WesleyGospel Ministries

The more I study the Bible, and the lives of the saints, and the more I practice praying for healing, deliverance, and nature miracles—the more I’m convinced of Jesus’ saying, “According to your faith will it be done” (Matt. 9:29). In other words, the measure of faith you have for a miracle, is the measure of miracle you will experience. If you have a little faith for a miracle, then know that when you pray for that miracle to happen—you will get only a little result. Weak faith, and weak prayer—results in a weak miracle. But strong faith, and strong prayer—results in a strong miracle. The Bible speaks of the “measure of faith God has given you” (Rom. 12:3). So, there are levels of faith—and levels of miracles that correspond to faith levels in prayer. This applies to healing, casting out demons, and even praying for nature miracles like changing water into wine.

Paul says, “If I have a faith that can move mountains” (1 Cor. 13:2)—his use of the article “a” indicates that he is speaking of “a” special level of faith for mountain-moving miraculous prayer (like when Moses parted the Red Sea). This is a miraculous faith based on divine revelation through either a dream, a vision, a voice, or a sudden impression. So, Paul is speaking of different kinds of faith—faith for different things, faith to accomplish different works. A faith for salvation, a faith for sanctification, a faith for healing paralysis, a faith for healing blindness, a faith for casting out demons (discerning of spirits), a faith for walking on water, a faith to pray for rain, a faith to pray to move mountains. “According to your faith will it be done” (Matt. 9:29)—by the “measure of faith God has given you” (Rom. 12:3). Just as there are different levels of power, and different levels of miracles—there are also different levels of faith for those things.

You might have a faith to pray for someone’s gradual pain removal, but not a faith to pray for their instant and total healing. Oh well! Take what you can get!—“According to your faith will it be done.” A faith to pray for pain removal is better than no faith at all!   Thank the Lord.

You might have a faith to pray for a torrential downpour to decrease by 90%, but not 100%. Oh well! Take what you can get! A faith for a 90% rain decrease is better than no faith at all! Thank the Lord.

You might have a faith to pray for a demonically oppressed person’s hallucinations to temporarily go away, but not a faith to completely deliver the person from schizophrenia. Oh well! Take what you can get! A faith to temporarily remove demonic oppression is better than no faith at all! Thank the Lord.

You might have a faith to pray for a blind man to receive some of his sight partially back, but not a faith to make him see 100% perfectly. Oh well! Take what you can get! A faith to heal a blind man partially of blindness is better than no faith at all! Thank the Lord.

There are levels of faith and power. We are all going on to perfection. Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2)—and that means we’re all in process. No Christian has perfect faith; our faith needs to grow. But as our faith grows, our power will grow, and our miracles will grow—in Jesus’ Name and by His grace. Christians can develop their prophetic and miraculous powers—through developing their faith for such things.

Books that shine light:

4 C. – John Cassian’s The Conferences

1968 – Arthur Wallis’ God’s Chosen Fast.

1974 – Gordon Lindsay’s Prayer and Fasting

1976 – Derek Prince’s How to Fast Successfully

“This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29). What kind of prayer? Healing prayer and deliverance prayer—word of command: “Devil! Come out in Jesus’ Name!” What kind of fasting? Complete abstinence from food of all kinds, drinking only water—anywhere from 2 to 5 weeks (14-40 days). Any prayer that is prayed—including healing prayer—while on this fast will result in miraculous and powerful results! Instant miracles! Instant healings! The trick is training your will power to be able to fast for that long! The first 5 days are especially hard—headaches, hunger, cravings, etc. But if you worship and pray your way through it, drinking plenty of water, the fast will become less torture and more easy. And when you’re “flying high” far along in your fast, that’s when you need to be praying for healing and deliverance by the laying on of hands. Pray for nature miracles too—for the rain to come or stop! Contemplative prayer during such a fast may also result in powerful visions and God’s voice.

12/5/11 – Is It Always Necessary to Fast When Praying for Healing? No. If you deem your faith for miraculous healing to be strong enough, then you can go right ahead and start praying for the sick. But sometimes, if you want to guarantee your faith will be strong, then pray for the sick while on a fast. There is no strict rule. But here are some examples of fasting and healing prayer.

Carrie Judd Montgomery’s The Prayer of Faith (1880) – “I was in the last stages of consumption. Finally my wife was fasting all day, praying the Lord to give me healing-faith, though I knew nothing of it. That very night I called my wife and children to my couch, and asked if they had any faith, and they all replied, ‘yes.’ I then took my Bible, turned with trembling hands, and read several promises on prayer and faith, and also that ‘the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up,’ and we prayed and united our faith, claiming the promise, ‘if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done.’ As we were praying, I felt a sensation from my head down my spine, and to my feet, like the shock from a battery, and I knew I was healed” (Rev. A. P. Moore in Carrie Judd Montgomery’s The Prayer of Faith, pp. 137-138).

Mrs. Edward Mix’s Faith Cures, and Answers to Prayer (1882) – “I can say, to the praise of God, I am healed, I am healed, and I have great faith in fasting and prayer. O, what a glorious Savior we have; yes, our God is mighty to save” (Mrs. Isaac Albertson in Mrs. Edward Mix’s Faith Cures, and Answers to Prayer, p. 107).

A. J. Gordon’s The Ministry of Healing (1882) – “Clement says, in giving directions for visiting the sick and afflicted: ‘Let them, therefore, with fasting and prayer, make their intercessions, and not with the well arranged and fitly ordered words of learning, but as men who have received the gift of healing confidently, to the glory of God‘ [Contra Celsum, 3.24]'” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 61).

The Celtic Monks Practiced a Bible-Based Discernment of Morals

Recently I was overjoyed at discovering a chapter on spiritual discernment in “The Rule for Monks” by Columbanus in the Paulist Press anthology called Celtic Spirituality. Columbanus–not to be confused with St. Columba–was an Irish monk in the 6th century. When I read chapter 8 of his rule, simply titled “On Discernment,” it ministered confirmation to my spirit. In short, this teacher of Celtic monks said, that true spiritual discernment is based on Biblical morals and ethics. These are summed up in passages such as Galatians 5:22-23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

The Moral Commandments of the Bible:
The Christian’s Guide for Spiritual Discernment

A Christian is meant to distinguish between good and evil (Heb. 5:14)–and when necessary, pass judgment on evil. Whereas the “fruit of the Spirit” provides a list of virtues (or morals)–character traits to pursue with God’s help–the “works of the flesh” provide a list of vices (or sins) in Galatians 5:19-21: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” This passage in Galatians 5:19-23 is essential for spiritual discernment, but it is not the end-all. It is merely a brief summary of the morals and sins of Old Testament law. Paul’s letter to the Galatians was written with the Old Testament law in mind. But he was warning the Galatian church to avoid Judaistic legalism–which a group of heretics called “Judaizers” were teaching. Paul said that Christians are only obligated to obey or live by the ethical morals of God’s commandments–and not by Jewish ceremonies, rites, and customs–such as circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, Jewish holidays, and kosher foods (Col. 2:16). The Christian life is to break away from such Biblical laws, because they only applied to Jews during the Old Testament days (1250 B.C. – A.D. 30).

Salvation by Faith in Christ,
But Consciousness of Sin Through God’s Law

Now, in these New Testament days (A.D. 30 – Present)–Christians are justified by a simple faith in Christ–and are not saved by Jewish law-keeping (Gal. 3:23-25). But this doesn’t mean that God’s moral rules are meaningless. The moral commandments of God still have a great purpose in the Christian life! Their purpose is not to save men from Hell–that is accomplished by a simple faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross (Rom. 3:23-25). But today, the purpose of the moral commandments of the Bible is to raise men’s consciousness of sin–as Paul said: “Through the law we become conscious of sin” (Rom. 3:20).

