Andrew K. GabrielAndrew K. Gabriel: Recent Episodes
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After I attended the Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS) this past week, I worshipped in a Church of God (Cleveland, TN) (=COG) church on Sunday. My experience illustrated the words of Pentecostal theologian Keith Warrington—Pentecostal theology is a theology of encounter.Since I have many American and Canadian friends within the COG, I’m almost ashamed to say it was my first time in a COG church. I can perhaps redeem myself with the fact that my feet have walked on the holy ground of Cleveland, TN—Lee University and Pentecostal Theological Seminary, both COG schools.
Church of God? If you’re not familiar with the COG, you may be surprised to learn that this Pentecostal denomination was formed in 1886, well before the 1906 revivals at Azusa Street in Los Angeles and the Hebden Mission in Toronto. Even more surprising, to some, will be the fact that about 130 people spoke in tongues at revival meeting they held in 1896 in North Carolina. The group adopted the name “Church of God” in 1907. Their name usually includes “(Cleveland, TN)” to distinguish them from the non-Pentecostal denomination the Church of God (Anderson, IN).
As a Pentecostal church, the COG holds to the “full gospel” of Jesus as Saviour, Healer, Baptizer (in the Spirit), and Coming King. In addition, as representatives of the “Pentecostal Holiness” tradition, they also emphasize Jesus’s work as “Sanctifier.” Historically, they emphasized that a believer needed to experience sanctification before they could be baptized in the Holy Spirit. A common rationale was that the Holy Spirit couldn’t fill a dirty vessel.
Today the COG (Cleveland) has around 1 million adherents in the USA and about 7 million worldwide (my numbers are a little dated). Many in Canada will not have heard of them, even though they have around 140 churches in Canada, with about half of those churches in Ontario. I hear that many are Caribbean-majority churches.
Sights and SoundsI appreciated the time of worship at the COG church. We walked through the double-glass doors of the church and immediately heard boisterous sounds coming from the hall to our left. I recognized the sounds as a pre-service prayer meeting—the sanctuary was to our right.
This was no-mega church. The sanctuary has maybe a dozen rows with about a dozen chairs per row. But the church was up-to-date with burgundy padded chairs, contemporary grey carpet, and colored lights shining on the wall at the back of the stage. Unlike the mammoth pulpit I had previously experienced at a United Pentecostal Church (no, the COG are not Oneness), they had a sleek, metal lectern that the preacher could not hide behind.
There were only thirty or forty (if I’m generous) people in the congregation that morning, but the room was still full of life. I was surrounded by mostly black worshippers, with a few Asians and white folk. There was no doubt that we were in church. I may have heard “praise the Lord” and “amen” more frequently than I would hear swearing at a construction site.
Sadly, the drum throne behind the drum set sat empty that morning, so I wondered if they might “need” me to play—not that they would know. Unfortunately for me, perhaps, they had replaced the drummer with the upbeat sounds from a drum module controlled by the keyboard player who also led worship. Accompanying her was only a guitar player, but along with the four additional singers who swayed and shuffled across the front of the stage, the worship music sounded full. The worship leader had the voice of a Grammy-award-winning singer who expressed the soul of someone who had just welcomed home her child who was away studying at college for the past year.
Theology in WorshipIt wouldn’t be quite fair to say that we (I do say “we,” because I was one of them) were fully dancing, but we were definitely moving our whole body to the music. This reminded me of the emphasis that I heard on a few occasions in the SPS meeting, that Pentecostals often engage their whole bodies in worship, consistent with their belief that salvation is for the whole person, sometimes including physical healing in this life, if not eventual healing in the future resurrection.
I did not recognize the first few songs but one theme became readily apparent. We reminded one another that even though Satan is “attacking everyday,” we could have joy in our soul, because “God is in control.” The same song declared repeatedly, “this means war, this means war.” And in the next song, we didn’t just testify that “there is power in the name of Jesus,” we also actively prayed/sung repeatedly the simple phrase, “break…chains…break…chains.”
Now take an brief energizing break to get a small taste of what I experienced .
At one point it struck me that the songs and other words spoken from the stage were individualistic. That morning (I make no assumptions about other weeks), I did not hear a concern for any world suffering or an emphasis on how God empowers us for mission. Instead, the emphasis was on my choice to worship Jesus and how he would help me navigate life.
At the same time, no one could accuse this church of falling into what scholars call “moralistic therapeutic deism” (a belief in a god who wants us to be good and happy, but who isn’t all that involved in our lives). Rather, we sung that God would lead us to victory in the cosmic spiritual battle. While there may have been an overemphasis on spiritual warfare imagery, I appreciated the reminder that the world is not spiritually neutral ground.
There was one moment during the worship service when it was clear that the church was not only concerned with how God would help them as individuals, and it came during the announcements. This small congregation had distributed 60 food boxes the day before, and they were preparing to do so again next month.
Continuing to Encounter GodThe pastor’s sermon was filled with personal testimonies that illustrated the need for us to pray to God to know his will and the challenges that might come if we disobey. I realized that this congregation didn’t need anyone to convince them that God still speaks today—this was obvious to them.
When the sermon ended, the words “Altar Service” were displayed on the two large-screen TVs that were mounted to the wall on each side of the stage. The pastor invited people to come stand in front of the pulpit if they wanted prayer as they seek to hear and obey God’s will. Before he had finished speaking, two ladies walked to the front—they didn’t need to be coaxed—and three others surrounded them and laid their hands on them. And then the pastor prayed.
This reminded me of another SPS presentation—this one on a theology of preaching—that observed how Pentecostal preaching does not simply aim to inform or even motivate the congregants, but also to facilitate a life-transforming encounter with the Holy Spirit.
I imagine that not every week is the same at this COG church. And I’m sure that my experience that Sunday is not representative of every COG congregation.
How a person worships is not the key marker of their spirituality (see chapter 7 in my book Simply Spirit-Filled). Nevertheless, it is clear to me that many who lifted their hands in praise that morning were not there to simply fulfil a religious ritual. And perhaps more importantly, they expected that they would continue to encounter God during the week after they walked back out the double-glass doors.
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You might also be interested in these posts:
- Tales of Visiting a Oneness United Pentecostal Church
- 3 Lessons and Questions from my Visit to a Tourist Church
- 3 Lessons from My Visit to a Pentecostal Church
- 4 Lessons from Worship in Liturgical Churches
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is Professor of Theology at MCS and Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on X.The post Tales of my First Visit to a Church of God (Cleveland) Pentecostal Church appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Many evangelical Christians make a distinction between how the Spirit “illuminates” Scripture and “inspires” Scripture (e.g., theologians Millard Erickson and Larry Hart). But the distinction is problematic. The common idea is that when the Spirit inspired the Scripture long ago, it is not the same as and does not have the same authority as when the Spirit speaks today. This includes when the Spirit illuminates Scripture, that is, when the Spirit helps people to understand the Bible today.
