Introduction. How to think about unusual spiritual phenomena. 1 Sam 19

Transcription

1 1 Introduction How to think about unusual spiritual phenomena Words:???? 1 Sam 19 St Stephens Belrose Sept 11, 2016 My message today is about unusual spiritual phenomena. When the Spirit moves sometimes strange things happen. People begin to behave in unusual ways. And it is hard to know just what to make of it. So I have called today s message How to think about strange spiritual phenomena. Here s an example. In the 90 s there was a movement which spread through the charismatic Church which was known as the Toronto blessing. That s because it started in the Toronto Airport Vineyard church. It spread quickly to many parts of the world including Sydney. Randwick Baptist Church was a centre but it affected many Churches across the city. It was very powerful. Suddenly churches would begin to experience a new hunger for God. To accommodate this renewed hunger they would begin to conduct extra meetings. Randwick BC was holding five extra midweek meetings in addition to its normal Sunday meetings. People flocked from all over the city so that the Church was full almost every night of the week. And there was a special fervor and expectation. The meetings were conducted like a standard free Church meeting with worship and preaching. And then there was a time for people to come forward and receive prayer. The seats were set back to

2 2 allow space at the front of the room and many people would come forward. That s when things got interesting! People would often fall down when they were being prayed for. (I remember praying for a man during one of these meetings. I must have closed my eyes because when I looked up he was gone! Flat on his back at my feet!) But they would also often shake uncontrollably. And weep. Or howl. Or laugh. It was very noisy. Sometimes a sentiment would pass through the gathered crowd laughing or crying or groaning. In some places people barked like dogs. And in others they snorted like pigs. And there was something distinctive too about the prayers that were offered for those who came forward. They were often for a filling of the Spirit and the prayer was frequently more Lord. This was sometime accompanied by a waving gesture as if fanning the person with the Spirit. People often stayed on the ground for a long time ( carpet time ) and the meeting itself would carry on for many hours. Sometimes some kind of deliverance prayer was offered and that too would give rise to all kinds of strange behavior shrieking and convulsing and the like. Now at Mosman BC Church we had many connections with Randwick BC. We shared staff. We supplied several worship bands to help Randwick conduct their meetings. And we had plenty of people who were very interested in this new work of the Spirit. We could have easily begun conducting our own meetings in the same vein. We had to decide what to do. We had to decide what to think about the Toronto blessing. We could have taken the view that this was the long-awaited renewal of the Church and that we should be at the centre of it. I had friends who I greatly respected who took that view. I wasn t convinced about that. But we could also have taken the opposite approach of labeling this whole thing as demonic. Again some leading figures in the Baptist denomination were taking that view. But that too seemed unwarranted. What view should we have taken? It s not simple is it? So that s why I want today to speak on this subject: how to think about unusual spiritual phenomena. And this chapter of 1 Sam provides us with some wonderful guidance on just this subject. But let s remind ourselves of the story so far. Saul of course is the King of Israel. But Saul s kingship is in terminal decline. Already Saul s replacement is in the picture. The young David has been anointed by the prophetic kingmaker Samuel. And as the months go on David is going from strength to strength. His kingship is still some years away but he is on the rise. Saul knows this in his bones and is fighting it with everything he has. And here in ch 19 his murderous hatred for David comes out into the