Once We Know God’s Moral Laws,
The Holy Spirit Helps Us to Live by Them

In Romans 7, Paul explains that human nature is corrupt and tends to sin against God’s law (v. 23). But then he explains in Romans 7:24-8:4, that the Holy Spirit dwelling in his heart–which he received by a simple faith in Christ–helps him supernaturally to overcome his naturally sinful tendencies (8:4). This is good news! This is the Gospel! This experience is one of the greatest benefits of faith in Christ, and was prophesied by Jeremiah, as one of the distinguishing marks of the New Testament Christian life: “I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts” (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10). And by reading these very laws in the Bible–especially as they are mentioned in the New Testament–it serves the purpose of raising our dim minds and hearts to a clearer consciousness of sin (Rom. 3:20), “in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4).

Growing in Holiness and Grace Towards Others

This is about sanctification or growing in holiness. It doesn’t have to do with being saved from Hell at all. It has to do with progressively growing holier over the course of time–and this involves seeing sin in yourself, and seeing sin in others (Matt. 7:1-5). But, as you should very well know from the “Romans 7 experience,” it is hard to live perfectly righteous–because the good forces of the Holy Spirit and the evil forces within your body, make it a struggle to live righteously. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try (with God’s help through prayer), but that we grow by showing grace to others because we understand how hard it is to live an ethical life (2 Pet. 3:18). “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Pet. 4:18).

Christians Should Judge Great Sins, But Not Small Sins

There is a time and place to judge and speak out against sin. This should only be done when the matter is very serious, and the sin is very great. Jesus spoke of those who had committed “a greater sin” (John 19:11)–which implies that He held some sins to be greater than others. If Christians are cautious to only judge great sins, then they will avoid the demonic trap of becoming nitpicky, accusatory, judgmental, legalistic, and generally difficult to get along with. The peace of God does not abide with nitpicky people. On matters of the conscience (small moral issues), they should not judge their fellow Christians or anyone else (Rom. 14). They should allow for some flexibility among their Christian brothers and sisters with regards to small moral issues and trifles. But on big moral issues–the Spirit of God may very well lead a Christian to judge another. This is what the Bible calls “discernment” and “righteous judgment” (1 Cor. 12:10; John 7:24). This is contrasted with the “hypocritical/nitpicky judgment” that Jesus spoke against in Matthew 7:1-5. This was when He said, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” But take note of the context–He was speaking of judging by nitpicky traditions and human opinions among the Jews (John 7:24). This happens when religious church people judge others by the clothes they wear, etiquette standards, etc. Jesus says that is hypocritical, and that people should rather “judge righteously”–according to Biblical morals, and not by nitpicky religious or non-religious rules and traditions made up by men.

Mystical and Prophetic Discernment is Based on Biblical Morals

So, God’s moral commandments in the Bible (not Jewish rites and ceremonial customs)–but the morals of Scripture–this is the rule for spiritual discernment. Columbanus the Irish monk taught this in the 6th century. Why does this matter? Because Columbanus was not a rationalistic Protestant preacher from First Baptist Church. Columbanus and the Celtic monks were prophetic seers and miracle workers. But they didn’t get to that level of spiritual power without using some Bible-based discernment of morals. DREAMS AND VISIONS are great–if they’re from God! MIRACLES AND MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES are great–if they’re from God! But how can we know for sure what is of God and the devil? By discerning between good and evil according to the Bible–that’s how to judge revelations and spiritual experiences. Discernment is all about Biblical morals.

I know it may come off as “elitist” or “condescending,” but I want to express a concern I have over a certain type of Christian mindset. I will call them “limited Charismatics” or “limited Pentecostals.”

I don’t know everything. I haven’t experienced everything. I’m not perfect in God’s love. Nor am I fully delivered from carnal vices. But I do have faith in Jesus, fear of God, commitment to Biblical principles, and the Christian life. And because of these things, I feel that I have a right to speak to this issue of “limited Charismatic Christianity.”

It seems to me that there are, at least, basically two kinds of Charismatic Christians: (1) Those who “limit” their spiritual experiences to God’s presence and tongues and (2) those who are “unlimited” in the department of spiritual gifts and experiences–and are open not only to God’s presence and tongues, but also to healing, casting out demons, nature miracles, dreams, visions, God’s voice, impressions, coincidences, ecstasy, interior fire, union with Christ, shaking, slaying in the Spirit, laying on of hands, soaking/contemplative prayer, holy laughter, ecstatic prophecy, discerning of spirits, words of correction and rebuke, translation or teleportation, bilocation, out-of-body experiences, the deep mysteries and revelations of the kingdom of God, etc.

The first group–the limited Charismatics–are the majority of Pentecostal/Charismatic churchgoers. They go to church on Sunday morning, worship, feel God’s presence, praise God in tongues, pay their tithes, listen to Pastor, and go home. I think that sometimes this group thinks they have “arrived” in God–that they have experienced all that there is in the Holy Spirit. Paul rebuked the church of Corinth for this: “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but but I would rather have you prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:5). He goes on to explain that the gift of prophecy is better than tongues, because it brings direct words from God to people in the church. The gift of prophecy mainly operates through dreams, visions, and God’s still small voice (Num. 12:6; 1 Kings 19:12). Such experiences are called “revelations” because they “reveal” a secret mystery of God’s knowledge about an issue (2 Cor. 12:1). And more than anything, they prove to people that God is real (1 Cor. 14:25). God’s presence and tongues are only meaningful to those who subjectively experience them (1 Cor. 14:4). But revelations or words of knowledge can be meaningful to anyone who objectively observes a word reach its fulfillment in the “real” world (the physical world).

Experiential “side-effects” of the gift of prophecy are things like: healing, casting out demons, working nature miracles, God’s presence continually felt, coincidences and confirmations, spiritual ecstasies (half-asleep states in prayer or contemplation), out-of-body experiences, and even teleportation of your physical body from one location on earth to another (Acts 8:39-40). The “Toronto Blessing” and “holy laughter” should also be included as ecstatic experiences.

All of these experiences, and more, are in the Bible. Of course, you won’t find entire Bible books or chapters that discuss these experiences. Except for maybe sections of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation. Most of these “radical prophetic and mystical experiences” are found in fleeting and passing references in the Scriptures. Why? Because the Bible consists mainly of revelations that have been interpreted and translated for man’s common understanding (except for maybe Daniel and Revelation).

But the Bible is good if one uses it correctly. Sadly, I think more Pentecostal/Charismatics are influenced by the Evangelical tradition than they are by the Azusa Street revival. All of these radical experiences I’ve mentioned were experienced by the early Pentecostals. Or, at least most of the experiences–as far as I know. Pentecostal/Charismatics today seem to believe more like Southern Baptists than they do the Apostolic Faith which was manifested at Azusa Street in 1906. Do you know what Southern Baptist philosophy is based on? I will tell you: “The Bible is good enough for me.” The Bible is the only book a Christian ever needs to read, study, or live by–and especially the King James Version (KJV). Anything that has to do with spiritual experience is looked upon with great suspicion. Even “feeling God’s presence” or “speaking in tongues” is considered too radical.

Do you know why this suspicion is present today? I will tell you: the Puritans in the late 1600s, who eventually became the Southern Baptists–were repulsed at the idea of spiritual experiences, because it was all considered “too Catholic” or “too much like witchcraft.” This was also during the so-called Age of Enlightenment, when clergymen everywhere were being trained, to view the supernatural elements in the Bible with the critical eye of rationalism, skepticism, and intellectualism. Miracles were considered “superstitious.” Protestant Christianity–the further it got away from the supernatural experiences of the Catholic saints–became more of a moral philosophy than a religion of God’s presence, power, and miracles. Recently I heard a guy say, “Without the miracles, the Bible is nothing more than a philosophy book.” And I would add to that: “Without the miracles, the Christian life is nothing more than a moral philosophy.” To this day, the group of “limited Charismatics” are bound in this Evangelical rationalism, and refuse to go any deeper in their experiences of the Holy Spirit. God’s presence and tongues is all they will accept (at best). Woe to them! I pray that Christ will give them faith! To go deeper and further with God!

