The Holy Spirit or unholy spirits?

...and how do we tell the difference?

I came upon this Christian bookstore in my lunch break the other day, and had a nice quick little browse, glad to find such a place so close to my office. Believe it or not it's the first Christian bookshop I've been in since I've been here. Anyway.

I found this book called "Charismatic Chaos" by John MacArthur, and thought it would make a good interesting read - and hey - it was £2.99 ch-ching!!

The book apparently covers signs and wonders, speaking in tongues, health and wealth gospel, charismatic televangelism, and whether God still speak today. The blurb on the back asks:

Is experience a valid test of truth? Does God still give revelation? Prophets, fanatics, or heretics? Does God still heal? What should we think of the Signs and Wonders movement? Does the Bible promise health and wealth?

Very interesting and very important topic areas in this age of apostasy. I took the book to the checkout and the girl asked me what I thought about it all. I told her that I do believe the Holy Spirit works today bit that there are also false spirits masquerading as God. She told me that she is was not sure about a few things in today's Christianity, and one of the things she said was that she was not sure about the speaking in tongues thing etc but that so many people do, and that she is trying to understand it all because she is not sure.

I commended her and told her that she should examine and prove all things in God's word, just like the Bible tells us to do, and that she has done well not to follow the crowd in what they might believe. I told her that truth is not about numbers, that just because a lot of people are convinced of a point, does not make it true. I told her that she should ask God and that he would guide her, and that if she is not sure then that is ok, but do not act until you are sure, never mind what anyone else thinks or is telling you, no matter who they are. We kind of talked around a couple of things like the "revival" in Florida with Todd Bentley, and I told her I do not believe this to be a revival or move of God, but a false spirit. I told her that the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God are one and that God's spirit would not behave out of line with God's character.

FYI: Todd's Bentley's "spirit" has instructed him to punch and kick people seeking deliverance from their problems in order to "heal" or drive out demons, and apparently kicked an old woman in the face. The spirit of God I do not believe would tell anyone to do such a thing. What is more, Todd Bentley apparently admits to being visited to by an "angel" he calls Emma, who is apparently the driving force behind his ministry. Bob Jones (another deceived minister) apparently told Bentley that the angel Emma helped birth and start the prophetic movement in Kansas City in the 1980s. Bentley apparently says on his website:

When she came, she began to mentor, nurture and opened up a prophetic well. The people in the church began having trances and visions and the pastor began getting words of knowledge and moving in healing.

The girl in the shop said how she wanted to know about tongues etc and the Holy Spirit because she is not sure it is from God. I am not sure if she was taking about the false tongues that come out of the modern day deception etc. or tongues in some other form or context. But I said I'm not sure about a lot of things either.

Anyway, I told her I would tell her about the book once I had read it because she said she was interested, and I hope to go back there and talk to her, God willing.

Anyway, last night I read the book of Acts to see when the Holy Spirit manifested, how, through whom, and for what reason, and the outcome. I'm still continuing to study because the Holy Spirit/Ghost has lots of mentions in the Bible, and I'll have to read about it in the relevant contexts.

So far it seems like the Apostles (ie. the selected 12) were the ones God demonstrated His power through initially as they went about their ministry of spreading the gospel. It seems that they would preach the gospel with the signs following, so that the Jews (who disbelieved Jesus) and I think also the Gentiles, could see that Jesus must have been the Son of God because the people who they knew had been chilling with him were now walking around doing the same things that He did even they though he was supposed to be dead and gone and his powers with Him.

Did God demonstrate such signs and wonders through the other disciples and new converts too as opposed to just the 12 apostles is something I will double check - there are many names! Did only the apostles speak in tongues? No! What tongues were they speaking? When? Why? Was it "other tongues" eg. other languages that people from other countries could understand, or was it something unrecognisable? I've often heard the latter in church, but not the former? Why is this? So many questions!!

I will post as a read more, but the Holy Spirit is definitely here with those who believe today, as promised by Jesus. The other books of the Bible will explain further, and God willing we will be able to better discern the true spirit of God and to reject the false.