What Does a Word and Power Movement Look Like?, Part 3, A Charismatic Culture

In the Parts 1 and 2 of this series, I endeavored to lay out how a church committed to Word and Power might faithfully stay true to the "Word" aspect. In this article, I will try to explain how that same Word-based church might pursue the power of God in spiritual gifts. I call this a "Charismatic Culture".

What exactly do I mean by a "Charismatic Culture"? I am so glad you asked! Basically I mean that a truly Word and Power Church will be intentional and deliberate in how it teaches about, prays for, and models that pursuit of the full range of the Holy Spirit's gifts. This is in contrast, not only to those of the cessationist persuasion, but also to the functional practice (or rather non-practice) of many theoretical "continuationists". Sadly, there are many ministries that have an on-paper belief in the validity of tongues, prophecy, miracles, etc..., but make no conscious effort to encourage believers to express these gifts, or even to pray for them. In fact, in many cases, they are discouraged!

Now this reticence on the part of many continuationists is likely often more than just a simple case of unbelief. It could be that. I suspect it often is. But I suspect it has much more to do with fear. The fear of being associated with those wacky and manipulative "TV evangelists" who often fleece unsuspecting people into sewing "seed money" into their ministries. Or maybe it is the fear of looking like those who seem to make it their mission to constantly bark like dogs, laugh hysterically, swing from the chandeliers, and so on and so on.

It is understandable in one sense. No sane person that I know of wants to be associated with that kind of craziness. I don't want that because that's not who I am. I certainly believe in being generous with one's finances in supporting the work of the ministry, but I have no intention of making some rich TV preacher richer. And while I am open to some manifestations of the Holy Spirit, I just don't buy a lot of what passes for that in some circles. I don't really believe acting drunk or making animal noises comes from the Spirit of God. So on the one hand I get it. But on the other hand, I refuse to overcompensate for the silliness of some by being disobedient to the teaching of Scripture.

Put simply, pursuing spiritual gifts is a matter of obedience to the Bible. I really like the way Sam Storms puts it:

I imagine quite a few of you are debating whether or not to make the pursuit of the spiritual gift of prophecy a priority in your in life. And I am here today to tell you that you don’t have a choice! “Earnestly desire spiritual gifts,” commanded the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:1, “especially that you may prophesy.” Paul didn’t simply say that we ought to think about desiring to prophesy or that we should put it on our list of possible issues to discuss. He commanded us to earnestly desire to prophesy! ¹

But how exactly can this be done? How can a church make room in its ministry for the cultivation of spiritual gifts? I would suggest 3 practical ways that Word and Power churches can accomplish this.

1. Pray: The first thing is prayer. This is always the first thing we should do anyway whenever we go about any spiritual endeavor. But it seems especially so when we are considering the empowering of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. 
2. Teach About the Gifts: It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of sound teaching about the gifts of the Spirit. There is so much misrepresentation and falsehood out there concerning the gifts. From those who deny the reality of certain gifts today to those who use abuse them and turn them into a circus side show, the need for solid, biblical teaching on charismata is more needful now than ever!
3. Be deliberate in Allowing the Gifts to Flow: After prayer and teaching, a church serious about spiritual gifts has to find time in the routines of life and ministry to encourage the saints to practice and exercise their various gifts. When it comes to gifts like service, administrations, and mercy, these are often gifts that don't require specific time set aside. Christians with these gifts will usually work behind the scenes. My experience is that these believers prefer it that way. But when we're talking about gifts like teaching, tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, etc..., time must be set aside. If Sunday mornings don't work, then try small groups, mid-week services, and other special meetings between believers. Make clear that this is the time for those gifts to operate and see what the Spirit does!

          

¹ Sam Storms - The Power and Pitfalls of Prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1-5)