3 3 open. See v1. Saul wants David killed. But Saul fails at every point. This chapter tells four stories in which Saul tries and fails to kill David. In the first story Saul s son Jonathon intervenes and persuades his father to desist. In the second Saul throws a spear at David but David skips out of the way. In the third Saul s daughter Michal (married to David) protects David and helps him to escape. And in the fourth story the Spirit of God intervenes to give David time to escape. And it s this fourth story which is most interesting when we are thinking about unusual spiritual phenomena. And today I d like to offer two questions we can ask when we encounter strange spiritual events. These are: First then What kingdom is being promoted? What kind of people are being produced? 1. What kingdom is being promoted? Explanation Let s look more closely at the story here (vv18-24). Saul has made it clear he intends to kill David. And warned by his wife Michal, David has evaded Saul s men and fled the city. He goes to Ramah to find the prophet Samuel presumably to get some advice from him about what to do. Now Samuel was not in his home that day. But he was nearby somewhere on the outskirts of Ramah at a place called Naioth. This was a kind of campsite in the fields outside the town. Samuel was there with the group of prophets of which he was the leader. We ve met this group before in 1 Sam 10 (or one very like it). There we read that they were coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them (5) and that they were prophesying. And here in ch 19 we read again that they were prophets prophesying (19:20). It doesn t seem as though these prophets were standing up to give a prophetic address. It seems rather that they were in some kind of ecstatic state. When Saul found out where David was he sent his men to arrest him. But we read that the Spirit of God came on (them) and they also prophesied (20). Whatever was going on it overwhelmed them and prevented them from obeying their orders. So Saul sent a second group. But they too were waylaid by the Spirit. And a third group until Saul decided he had to do it himself. But even before he arrived at the camp he himself began prophesying and after some time there taking part in this strange event he ended up taking off his robes and then lying there naked, presumably exhausted, all that day and night (24).

4 4 So something strange was going on there at Naioth: what we might call unusual spiritual phenomena. We can see enough to get a sense that these people were caught up into some kind of exuberant frenzy. And the narrative makes it plain that this was a work of the Holy Spirit. That s probably all we can say about what really happened there. But we can say more about the meaning of this strange work of the Spirit. It s about the coming of the kingdom. When Saul first prophesied in ch 10 it was a sign that God was equipping him for kingship. But here it is the reverse. It is a sign of Saul s loss of kingship. The Spirit moves and prevents Saul s men from carrying out their master s instructions. And Saul himself can no longer do as he wishes. And instead he casts off his royal robes and the last we see of him in this episode is a pathetic naked man, paralysed and humiliated. A king in name only. And David? Protected and preserved by the work of the Spirit so that in due course he might take the throne once it is vacated by Saul. So these strange spiritual events take their meaning from the narrative of Saul s declining kingship and David s coming kingship. And so this chapter offers us an excellent question to ask of any unusual spiritual happenings: what kingdom is being promoted? Illustration Application You might be thinking well, that s what happened on that occasion. Is it fair to generalize from this single event to everything the Spirit does? It s a fair question. So let me briefly explain why I see this as a core issue for determining whether an unusual phenomenon is indeed a work of the Holy Spirit. First, the single, central idea in the teaching of Jesus is the coming Kingdom of God. Everything Jesus said and did is organized around this core idea. Second, David and his kingship is a prophetic forerunner of Jesus and his kingdom (see 2 Sam 7). Third, when Jesus spoke of the coming of the Spirit he always linked the work of the Spirit to his own authority. (For example he said the Spirit will glorify me by taking what is mine and making it known to you. And he says All that belongs to the Father is mine (Jn 16:14-15). Jesus shares the Father s authority and by the Spirit he shares this with his disciples.) Fourth, throughout the NT the work of the Spirit is linked to the kingly authority of Jesus. For example the resurrection of Jesus is achieved by the power