Authority and InspirationI understand that the intent in making a distinction between inspiration and illumination is to (rightly) safeguard the authority of Scripture. But a problem here is that it is the same Holy Spirit at work in both activities. And I think the Spirit is just as authoritative today as when the Spirit spoke in the past. We are not talking about a different Spirit!
One might think, “but the biblical authors were writing down God’s very words!” In a sense, this is true. At the same time, Luke says that he “carefully investigated everything” and that he “decided to write” about Jesus (Luke 1:3). For the most part, it seems the biblical authors, like Luke, did not know they were writing Scripture, and many didn’t even perceive that they were inspired by the Holy Spirit—this is something that the Church has discerned. And the Church and Christians continue to discern when and where God is speaking.
To be clear, I am not trying to downplay the authority of Scripture. I am simply making the point that the Spirit spoke through biblical authors and continues to speak today; and these two experiences are not as different as many might think.
The Holy Spirit and ProphecyA couple of years ago at the Society for Pentecostal Studies, my colleague, Dr. Stephen Barkley, gave a presentation where he compared the experience of Old Testament (OT) prophecy with the experience of charismatic prophecy in Canadian Pentecostal churches today.
Barkley explained that when he asks people what the difference is between OT prophecy and contemporary prophecy, most people respond that they are very different, especially because the OT prophets are Scripture and therefore authoritative. One problem with this, Barkley observed, is that there is a coherence between the OT and today in how the person prophesying experiences the Spirit in receiving and giving prophecy. (Barkley’s work is now published in the book Pentecostal Prophets: Experience in Old Testament Perspective.)
I would add that another problem with the common response is that it is the same Holy Spirit that spoke through the prophets in the OT (2 Peter 1:21) that is still speaking through authentic (I emphasize authentic) prophecy today. So, they must both be authoritative!
Like what I said above about “illumination,” the problem here is that too many people, including Pentecostal pastors, want to distinguish the authority of the Spirit speaking in the past from the authority of the Spirit speaking to God’s people today. But…to reemphasize…it is the same Spirit.
When God SpeaksWhat I am really trying to say is that whenever God speaks, it is authoritative. So simple. So true.
I’ve thought this way for some time, but this hit me even more a few years ago when God made it clear to me that I needed to be willing to take on a new role at my workplace (and I wasn’t willing at the time). As I prayed, I was reminded that God is God, and I have no right to disobey God. For me, God was guiding me, and I had to obey God’s authority. It wasn’t in the Bible, but God was speaking to me.
Isn’t the Bible Special?I remember N. T. Wright saying we can only speak of the Bible as authoritative if we mean the authority of God being exercised through Scripture. Or, one might say that the Bible is authoritative only because it is a place where God has spoken and continues to speak.
But if God speaks to me, isn’t that authoritative? Yes.
If God speaks through an authentic word of prophecy today, isn’t that authoritative? Yes.
Does this make the Bible equally authoritative to contemporary prophecy or to ways that God speaks to me? Yes and no.
On the one hand, yes, because whenever God speaks, it is authoritative. (I am only speaking of where God has clearly and certainly spoken.)
On the other hand, no, it is not “equally authoritative” in the sense that it is not canonical and, therefore, it is not authoritative for all people.
Authority and CanonTo put it another way, when God speaks through or to someone, it doesn’t automatically become part of the canon of Scripture. Something, even a writing, can come from God and have authority without becoming part of the Bible.
We know, for example, that Paul wrote letters that weren’t included in the Bible (1 Corinthians 5:9; Colossians 4:16). I don’t imagine that his other letters included any heresy. And I imagine that the Spirit was inspiring Paul as he wrote them. But they didn’t become part of the Bible.
Likewise, when the Spirit speaks today, it doesn’t make it canonical. To put it another way, when God speaks to an individual or through an individual today, it is authoritative for those to whom God is speaking. But it is not authoritative for the whole church. Therefore, it is not authoritative in the same way that the Bible is.
Side note: I’m sure someone will ask, what if someone gave a prophecy that was intended for the whole Church today? Could that become part of Scripture? Practically speaking, it could never happen. Plus, in retrospect, we realize that there were numerous criteria for what became part of the canon of Scripture (more info here).
Still DiscerningTo be clear, this means that the Bible is still the final and absolute authority for belief and conduct. Moreover, any time someone claims that the Spirit is speaking through them (prophecy) or to them, it still needs to be evaluated in light of the canon (which means “measure”) and authority of the Scripture. At the same time, when we do discern that the Spirit has truly spoken, including through prophecy, it is authoritative for the person or people the Spirit has spoken to.
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- Myth #1: “Prophecy is all About the Future”
- The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible
- When God Speaks Through Dreams…
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is a theology professor at MCS and Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post The Authority of the Spirit, Prophecy, and Scripture appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
I just had a book published that I co-edited. I saw a few of the contributors posting pictures on social media of their copy of the book, and I just opened a package with my own copy today. I’m grateful those who contributed to the volume and for the wisdom of my co-editors, Frank Macchia and Terry Cross.
Karl Barth and Pentecostal Theology: A Convergence of the Word and the Spirit, edited by Frank D. Macchia, Terry L. Cross, and Andrew K. Gabriel. London: T & T Clark, 2024.
The book is published in the growing academic book series Systematic Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology.
The book is currently very expensive (US$150), but in a year or two the publisher should release a paperback version that will be closer to US$50. That is still expensive, but a little more reasonable for an academic book.
Endorsements:
…Barth aligned himself with the Pentecostal movement. This fruitful connection is fully explored for the first time in this highly interesting book in which expert scholars skillfully tackle its various threads”Eberhard Busch
University of Göttingen…a deepening proposal to renew the Church’s life aligned with the Triune God infused with Pentecostal insight.”Marty Folsom
Pacific Association for Theological Studies[The authors’] take on Barth’s problems and prospects concerning the Spirit are anything but rote, filled with surprises and worthwhile avenues for continued research and reflection.”John Drury
Indiana Wesleyan University
Here are the contents:
The post A New Book: Karl Barth and Pentecostal Theology appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
I recently presented on the topic of “The Dynamic Intensity of the Spirit.” It was part of a Horizon College & Seminary faculty panel on the topic of “Revival and Awakenings.”
In my presentation, I explained that even though God is omnipresent and God does not change, the presence of God in the Holy Spirit can become more intense in some times and places. Based on this, I concluded (in part) that we can and should value, and even expect, revivals and awakenings at times and places when the Spirit is present in intense ways to work in the Church.
