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Table Talk
Charismatics and the "Toronto Blessing"
For several years (beginning in Jan. 1994) there
have been reports of "unusual" activity occurring at the Airport Vineyard
Church in Toronto. People are experiencing "holy laughter" (uncontrollable
laughter), "roaring" or "growling" like lions, and jerking, from head to
toe for long periods of time and considered by leaders of that fellowship
(John Arnott and others) the reviving work of the Holy Spirit or the "Toronto
Blessing." (This "revival" actually originated in South Africa and was
carried to Canada by evangelist Rodney Howard Browne.) Those who are experiencing
these manifestations insist that it is "proof" of God's presence in their
midst. The Airport Vineyard Church sponsors "Catch the Fire Conferences"
in order to fan the flames of this "revival."
Obviously, something that is attracting
hundreds of people not only in Canada but the United States and around
the world (it has impacted hundreds of churches in the British Isles) deserves
to be investigated, weighed by Scripture, and given the benefit of the
doubt unless it is proven to be sub-biblical. Because of its claims, the
"Toronto blessing" has prompted a number of Evangelical discernment ministries
to determine whether the phenomenon is truly of the Spirit and biblically
valid.
Observations
Because believers are experiencing something unusual
(in terms of literal physical manifestations), and not normal even in the
context of the "gifts and manifestations of the Spirit " as recorded in
the book of Acts or Paul's teaching in 1 Cor. 12 & 14, this so-called
"revival" taking place at the Toronto Airport Vineyard along with its "manifestations"
of the Spirit, must be carefully weighed from every angle. I say this because
I would be the last person in the world to say to the Holy Spirit that
He cannot manifest His presence or power in any manner He so chooses! If
He is responsible for what is taking place in Toronto, we must accept it
and support it as a genuine work of God.
However, if on the other hand, the manifestations
of "holy laughter" and other things don't accord with the "norm" of Scripture
and cannot be authenticated by the guidelines of Apostolic teaching, we
must reject it as being of God. Some may argue that we are assuming what
we are trying to prove, namely, that the so-called manifestations of the
Spirit at the Toronto Airport Vineyard are not the "norm" found in Scripture
and therefore false. While that may sound somewhat circular, we take the
view that ALL so-called manifestations of the Spirit in any fellowship
(Vineyard, or not) is to be weighed by Scripture! In other words we begin
with the premise that all experience must be subject to the Word of God
else we end up pitting experience with experience ad infinitum. Actually,
basing the truth of our experience upon something we feel or experience
begs the question and is circular itself! In other words, our experience
is not a barometer for arriving at truth; Scripture is the arbiter of what
is truly of God or not! If our experience rests firmly within the parameters
of Holy Scripture we may safely say God is at work (1 Cor. 14:23-25)!
Conclusion
The subjects of revival, "gifts of the Spirit" or
manifestations of the Spirit (such as tongues, prophecy, etc.), "slain
in the Spirit," or language such as "second blessings" or "third wave of
the Spirit" and other related topics such as the restoration of the "five-fold
ministry" based on Eph. 4:11 arouse both support by many Pentecostal and
Charismatic fellowships, and suspicion and/or rejection by many non-Pentecostal
or Charismatic traditions ( though the Charismatic Movement of the early
sixties and seventies impacted many traditional Protestant and Catholic
churches by the supernatural manifestation of the sign gifts in their midst).
The debate between the different traditions over the perpetuity of spiritual
gifts in the Church continues to be a subject of great interest among scholars
and unfortunately the cause of division among some believers. Our approach
to the subject must be one of humility and genuine concern for the body
of Christ at large for we are being told by those experiencing this so-called
move of the Holy Spirit that if we refuse to accept this and enter into
this blessing we will miss a genuine work of the Holy Spirit and left behind
in this great and perhaps final move of God in our generation!
Many who have followed the Vineyard Movement
lead by John Wimber have pointed out the various problems associated with
that movement. A few years ago, the controversial prophetic movement, Kansas
City Fellowship (founded in 1982 by Mike Bickle) was incorporated into
the Vineyard. To his credit, John Wimber discerned errors in a number of
areas with the KCF and released a 15-point statement with regards to the
errors he and Ernest Gruen (one of the fathers of the charismatic movement
on Kansas City) discovered. Also, it is worth noting that in December of
1995, John Wimber and the Association of Vineyard Churches (AVC) broke
with the Toronto Airport Vineyard (TAV) on the basis (among other things)
of their refusal to stick with the guidelines laid out by Wimber for physical
manifestations.
Our view (without having actually gone to
the Toronto Airport Vinyard) is if what has been described by those who
have gone and witnessed first-hand the phenomenon taking place at this
airport fellowship or at their conferences, is in accord with Scripture,
the results will be a careful self-examination, a renewed sense of holiness,
a renewed love and devotion for God, and a recommittment to evangelism
and the work of the Spirit in the lives of unbelievers!
Dan
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