5 5 of the Holy Spirit and is the declaration that Jesus is the Son of God ie that he is King in terms of Ps 2. See Rom 1:1-4. And in 1 Cor 12 Paul s lays out a foundational teaching for understanding spiritual things: no-one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit (3). Son of God, Lord : these are ways of speaking about authority. About kingship. So kingship and the Spirit are closely bound together in the NT. And they are here too. So I think we are entitled to see this as an example of a wider principal. Which is why I am suggesting that when confronted with unusual spiritual phenomena we can ask this question: whose kingdom is being promoted? So there we are witnessing some kind of unusual behavior which seems to have its origin in the work of the Spirit. And we are wondering if this is a genuine work of the Spirit or not. Here s the first thing we can do. We can listen closely to what is being said. Some kind of story will be told to explain what is going on. What story is it? And is it the story of how Jesus has become king by his life, death and resurrection? Is Jesus being glorified? Is the story of the coming of his Kingdom being told? Sometimes in the excitement of a new spiritual experience this kind of discernment is belittled. So for example in the early days of the Toronto blessing the Vineyard leaders at Toronto told people "not to analyse or question this, but just receive it...or you will lose it". But surely that is too high a price to pay for a spiritual experience. And anyway the scriptures teach us do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 Jn 4:1-3). That s right. The scripture teaches us to believe. But also to not believe. There are some things we are not to believe. And we are called to test what we see. And here is a first very good test: is this experience promoting the kingship of Jesus? Or some other kingdom. It s not enough I believe to point out that the name of Jesus is being spoken. Or that prayers are being offered in the name of Jesus. The question is really What story about Jesus is being told here? What narrative about our Lord is being offered as the context and the explanation for what is going on here? Sadly the western Church has a very long history of attaching the name of Jesus to quite different stories. We used to attach the name of Jesus to the story of colonial conquest: we are Christians and in the name of Jesus we get to run your country and to take its wealth. Today we attach the name of Jesus to the story of personal empowerment: I am a Christian and in the name of Jesus I get to win everything.

6 6 Can you see how those are quite different stories? What matters is that Jesus is King. And we are his people, his obedient servants. We hear his voice and we obey him. We hear his announcement of the coming kingdom and we believe it. We hear his call to seek his kingdom and we obey it. We hear his command to love our enemies and we obey it. We hear his teaching and we encourage one another to obey everything (he) has commanded us (Matt 28:20). This is how Jesus kingdom comes. And if the Spirit of Jesus begins to move in unusual ways then we know this is where he is heading. He s strengthening and expanding and growing and intensifying the rule of Jesus in the world. And so here is the first helpful question to ask when we encounter strange spiritual phenomena: what kingdom is being promoted? But there is a second question we can ask 2. What kind of people are being produced? Explanation We ve seen already how the work of the Spirit paralysed Saul and so protected David. But this paralysis is part of a longer process in which Saul disintegrates as a person. His kingship is in decline but so is he as a person. Take a look at the third story in this chapter (vv 11-17). David evades Saul s spear and escapes to his home. So Saul sends his men to set a watch outside David s home. Their orders are to kill David in the morning. But David s wife Michal tells David that he must escape that night. And so somehow she let s David down from a window in the house and he disappears into the night. Then she takes a statue and places it in David s bed with goat s hair at the head. So in the morning Saul s men knock on the door asking for David. Read v 14. And what do they do? They go away. In the next verse we find them back with Saul. So the conversation with Michal must have gone something like this: Men: Is David here? Michal: Yes. But he not feeling very well today. Men: Oh. Well you see we have order to kill him. But if he s not feeling very well we can come back later. Michal: Thank you. That would be much more convenient.

7 7 So back they go to Saul to report that they couldn t kill David because he was off colour! Once again I think we can imagine the conversation: Saul: I told you to kill David. So where is he? Men: Well you see he wasn t feeling very well today. So we arranged to come back later. Saul: Oh he s sick is he? Feeling poorly? Poor David. Well we wouldn t want to trouble him would we? Well rather than disturb him why not bring him to me in his bed! And then I will kill him! So Saul s men head back to David s place with the ridiculous orders to carry David in his bed back to Saul so that Saul can kill him. And of course once they get there they realize that David isn t there anyway. The lump in the bed is just a statue with a goats hair wig! Just then Saul arrives. And together with his men he realizes that they have been tricked. And so Saul asks his daughter Michal why she deceived him and let David escape. And in response Michal lies to her Father: He threatened to kill me! And so Saul s exhausted collapse under the power of the Spirit later that day is yet another stage in a process of disintegration. It s funny. But it is also tragic. Saul is no longer thinking clearly. His decisions are incomplete. His powers are in decline. His orders are absurd. He is out of his depth. Saul s disintegration is all the more striking when we remember what kind of person David is becoming. Think of the way he rose to the challenge of Goliath. He instinctively saw that this was a challenge to the honour of Yahweh, Israel s God, and that the boastful defiance of the Philistine champion had to be silenced. He knew his own strengths and was confident he could outsmart and out-manoeuvre Goliath. He quickly persuaded Saul that his was the best plan unlikely though it seemed. He retained a cool head and in the heat of the moment had a ready reply to Goliath in the lead up to the contest. And he was effective. He won the day and changed the course of history. What kind of people are being produced? In Saul s case we witness a progressive disintegration of personality to the point of complete paralysis. And in David s case we witness a growing strength and competence. Illustration Application So here is a second question we can ask when we observe unusual spiritual behavior: what kind of people is this producing? I said earlier that we had to decide what to say to the people of Mosman Baptist Church about this