The Christian life consists of living by faith in Jesus Christ, and by New Testament principles, with the prayerful help of God’s presence. Like all other people, Christians must go to work, pay the bills, and provide for their families with what jobs God has given them. In this way, they live commonsensically and according to the natural order–just like everybody else. But in another way (an otherworldly way)–the Christian life should at least occasionally involve interaction with the spirit world (1 Cor. 2:13-14). This interaction may take place through dreams, visions, and mental voices–spiritual and psychological phenomena. It may also involve impressions–emotional sensations of spiritual entities as a presence: the Holy Spirit, angels, demons, saints, Jesus. Or, it may involve the occurrence of coincidences–which the pagans call “omens,” but Christians call “signs.” And if a Christian has a mystical side to him, he may “be still, and know that God is God” (Ps. 46:10) from time to time, in order to “open himself up” to God’s Spirit and the spirit world. He may also fast like Jesus did in the desert (Matt. 4).

But even if a Christian never fasts, prays, or quietly contemplates God–he is still bound to experience spiritual phenomena in one way or another. Whether it is through obvious prophetic revelations–like dreams and visions; or subtle observations of spiritual warfare in daily life. The Christian is going to eventually experience some spiritual phenomena. Whether it is during prayer or sleep–or during the hum-drum duties of the workplace. Whether it is through revelatory experiences, emotional sensations of spiritual presences, spontaneous thoughts and feelings, or strange behavior among family, friends, and coworkers indicating the influence of a devil–the Christian is surrounded by spirits! Thus, he needs spiritual discernment.

I think that spiritual discernment is both a gift (1 Cor. 12:10) and an art. (I feel the same way about dream interpretation–and it may be that they are related.) But according to the Bible, the word “discernment” is always associated with wisdom and knowledge, which is why the Bible’s book of wisdom–the Book of Proverbs–refers to discernment several times. Discernment has to do with judging between right and wrong, true and false, authentic and counterfeit. Thus, discernment is based on two things: God’s Spirit and God’s law. Since these two things are always right, true, and authentic–the Bible calls the godly law-abiding Christian a “discerning” man of wisdom (Prov. 28:7). But note–that when I say “law-abiding” Christian, I don’t mean “Judaistic.” I mean that he makes a conscientious effort to obey the law of God written on his heart by the Holy Spirit (Heb. 8:10). Only the moral laws of God need apply–not circumcisions, Sabbath days, kosher foods, etc (Col. 2:13-17). These morals may be clearly identified as the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23). And if we have an eye for the morals and ethics of the New Testament, and also those morals in the Old Testament law–we may acquire spiritual discernment, by God’s grace alone.

“He who keeps the law is a discerning son” (Prov. 28:7). The law of God, which Paul said is spiritual (Rom. 7:14)–is the key to discernment (Isa. 8:20). But, that law-key can only be used properly by a Christian, who has the Holy Spirit dwelling in his heart through experience (Rom. 5:5). Not as an idea, but as a real spiritual presence that is felt as love and peace. The Christian who understands the “Romans 7 Experience”–the difficulty of perfectly keeping God’s law, is thus prepared to show grace and flexibility, and is able to use God’s law properly for purposes of spiritual discernment. A legalist or perfectionist cannot discern correctly.

“A rebuke impresses a man of discernment” (Prov. 17:10). That is, when a discerning Christian is rebuked by a man of God, he is impressed–and receives the rebuke readily, because he knows that he will grow by it. So, “nonjudgmental” and “thin-skinned” Christians do not appeal to his Christian walk. He is impressed by people who know that the Word of God is supposed to be used for “rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

Some Christians say that you should never pray for patience. But it is un-Biblical to say things like that. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Therefore, patience is a “virtue”–it is a power from the Holy Spirit. It is impossible for non-Christians to have true patience, because according to Scripture, it is a gift or evidence of God’s Spirit in a Christian’s heart. This virtue of patience, comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit in the hearts of true Christians, who believe in Jesus and try to live by His Word (Rom. 5:5). It gives emotional comfort, energy, and endurance to the Christian’s will power. It helps him to endure through periods of suffering, trial, and tribulation.

There is a divine element to patience–it comes from the energizing and comforting presence of God within the bosom. But there is also a human element to patience–it comes from human will power (but is always assisted by the divine graces of God’s presence). Patience is manifested through a Christian in the following way. First, a trial or tribulation is sent his way. This involves pain, suffering, and every bad situation and circumstance that you can possibly imagine. The “trial” or “test” actually comes by the allowance of God, the oppression of demons, and the daily experiences of people. This may involve sickness, death, poverty, loss of social status, disintegration of the family, etc–as in the case of Job, who is called a patient man (Jas. 5:11). Perseverance is another name for patience (or another side of patience); it describes the time element in the patience-producing experience. A patient man is “long-suffering”–he suffers through trials and tribulations for a long time (often months or years). But he never loses his faith in or commitment to Jesus. He fears God’s judgment of Hell and loves God’s presence too much to renounce his faith.

There is definitely a spiritual warfare element to patience. The primary purpose of trials and tribulations is to prove to God, angels, demons (especially), and men–that you truly are a Christian. And that your motives in living for God are pure, not corrupt or selfish. A trial is a “test” of your faithfulness, commitment, and devotion to Jesus. It is also a test of your belief in God’s existence. But more than anything, a trial is sent to a Christian to prove to the world that his faith is sincere (1 Pet. 1:6-7). No matter how bad things may get–nothing can destroy the man’s faith, or his commitment to God and His Word. His faith may be severely shaken, but not destroyed. Or, if he does lose his faith for a short time, he repents, and comes back to faith in God soon enough. This is the character of the patient Christian who has passed the “test” of his trial. In the midst of all this, he has learned to “wait upon the Lord” in order to “renew his strength” (Isa. 40:31).

Like Job, it is sometimes the case that the Lord blesses the latter part of these Christians’ lives more than the first (Job 42:12). Thus, the Lord trains them to patiently wait for their blessings. When they come, the blessings may be in the form of miraculous gifts or physical possessions. Dreams, visions, God’s presence, God’s voice, health, wealth, wisdom, houses, cars, and good friends! But they all come in God’s good time. These things come after the test has been finished in the spirit world, and God has put an official stop to the demonic activity, which has been producing the trials and tribulations all along.

Just like military warfare, all battles must come to an end. And some of the soldiers come out as war heroes. God wants war heroes in the army of the Lord. He wants to give us medals of honor–holy virtues and miraculous gifts. But these will not come without some battle scars. Christians must do battle with the devil, and resist him in Jesus’ Name!

Rebekah was looking for a key she had accidentally knocked off a ledge. She wasn’t sure if it had fallen on the floor, or the shelf, but knew the general area that the key fell into. I got a flashlight to thoroughly look for it, but couldn’t see it. Then I kneeled, and prayed, “Jesus, please show me in a vision where the key is.” And I closed my eyes, and visualized the shelf and the general area. And then in my imagination, I saw a closed vision of the key wedged in between some folders in a crate on the shelf. Then I opened my eyes and stood on my feet. I took the crate off the shelf, and took out the folders one by one. Sure enough–as I was doing this, the key fell out of the crate, and onto the floor! Jesus showed me where the lost key was in a closed vision, because I simply asked Him to! I thank Him for giving me this gift of the Spirit!

There is a lot of borrowing between religions these days. A little bit of Christianity here, a little Buddhism there, a dash of Hinduism there, and a splash of Islam there. Such a paganistic pluralistic belief system is truly a state of confusion. All of these religions have fundamental differences. Christianity teaches that all men have only one life to live (Heb. 9:27), but Hinduism and Buddhism both teach that everyone is reincarnated. Christianity teaches that Jesus is both God and Son of God (Col. 2:9; Luke 1:35), but Islam teaches that He was merely a human prophet. These are fundamental differences! How people can get by believing in a mixture of all of these religions is beyond me. They have fundamental differences of belief about God and the afterlife. It is confusion to mix Christian faith with non-Christian religions. Not only is it confusion, but it is a sin. When God gave the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, the first commandment He gave was: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exod. 20:3). If a person calls himself a Christian, it is completely wrong for him to borrow beliefs from non-Christian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc. The Word of God is clear: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exod. 20:3). And Jesus reiterated this when He said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). In other words, Jesus is the only way to God and salvation and Heaven. Not Buddha, not Hindu gurus, not Muhammad, etc. It is only through Jesus that we come to God.