My presentation was 18 minutes, and it begins at the 32-minute mark. You can watch it here: https://video.horizon.edu/en/c/revivals-awakenings.5538 .
In my presentation I mentioned one of my articles and books. I’ll note them below.
- “The Intensity of the Spirit in a Spirit-Filled World: Spirit Baptism, Subsequence, and the Spirit of Creation.” Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 34.3 (2012): 365-382 (full article available here).
- Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2019.
I also discuss the intensity of the Spirit in this essay:
- “Pneumatology: Eschatological Intensification of the Personal Presence of God,” The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, edited by Wolfgang Vondey (London: Routledge, 2020), 206-215.
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- The Holy Spirit and Eschatology (The Last Days)
- What is Pentecostal Pneumatology (Other than Spirit Baptism)? A Lecture
- The Spirit of Power and Love: Jonathan Edwards and Pentecostals on the Spirit (and Holiness)
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post The Dynamic Intensity of the Spirit appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
I had a dream last night that I think was probably from God. No, I’m not going to tell you the content, but I do want to give some theological reflection on the experience and how we might respond to such dreams.
For some people, a claim that God has spoken through a dream seems naïve. And yet, the Bible reports many instances where God spoke through dreams.
Dreams in the BibleAt times God spoke through a dream to warn a person (Genesis 20:3 and 6) or to give encouragement to a person (Genesis 28:12-15).
Sometimes the dream seems to be symbolic of something, like Joseph’s brothers bowing down to him as sheaves of grain (Genesis 37:6-7). At other times, the meaning of the dream is straight forward, without symbolism, like when an angel of the Lord told Joseph that Mary would give birth to Jesus (Matthew 1:20-21).
And sometimes within a dream God directly spoke to the person having the dream (1 Kings 3:5), whereas at other times God clearly used the dream (or “spoke through” the dream), even though God isn’t a “character” that spoke in the dream (consider again, Joseph’s dream of Genesis 37:6-7).
But does God still speak through dreams?Someone might protest that, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). The implication here is that God used to speak through dreams, but that God doesn’t speak that way any longer now that God has spoken through Jesus. Some people would add that God definitely doesn’t speak that way now that we have the Bible—even though this is clearly not what the Bible is saying here.
The problem with the above protest is that God did still speak to people in many ways after Jesus ascended to heaven (e.g., Acts 10:19 and 13:2). Moreover, the Bible itself promises that after Pentecost, God would give dreams to people—”In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).
So, yes, the Bible supports the idea that God still speaks through dreams today.
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How often does God speak through dreams?While the Bible does record dreams from God, it doesn’t include that many dreams. So I’m not sure that it happens on a regular basis.
I do not think every dream is from God. In fact, I dream regularly (almost every night!), and yet I can only think of one other time that I thought I had a dream from God.
I was preparing to speak at a church. The pastor had asked if I wanted to lead communion that Sunday since I was going to be the guest speaker. I don’t remember if we decided they would do communion another Sunday or if he was going to lead it. Either way, I ended up having a dream with me leading communion, and I took it as direction from God that I should lead communion.
I went, I preached, I led communion. Nothing miraculous happened—not that I expected it to. I’m still not certain the dream was from God, but I figure it probably was—I had a sense that it was. I likely prayed about it too.
How do I know I had a dream from God?What about last night’s dream? I’m not certain it was from God either. But I woke up thinking it likely was. In this case, it was not something I had been thinking about recently and it seemed to come somewhat out of nowhere.
God doesn’t promise that when he speaks through a dream, it will be an out-of-this-world-crazy dream. It will not will always be obvious when God speaks to us in a dream, just like it isn’t always obvious when God is speaking to us in general.
Consider, for example, when Samuel was a boy—God literally spoke to him with an audible voice, and yet Samuel thought it must have been Eli the priest (1 Samuel 3). It wasn’t obvious to Samuel that God was speaking to him.
I am convinced that God speaks through dreams more often that most North American Christians think. The Bible states explicitly that we won’t always be aware of it:
For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, he may speak …” (Job 33:14-18)
What about discernment? I certainly affirm that if we think a dream might have come from God, then we should submit that to a process of discernment. Jeremiah’s warning about some false prophets should give us caution:
I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?” (Jeremiah 23:25-26).
So, just as I wrote in my book Simply Spirit-Filled, we should test anything we believe we are hearing from God, including, of course, against the teaching of the Scripture.
And this discernment might involve more than just you. For example, Paul once had a vision at night (perhaps a dream) where he saw “a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’” (Acts 16:9). Afterward we don’t see Paul proclaiming what this meant for him and his fellow-travelers. Instead, we see that the group of them concluded “that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:10).
Side note—I find it interesting that the Bible doesn’t record Paul ever meeting this man (perhaps the vision was more symbolic or directional rather than foretelling the future).
Dream awayIf God does speak through dreams sometimes, and it seems clear from the Bible that God does, then we should be open to discerning when God might have spoken through a dream, rather than living in practice as though it never happens. Unfortunately, the latter is probably the default position for many Christians, including even many Pentecostals and charismatics—well, at least in North America.
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You might also be interested in these posts:
- Myth #1: “Prophecy is all About the Future”
- 5 Surprises About “the Anointing” in the New Testament
- There is Power in the Tongue, but Not for Declarations and Decrees
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post When God Speaks Through Dreams… appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
(and my contributions)
Both of the books I mention here are “new” in the sense that they were published in 2020. I waited to mention them here because they were first published only in a hardcover format and with a price of over US$200—yikes! (This is not unusual for academic books.)
Now that some time has passed, both books are available as paperbacks for around US$40.
T&T Clark Handbook of Pneumatology, edited by Daniel Castelo and Kenneth Loyer. Just shy of 370 pages, this book contains 37 essays on the Holy Spirit. They cover different section of the Bible, key themes in pneumatology (like the Spirit and science or ecology), essays that highlight the emphases that different church traditions make regarding the Spirit, and perceptions from different ethnicities and different parts of the globe. The multiple perspectives in this rich resource will help people understand things about the Holy Spirit that they one might not have learned from their own church experiences.
I was invited to contribute the essay in this book titled ”Charismatic Perspectives on the Holy Spirit” (available online here). In it, I discuss various understandings of Spirit baptism among Charismatic traditions and how Charismatic Christians think about the spiritual gifts and other experiences of the Spirit. My affirmation of much of charismatic theology comes with a caution that “it would be a mistake to think that God has given gifts of the Spirit only to those within the charismatic movement” (p. 267).