8 8 so-called Toronto blessing. What we said was this: go along to the meetings and see for yourselves what is going on. Go a few times until you feel you ve understood what it is all about. But don t go back for weeks and weeks. And if you go forward for ministry be ready to receive what the Lord gives you and be grateful for it. But don t keep going forward again and again. Taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8) was a text that came to mind at that time. Taste yes; but not a permanent diet. Why did we take that line? Because we were concerned about the emphasis on going back again and again; and the constant prayer for More! More! It seemed to us that this laid a spiritual trap for people. It created a dependence which we believed was unnecessary. And a kind of paralysis. (And when you think about where Saul ended up here in 1 Sam 19 lying prostrate on the floor for hours it makes you think again about those long meetings and all those people lying on the ground for hours on end.) So we encouraged our people to visit but not move in; to taste but not to change their diet. And in retrospect I think that was the right decision. Those who took our advice came away blessed. And those who ignored it were I think damaged by their experience. Now here is the twist. And I offer it tentatively. Saul s kingship was in decline because God decided that it would be so. Saul s paralysis here was because the Spirit overwhelmed him and paralysed him. I wonder then if the Toronto movement included something of this as well. Many people were blessed by their exposure to this Toronto blessing. But was God doing something else as well? All that falling and lying down: was God immobilizing his people? And all that wailing and shouting; barking and snorting; was God humiliating us? Or was this the Lord s way of distracting us while the real Church, the Church of the future, like David, escaped and got free? I ask these questions tentatively. And I would be glad to hear your ideas. So, what kind of people are being produced? It s a question well worth asking when confronted by unusual spiritual phenomena. For example some kinds of Christian spirituality just create anxious Christians. I remember someone bringing me their deceased father s free-masonry kit. Just put it in the bin I said. But for some reason they had to bring it to me so I could throw it in the bin! Of course there are spiritual issues in relation to free-masonry. But there is no reason to be afraid of a box of strange clothes and objects. That s just anxiety masquerading as spirituality.

9 9 Other kinds of Christian spirituality creates aggressive combatants. I remember a Pentecostal denominational leader telling me about their annual Pastors retreat. Coffee time he said was like watching gladiators fighting each other. Each pastor with their band of supporters circling one another across the floor testing themselves against the other pastors. Like knights jousting. My friend was asking himself What kind of people are we producing? It s a good question isn t it? Conclusion I am sure you will join me in my prayer that the Lord will act in our day, in our lives, in our Church and nation. But we need to know that when God intervenes he does so both to raise up and to pull down. God s Kingdom is coming! He brings Saul down. He raises David up. He will have his chosen one on the throne! And this coming kingdom cannot be stopped. God grant us the wisdom and the discernment in our day to share in his coming Kingdom. There are other questions we could ask as well of course. But this chapter suggest these two: What kingdom is being promoted? What kind of people are being produced? One of the great lessons from 1 Sam and the whole of Samuel/Kings is that God acts in human history. And when God intervenes in the affairs of humankind his actions are complex. It s all there in Hanna s extraordinary prayer in ch 2: The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and he exalts. He sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts (6-7).

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