But I believe that in Jesus, all Christian traditions have something good to offer. Borrowing from religions outside of the Christian faith is definitely a sin, but I don’t see anything wrong with borrowing between Christian religions. The Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox, the Protestant Evangelicals, the Anglicans, the Quakers, the Pentecostals, the Charismatics, etc–all have insight and spiritual advice worthy of learning, to help the individual grow in his relationship with the triune God through Jesus Christ. I came to this realization in the summer of 2007, when I read Richard Foster’s Streams of Living Water (1998). In that book, he examines various Christian traditions: Contemplative (Catholic and Eastern Orthodox mysticism), Evangelical, Holiness, Charismatic, Social Justice, and Incarnational. So, I believe that all Christian churches, denominations, sects, and groups are under the banner of Jesus Christ. All of them are going to the same Heaven when they die, because Jesus is the only way to God, and they put their faith in Him. So, essentially, I think it is good to borrow beliefs between Christian denominations, as well as disciplines, practices, and spiritual experiences endorsed by them all. But this doesn’t mean you throw personal discernment out the window. You just go through life with good faith in God through Jesus Christ, and let the Holy Spirit show you what is right and wrong in the theology and practice of the churches. No single Christian denomination has all the truth of God, but I believe that all of them have some of God’s truth (within the Christian churches only). As I have said, I don’t really believe in, nor am I comfortable with borrowing ideas from non-Christian religions.

Allow me to explain to you in a concrete way what I am trying to say here. I believe in what I have come to call “Evangelical Mysticism.” Does that mean I should go around calling myself an “Evangelical mystic?” No! It’s merely a theological system of thought and lifestyle of faith in Jesus. No–at the base of it all–I am a Christian. A follower of Christ. Yet, if I get into conversations with people, sometimes, I will tell them, “Yeah, I’m an Evangelical,” “I’m a Pentecostal,” “I’m a Charismatic,” or even “I’m a Christian mystic.” In this way, I’m kind of a spiritual freak–as far as religious categorization is concerned. People have a hard time pinning down what I am, belief-wise. Are you a Quaker? Are you an Anabaptist? Are you a Catholic? And when they see me borrowing beliefs from all of these different Christian religions–especially the experiential ones–the conservative Evangelicals react: “Oh, I know–you’re a New Ager!” But even so, I will tell them, “No. I am not a New Ager, occultist, or a psychic. I reject all non-Christian religions. I believe that Jesus is the only Way, Truth, and Life.” Then what am I, they ask? I tell them I am a Christian. But even this confuses them, and they scarcely restrain themselves from thinking of me as New Age or “in deception”!

So, to categorize my religious beliefs, I will explain now what I mean by “borrowing between different Christian religions.” All of them are right about something, but all of them are wrong about something. But it all comes down to relying on faith in Jesus (not in one particular church tradition), and the Holy Spirit, to guide you into what is true and away from what is false. “When He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). And, as far as my wife and I can see, we personally believe the Spirit of Truth has guided us to believe the following about various things from different Christian traditions:

1. Evangelical Christianity – (1) The Bible is the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. We agree with this, but we feel that Evangelicals often put too much of an emphasis on the Bible. They often have their noses so much in their Bibles, that they shun anything that smacks of spiritual experiences of God. Dreams, visions, and miracles are generally resisted by them. Bible knowledge is considered the end-all of the Christian life. We feel that this is a misuse of Scripture. (2) The Trinity of God. (3) The Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. (4) For the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. This is effected by faith in the substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross; and by the subsequent indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s heart. (5) The present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. The Holy Spirit, dwelling in a born again Christian’s heart, upon his “conversion experience” is enabled to love God sincerely, and grow in morals and Biblical holiness. (6) The resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. We believe in a literal Heaven above; and a literal Hell beneath–in the spirit world, and Hell in the center of the Earth. Each man will go to his destination upon death. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. (7) The spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. No matter what your church tradition or Christian religion, as long as you have faith in Jesus Christ (only Him), then you are saved–and are our brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s just that simple. Church affiliation has nothing to do with that.
2. Anglicanism (Church of England) – I don’t know a lot about this Christian tradition, but we do believe that the Anglican theologian Richard Hooker, in his A Learned Discourse of Justification was right on point when he described the moral laws of the Bible as having a sanctifying effect on the heart–in addition to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And we view sanctification as a process of growing in holiness, reaching its completion only upon death.
3. The Anabaptists – We agree with their belief that baptism should be performed by full immersion in water, as a sign of being buried and raised with Christ to a new life. We also agree with their house church orientation and practice of every-member functioning found in 1 Corinthians 14:26.
4. The Quakers (17th century) – During the early days, the Quakers were Bible-believing mystics. The first group of solid Evangelical mystics. They practiced contemplation and moved in spiritual experiences and healing prayer. We agree with all of this.
5. The Pentecostals/Charismatics – We believe in Acts 2:4 as exemplary of the baptism in the Holy Spirit: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” But unlike many Pentecostals and Charismatics, we don’t feel the need to limit our experience of God to feeling God’s presence in worship, or to speaking in tongues. Nor do we feel that tongues are the only supernatural manifestation that can provide evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. We feel that dreams, visions, God’s voice, spiritual drunkenness, healing, casting out demons, working miracles, and zeal for God can also be evidences.
6. Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Mysticism – This is in addition to the Quaker influence. We believe that many of the Catholic saints and Orthodox monks wrote helpful spiritual books about spiritual experience and contemplative prayer. They had very much insight into holiness, contemplation, spiritual gifts, healing, deliverance, and miracles. No–I don’t believe we should accept it when they speak of devotion to the Virgin Mary or prayer to dead saints–but I think those ancient monks (such as the Desert Fathers) were powerful men of God, and prophets no doubt, that left behind powerful books on how to experience God. Many of them make no mention of Mary or prayer to saints.

One of the top five reasons why people become prideful, arrogant, and rude, and look down on others–is because they become rich. I’m not going to set any monetary figures in a rigid and dogmatic manner. But I will say, that no matter what culture or nation one lives in, the temptation to classism is present. Classism, or “caste system,” is a social phenomenon that separates people into socio-economic groups. The lower class, the middle class, the upper class–and all of their variations like blue collar and white collar.

It exists in the spirit world, but manifests through the way people spend their money, and especially how they behave toward others, based on how much money they have in their bank accounts. It is called the “socio-economic ladder” and depends on another ladder called the “corporate ladder.” These are both spiritually dangerous ladders to climb, because the higher one climbs, the more evil spirits there are to tempt men to be prideful over their wealth. And “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).

I used to think like St. Francis of Assisi. I thought that Christ taught Christians are supposed to be poor. I read, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20); and I thought: “Wow, it is impossible for a rich man to be saved.” Or, at the very least, I thought that there was no way a rich Christian could live a fruitful life for God’s glory. After all, Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything he had, and give to the poor (Luke 18:22).

Also, I would look at the Word of Faith preachers like Benny Hinn and Creflo Dollar, and think: “I don’t want to be like them. God does not call Christians to live in the lap of luxury.” So, I sunk into a poverty mentality. Meanwhile, I was just starting a family, and the pressure of bills began to come. Guess what? The poverty philosophy doesn’t do a very good job at paying the bills, nor does it foster the ability to provide for your family, or live independently. St. Francis’ poverty philosophy had let me down–at least the way I was applying it. And I mused on the fact that he was not a father or a husband, nor did he have a family to provide for. And do you know what the Word of God says? “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). Granted, when a man is out of work in an economic recession like this one, he has many factors working against him. And we would be wrong to condemn a man as lazy and unmotivated, simply because he is unable to break free from the woes of unemployment.