The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, edited by Wolfgang Vondey.While not strictly a book on the Holy Spirit, since the 42 essays in this 465-page volume reflect Pentecostal theology, the Holy Spirit is prominent throughout the book. To me, the most exciting parts are the 14 essays on core doctrines (Part 4) and the 12 essays (part 5) that look at various issues in theology—like art and aesthetics, disability, and ecotheology—all with much focus on the Holy Spirit. Like the above volume, this volume will expand readers awareness of the work of the Spirit.
In this volume, I contributed the chapter on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I observe how Pentecostals affirm the historic Christian doctrine of the Spirit as a divine person—but in their own unique way. Building on this foundation leads me to explain how Pentecostals view the Spirit as the intensifying and eschatological presence of God.
I commend both of these excellent volumes to you for your learning and growth!
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- The Holy Spirit and Leadership: 7 Biblical and Theological Observations
- What about Tongues? Spirit baptism in the PAOC’s Proposed Statement of Faith
- What’s Wrong with Songs that Worship the Holy Spirit?
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post Two New and Important Books on the Holy Spirit appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
This is an important one for any pastor, worship leader, and others who have a leadership role for corporate worship services. In this video I interview Dr. Josh Samuel from Master's College & Seminary in Ontario, Canada. A fair amount of our discussion focused on how we can facilitate authentic experiences of the Holy Spirit in corporate worship.
The post Experiencing the Holy Spirit in Corporate Worship Services appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Have you heard the new song sung by Chris Davenport, Brandon Lake, and Cody Carnes? It’s called “Plead the blood.”
You can take a look at the lyrics here.
Here is another song that many people will love to listen to over and over again…even though some aspects of it seem biblically problematic.
What’s on our HeartsI get it. The song “Plead the Blood” connects with our hearts. Chris Davenport, Brandon Lake, and Cody Carnes express our desires, fears, and longings to the Lord.
The song is a plea for the well-being of “my children,” “my family,” “my future,” and “my body.” And in the midst of a crazy world (yikes!), it’s also a plea for “our schools” and “our cities” (too bad for the rural towns… ha ha… you will have to write your own songs).
I care about these things too. And, frankly, I believe God will receive the song as a prayer for these things, even if there might be some theological issues in the song. But that doesn’t mean we should overlook these issues.
But There’s so Much Good!To complicate things, the song plays a dirty little trick (I’m exaggerating) by adding in some lyrics from an old hymn. This will move the hearts of those who have been around the church for decades, and perhaps convince them of the song’s worth.
The song includes lyrics from “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.”
I recognize and celebrate that we “who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Praise the Lord! And the hymn speaks of the blood of Jesus just like the Bible does—within the context of our salvation. That is, Jesus’ blood washes “away my sin,” “makes me whole again,” atones for our sin, and, therefore, give me “hope and peace” for “my future.”
These aspects of the old hymn and the new “Plead the Blood” song are great.
Similar to the old hymn, “Plead the Blood,” correctly recognizes that in Christ’s blood, “my freedom’s been purchased in full” (verse 3). Good work, Chris Davenport, Brandon Lake, and Cody Carnes! (I think maybe just Davenport wrote the song.)
At Least They’re Not Applying the BloodAnother thing that the song “Plead the Blood” has going for it is that it isn’t trying to “apply the blood” of Jesus. As I’ve written previously, the Bible doesn’t teach that we can do anything with the blood of Jesus, like “apply” it. Instead, it is only God who does anything with the blood of Jesus. So it is wishful thinking to suggest we can “apply the blood” of Jesus.
And at least the song “Plead the Blood” doesn’t go there.
Good Pleading?This might surprise you, but the idea of “pleading the blood” of Jesus is no where in the Bible. Not even in the King James Version … or The Passion Translation.
Nevertheless, “pleading the blood” could be okay at times. Unlike applying the blood, pleading the blood doesn’t necessarily suggest that we are attempting to do something with Jesus’ blood.
In addition, it could make biblical sense to “plead the blood” if we speak of the blood of Jesus in the context of our salvation, like the Bible does. For example, we might say something like, “I am not condemned. I plead the blood of Jesus, which has saved me.”
Missing Key to Spiritual Warfare?If we don’t plead the blood of Jesus, are we missing out of one of the most important weapons of spiritual warfare? Are we giving up some spiritual power that we should take hold of?
No.
As I said above, the Bible never—not ever—speaks of pleading the blood of Jesus.
And what about Ephesians 6? It teaches us about the “whole armor of God.” And yet it does not mention Jesus’ blood in spiritual warfare. Perhaps Paul forgot to mention it in that chapter.
Don’t we Overcome by the Blood of the Lamb?Revelation 12:11 reads, “And they overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
Yes, the verse mentions Jesus’ blood. But, like the rest of the Bible, it does not suggest we should plead the blood.
Actually, if you look at the context of this verse, you will see that it has nothing to do with the way we pray or what we say about Jesus’ blood. Instead, it teaches that “they overcame” because of what Christ had already done on the cross, not because of how they prayed about Jesus’ blood.
So, what’s the problem?1. Well, one problem is that the song goes beyond what the promises of scripture.
As I said above, one could make the case that we could plead the blood for our salvation, since that’s what Jesus’ blood does. But one can not make the same case for pleading the blood regarding other things, like protection, since the Bible no where—never—promises that Jesus’ blood protects our children, our cities, etc.
BUT, we can of course pray for God to protect these things!
So, what does it matter?
- The lyrics of the song imply that if we say the right words, namely “plead the blood,” then certain things will happen. Not that they might happen, but that they will happen. This seems to imply that there is something special about pleading the blood. It seems that “pleading the blood” is more spiritually effective than other types of prayers. (…Do you think that?)
I understand that not everyone who “pleads the blood” thinks this way. Great! BUT, this is what this specific song implies. It’s very present in verse one and two.
The opening words of the song state that we can “draw a boundary” that will protect us from “the thief and his plans” and will cause him to “turnaround” when we “plead the blood.”
When we plead the blood, the song claims, “the enemy can’t take my family.”
Pleading the blood, it seems, is always effective. It makes things happen!
Even if it is unintentional, the song strikes me as having a hint of prosperity theology, but covered in more familiar and Christianeze—that is, if we use the right words and “plead the blood,” everything will go well.
Prayer Trusts in GodUnfortunately, the Christian life is not that certain. No matter what we claim, decree, declare—or plead—stuff happens. Life doesn’t go as we pray or desire. And it isn’t because we aren’t saying the right things.
Unlike such practices, when we pray, we trust in God. We certainly ask for what we want, and at times we might even plead for what we want. But, in the end, prayers are requests of God, not demands. And when we pray, we trust that God will do what is best. And when things don’t go as we pray, we trust that God will continue to be with us, giving us the strength and comfort we need to carry on.
