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First and foremost a spiritual movement, or just "movement" given in the proper context, is just that... a movement, or a movement of the Holy Spirit.
And it seems that wherever the real deal manifests itself, there are "fakes" and "phonies" that seem to follow as a natural course of action. Part of the reason for this is the attraction of anything supernatural that occurs, and the personality type that is drawn to such events. In the bible there is the story of a man named Elymas the sorcerer in the Book of Acts...
The word sorcerer that is used in Acts 13:8 is the same word that is used of the wise men who brought gifts to the King (Jesus) in the gospel accounts of His birth in Matthew chapter 2, it is magos (or Magi, from whence the word "magic" is derived in English). It occurs in only two places in the bible, in Matthew 2 and Acts 13 interestingly enough.
I think it is a mistake to completely discount those who seek or have extra-biblical spiritual knowledge of things that pertain to God, but it is extremely important to understand that they are not sent and as the Apostle Paul described Elymas, they are most likely... "full of all deceit and all fraud, a son of the devil, and an enemy of all righteousness". The main difference here is in who is in control, and under what power and authority the "magician" is operating under and for.
In this day and age it is not at all uncommon to hear of people who have spiritual understanding and knowledge that have cast their spell upon others in books, spiritual workshops and even healing clinics. It is not the sign and wonder that validates the prophet, but for whom he or she has been called by and sent forward with what authority. Therefore, it is most important to realize that a movement, any movement including the Azusa Street revival and the Jesus Movement, gain their legitimacy only because it was God moving in and among His people, and certainly not His doing just the right things to make God perform miracles to attract seekers of spiritualism through signs from above.
You probably won't find a person who wishes to see the revival of something like the Jesus Movement more than myself. I find that particular period of church absolutely fascinating, however there is a difference between nostalgia and the work God was accomplishing in the 70s in hippie-land in America. Nostalgia aside, what I truly long for is to see God moving in and through His people as barriers tumble down and the "establishment" is rocked to its core and re-reminded that it is God's church, and not the monument they have built.
It's hard to say why, how, when or where we sill see a resurgence of the Holy Spirit. Some have drifted towards the Emergent Church Movement in search of where the wind blows next. Others are looking at tearing down social barriers such as the acceptance of gay and lesbian couples within the church. I really don't know. What I do know is that God is not a respecter of the institutions and divisions in the name of social order created by man, but that we must be careful not to let ourselves drift towards things that are unbiblical for the sake of rubbing that genie out of the bottle. If what is occurring is unbiblical then it is false, pure and simple. The hard part though is being able to discern between our hard headed interpretations of scripture and a clear case where God is taking control of something that was never ours to begin with.
And it seems that wherever the real deal manifests itself, there are "fakes" and "phonies" that seem to follow as a natural course of action. Part of the reason for this is the attraction of anything supernatural that occurs, and the personality type that is drawn to such events. In the bible there is the story of a man named Elymas the sorcerer in the Book of Acts...
Acts 13:4-12
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.
6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time."
And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
First of all, Paul's missionary journeys were in and of themselves all movements of the Holy Spirit, as were just about every other event surrounding the Apostles wherever they went. They were chosen by God to do specific things, and this dynamic can be overlooked. In fact if you stop and think about, anyone who is not sent (apostle means one who is sent by the way) by God and trying to start a revival or a movement, is in fact trying use God kind of like rubbing the magic bottle hoping that a genie emerges to grant you your wishes.4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.
6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time."
And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
The word sorcerer that is used in Acts 13:8 is the same word that is used of the wise men who brought gifts to the King (Jesus) in the gospel accounts of His birth in Matthew chapter 2, it is magos (or Magi, from whence the word "magic" is derived in English). It occurs in only two places in the bible, in Matthew 2 and Acts 13 interestingly enough.
I think it is a mistake to completely discount those who seek or have extra-biblical spiritual knowledge of things that pertain to God, but it is extremely important to understand that they are not sent and as the Apostle Paul described Elymas, they are most likely... "full of all deceit and all fraud, a son of the devil, and an enemy of all righteousness". The main difference here is in who is in control, and under what power and authority the "magician" is operating under and for.
In this day and age it is not at all uncommon to hear of people who have spiritual understanding and knowledge that have cast their spell upon others in books, spiritual workshops and even healing clinics. It is not the sign and wonder that validates the prophet, but for whom he or she has been called by and sent forward with what authority. Therefore, it is most important to realize that a movement, any movement including the Azusa Street revival and the Jesus Movement, gain their legitimacy only because it was God moving in and among His people, and certainly not His doing just the right things to make God perform miracles to attract seekers of spiritualism through signs from above.
You probably won't find a person who wishes to see the revival of something like the Jesus Movement more than myself. I find that particular period of church absolutely fascinating, however there is a difference between nostalgia and the work God was accomplishing in the 70s in hippie-land in America. Nostalgia aside, what I truly long for is to see God moving in and through His people as barriers tumble down and the "establishment" is rocked to its core and re-reminded that it is God's church, and not the monument they have built.
It's hard to say why, how, when or where we sill see a resurgence of the Holy Spirit. Some have drifted towards the Emergent Church Movement in search of where the wind blows next. Others are looking at tearing down social barriers such as the acceptance of gay and lesbian couples within the church. I really don't know. What I do know is that God is not a respecter of the institutions and divisions in the name of social order created by man, but that we must be careful not to let ourselves drift towards things that are unbiblical for the sake of rubbing that genie out of the bottle. If what is occurring is unbiblical then it is false, pure and simple. The hard part though is being able to discern between our hard headed interpretations of scripture and a clear case where God is taking control of something that was never ours to begin with.