So, every Christian family man, is required by God’s Word, to pay the bills and provide for his family. This is without question the teaching of 1 Timothy 5:8. But when economic times are tough, sometimes it becomes necessary to live with your parents, even as Noah’s sons and their families had to all live in the ark (Gen. 7:1). But when God gives a family a financial breakthrough, there is freedom to live in that special gift: “A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife” (Gen. 2:24).

But there is a danger in all of this. Financial breakthroughs are not only gifts from God, but they are spiritual tests. They test our humility, detachment from possessions, thrift, and financial responsibility. This is a dangerous path for any Christian family to walk through, but they must do it to survive. You see, it can start with a “provide for my family” mentality, and over the years, turn into a Prosperity Gospel mentality. This must absolutely be resisted to the utmost extreme in the Name of Jesus! While 1 Timothy 5:8 calls Christians to provide for their families, 1 Timothy 6:9 says: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation, and a trap, and into many foolish and harmful desires, that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” If you want to be a balanced Christian, then don’t consider 1 Timothy 5:8 without also considering 1 Timothy 6:9. On the one hand, Christian men need to provide for their families; on the other hand, Christians should resist greed.

What is greed? It is a collection of “many foolish and harmful desires” that are only satisfied by “wanting to get rich.” Let me explain: it is desires and human will that God is trying to gain control of. God wants you to desire to provide for your family, give to the poor, and minister to the needs of others. These are wise and helpful desires, and they require a lot of money, and God is willing to give Christians the money to desire these sorts of things. But greed consists of “many foolish and harmful desires.” May I suggest a few? I think desiring to live in a mansion, own a luxury car, and dress in fine clothes are greedy desires. And if I will not be called legalistic, may I continue? How about: always wanting the latest TV, computer, or gadget; keeping up with the Joneses’ boat, etc; eating only at the finest restaurants; and always reserving posh five star hotels. Foolish and harmful desires? Why? Because they tend to become idols of the heart, and draw our attention away from God.

They consist of desiring “luxury items”: and they have a distracting power, causing men to forget the God who created them. Such a state of mind is truly “ruin and destruction.” This is the fruit of greed, and financial pride is interlaced all throughout it. This is not to say that there are some exceptions to the rule, but in general, I believe we are to have our focus on God, and use our money for practical purposes of provision and helping others. God does not like it when Christians squander their money on luxury items, and selfish desires of the heart. The Holy Spirit alone can help men to resist these things in Jesus’ Name. If you think it is impossible to live free from greed, then pray for God to help you. He will help: “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). I’m not preaching against fun. God likes it when we have fun, but requires that it be holy through His Spirit. Otherwise, fun = idol.

Greed, and the actual possession of money and things, is the cause for the pride of wealth. America’s many economic depressions and recessions are caused by this. Ask any Economics professor. I believe it is “the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16), that truly drags men down into “ruin and destruction.” Prison awaits all thieves and white collar criminals–motivated by greed. Hell awaits them too, if they don’t repent, and put their faith in Christ’s death on the cross (Rom. 3:21-31).

So, what should cautious Christians do? We are well aware that 1 Timothy 5:8 requires us to pay the bills, and provide for our families, the best we know how. How does the bill-paying Christian avoid the pride of wealth? First, avoid all luxury items you don’t need. Second, resist all greedy desires–they are foolish and harmful. Third, pray for God to help you. Fourth, thank God for the wealth that you do have, so that you may provide for your family, and responsibly minister to the needs of others in Jesus’ Name. Thanking God kills all pride, because through that you acknowledge that your money is a gift from God (Deut. 8:18).

The following is my latest (and probably last) chapter that I just added on to my e-book How to Experience God:

CHAPTER 10

UNDERSTANDING AND RESISTING THE OCCULT

It wasn’t until I entered into a challenging discussion with a Cessationist[1] friend (or ex-friend), that I started thinking about writing this chapter. He was attending Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He was a good Southern Baptist, because he tried to convince me that the “Bible was good enough for him” and that I was wrong for being “guided by dreams and visions.” He was a devout Biblicist. He did not believe that today the Holy Spirit and the angels give dreams, visions, words of knowledge, or any kind of prophetic revelations.

I am not quite ready to present a comprehensive defense against Cessationist theology, as that is not my purpose here. If you want to study some good arguments against Cessationism, then I recommend reading Jon Ruthven’s On the Cessation of the Charismata (1993) and Jack Deere’s Surprised by the Power of the Spirit (1993). Both of these men have been theology professors at distinguished colleges.

The occult is my concern in this chapter. Dark, evil, demonic, and deceptive though it is—it really needs to be addressed in-depth. Especially in a book like this. The reason being, is because Cessationist Evangelicals[2] tend to believe that Pentecostal and Charismatic gifts are really occultic powers at work! That’s right. In their minds—William Seymour, John G. Lake, Maria Woodworth-Etter, Oral Roberts, William Branham, Kathryn Kuhlman, John Wimber, and virtually every anointed Pentecostal or Charismatic Christian in history—was really a sorcerer or witch in disguise! (Of course, this also applies to all of the Catholic saints that ever worked miracles in Jesus’ Name.)

Isn’t that terrible? Even though there is an abundance of evidence for miracles in church history in the lives of the saints, and so forth, the Cessationist still maintains that these were all the workings of witchcraft! Or, if a Christian miracle story doesn’t sound believable, then they will dismiss it as a mere “legend” or “superstition.” Or they will say it was the result of a magic trick or fraud. They will follow up their rationalistic argument with something about how the Bible is good enough for them, and how they prefer to put their faith in the Scriptures only, and decidedly not in subjective spiritual experiences.

Then what they will say, if they are audacious enough, (as was in the case of my Cessationist friend)—is if you experience dreams and visions, or work miracles of any kind—then that is bad. They might glance at you with a wary look, and give you a good fair warning, and then tell you to stop “dabbling” in whatever it is you have “opened yourself up” to.[3] At this point, it doesn’t matter what you say. They have officially demonized you. You have suddenly become the victim of a witch hunt. It doesn’t matter if you have exhibited the fruit of the Spirit, or godly character that they have recognized in you (Gal. 5:22-23). Godliness doesn’t really matter in this discussion (at least to the Cessationist).

To him, it’s about upholding the authority of Scripture. Extra-Biblical revelations are intensely resisted by them. It doesn’t matter if you have emphatically insisted that you are not a New Ager, occultist, or psychic. It doesn’t matter if you prophesy or work miracles in Jesus’ Name or to Jesus’ glory. Every slip-up or sin that you have committed will be highlighted and pointed out. Every doctrinal inaccuracy that you hold will be blown up into a “heresy.” You will be viewed as a “Christian witch,” a heretic, and will be disfellowshiped. But you don’t have to be ashamed of this, because the Pharisees treated Jesus and the apostles in the exact same way. Christ said, “It is enough for the student to be like his Teacher, and the servant like his Master. If the Head of the House has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of His household!” (Matt. 10:25).

In fact, you should rejoice and be glad that God has given you the grace to “dabble” in the miraculous gifts and “open yourself up” to the baptism in the Holy Spirit! Even though you will have many “Bible-believing” accusers, saying that all of your tongue speaking and prophesying and miracle working is demonic or of the occult—you can rest assured that you are being led by the Spirit and are not under law! (That is, their church’s rules.) But how can you know for sure that you’re not deceived by the devil or being empowered by demonic occult spirits as they say? The same way the apostles knew.

Jesus said, “Watch out for false prophets…by their fruit you will recognize them” (Matt. 7:15-16). What is this “fruit” that Christ was referring to? Paul elaborated on this: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). This is the good fruit of a true prophet of God. But the bad fruit of a false prophet are: “Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (Gal. 5:19-21). And these are the things that mark the occult all throughout. To put it plainly, a false prophet is not simply a Christian who misinterprets his dreams sometimes and makes mistakes at prophesying. (This is what the Cessationists say.) A false prophet is a witch, an occultist, a sorcerer, who indulges in sin, sexual orgies, and resists the will of God and His Word. The true prophet preaches faith in the cross of Christ, obedience to God’s Word (the Bible), and confirms the Word with signs following (Mark 16:20). Not only that, the true prophet is a godly man, and tries all he can with the Spirit’s help to be loving, and humble, and peaceable.