Maybe the Song is Okay…? I’m not in a rush to sing this song, as moving as it is.
At the same time, I do see hints in the song that “pleading the blood” still involves trust in God and a recognition that it won’t always go as we plead.
For example, those who sing the bridge plead the blood not only over their family, but even “over our schools and over our cities.” And they can’t seriously think that one instance of pleading is automatically going to bring safety and protection to every city or school they have in mind as they are singing. Does that mean pleading the blood isn’t always effective?
Also, if pleading the blood is always effective, then I don’t think we would need to “claim it over and over again,” as the bridge claims.
Perhaps, in the end, “pleading the blood” in the song is just another way to pray. Perhaps the song is only expressing hope or a desire that God will act in the way that we plead. And surely all of our prayers should involve placing our hope in God.
Perhaps every time the song says “I plead the blood,” we could simply replace it with the words, “I pray for.” If this is the case, then I have many questions and am confused by the meaning of verses 1-2, since they contradict what I am saying here. If my “perhaps” is correct, then the opening verses shouldn’t speak with such certainty. They should, instead, be more honest—honest with ourselves, and honest with God, while still rightfully placing our hope and trust in God.
And the song certainly shouldn’t make it seem like we need to (or should) plead the blood to do these things. Because the practice of pleading the blood isn’t in the Bible. But praying is.
(If you are frustrated by my blog post, please remember that it is about a specific song, so it might not apply to you.)
Click here to comment on this post, but before you accuse me of being unspiritual, please pause and ask God if there might actually be some truth to what you have read above.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- There is Power in the Tongue, but Not for Declarations and Decrees
- 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
- Stop “Applying the Blood of Jesus”…Because You Can’t
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post Plead the Blood: Questions about a New Song by Cody Carnes, Brandon Lake, and Chris Davenport appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Next Wednesday, May 17, Horizon Seminary is hosing a FREE event (online or in person):
Faculty Sharing: Hear the Heart Behind the CoursesI invite you to listen in as our Faculty share about the upcoming courses and their passion behind them.
More Info
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I also want to note that Horizon College & Seminary is adding to our current graduate programs, two NEW PROGRAMS:
Master of Arts in Biblical & Theological StudiesAnd
Master of DivinityMore Info
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- Horizon’s new Unique M.A. and B.A. Programs (in person and online)
- Horizon College and SEMINARY: Regarding PAOC Graduate Training
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post FREE Seminary Event + New MA and MDiv programs appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Sometimes I hesitate to call myself “blessed.” I wonder, “if I am blessed because I have something, then what about those who don’t have the same thing? Does that mean God has not blessed them?” It makes me feel a little guilty.
Furthermore, the idea of being “blessed” is sometimes associated with prosperity gospel teaching, where it can seem that Christianity, and even our salvation, can become self-focused—all about being #blessed.
In this post I will face my hesitations to reclaim (or reaffirm) the blessing of God.
The Blessings of the LordDespite my hesitations, the reality is that God does, at times, bless people. The theme is especially prominent in the Old Testament.
- “Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you” (Proverbs 5:18, similarly Ruth’s husband in Ruth 1:9). My wife is surely a blessing to me!
- “The Lord blesses them with peace” (Psalm 29:11).
- “How blessed you are, O Israel! … He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword!” (Deuteronomy 33:29).
- “I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. …and I will give you long, full lives” (Exodus 23:25-26).
Overall, one can be blessed with a generally good and pleasurable life:
Your towns and your fields will be blessed. Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed” (Deuteronomy 28:3-6).
Wealth or Not?Those who preach prosperity are correct that sometimes God blesses with riches and wealth:
- “The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).
- “And the LORD has greatly blessed my master [Abraham]; he has become wealthy. The LORD has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys” (Genesis 24:35).
But the blessing of wealth is not a promise for every Christian. In fact, sometimes God’s blessing means that we have what we need, even when we don’t have much. Consider what the Bible says about the Israelites when they were wondering through the wilderness for forty years.
For the LORD your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing” (Deuteronomy 2:7).
That was not a time of wealth and abundance! But they were blessed.
Claiming and Declaring BlessingsAll of the above blessings are not guaranteed for every Christian. God doesn’t bless everyone in the same way. That’s why I’ve used phrases above like “God’s blessings can include,” and “sometimes God blesses with riches.”
So, how can we ensure we receive God’s blessing? We can’t.
It is very clear that the Bible never says we need to claim God’s blessings as though they are all rightfully ours.
(I have no Bible verses to quote here because it isn’t in the Bible—that’s my point.)
The Bible also never says that God will bless us only if we have enough faith.
And it certainly never says that we will receive God’s blessing only if we decree or declare them over our lives.
(The Bible verse you are thinking of doesn’t work if you consider it’s context.)
In many respects, God’s blessings are not promised to us. At least not all of them. Rather, to some extent, we receive God’s blessings as gifts that come from God’s grace. The result is that we can even speak of receiving “one gracious blessing after another” (John 1:16).
The Secret to Receive God’s Blessing—For Real!At the same time, the Bible does make it clear that many of God’s blessings are in response to what we do—and in that sense, I’m not so sure blessings are only gifts.
If there is any secret to receiving God’s blessing, it is this—living a righteous life, in obedience to God. This is a theme from the beginning to the end of Scripture.
God told the Israelites on many occasions, “You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today” (Deuteronomy 11:27). We also read, “You bless the godly, O LORD” (Psalms 5:12). And “The LORD … blesses the home of the upright” (Proverbs 3:33). This includes, specifically, those who are generous with the poor (Proverbs 14:21 and 22:9).
Jesus taught that those who are humble, just, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers will be blessed (Mathew 5:2-12). And in the book of Revelation, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book” (Revelation 22:7).
In direct contrast to those who receive blessing in response to their obedience, Jeremiah informed those around him, “Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things” (Jeremiah 5:25).
I say that living in obedience to God is the “secret” to blessing, because I don’t get the sense that prosperity preachers give as much emphasis to obedience as they typically do to having faith. Having said that, if we rightly understand faith, then our faith should lead us to obedience.
The Problem of BlessingThe reality is that even godly living doesn’t guarantee God’s blessing…at least not in this present life. And a lack of blessing doesn’t necessarily point to disobedience. For example, consider that “the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life” (Job 42:12), even though he first experienced significant suffering.
I also often remind myself that some of the heroes of faith who are listed in Hebrews 11 faced a lot of challenges in life, like being destitute, mistreated, tortured, put in prison, or cut in half (verses 35-37)! This happened even though they were “too good for this world” (Hebrews 11:38). Where was there blessing?
We might call this the problem of blessing—but really it is just another instance of the problem of evil.
