Schools of Supernatural Ministry

[Sudsy]

Pursue [this] love [with eagerness, make it your goal], yet earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual gifts [to be used by believers for the benefit of the church], but especially that you may prophesy [to foretell the future, to speak a new message from God to the people].

Amp - 1 Cor 14:1

So was this one of those areas that was for the early church but not for today ?

And although the Amplified suggests prophesy is to 'fortell the future' others regard it as 'forth-telling' (as in preaching the scripture). Still others say it can be either as the Spirit choses to lead.

I believe there will be what appears to be or is supernatural occurrences amongst those who believe in the supernatural active today but we are also told to test the spirits to see if they are of God and one of the gifts of the Spirit is discernment of spirits. Perhaps what is lacking today are those who will eagerly desire the discernment of spirits and are willing to speak out when the Spirit tells them that certain things are not being generated by the Holy Spirit.

I think many Christians have been scared off from expecting God to still be active in supernatural ways due to activity that was sourced by the influence of other spirits and the flesh. I believe if a church earnestly desired that they have those in their group with the discerning of spirits and acknowledged those with the gift of the discernment of spirits to guide supernatural phenomena, things might be quite different and in order.

I have wondered if the understanding of freedom in the Spirit has been the problem when this 'freedom' does not allow for controls to be in place to ensure the supernatural is of God and not man or other influencing spirits. Spiritual gifts as seen in scripture was to be conducted in a controlled way and not just any way I feel like. I think I mentioned this before but I only recall one experience in a charismatic setting where the pastor, after someone spoke out in tongues, asked for an interpreter. When no one interpreted, he asked the tongues speaker to, according to scripture, not do this again.

Sadly, imo, many churches today show nothing of a supernatural nature obvious in their meetings. Many are not seeing obvious, supernatural, born again experiences. When was the last time we saw something we believed to be without doubt supernatural where we have attended church ?

[barnhart]

A pastor at our church spent some time in a Pentecostal church where they had Sunday school classes on developing spiritual gifts. As I recall the Tongues class involved practicing vowel consonant combinations to build confidence and prime the pump, so to speak. This type of thing raises questions in my mind.

[Judas Maccabeus]

A pastor at our church spent some time in a Pentecostal church where they had Sunday school classes on developing spiritual gifts. As I recall the Tongues class involved practicing vowel consonant combinations to build confidence and prime the pump, so to speak. This type of thing raises questions in my mind.

I was at a meeting where I was told to recite the alphabet as fast as I could, then I would receive my tongue. I just sat back and said, IF it is real, then God would give it to me without any help. They did not like that.

[RZehr]

A pastor at our church spent some time in a Pentecostal church where they had Sunday school classes on developing spiritual gifts. As I recall the Tongues class involved practicing vowel consonant combinations to build confidence and prime the pump, so to speak. This type of thing raises questions in my mind.

I was at a meeting where I was told to recite the alphabet as fast as I could, then I would receive my tongue. I just sat back and said, IF it is real, then God would give it to me without any help. They did not like that.

I remember hearing some preacher (Paul Washer perhaps?) nail the correct time that another certain person first spoke in tongues, as being a Saturday. And that was because the person was practicing for Sunday service the next day.

[Josh]

I can speak in unknown tongues and certainly never learned any of those “techniques”.

[Judas Maccabeus]

I can speak in unknown tongues and certainly never learned any of those “techniques”.

The Church of God in Christ (Mennonite) approves of this?

[Jazman]

For what it’s worth, when I was around Bethel SSM people in 2012 and 2013, I saw supernatural miracles happen. Both lives transformed and changed, financial miracles, and healing. Plus serious mental illnesses healed.

I was unwilling to commit to following God 100%, so I “missed out”. But I want to emphasise the Bethel people I have been around are sincere Christ followed. I would like to see them embrace the full gospel of peace someday.

Many “clones” of Bethel exist who are attracted to signs and wonders but don’t seem willing to do the acts of service, mercy, and hours spent in prayer closets that cause God to desire to move supernaturally. We cannot lust after signs and wonders and frankly that’s a lot of what Bethel SSM teaches.

Interesting perspective Josh. Thanks. I believe you regarding the sincere followers. Could the original be more seasoned/mature than the spin-offs? (Kind of what often happens with any movement? I heard this applied to Calvin and how his theological descendants took some of his teachings further than he might have?)

[Josh]

Interesting perspective Josh. Thanks. I believe you regarding the sincere followers. Could the original be more seasoned/mature than the spin-offs? (Kind of what often happens with any movement? I heard this applied to Calvin and how his theological descendants took some of his teachings further than he might have?)

The spinoffs aren't really related at all. They don't have denominational connections nor any accountability. (Bethel Cleveland is, however, a spinoff from Bethel Redding, and actually does not have a ton of denominational ties but they maintain a lot of interpersonal ties.)

Bethel (like many things that came out of the Jesus Movement) is strongly "evangelical" in the classical sense of the word; that is, tied to doing lots of evangelism of sharing the gospel - sharing the good news, the "evangelion". So the quality of Bethel is one where a lot of people are people trying to follow the gospel way. The rest of the stuff like "supernatural ministries" is, in my opinion, just window dressing or clutter that obscures that is actually going on.

What doesn't work is for a crowd of people who are not particularly evangelistic focused, but rather like to hold conferences, seminars, charge fees, have exciting speakers come in, run fundraisers to build bigger buildings, attend seminaries, and chase new fads (could be prophecy, signs and wonders, counselling, figure out your "gifts" with a questionnaire, figure out your personality with a number from 1 to 10... the list goes on and on), to try to replicate whatever it is Bethel has. Instead you just end up with another dead, Western church.