But it is still needed for Charismatic Christians to understand what the occult is, not only so they can resist it in all of its forms, but so they can possibly give a better answer to their Cessationist critics. Perhaps it would help Charismatics to know some basic facts about the occult, so that when Cessationists come down hard on them, they will be able to give a more ready defense.

“Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned satan’s so-called deep secrets” (Rev. 2:24). This verse is quoted by some Evangelicals to support the idea that Christians are not allowed to study about the occult (satan’s so-called deep secrets). Because the church at Thyatira had “not learned” these occult secrets, they were apparently commended by Christ. I don’t think that is the meaning of the passage. I believe Christ was referring to the church of Thyatira not learning the ways of the Gnostics, which was a secretive occult group. Christ was saying, “Good job for not becoming Gnostics, or believing in their so-called deep secrets.” So, I don’t believe that Revelation 2:24 prohibits Christians from studying about the occult for reasons of apologetics, demonology, and spiritual warfare.

And the fact that Paul refers to “witchcraft” as a work of the flesh in Galatians 5:20, is more than enough evidence to me that Christians should know what witchcraft is, so they can recognize it, and resist it as sin.[4] Still, I believe the devil would have Christians remain ignorant about the occult, so that he can continue to lure and deceive people through it. If more Christians knew about occultism, then they would be crying out against it wherever it is to be found. But the devil likes to do things in secret, under the radar.

Even so, it especially becomes Evangelical mystics—who bear an “occultic” sounding name—to know what the occult is, so they can explain to their critics that they are contemplative, prophetic, Charismatic Christian mystics. Not occultists. They believe that Jesus is the only Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6), practice contemplation (Ps. 46:10), and see dreams and visions (Num. 12:6)—but believe that all of the occult practices of Deuteronomy 18:9-12 are most definitely sins.

In fact, in the spirit world, Evangelical mystics are the only direct opponents of occultists. Evangelical mystics are the only mystical group in the Earth—that are found all throughout the Body of Christ in various denominations and churches—that are the spiritual enemies of witchcraft and the occult. At least in terms of spiritual power. While Evangelical rationalists and Cessationists will always oppose the occult, they are limited to using the realm of reason and apologetics. However, Evangelical mystics have no limitations on how far they are willing to go with the Holy Spirit and His gifts. Classical Pentecostals will usually only go so far as speaking in tongues or shouting during worship. Charismatics might speak in tongues too, feel God’s presence during worship, and might even pray for healing.

But Evangelical mystics are different; they are usually willing to go all the way with the Holy Spirit. (I’m trying to say this without sounding arrogant. In no means do I intend to speak down to my Pentecostal/Charismatic brothers and sisters.) An Evangelical mystic is not ashamed of practicing contemplation (soaking), prophesying, dreams and visions, words of knowledge, healing, deliverance, and working nature miracles. He is not even against very radical experiences like ecstasies, out of body experiences, the intoxication of love (spiritual drunkenness), holy laughter, stigmata, teleportation, and supernatural levitation. Union with God in His presence, and the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, are eagerly desired and prayed for. All of the spiritual experiences and miracles of the Catholic saints are eagerly welcomed (except for visions of Mary), but in a markedly Protestant and Evangelical and Charismatic frame of mind. This is Evangelical mysticism in a nutshell.

But all of these supernatural experiences bear similarities to experiences found in the world of the occult. And this is where Cessationists, Evangelicals, and even traditional Pentecostal/Charismatics have a problem. They just can’t see past the similarities with the occult. And what results is an anti-supernatural mentality—a “the Bible is good enough for me” mentality. They shake their heads, turn their backs, and say it’s all demonic. All the while, they are clutching a Bible under their armpits, which was founded on such experiences thousands of years ago. They don’t understand the folly of their ways. Are they guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit? I don’t know. Only Christ can judge that. But “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). But before we get into understanding the occult, in Jesus’ Name, I pray that you would not become too fascinated with it, or feel like becoming a witch. The Word of God says, “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” (1 Sam. 15:23, KJV). Resist it all in Jesus’ Name!

What is the occult? In order to answer this question completely, first I want to define a few terms. The following are my own personal definitions:

Mysticism – A form of spirituality that maintains it is possible to experience an encounter with a god through the practice of contemplation on that god. Ecstasies, dreams, visions, voices, impressions, and miraculous power can result from this. Mysticism is found in many world religions, including Christianity.

Occultism (the occult) – A form of spirituality found only in pagan religions, that emphasizes certain occult practices such as human or animal sacrifice, divination, sorcery, interpreting omens, practicing witchcraft, casting spells, or seeking a medium to contact the so-called dead (Deut. 18:9-12). Pagan mysticism (contemplation on a false god) would also fall into the occult category, particularly divination.

Rationalism – A philosophy that originated in the 18^th century, which emphasizes the role of man’s reasoning and intellect, in determining what is true and false. It is usually anti-mystical and anti-supernatural, and was the primary cause of skepticism behind the so-called Enlightenment philosophers. Either knowingly or unknowingly, Evangelical theology became heavily influenced by rationalism. Many of America’s founding fathers were also rationalistic.

Evangelicalism (Evangelical) – A branch of Protestantism that has its origins in the “Great Awakening,” or the Evangelical revivals of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Wesley. It emphasizes the importance of a personal “conversion experience” of salvation, through faith in the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross. Growing in holiness is also important. Jesus is viewed as the only Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6)—the only way to God. Among distinct Evangelical beliefs are:

1. Belief that the Bible is the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

2. Belief that there is one God, eternally existent in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3. Belief in the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

4. Belief that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

5. Belief in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

6. Belief in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

7. Belief in the spiritual unity of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Evangelical Rationalism – The tendency of many Evangelicals to rationalize and intellectualize their approach to the Bible and Christianity. There is a very strong sense of this found among Presbyterians, Baptists, Calvinists, Reformed, Cessationists, and non-Charismatics. Systematic theology and apologetics are very important to them, but more than anything—the Bible. That is, a rationalistic understanding of the Bible. Their rallying cry is: “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord” (Isa. 1:18).

Evangelical Mysticism – The practice of contemplative prayer in the context of Evangelical Christianity. This may or may not allow for dreams, visions, voices, and miracles. But at the very least, contemplation and the pursuit of God’s presence are allowed (Ps. 46:10). Many Evangelicals, Quakers, Methodists, Pentecostals, and Charismatics have ventured to practice contemplation on God and Jesus. False gods and non-Christian religions are resisted as demonic. The Bible is the supreme theological authority and is used to test spiritual experiences and revelations (Isa. 8:20; 1 John 4:1).

So, to return to the initial question: What is the occult? My answer at this point would be—“the occult” includes the occultic beliefs and practices outlined in Deuteronomy 18:9-12, as well as any form of contemplation on a pagan god. Therefore, Christian contemplation on the triune God through Jesus Christ is by no means an occult practice. Although it bears a similarity to Transcendental Meditation, Zen meditation, or even Yoga—it is completely different, because the God is completely different. This is not so much a matter of methods, as it is a matter of gods.

If theologians wish to quibble and argue about the practice of concentrating intensely on God in prayer—then they are free to. But to me, it is not the issues of concentration, stillness, quietness, restfulness, visions, or ecstatic experiences that matter. What really matters to me in the contemplative debate is: What god are you contemplating? Are you gazing at the God of the Bible through Jesus Christ? Are you contemplating the splendor and glory of the God of Israel, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords? Are you fixing your eyes on Jesus? (Heb. 12:2). Are you allowing Christ to be seen with the eyes of your heart? (Eph. 1:18). Are you filling your imagination with the Lord? (Ps. 16:8). Are you filling your will with a love for His holy law? (Ps. 119:97). Are you seeking union with God through Christ alone? (Gal. 2:20).