And to make matters worse, those who are disobedient to God, sometimes seem “blessed.” We take caution from the prophet Malachi:
You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying His commands or by trying to show the LORD of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.” (Malachi 3:14-15)
And, here again, the problem of blessing rears its ugly head.
Answers to the Problem of BlessingWhat can we say about those who do not seem so “blessed,” especially if it seems that they are living in complete obedience to God? Maybe they are even “entirely sanctified” (if you believe in that).
I can think of at least three possible answers.
- Maybe the person is not blessed in the same way as you, but maybe you are looking for the wrong blessing. In other words, maybe God is blessing them in ways that aren’t immediately obvious to you.
- We trust that God in his wisdom, love, and sovereignty, knows best when it comes to how and when to bless people.
- We understand that God will also provide blessing in the afterlife.
A Blessing for YOU I will close this #Blessed blogpost with a blessing for you.
The Lord “will bless those who fear the LORD, both great and lowly. May the LORD richly bless both you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalms 115:12-15).
Amen.
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
- There is Power in the Tongue, but Not for Declarations and Decrees
- 10 Ways to Pray the DEMONS out of Your Heathen CAT
Get Your FREE PDF→ Click here to get your FREE PDF called, “Four Simple Ways to Identify the Prosperity Gospel.”
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post The Secret to Reclaiming the Blessing of God appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
The PAOC has now published a commentary on its relatively new (May 2022) Statement of Essential Truths (SOET).
Each chapter in the commentary covers a section of the SOET. Much like a commentary on the Bible, the chapters explain the wording in each sentence of the SOET. In addition, the chapters give some sense of how the doctrine has been considered by Pentecostals historically, the way in which the commentary is aiming to be intentionally Pentecostal, and also different contextual issues that each section is aiming to address. This includes cultural issues and issues that were raised by members of the PAOC during the process of forming the SOET.
The book explains that “the intended audience includes the pastor/teacher, those preparing for ministry, and of course, the many in our congregations who want to know what we believe” (page xvi).
Unlike the SOET itself, the commentary does not represent the official position of the PAOC, in as much as the PAOC General Conference did not vote on the commentary. As the preface states, the commentary is “meant to be suggestive and helpful for teaching and preaching. We make no claim that the explanations of the SOET are necessarily the official ones, nor that the comments contained herein are the only ones to be made” (page xv).
I had the privilege of being one of the contributing authors to and editors of the commentary. Now I look forward to revising the SOET again… maybe 2042….or 2052?
If you haven’t already seen them, you might be interested in some of my personal reflections on the SOET:
- The Changing of the PAOC’s Statement of Faith … Again
- Pentecostals and the Trinity: On the PAOC’s Refreshed Statement of Faith
- Pentecostal(?) Eschatology in the PAOC’s Proposed New Statement of Faith
- 7 Ways the PAOC’s Proposed Statement of Faith Adds Pentecostal Spice
- What about Tongues? Spirit baptism in the PAOC’s Proposed Statement of Faith
- Refreshed! The PAOC’s New Statement of Essential Truths
You can order copies of the commentary by calling the PAOC office at 1-800-779-7262 or emailing orderdesk@paoc.org. Copies are priced at $10 each, and $8 each for orders of 10 or more (plus shipping). See here for more information about the commentary.
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post Comments on “Essential Truths: The PAOC Statement of Essential Truths Commentary” appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
There is no “right” or “wrong” answer.
Now you know.
May the peace of Christ fill your heart this Christmas.
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- “Happy Holidays” Points to the Meaning of Life
- Advent Candle Readings for Families with Children
- The Significance of the Holy Spirit at Christmas: And What it says about Jesus’ and Our Identity
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post 🎄 Should Churches Meet for Worship when Christmas is on a Sunday? THE Definitive Answer 🎄 appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
In this short video, I share some thoughts on how non-trans Christians should respond to transgender and queer people. I hope you find it helpful.
If you’re interested in a longer reflection on this topic, you might listen to an hour-long talk I did on this previously, which I have posted here.
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- LGBTQ+ (Part 2): Pentecostal Reflections on Gender Identity and Being Transgender
- LGBTQ+ (Part 1): Pentecostal Reflections on Sexual Orientation
- MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying): Pentecostal Perspectives
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post How Should non-Trans Christians Respond to Transgender and Queer People? appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
I recently presented on the topic of The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible. It was part of a Horizon Seminary event with the topic, “Why Does the Bible Matter? The Transformative Impact of the Scriptures.”
In my presentation, I emphasized the need for a “deep view of Scripture” (in comparison to a low or high view of Scripture).
My presentation was 18 minutes, and it begins at the 0:23:45 minute mark. You can watch it here: https://video.horizon.edu/en/c/why-does-the-bible-matter.4818
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
- Pentecostal and Evangelical Bible Commentaries
- What is Discipleship? More than Praying and Reading the Bible
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.The post The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
In today's video, I interview Dr. Amos Yong from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. I ask him about key themes in disability theology and how disability theology might speak to Pentecostalism.
The post Disability Theology and Pentecostalism appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Hours ago the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) voted to approve of a new Statement of Essential Truths (SOET). Wow! The SOET adds Pentecostal flavour, including in the eschatology section and the Spirit baptism section. [...]
The post Refreshed! The PAOC’s New Statement of Essential Truths appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
In the last couple of years, Horizon College & Seminary has launched numerous amazing and unique M.A. and B.A. programs. These can be completed in person or online. We have students from BC to NS, but we are still waiting from some from NWT, Yukon, and Nunavut. These are programs like: Master of Arts in […]
The post Horizon’s new Unique M.A. and B.A. Programs (in person and online) appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Spirit baptism is THE ISSUE that most people want to know about. Is it possible that the Spirit baptism section could add Pentecostal flavour? And where is "initial evidence?" [...]
The post What about Tongues? Spirit baptism in the PAOC’s Proposed Statement of Faith appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
After a 7-year process, this month, May 2022, the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) will vote on a new statement of faith at its General Conference. The refreshed statement uses contemporary language, like “worship” instead of “homage,” and it adds more Pentecostal spice to the statement. [...]
The post 7 Ways the PAOC’s Proposed Statement of Faith Adds Pentecostal Spice appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Since 2015 the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) has been in a process of refreshing its Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths (SOFET), including its eschatology. Overall, the new proposed statement regarding eschatology is slightly more Pentecostal than the current SOFET, and it is more in line with the PAOC’s earliest statements on eschatology and […]
The post Pentecostal(?) Eschatology in the PAOC’s Proposed New Statement of Faith appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Here I interview Dr. Peter Neumann from Master's College and Seminary in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. I ask him about what a theology of experience is, what it means for Pentecostals, and what difference these ideas make for the average Christian.
