly, an authentic spiritual experience was happening in Jerusalem! The apostle Peter authenticated it by quoting Joel’s prophecy of a promised “last days” outpouring. Pentecost was a memorable experience for Christ’s disciples, who heard “a sound like a mighty rushing wind”, and saw tongues of fire on one another’s heads!
The experience continued when they spoke in other languages to the crowds of visitors that thronged the city. People came running and were amazed to hear men with coarse Galilean accents speaking their languages! Peter authenticated the phenomenon by quoting the prophet Joel, and then focused on his core message: the resurrection of the crucified Christ.
That authentic spiritual experiences were normal in the fast-growing church is clear from the book of Acts. As promised, Jesus had reproduced his ministry in the lives of his followers (John 12:24). When addressing their Jewish countrymen, the apostles authenticated their words by quoting the Old Testament prophets. When addressing non-Jews, their words were authenticated by their godly lifestyle. The Thessalonians, who knew nothing of Scripture, modeled Paul’s lifestyle with great success (1 Thessalonians 1:5-7).
The Bible validates authentic spiritual experiences, and in so doing it identifies unscriptural beliefs and practices. A faith without absolute values is as useless as a ship without a rudder. (Someone has said that if all values are relative, then cannibalism is simply a matter of taste.)
Those in our time whose experiences are not Bible-based have no way of knowing they are authentic. They could be interacting with demons. Playing with a Ouija board leads people into a mental maze from which they find it difficult to escape. The same goes for séances. New Age mixtures that synthesize Eastern religions and dismiss genuine Christianity as irrelevant are undermining the biblical foundation of Western civilization.
Unscriptural public behaviour in “wildfire” meetings can lead to power plays that end in private immorality. Some manifestations are just weird! In a meeting near London a woman sitting in front of us brayed like a donkey – and I’ve bought and sold enough donkeys to know exactly how they bray! Observing her with horror, it occurred to me that even Balaam’s donkey spoke to him in his own language.
A man once asked me, “What would you do if someone in a meeting barked like a dog?” I said, “I would throw him a bone.” Such manifestations are disgusting and are not genuine manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did some unusual things, such as spitting on dirt to form clay and smearing it on a blind man’s eyes to create pupils, but never did he make people act like idiots.
A strong thread that runs right through the Bible has its origin in the Law of Moses. It states that an accusation by one person against another without witnesses is inadmissible as evidence. “The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Deuteronomy 27:6-7; 2 Corinthians 13:1) If Jesus didn’t teach it and the apostles didn’t preach it, and it doesn’t glorify God or honor our Lord Jesus – don’t get involved!
An authentic spiritual experience has more than one scriptural witness. Exceptions to this rule are Paul’s work-apron, which was cut up and used for “special miracles” and Peter’s shadow, which healed those who released their faith when it fell on them. But Paul’s apron was authenticated by his sweat from working to keep himself and others; and Peter’s shadow was thrown by a man whose acts of faith were widely known.
Special miracles and unusual things often accompany powerful ministry in times of real revival. Whenever the super enters the natural supernatural things take place. But unscriptural, dodgy spiritual experiences leave sincere but deceived souls hanging over the edge of an abyss. We ought to shun sham practices that turn evangelistic gatherings into circus spectaculars. The genuine manifestations that take place when the power of the Holy Spirit moves in a meeting ought to satisfy any sceptic.
While ministering around the globe I have seen innumerable genuine healings and deliverances. I speak as a Pentecostal with more than sixty years of ministry in the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ does amazing miracles in response to faith.
I have seen men bend over backwards to an amazing degree while their feet remained flat on the ground. I have seen women go so rigid I could have leaned them against a wall. Both manifestations were demonic and ceased immediately when broken off in the name of Jesus. On the other hand, I have seen genuine Christians helpless under the power of the Spirit of God. Human physiology simply cannot cope with the supernatural power of the Spirit of God. Ears “tingled” in Samuel’s time and nowadays people fall down when they can’t stand up.
Having established the value and the presence of authentic miracles, let’s believe God for many more of them! A gospel that is not preached in power and which has no “signs following” is definitely not the gospel the apostles preached. When I was young, I liked my hamburgers to come with “the lot”! I’m older now, but I like my meetings to come the same way — SUPERSIZED!
But Definitely Authentic!