If you are doing these things, then you are on the perfect path of Christian righteousness. This is what Teresa of Avila called The Way of Perfection. It is not an easy path, but much grace from the Holy Spirit will be given to help you in this direction—if you choose to follow it. This is the path of the Christian mystics. A holy and blessed path. A very narrow path. An ancient path. A persecuted path. But a very good path.

But it is a persecuted path. Christian mystics have always been persecuted throughout church history, and have often been confined to the cloister or marginalized as “heretics.” And so we are today. What of it? If this book ever attains to any level of notoriety, I’m already absolutely sure it will be branded as heretical by Cessationists. A “heretical” stigma will be placed on How to Experience God, as well as anything else that I feel the Holy Spirit inspires me to write. I know this already, because I am writing in the same vein as the Christian mystics that preceded me (Thomas Müntzer, Mark Virkler, James Goll, etc).

All of these people have already been branded as heretics by either the Roman Catholic Church, Cessationists, or “discernment ministries.” Of course, I don’t believe any of these people are heretics, neither do I think of myself as a heretic. Because if I did, then I would have to change my mind about all of these contemplative issues. I really think the basic reason why the traditional church, has usually branded Christian mystics as heretics, is because the mystics tend to make average churchgoers feel like their Christian experience is not good enough.

So, the traditional churchmen make up for this by persecuting the very prophets of God! The words of Christ are fitting: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets!” (Matt. 23:37, KJV). That spirit of Jerusalem has haunted the church throughout the ages, and continues to do so today. Primarily through Cessationists, “Open-But-Cautious” Christians, and “discernment ministries.” These are the modern-day “inquisitors” and “witch hunters” of the Protestant church, and they will not refrain from accusing Christian mystics before God and men. By doing this, they actually think they are doing God a service (John 16:2). They believe that they are condemning “Christian occultism” rather than “Christian mysticism” as I have defined it.

Now I want to define a little bit more clearly, which aspects of the occult, are of such concern to modern-day Protestant witch hunters. Firstly, I’m going to name a few Evangelical “witch hunter books” that include Charismatic Christianity as a form of witchcraft (deluded as this thinking is). These witch hunters or heresy hunters actually believe that Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity is a form of witchcraft! They are anti-Charismatic. I’m so sorry that these people even believe this, but they are still forces to be reckoned with:

1. Kurt Koch’s Occult ABC (1978)
2. John MacArthur’s Charismatic Chaos (1992)
3. Hank Hanegraaff’s Counterfeit Revival (1997)
4. Dave Hunt’s Occult Invasion (1998)
5. Ron Tyler’s The Spiritual Discernment Guide (2004)
6. Rory Roybal’s Miracles or Magic? (2005)

These books are partially good and partially bad. They’re good in that they expose true occult practices, so that faithful Christians might avoid them. But they are bad wherever they cross the line and essentially condemn Charismatic Christians as witches.

What are the occultic things that Protestant witch hunters confuse with Charismatic Christians? Hopefully I can help to clarify any confusion here.

1. The Gift of Prophecy is Confused with Divination. You find this is one of their primary concerns. All Protestants and Evangelicals have traditionally placed a very high priority on the Bible. The traditional view of the Protestant Reformation was sola Scriptura (the Bible alone is good enough for faith and practice, and by implication—all spiritual experiences and revelations are to be rejected). You also find that they think the mystics of the church held their private revelations as equally authoritative as the Bible. This is not the case. But to say so helps their Cessationist arguments. It is all done in the name of upholding the authority of the Word of God (the Bible only). All dreams, visions, and spiritual voices are laughed at, mocked, or condemned as demonic.

Sometimes I wonder if an ulterior motive may also be to uphold the authority of seminaries and Bible degrees! They might reason: “If the laypeople know how to directly hear from God, then they might start to believe that they don’t need Bible masters like us to teach them the Word of God. So let’s stamp out every kind of Christian mysticism and Charismatic Christian group we can find. These ‘prophets’ make us look like we’re unqualified to teach the Bible! If they can work miracles but we can’t, what does that say about us? Away with them! Brand them as demonic, or heretics, or witches, or something sinful!” The Pharisees treated Jesus and the apostles the same way. They also were accused of witchcraft and magic (Matt. 10:25; 12:24).

Not only is the mind of the Cessationist darkened because of his rationalism, but because he resists the Holy Spirit’s gifts, all he can see in the supernatural is occultic. In his mind, supernatural = occult. For him, God no longer does supernatural things in the church. It’s just a reasonable faith in the Bible versus non-Christian religions with occultic powers. What a sad lot! Why would God ever leave His church without miraculous powers while the devil is allowed to give them to his witches? It doesn’t make sense at all in light of spiritual battle. But this is really what Cessationists and most conservative Evangelicals believe in. The Bible is good enough for them—and it’s all they want.

So in the heat of all this, since they have a tendency to view all modern-day supernatural things as occultic, they attack the prophetic as if it were divination and magic. They stylistically use all sorts of rhetoric and choice words: “I don’t know all about what you are ‘dabbling’ in or what you have apparently ‘opened yourself up’ to. But you really need to pray to God and repent of this mysticism and prophecy stuff. The Book of Acts was transitional and spiritual experiences were only for the Twelve Apostles. Now that we have the Bible, that’s what we should believe in. Not in any of your funny dreams and visions that you think are from God. You know, a lot of what you’re experiencing sounds like the New Age or the occult. It’s no small coincidence. ESP, psychics, fortunetellers, Ouija boards, Edgar Cayce, Jeane Dixon—I know all about that kind of stuff. Stay away from that stuff man. Just believe the Bible! You don’t need to prove to anybody that you are super-spiritual. You don’t need to be talking about your encounters with angels all the time, because Colossians 2:18 says not to worship angels.”

If you are a prophetic Christian and have gotten into a discussion or debate with a Cessationist, you know all about this kind of anti-Charismatic rhetoric. They might not slam all of this down on you if one fell swoop, but they might in bits and pieces. I just provided this composite Cessationist objection to the prophetic for the sake of simplicity. Two of the major aspects of real divination are: (1) Attempting to contact the so-called dead through a medium. (2) Using occultic devices such as crystal balls, magic mirrors, palm reading, Ouija boards, Tarot cards, horoscopes, etc, in order to receive “revelations” from the dead[5] or pagan gods. In the Charismatic Christian prophetic ministry, none of these divinatory arts are present—because they are condemned by Scripture (Deut. 18:9-12). But because many Cessationists don’t really understand how the gift of prophecy operates through dreams, visions, and words of knowledge (Num. 12:6)—they naturally think of divination, and ascribe it to any Charismatic that claims special revelations from God.

2. Contemplative Prayer is Confused with Eastern Meditation. There are two sides of the coin in Christian mysticism. On the one side you have miraculous gifts, which have their summation in the gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 12-14). On the other side, you have contemplative prayer, which “opens you up” to hear from God more clearly (Ps. 46:10). Satan has counterfeited Christian contemplation in the past century through what has popularly come to be called “Eastern meditation.” This is a catch-phrase that basically encompasses the three most popular meditative techniques of the Far East: Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, and Zen meditation. I will attempt to provide my definitions of these occult practices based on what Josh McDowell and Don Stewart’s Handbook of Today’s Religions (1983) says about them.

Transcendental Meditation – This reached its height of popularity in the mid-1960s, with the hippie counterculture, and the full support of the Beatles rock band. Developed by a Hindu guru named Maharishi Mahesh Yogi—the goal of Transcendental Meditation is to “open up” the meditator to experience Hindu gods such as Vashishta and Shakti, and ultimately lead to union with the Hindu creator god named Brahman. Discursive meditation (repetitive thinking) on Hindu gods and gurus plays an important role—this is known as chanting a “mantra.” Eventually this leads to a demonic ecstasy, or a contemplative awareness of the presence of Brahman, within you and supposedly within all things.