The post Pentecostal Theology of Experience appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
“Leadership” seems like a buzz word among Christians these days. Between the newness of the study of “leadership,”[1] and the fact that there is nothing inherently Christian about “leadership,” some Christians express concern that the emphasis on leadership makes churches unknowingly bring secular business theories (by which they mean anti-Christian theories) into the church. One […]
The post Does the Church need Pastors or “Leaders”? appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
What is the anointing? In some Christian circles you might hear someone say, “the worship was so anointed,” or “the pastor was really anointed today.” What do they mean? But more importantly, how does the Bible...
The post 5 Surprises About “the Anointing” in the New Testament appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Please join me in a written prayer inviting Jesus to speak to us in spaces that we may not have invited him to speak to us before: Lord, as Christians, we want to be able to meaningfully contribute to reconciliation between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Peoples, but we need you to lead us and guide us. Jesus, help us be better reconcilers between one another. Lord, we know that once we accept [...]
The post Yes, Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Christians Just Need Jesus: Reconciliation Requires Jesus’ Lead appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
If you’ve been following my blog for a few years, you will know that the PAOC has been in a process of refreshing its Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths (SOFET). While some changes have been made as recently as 2014, such a project has not been undertaken since 1980. I have served on the […]
The post Pentecostals and the Trinity: On the PAOC’s Refreshed Statement of Faith appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
In the quest for reconciliation in Canada, some Christians feel that the answer to the problem is Jesus. They correctly observe, “We can’t change the past.” They may feel that even if all of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action were carried out, it would not be enough to satisfy Indigenous […]
The post No, Indigenous Canadians Don’t Just Need Jesus: Reconciliation Requires More appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
I am an Indigenous Canadian Christian of Mi’kmaq decent (Atlantic Canada). My identity is complicated by the fact that I am not a visible minority (like many Mi’kmaq people, I don’t share the stereotypical First Nation look), I didn’t grow up on a reserve (though most Indigenous people in Canada do not live on reserves), […]
The post Some Indigenous Reflections on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
I have been tasked with compiling a list of all PAOC / PAONL credential holders who are either in possession of or working toward a Doctorate in some area theology related (e.g., ministry, Bible, religion, history, sociology). This may include YOU! Please pass the link to this web page on to people that you know. If you have credentials from the PANOL, I would be glad to hear from you too.
I am looking for the following information (or whatever you are comfortable providing):
- Name
- Degree, institution, and convocation year (or in progress)
- General area of study (e.g. NT, Systematic Theology)
- Primary areas of expertise (e.g., Pneumatology, Reformation history)
- Dissertation title
- Current placement (e.g., church, school)
- Contact information
You can either post your information below as a comment on this blog or e-mail me your information at agabriel(at)horizon.edu. I would prefer that you NOT e-mail me your full CV. Rather, please just send me the information as listed above so I can easily copy and paste it into my database.
Thanks!
Again, please pass the link to this web page on to people that you know.
To get the party started, I will start off with my information below…
[originally posted Monday, March 12, 2012; updated December 2020]
The post PAOC / PAONL Credential Holders with Doctorates (or in progress) appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
I have posted on this topic on Horizon’s web page. See here: https://www.horizon.edu/2020/05/28/psalms-during-covid-19/
You are welcome to comment on the post below.
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- Should I Declare the Blood of Jesus Over my Home to Stop COVID-19?
- 10 Ways to Pray the DEMONS out of Your Heathen CAT
- 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter. The post Psalms for Divine Protection from COVID-19 appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Times of crisis can make us feel like “normal” prayers are not enough. They can make us feel like we need to pull out the big guns (spiritually speaking) to engage in heavy spiritual warfare. As a result, more and more people are declaring an end to COVID-19 and applying Jesus’ blood. Some are even putting the two practices together: declaring Jesus blood.
Red Ribbons as Symbols of Jesus’ Blood I saw a social media post this week of a woman who tied a red ribbon outside her home (#RedRibbon). Her post stated that she was applying the blood of Jesus on the doorpost of her home and thereby declaring that COVID-19 will not enter her home or touch her family.[1]
She also quoted Exodus 12:13: “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”
Power in the Blood Yes, I AGREE that the blood of Jesus is powerful. But, as I’ve written previously, we cannot apply the blood of Jesus (“pleading” the blood of Jesus is a little different [2]). I won’t repeat myself here, other than to reemphasize that the Bible never says we have any control over the blood of Jesus, and it has no record of anyone ever applying the blood of Jesus. Instead, we read of God applying the blood of Jesus to us.
I should add that if you search the word “blood” in the New Testament, you will not find any references that speak of Jesus’ blood giving us physical protection. Instead, the Bible speaks of the blood of Jesus with respect to our salvation, and not with respect to inanimate objects like cars or houses.
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[Side note: Some who seek to apply Jesus’ blood quote Revelation 12:11, which says, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb…” However, if you read the context of this verse, it teaches that “they triumphed” (KJV, “they overcame”) because of what Christ had already done, not because of something “they” prayed, declared, or did with Jesus blood.]
Presuppositions of Applying the Blood for Protection from COVID-19 One thing that struck me right away is that the thinking in the social media post I mentioned above presupposes that:
- COVID-19 is the result of an act of God’s judgment (like the 10 plagues were).
- God is using COVID-19 to judge their neighbors (like God judged the Egyptians).
- God has told us a certain means of protection from COVID-19 (spiritually applying blood to our doorposts).
If this isn’t apparent, read Exodus 12:13 again, which I quoted above.
I also thought this person’s declaration was a little selfish. Why only declare protection for her own family? Why not for her non-Christian neighbor? And if she really has control over Jesus’ blood, why not apply it over every house on her block?
[I recognize this might sound sarcastic, but these are my sincere questions.]
More Generous Declarations Kenneth Copeland is more generous. He recently declared COVID-19 “destroyed forever” (see this video from the 1:40 mark). That’s good for everyone! As I said, very generous.
It seems COVID-19 has brought out the best of prosperity theology.
[Yes, now I’m being sarcastic.]
But, as I’ve written before, our words do not have the power of God—only God’s words do, because only God is omnipotent. To be clear, Copeland is not simply declaring the truth of Scripture. He is trying to change the world by killing a virus with the “spiritual power” of his words.
Harm from Declarations Many people will copy this practice, some in seemingly harmless ways. They might not declare that COVID-19 can’t harm them—they might simply declare 10 lives for their cat, rather than 9. But when their declarations don’t come to pass, it will harm them. They might not die of COVID-19—but I bet some will—and when enough of their declarations don’t come to pass, their faith will be injured. Or they may loose their faith altogether. Or they might die.