Yoga – This may or may not be used in addition to Transcendental Meditation. Yoga is a variety of physical and meditative exercises that have been developed by Hindu gurus over the course of centuries. In the West, most people seem to use Yoga only for physical exercise, kind of like aerobics. But this is a dangerous occult practice that may result in demon possession and mental illness. All forms of Yoga—whether they are physical, mental, or spiritual—are occultic techniques, specially designed by Hindu mystics, to “open up” your mind to experience Hindu gods, as well as “god-realization” for yourself. In the Hindu worldview, if one attains “god-realization” (the revelation that man is “god” or Brahman) through Yoga practices—then he will be supposedly freed from the torturous cycle of reincarnation.

Zen Meditation (Zazen and Koans) – A form of sitting meditation that may last for as long as one week straight. Chanting and sitting in some kind of “lotus position” on a cushion is involved. The eyes are often left open to stare in a blank gaze at the wall. There is a Zen master or spiritual guide who assists the monks in their meditations. He will often give them a “koan” or riddle to think about. These are often some of the most stupid and meaningless questions: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”; “A cow passes by a window. Its head, horns, and the four legs all pass by. Why did not the tail pass by?”; “What was the appearance of your face before your ancestors were born?” Apparently the purpose of meditating on these riddles is to lead the meditator to realize that everything is meaningless, the world is meaningless, those stupid koans are meaningless, and he should just blank his mind out. By doing this, he will attain a state of perfect emotional and mental detachment from all things—the state of satori or “nirvana.”

Christian contemplation is none of these things. It is simply quieting oneself, closing the eyes, and concentrating on God through Jesus. It is fixing our eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2). There is nothing Far Eastern about it. There is nothing of India, China, or Japan involved. There is no Hinduism or Buddhism involved in Christian contemplation. Christian contemplation originated in the Near East, not the Far East. It originated in Israel, not in India. It was developed in Catholic monasteries, not in Buddhist monasteries. The great founders of Christian contemplation were the Desert Fathers, not Buddha and Hindu gurus. Am I making myself clear? There are two contemplative streams—one of God, the other of the devil. God’s way of contemplation has come through the church, but satan’s way of contemplation has come through Hinduism and Buddhism.

The Roman Catholic Church addressed these issues in a 14 page document called the Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation (1989).[6] It was actually written up by Joseph Ratzinger, who is the current Pope Benedict XVI. The letter rejects Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, and Zen as “erroneous ways of praying.” Ratzinger notes the crisis of modern Christians borrowing from Eastern meditative practices for their prayer lives:

Christians, caught up in the movement towards openness and exchanges between various religions and cultures, are of the opinion that their prayer has much to gain from these methods. Observing that in recent times many traditional methods of meditation, especially Christian ones, have fallen into disuse, they wonder whether it might not now be possible, by a new training in prayer, to enrich our heritage by incorporating what has until now been foreign to it.

That is, Christian meditative and contemplative practices—those espoused by the Desert Fathers, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross—have over the course of time, fallen into disuse. Probably due to the influence of rationalism, the church stopped practicing Christian contemplation, and largely stopped believing that God could be encountered through spiritual experiences. So, when the 1960s and 70s came around, many spiritually hungry Christians turned to Far Eastern meditation practices, in order to get in touch with God. This is extremely wrong and spiritually dangerous, as it opens up the believer to demonic attack, or even possession and mental illness.

Not only that, but Ratzinger says the Eastern methods of meditation should be critically shunned, “so as to avoid the danger of falling into syncretism (mixing religions).” The practice of mixing Catholic meditation with Eastern meditation, was brought into the church through the heretical Catholic monks Thomas Merton, M. Basil Pennington, Thomas Keating, and William Meninger. They were the leaders of the “centering prayer” movement. To this day, Thomas Keating has a ministry called Contemplative Outreach.[7] Pope John Paul II felt the same way that Ratzinger felt about borrowing from Eastern meditation. John Paul II said:

It is not inappropriate to caution those Christians who enthusiastically welcome certain ideas originating in the religious traditions of the Far East—for example, techniques and methods of meditation and ascetical practice. In some quarters these have become fashionable, and are accepted rather uncritically. First one should know one’s own spiritual heritage well and consider whether it is right to set it aside lightly. Here we need to recall, if only in passing, the brief but important document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith On Certain Aspects of Christian Meditation.”[8]

But the question still remains: What about the seemingly harmless things that don’t contradict the Bible or Christianity? Some Christians still wonder if some of the harmless physical aspects, of Eastern meditative practices, might be of practical use in the Christian contemplative life. For example, in Zen Buddhism, after the meditators have been sitting still for a prolonged period of time—in order to give their bodies some relief, they go outside for a walk.[9] I see nothing anti-Biblical or heretical in this. Take note that Paul quoted the pagan poet Epimenides (Acts 17:28), but never quoted anything anti-Biblical or contradictory to Christian theology. St. Augustine did the same with Plotinus.

Ratzinger concludes in his letter: “One can take from them what is useful so long as the Christian conception of prayer, its logic and requirements are never obscured.” But as a general rule of thumb, I would stay away from Far Eastern meditation techniques, because the Roman Catholic Church has provided way more Christian contemplative guidance throughout the centuries. I think it would do us all very well to interpret Catholic mystical theology[10] through the theological lens of Evangelical and Charismatic Christianity. Then we can arrive at a much more powerful, and much more orthodox conception, of what it means to experience God in the contemplative life. There is really no need to turn to Far Eastern religions for spiritual advice.

What comes to mind when a person today thinks of the word “Communism”? Does a person think of black and white films of the Stalin regime on the History Channel? Do people imagine clean cut soldiers marching high to a drummer’s beat, rifles on shoulder, and fitted caps tipped up? These images, grim as they are, come to my mind along with several thoughts of Jews in Nazi Germany, and people in China who suffer for their faith in Christ, because of tight Communist control. Why talk about something going on halfway across the world to people we’ll never even see? Surely here in the West we are informed about everything going on with Christians under Communism? No, not really.

Recently I picked up a book that I was able to order for free off of the Internet—Tortured for Christ (1967) by Richard Wurmbrand. This Wurmbrand is the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs organization. They relay info from different parts of the world where Christianity is suppressed. They also help to support the Underground Church worldwide. Recently, as I read this book my eyes were gradually opened to the sufferings of the Underground Church in Romania, Russia, etc. Wurmbrand was a prisoner for 14 years total in Romania. The first eight and a half years he was tortured, starved, threatened, seared with hot brands, etc. His wife had received (at one point) the news (which was a lie) that her husband had died in prison. So, their son Mihai had to face the issue of earning a living at a very young age.

Having had been drugged and tortured physically, psychologically, and emotionally, Wurmbrand tells of the woes of prison life, and how these trials made his faith strong as iron. The stories that he tells are vivid descriptions of horrendous events that could almost make you nauseous to just read about. He tells of one man who saw his own son slowly beat to death before his very eyes. When the man saw the relentless attack upon his son, he urged his son to deny Christ so the beatings would stop. However, the son, brave and pure, wished to die for Christ and the church. So, the man saw these things happen to his son, and was scarred for the rest of his life.

Having read and reviewed the experiences from from Tortured for Christ, I have a much more developed conviction for believers who are suffering for the Lord in other countries. I’ve been given a subscription to The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter for free. Here in the Western hemisphere, it’s disgusting how unaware Christians are, that their brothers and sisters across the sea are “dying daily” while some are daily dying.

Wurmbrand encourages readers to take a stand against Communism, by praying for the leaders of these distant persecuting countries to be converted. He insists that Christians who don’t preach against Communism in other countries are almost supporting it. This stance of Wurmbrand’s has stirred me to pray for believers in chains, and get the word out to raise a voice, when moved to against Communistic governments. I would urge all Christians to get Wurmbrand’s book Tortured for Christ, and take a stand and speak out for our brothers and sisters who are silenced.

Click here to watch the online video of Richard Wurmbrand giving his testimony in the 1960s. He was an Evangelical mystic. In the deep solitude of his prison cell, he recounts experiencing visions of God and angels.