You might be thinking:
I will make declarations and apply Jesus’ blood, but I’m still going to be careful. I will still practice physical distancing and wash my hands like I just got baby poo all over them.
But why?
IF a person can truly declare and apply the blood of Jesus over themselves for protection, then logically they should have nothing to be concerned about. Nothing. I mean, we are talking about the power of the divine Son of God! But this paragraph started with a big “IF.”
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| “ | IF a person can truly declare Jesus’ blood for protection, then they should have nothing to be concerned about. |
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In some parts of the world, Christians continue to assemble in mass gatherings for “essential” worship services. Many of these people believe the blood of Jesus and their declarations will protect them from COVID-19.
Perhaps they haven’t heard that some Pentecostal leaders in the Assemblies of God were diagnosed with COVID-19, and at least one was critically ill. Perhaps they haven’t heard that even people who gather at Pentecostal churches are contracting COVID-19. Perhaps they haven’t heard that Pentecostals pastors are dying from COVID-19 (here and here). Maybe they didn’t pray the right prayers or declare the right things. I think that conclusion would be offensive.
The reality is, Christians get sick—with the cold, pneumonia, and the COVID-19 virus. The flu is a virus too.
Friends, please, let’s stop pretending that “slightly off” teachings aren’t going to affect anyone. Theology matters. And in this case, it is a matter of life and death for some.
Sit on our Spiritual Hands? Should we just sit on our spiritual hands and do nothing? Of course not.
Please:
- “Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.” (Leviticus 19:16).
- Pray for God’s “kingdom come… on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). This implies prayer for healing (Luke 10:9) and for a time of “no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).
- “Do not worry” (Matthew 6:31) and know that “your heavenly Father” (6:26 & 32) will care for you.
- “Wash your hands, you sinners” (James 4:8) [totally taking that out of context just because it’s my favorite verse these days ]
And we can certainly “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18).
Notes:
[1] Important footnote: I saw a similar social media post from someone who tied a red ribbon outside his home, but he explicitly said that it was nothing magical and that he knew the ribbon wouldn’t protect him. He explained that for him it was no different from wearing a t-shirt that indicates his faith in Jesus. This, I have no problem with, although it does concern me that it might influence others to take it a step further and assume their actions of tying red ribbons outside their homes actually do have protective power.
[2] “Pleading” the blood of Jesus is less problematic because “pleading” is an appeal for God’s action or protection. In contrast, “applying” the blood implies we have control over it, just like the Israelites had control over whether or not they applied literal blood over their doorposts (Exodus 12:7 & 22).
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You might also be interested in these posts:
- Stop “Applying the Blood of Jesus”…Because You Can’t
- Should Christians Declare or Decree Things over Their Lives?
- Psalms for Divine Protection from COVID-19
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter. The post Should I Declare the Blood of Jesus Over my Home to Stop COVID-19? appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
Is there power in the tongue? Of course….but…
I’ve written a couple of posts in the past about whether or not Christians should be declaring or decreeing things over their lives. In summary, if we are only declaring things that the Bible already says are true, then it can be okay. Nevertheless, if these things are already true, then we don’t really need to declare them—we can just thank God for them.
Change Your Words, Change Your Destiny At the same time, I’m concerned that many Christians are decreeing and declaring things that the Bible never promises and that they only wish for. Moreover, many think their decrees and declarations actually change their “destiny.” This I do not see in Scripture.
One might argue that the words that we speak about ourselves impact us, and, therefore, shape our destiny. This is very true. And I agree that we should be careful what we say about ourselves, both out loud and in our minds, because our self-talk does influence our actions, and therefore our words do affect our futures.
And yet, I don’t need the Bible to tell me this. Recognizing the impact of positive self-talk is simple psychology. And it is a far cry from saying that when we declare and decree things that we want to happen, they will happen (or at least should happen).
This doesn’t sound like something from the Bible, but more like something out of The Secret, a book that Oprah Winfrey was promoting in the early 2000s.
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Speak Things into Being When I point out that there is no verse in the Bible where anyone ever says, “I decree and declare X over my life,” one question Christians sometimes raise is, “But don’t you believe the Bible when it says there is power in the tongue?”
Yes, I do. But we have to ask, what does the Bible mean when it refers to the power of the tongue?
Some Christians claim that because we are created in the image of God, we, like God, have the power in our tongues to speak things into being.
This is poor reasoning. God spoke the world into being literally out of nothing. No human has ever done that. And this is why no theologian in church history has ever suggested that being created in the image of God means that human words have creative power. Well…this, plus the fact that this idea has no biblical support.
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Another thing—if we have the ability to speak things into being simply because we are created in the image of God, then any human being can do this, not just Christians, because every person is made in the image of God.
So the comparison of the power of God’s words and our words is not really helpful in this discussion. But the tongue is still powerful.
Power in the Tongue There are indeed a number of verses in the Bible that talk about the significance of the “tongue,” that is, the power of our words.
The one I usually see cited says this:
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21, NIV).
What does “power” mean here?
If you look at this chapter, you will see that verse 21 is surrounded by verses that are all about how we treat other people. So when verse 21 says “the tongue has the power of life and death,” it means that we can hurt or encourage others by how we speak.
The second part of this verse says “And those who love it [the tongue] will eat its fruit.” Other Bible translations bring clarity to the meaning of this statement. For example, the CEV translates this, “Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say.” And the NLT translates this, “those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Or if you prefer the KJV, “they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Biblical Truth So, overall, Proverbs 18:21 is not talking about Christians speaking things over their own lives, but about being careful about how we talk to other people.
The Bible is right.
Our tongues are powerful. Our words have great influence on others. So be careful what you say, because your tongue can tear a person down, or build them up.
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
- Is God For You…Not Against You?
- Should Christians Declare or Decree Things over Their Lives?
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter. The post There is Power in the Tongue, but Not for Declarations and Decrees appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.
This past weekend I preached on the issue of MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying). While it wasn’t so long ago that I posted on this topic, I was encouraged to post my sermon here.
One of the things I emphasized is that Christians should not determine right and wrong based on what they or society “feels” is right nor on what seems to produce the best results for them or others. Notably, neither of these approaches to ethics require God. Instead, Christians should recognize that God determines what is right and wrong and, therefore, we should always be asking ourselves what God wants with respect to morality.
My sermon begins at the 58:55 mark at this link (or click on the picture below).
If you’re only looking for a laugh today, I may have knocked my notes of the pulpit at the 1:22:30 mark . Oops.
Leave a comment below by clicking here.
You might also be interested in these posts:
- Myth #4: “The Spirit-Filled Life = Success and Victory”
- MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying): Pentecostal Perspectives
- Shouldn’t Faith Always Result in Healing?
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter. The post Sermon: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.